This model is based on the same model as the 9EJL2
of Apogee series, but this one has a full suite of peripheral controllers
and a richer accessory pack.
Accessories: - Package of
the stylish design with a handle;
- Documentation: user manual, a
poster with brief installation steps - in English;
- Cables: 2 ATA66/100/133
and FDD - they are covered with green cambric to improve ventilation inside the
case;
-
CBOX2 panel with 4 USB 2.0 ports, Audio-In/Out, 1 FireWire port and 2 7-segment
LEDs which monitor the POST procedure during booting of the system and a processor's
temperature;
- Bracket with Rear and Bass/Center connectors;
-
Bracket with S/PDIF-In/Out connectors (TosLink);
- Optical cable
with TosLink connectors and TosLink-miniTosLink adapter;
- Bracket
with 2 FireWire ports;
- Thermo grease;
- 2 CDs containing:
- drivers;
- user guide;
- Norton Internet Security 2002;
-
Norton Antivirus 2002;
- Adobe ActiveShare;
- Adobe
Acrobat Reader;
- Adobe eBook Reader;
- ImageMore.
The downsides in the layout are the following: audio-ins are next to the back
panel, IDE RAID connectors are behind PCI slots and numerous connectors between
DIMM slots and the board's edge (which makes difficult to handle the memory modules).
It can be difficult to reach some jumpers when the board is already installed.
Their functions are shown on the textolite. The 3-channel switching voltage
regulator incorporates 8 capacitors of 3300 uF and 3 of 1800 uF. The
following controllers are integrated: - audio controller based on
the chipset's capabilities and C-Media CMI8738/PCI-6ch-LX chip supporting 5.1
audio systems and having connectors for front audio outputs and for SPDIF;
-
network controller based on the Realtek RTL8100B chip supporting 10BaseT/100BaseTX;
-
IDE RAID controller based on the Promise PDC20276 chip supporting RAID 0 and 1
on the ATA133 protocol;
- FireWire bus controller based on the Texas
Instruments VIA VT6306 chip.
Thanks to the ITE IT8712F-A I/O controller
the board supports (and have connectors) a SmartCard Reader. Non-unsoldered
connectors: AC'97 codec and a serial port connector. The system monitoring
is supported by the ITE IT8712F-A chip. What is controlled: - processor
voltage, memory, 1.5, +3.3, +5 and +-12 V, VBAT and +5 V Standby
- speed
of 2 fans;
- temperatures of the processor (a built-in sensor) and
the board (a built-in sensor).
There are 2 connectors for adjustable
and 1 for unadjustable connection of fans (it's connected to a fan on the MCH's
heatsink). Brief characteristics of the board: memory slots -
2 DDR SDRAM; expansion slots - AGP/ 6 PCI/ CNR; I/O ports - 2 COM/ LPT/ 2 PS/2/
6 USB 2.0 / 3 FireWire; dimensions - 305x230 mm.
Adjustment
can be carried out with:
| jumpers and switches |
Jumper to clear up the CMOS |
|
| Jumper to set a FSB frequency |
Auto/100/133 MHz |
| Jumper for starting up computer from a PS/2 keyboard |
|
| Jumper for starting up computer from USB keyboard |
|
| Jumper turning the network controller on/off |
|
| Jumper turning the audio controller on/off |
|
| BIOS based on the AwardBIOS 6.00PG from Phoenix |
Setup of memory timings |
+ |
CAS Latency, Active To Precharge Delay, RAS to CAS Delay, RAS
Precharge |
| Setup of memory frequency |
+ |
Auto, DDR266, DDR333 |
| Setup of AGP bus |
- |
|
| Setup of PCI bus |
- |
|
| Changeable scaler of AGP and PCI buses |
+ |
AGP(PCIx2) = Synch., 66, 75, 88 MHz |
| Manual assignment of interrupts |
- |
|
| Changeable FSB frequency |
+ |
100-200 MHz in 1MHz steps |
| Changeable CPU multiplier |
+ |
x8-x50 |
| Changeable core voltage |
+ |
1.1-1.85 in 0.025 V steps |
| Changeable memory voltage |
+ |
Default, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, 3.1 V |
| Changeable chipset voltage |
- |
|
| Changeable AGP bus voltage |
+ |
Default, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1 V |
We used the BIOS of 01.11.2002
as the latest available version. The board provides a rich set of peripheral
controllers and excellent tools for tweaking and overclocking the system; at the
same time, its speed is brilliant even in the standard mode and its unique accessory
pack puts it in the line with the best models based on this chipset. Test
results:
|
|
