X48 heavyweights go head to head Asus and Intel at the high end

Although Intel's processors and chipsets have long been embraced by PC enthusiasts, the company's motherboards have largely been ignored. Years ago, it was easy to see why. Intel motherboards didn't come with the tweaking and overclocking options that we crave, and that was understandable, since we never really expected Intel to endorse overclocking. However, times have changed, and so has Intel's tune. The firm now has several products targeted specifically at enthusiasts, including the new DX48BT2 "Bonetrail 2" motherboard that comes loaded with many of the features we'd expect from a modern, high-end mobo.

Based on Intel's flagship X48 Express chipset, Bonetrail's second coming faces stiff competition from Taiwanese mobo makers with far more street cred in the enthusiast space—credibility that, for the likes of Asus, is well deserved. Asus one of the biggest players in the motherboard market, and it's been catering to enthusiasts for as long as I can remember. Asus has embraced the X48 Express, as well, most recently with its Rampage Formula motherboard.

The Rampage Formula and DX48BT2 effectively target the same market, albeit with one DDR2 memory and the other with DDR3. For once, however, Intel is the underdog. Read on to see if the processor giant can beat Asus at its own game.

Intel's DX48BT2 motherboard
Designed for enthusiasts, seriously

Intel introduced its first Bonetrail board, the DX38BT, last year with its then-flagship X38 Express chipset. The X38 has since been replaced by the X48 Express to accommodate the Core 2 Extreme QX9770's 1600MHz front-side bus, bringing with it a Bonetrail redux in the DX48BT2. We really wish Intel had stuck with the Bonetrail code-name here; DX48BT2 doesn't exactly roll off your tongue, although we can at least take some solace in the fact that the board avoids banal Extreme Edition branding. If you look closely, though, the BT2's Bonetrail roots shine through in the form of a couple of stylized skull logos emblazoned on the board.

As if the skull logo weren't tough enough, the DX48BT2 comes dressed in black and blue, like a tattooed biker in denim and leather.