Conclusion and thoughts
Let's get straight to the point. There's a lot to like about this particular Canterwood. Presentation is almost immaculate, board layout is pretty good, and performance / overclocking potential is better than expected. We'd previously seen a number of Canterwood bundles include what we thought was almost every conceivable extra. DFI don't seem to agree with us. It was quite amusing and heartening to see a backpack included in a bundle, one that tries to live up to its LANPARTY name.
We shan't let the over-the-top bundle get in the way of the board's other features. A passive heatsink can be thought of as a feature in its own right. Many of our readers complain at the active coolers used on a number of big-name Canterwood / Springdale boards. The popular, RAIDable ICH5/R, decent IDE RAID, CSA Gigabit LAN, FrontX panel and decent sound give the board a rounded feel. We'd have liked a little FireWire action though. The DFI LANPARTY PRO875 has been clearly designed for users with a windowed case. The cool PCB colour and garish slot colours are an acquired taste. Still, we applaud any manufacturer who shies away from the usual light-brown PCB.
The DFI's Canterwood heritage and name will count against it when considered in relation to a number of excellent Springdale boards that have flooded the market recently. It's hard to justify spending the extra £30 when certain Springdales, equipped with new BIOSes, manage to beat out the vast range of Canterwoods. What's worse is that a reasonable percentage of these i865PE boards carry the same feature set as the more expensive i875P's. However, if you're after a Canterwood that's a little different to the rest, the DFI 875PRO LANPARTY PRO875 may just be for you. Highly recommended.
Highs
-
Excellent presentation, if a little quirky
-
Pretty quick for a Canterwood
-
This sample overclocked like a champion
-
Stability was never in doubt
-
A decent mix of features
-
Looks nice
Lows
-
Certain Springdales offer better performance for less money
-
Seems to be a little late. Those that wanted to upgrade to the i875P / i865xx may have already done so
