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The NF7-S is the latest nForce2 board from Abit. Is this board as good as they say it is? Read on as I tear into this beautiful peace of electronics and demonstrate how to frag a motherboard...
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Introduction
This is honestly my first ever hardware review, so be gentle. I’ll just get this out of the way real quick. I’m a big fan of feedback. If you have a comment or a suggestion, or just want to see something in particular, email me. Now, moving on with the review.
For all you AMD fans out there, this motherboard will bring you up to par. Don’t believe me? Read on and I’ll prove it.
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NF7-S Specs and Features
Normally, I don’t like cut and paste stuff, but Abit says it best with their description. I tried to write something better, but it just didn’t work, so here it is:
“The NF7 series models, based on nForce2 chipset, supports the latest AMD Athlon XP processors with 200/266/333 FSB, and features new dual 400MHz DDR memory controllers that
deliver up to a 50% increase in bandwidth. Three DDR DIMM slots support up to 3GB of DDR memory, and optimized 128-bit architecture reduces memory latency. The advanced memory
architecture means that the latest 3D games and multimedia applications are able to run smoother and faster than ever before, giving you unparalleled system performance. With the nForce2
MCP2-T, the APU (Audio Processing Unit) delivers Dolby Digital 5.1 cinematic-quality sound and 3D positional audio to your home PC. By SoundstormTM technology, the NF7-S supports Real-time
audio encoding delivering up to 256 simultaneous audio streams makes games and applications come to life. With cutting-edge features and ABIT Engineering, the NF7 series is the
ultimate multimedia platform for the world.”
Now, here is their specifications list, right off of their website:
| Processor : | - Supports AMD-K7 Duron/Athlon/Athlon XP Socket A with 200/266/333MHz FSB Processors
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| Chipset : |
- NVIDIA nForce2 SPP chipset with MCP2-T
- Supports Advanced Configuration and Power Management Interface (ACPI)
- Accelerated Graphics Port connector supports AGP 8x/4x (0.8v/1.5v)
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| Memory : |
- Three 184-pin DIMM sockets
- Supports 3 DIMM DDR 200/266/333 (Max 3GB)
- Supports 2 DIMM DDR 400 (Max 2GB)
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| Serial ATA (Optional) : |
- On board Serial ATA PCI Controller
- Supports SATA data transfer rates 150MB/s (1.5bps)
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| Audio : |
- 6-Channel AC 97 CODEC on board
- Professional digital audio interface supports 24-bit S/PDIF Out
- Supports real time AC-3 Encode by Soundstorm Technology
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| System BIOS : |
- Softmenu Technology
- Award Plug and Play BIOS
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| LAN : |
- On board 10/100MB LAN Physical layer interface
- 10/100MB Operation Supports ACPI & Wake on LAN
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| IEEE 1394 : |
- Supports IEEE 1394a at 100/200/400MB/s transfer rate (firewire)
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| Internal I/O Connectors : |
- 1 x AGP 8x/4x slot, 5 PCI slots
- 1 x Floppy port supports up to 2.88MB
- 2 x Ultra DMA 33/66/100/133 Connectors
- 2 x USB headers, 2 x IEEE 1394a headers
- 1 x CD-IN, 1 x IrDA
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| Back Panel I/O : |
- 1 x PS/2 Keyboard, 1 x PS/2 Mouse
- 2 x Serial, 1 x Parallel
- 1 x S/PDIF Out port
- Audio connectors (front speaker, line-in, mic-in, Center/Sub, Surround Speaker)
- 2 x USB, 1 x RJ-45 LAN Connector
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| Miscellaneous : |
- ATX form factor
- Hardware monitoring – Including Fan speeds, Voltages, System environment temperature.
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And now finally, Abit’s highlights:
AGP 8X
AGP 3.0 8X spec supports high performance graphics processing at a peak bandwidth of 2.1GB/s.
Serial ATA 150
Serial ATA is an evolutionary replacement for the Parallel ATA storage interface. This new high-speed interface burst data transfer rate up to 150 Mbytes/sec and more flexible power tolerances, cables can be smaller and more efficient
Dual DDR 400
Dual DDR combines the power of DDR400 with two 64-bit independent memory controllers, the 128-bit memory controller integrated on chip provides up to 6.4 GB/sec bandwidth for system memory, and gives you highest performance and cost-effective platform.
5bit FID (Frequency ID)
By ABIT 5-bits FID Override technology, users can get variety of CPU over-clocking sets.
ABIT CPU H.T.P (Hardware Thermal Protection)
ABIT CPU H.T.P. uses pure hardware detection, which not like others use software detection to prevent CPU overheating. ABIT CPU H.T.P provides more reliable result for customers’ investment.
ABIT SoftMenu™
The overclocking function includes CPU frequency, Vcore, multiplier, chipset & DDR voltage and AGP VDDQ voltage adjustment available to maximize your system performance.
SoundStorm™ Technology
Real-time Dolby Digital 5.1 audio encoding delivering up to 256 simultaneous audio streams
6-Channel Audio and Optical S/PDIF Out
Lets you enjoy 6-channel audio without having to buy advanced sound cards.
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Now that we’ve covered all the basic copy/paste routines, lets move on...
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