ASRock 4Core1600P35-WiFi+ Motherboard Review

Final Thoughts And Conclusion

Ok, so here we are at the end of the review. ASRock has sent us a lot of boards in the last year, and they have all done pretty well for themselves. There are not usually huge changes to the boards, as they add a feature here or there, give it a new name, and then send it out. In fact, I even made a joke to Nate about this once that all they had to do was mass produce one box for their boards and use a Sharpee to write the new name as it was getting shipped out.

ASRock seems to have done something different with the 4Core1600P35 WiFi+ though. ASRock has a reall winner on their hands here. Not that there is no room for improvement, there always is. We will mention just a couple things as we finish this one up.

As far as performance goes, ASRock is to be commended on their ability to take a chipset that everyone else is dumping and making a solid performing board with it. the P35 is a great chipset, and ASRock has taken that greatness and shown that the P35 can compete with anything new that is out there.

The layout of the board is one area that I think ASRock should take a close look at. We have said it before, but the 24-pin power connector has no business being basically in the middle of the board. it is out of place and is just plain in the way. ASRock needs to pay attention to these little details, as it does make a difference to the end user. They could also dump some of the legacy stuff on the I/O panel, which would give them some room to add a couple other things that may also give the board a broader appeal to the market. The addition of the WiFi card is a nice touch.

Overclocking was pretty good for a board of its nature. A fsb of 394 is very respectable. This board likely could be a lot more of a temptation to some if it included the ability to adjust the multiplier. (See update on the overclocking page! The multiplier is available after all!) This is a little thing that can quickly be fixed by ASRock. Enthusiasts are not always about getting the most expensive and latest board out there. Many are concerned about bang for the buck, and this board could fit that very easily if this small change would be made.

Price is always a good area for ASRock boards. At the time of writing, the ASRock 4Core1600P35-WiFi+ motherboard is running right at $130. With the included WiFi and eSATA on the board, this is not a terribly bad price when compared to other P35 boards that are similarly equipped.

Legit Bottom Line: ASRock has a winner here! This board, even with its shortcomings, has awesome potential. If ASRock can address these few things as they continue to develop their boards, they will become known not just for cheap priced and older boards, but they will be known for their ability to get the most out of mature chipsets. If you are looking for a board that is fast, has decent overclocking ability without the option of adjusting the multiplier and is reasonably priced, the ASRock 4Core1600P35-WiFi+ should be on your short list.