nForce2 pushed to the Max: NF7 rev 1.2 vs Epox 8r(g/d)a+

Motherboards/AMD S462 by richbastard @ 2003-03-14

Stock speeds are no option when you buy an Abit NF7-S rev 1.2 or Epox 8r(g/d)a+. Which one can obtain the highest FSB? How do they compare at extreme high speeds? Which one of these three do you have to buy to be king of the hill?

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Abit NF7-S: layout & features

Abit NF7-S rev 1.2



Madshrimps (c)


Features:

  • Socket A for AMD Athlon™, Duron™, Athlon™ XP CPU. Supports 266/333 FSB
  • Nvidia Nforce2 SPP Chipset + Nvidia Nforce2 MCP-T
  • 1 Floppy drive controller - 2 serial ports - 1 parallel port
  • 5 PCI slots - 1 AGP (AGP 8X)
  • 2 x E/IDE Ultra DMA/133, 4 drives max.
  • 3 x DDR SDRAM PC3200, 3GB max.
  • 2 USB 2.0 ports, 4 extra by optional USB back-panel cable
  • Realtek ALC650 6-channel full-duplex integrated sound, with NForce Dolby level decoder.
  • By ABIT 5-bits FID Override technology, users can get variety of CPU over-clocking sets.
  • Onboard LAN 10/100 Mbit
  • 2 ports IEEE 1394 (firewire™)
  • 2 x SATA 150
  • Standard ATX format


Provided in the package:

  • Abit NF7-S rev 1.2
  • ATA 133/100 cable
  • Floppy cable
  • SATA cable
  • serillel adapter
  • molex to sata power connector
  • USB bracket (2 ports)
  • Firewire bracket (2 ports)
  • SATA driver disk
  • Abit driver disk
  • Abit manual
  • I/O shield


Layout:

Madshrimps (c)


The abit NF7 has a decent pcb layout, but not perfect. The floppy connector is placed for too high on the motherboard. Placing it next to the other IDE channels would have been a better choice.

I'd rather see the 12V and ATX connector at the side of the motherboard, next to the dimm slots, but it seems like most nforce² boards have this design.

The cpu fan connector is well placed, but the 2 casefan connectors are right next to each other, at a fairly unreachable place at the ATX connector.

I/O panel:
Madshrimps (c)



  • 1* PS/2 keyb, 1* PS/2 mouse
  • 1* S/P dif out
  • 5 audio connectors: (front, rear, center/sub, line in, mic in)
  • 2* usb 2.0
  • 1* lan
  • 2* serial
  • 1* parallel


Only 2 usb ports (without the use of an extra USB bracket) can be a bit annoying, but spdif ouf & 5 audio connectors is something what the 8rda+ lacks.
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