Like in many modern boards, the AD77 Infinity supports a great deal of interfaces
which earlier could be obtained only with extension cards. Such integration reduces
the total cost of the system, and there are also lite versions with some functions
stripped off for those who don't need such. Today we have a preproduction sample
in our lab. Accessories: - Package of a new design;
-
Documentation: user guide, installation manual for the IDE RAID controller - in
English;
- Cables: 2 ATA66/100/133, 1 SATA and FDD;
-
Bracket with 2 IEEE 1394 ports;
- Bracket with 2 USB ports;
-
Bracket for the rear computer panel;
- CD containing:
- drivers;
- user guide in PDF;
- system monitoring utility;
-
McAfee VirusScan Online.
The layout has typical drawbacks: cables coming to the audio-ins, power supply
connector and some other connectors along the left edge will prevent proper air
circulation and make difficult handling of some modules. It can be difficult as
well to reach some jumpers when the board is already installed. Their functions
are shown on the textolite. The 3-channel switching voltage regulator
incorporates 4 capacitors of 3300 uF and 4 of 1500 uF. The following
controllers are integrated: - audio controller based on the chipset's
capabilities and Avance Logic ALC650 AC'97 codec supporting 5.1 audio systems
and having connectors for front audio inputs/outputs;
- network controller
based on the chipset's capabilities and supporting 10BaseT/100BaseTX
-
IDE RAID controller based on the HighPoint HPT371 and Marvell 88i8030 chips supporting
RAID 0 and 1 on the ATA133 and SATA protocols;
-
IEEE 1394 bus controller based on the VIA VT6306 chip.
+2.5
V supplied to the memory modules in the StandBy mode is indicated with the
LED; also, there is a POST controller including 4 LEDS. Non-unsoldered
connectors: none. The system monitoring is supported by the Winbond WT83697HF
chip. What is controlled: - processor voltage, +3.3, +-5 and +-12
V, VBAT, +5 V SB;
- 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.
Brief characteristics of the board: memory slots - 4 DDR SDRAM; expansion
slots - AGP/ 5 PCI/ CNR; I/O ports - 2 COM/ LPT/ 2 PS/2/ 6 USB 2.0 / 3 IEEE1394;
dimensions - 305x245 mm.
Adjustment
can be carried out with:
| jumpers and switches | Jumper
to clear up the CMOS | | | Jumpers for setting
a FSB frequency | 100, 133, 166 MHz | | Jumper
for starting up computer from a PS/2 keyboard | | | Jumper
to select a mode of the CNR extension card | Primary/Secondary |
| Jumper to enable/disable an audio controller | |
| Jumper to set a mode of the IDE controller | SATA/RAID |
| BIOS based on the AwardBIOS 6.00PG of Phoenix | Setup
of memory timings | + | CAS Latency, Bank Interleave,
Precharge to Active, Active to Precharge, Active to CMD, Burst Length, Queue Depth,
DRAM Drive Strength, Command Rate, Write Recovery Time, tWTR. | | Setup
of memory frequency | + | By SPD, DDR200, DDR266, DDR333,
DDR400 | | Setup of AGP bus | + | |
| Setup of PCI bus | + | | | Changeable
scaler of AGP and PCI buses | - | | | Manual
assignment of interrupts | + | | | Changeable
FSB frequency | + | 100-250 MHz in 1MHz steps |
| Changeable CPU multiplier | + | x5-x12 |
| Changeable core voltage | + | 1.1-2 V in 0.025V
steps up to 1.85 V and in 0.05 V afterwards | | Changeable memory
voltage | + | 2.5 and 2.63 V | | Changeable
chipset voltage | + | 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8 V |
| Changeable AGP bus voltage | + | 1.5, 1.6, 1.7,
1.8 V | We used the latest available version of the BIOS of
02.09.2002. The board will please those who are going to assemble an
inexpensive system with rich functionality and fine settings for adjustment and
overclocking. Test results:
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