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Intel and
AMD have been
dueling it out for several iterations of CPU cores and
the benefactor has always been the end user. The result is
a new CPU seemingly hitting the shelves just as the old
ones are being installed. When it comes to motherboard
chipsets, however, Intel is considerably slower with their
releases. While VIA, and to a lesser degree SiS, push out
chipsets with cutting-edge technology at a feverish pace,
Intel seems to be more relaxed in their approach,
producing motherboards and chipsets that are more geared
for stability and compatibility. This translates to solid
and mature, production releases, of which the i845 is a
good example.
Released back in September 2001, the i845 chipset was
Intel?s first attempt at pairing the Pentium 4 with
something other than RDRAM. While it couldn?t deliver the
same performance as the i850, it was priced less, and the
availability of SDRAM, in both standard and DDR flavors, made it a
fan favorite. The i845G is one of the latest updates to
this venerable chipset, providing support for Pentium 4s
with both 400MHz and 533MHz front side buses, integrated
3D video, 6-channel audio, LAN capabilities and USB 2.0.
Thus, with the i845G, the user is looking at a board that
can supply all of their basic needs without needing to
purchase additional hardware.
DFI is
one of the major Taiwanese based motherboard companies,
with an eye on providing quality for less than what one
would normally expect to pay. Their main concerns are
providing stability and high-performance without the
high-end price. Their latest release, the NB76-EA, is a
perfect example of their credo. Using the i845G chipset,
the NB76 will support the newest Pentium 4 CPUs, comes
equipped with onboard audio, video, and Ethernet capabilities, and
has something called ?Bitguard?, a watchdog utility in the BIOS designed to
catch and take out problems before they occur, a handy
tool when overclocking. With so much going for it, we
couldn?t wait to see what this board could do.
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| Specifications / Features of
the DFI NB-76EA Motherboard |
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Powerful package without the premium price |
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CLICK ANY IMAGE FOR AN
ENLARGED VIEW
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Chipset
Type:
- Intel 845G
- Intel 845G Graphics
Memory Controller Hub(GMCH)
- Intel 82801DB I/O
Controller Hub (ICH4)
CPU
Socket:
CPUs
Supported:
- Intel Pentium 4
(478-pin) up to 2.2GHz
- 400/533MHz data bus
Memory
Description:
- Two DDR 2.5V DIMM
sockets support up to 2GB (DDR 266/200)
- 184-pin PC1600
(DDR200)/PC2100 (DDR266) non-ECC, unbuffered DDR
SDRAM memory
BIOS
Description:
- Award PCI BIOS with
ACPI function
- Windows
98SE/2000/ME/XP plug-and-play compatible
- Supports
multiple-boot from E-IDE / SCSI / CD-ROM / FDD /
LS120 / ZIP
- Supports DMI 2.0
function
Expansion Slots:
- One AGP 2.0 slot
that supports 1.5V 4x AGP
- Six 32-bit Bus
Mastering PCI slots, PCI 2.2 compliant (1 shared
with CNR slot)
- One CNR 1.0 ?A? type
slot
IDE
Description:
- Two independent
channels for 4 IDE devices
- Supports up to PIO
mode 4 & Ultra DMA 66/100
- Two PCI bus
mastering ATA E-IDE ports, reducing CPU utilization
during disk transfer
Onboard
Graphics Features:
- Shares 512k/1Mb/8Mb
of system memory in DOS mode, uses Dynamic Video
Memory Technology in Windows mode
- 200MHz Core
frequency
- 350MHz integrated
24-bit RAMDAC
- Analog display up to
2048x1536 @ 60Hz
- 3D Graphics capable
up to 1600x1200x32 @ 85Hz
- Flat and Gouraud
shading, 16-bit and 24-bit Z-buffering and
W-buffering
- Double and Triple
Render buffer
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Onboard Audio
Features:
- 20-bit stereo
full-duplex codec 6-channel audio output S/PDIF in/out
capability
Onboard LAN
features:
- Realtek RTL8100 fast
Ethernet controller
- Integrated IEEE802.3
10BASE-T and 100BASE-T compatible PHY Full duplex
support at both 10 and 100 Mbps
Onboard
Media Reader:
- Supports Security
Application Smart Card interface Also supports Memory
Stick and Secure Digital Memory Cards
IO Port
Description:
- 4 USB 2.0/1.1 ports
- 1 RJ45 LAN port
- 1 DB-9 Serial port
- 1 DB-15 VGA port
- 1 DB-25 Parallel port
- 1 PS/2 Mouse port
- 1 PS/2 Keyboard port
- 3 audio jacks: line-out,
line-in, and mic-in
IO
Connectors:
- 1 connector for 2
additional USB 2.0/1.1 ports
- 1 connector for
additional serial port
- 1 connector for
game/MIDI port
- 4 internal audio
connectors (CD-in, Aux-in, Video-in, and TAD)
- 1 4-channel audio output
connector
- 1 S/PDIF-in connector
- 1 S/PDIF-out connector
- 1 connector for IrDA
interface
- 1 Smart Card interface
- 1 Memory Stick interface
- 1 Secure Digital Memory
Card interface
Health
Monitoring Description:
- Monitors CPU/system
temperature and overheat alarm
- Monitors voltages and
failure alarm
- Monitors
CPU/chassis/second fan speed and failure alarm
- Automatic chassis/second
fan on/off control
- Opened chassis alarm
Dimension
Description:
- Four layer PCB, ATX form
factor 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm (12" x 9.6")
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THE BUNDLE:
In the
box, we found the motherboard, a driver CD, and
interface cables. There was also a breakout box of
sorts, with slots for various types of media, and
it's associated cables. Noticeably missing, however, was a
real manual that we would normally expect to find in a
Do-It-Yourself kit. In fact, all we found
literature-wise was a layout map and list of features.
I should note that an electronic manual is provided on the CD, but
we would have to get the system together and running
before we could read it!
INSTALLATION:
Above is a
screenshot of what is provided on the driver CD.
It covers all of the basics for the board, video,
audio and LAN drivers, as well as drivers for the
Smart I/O cards. The USB 2.0 driver link does not
actually install anything, but told me to go download
the update instead, which can be found on Intel?s
website. I also found an installer for the Intel
Application Accelerator, and an included overclocking
utility called Overclock Cruise, which can be used to
alter the FSB speed from within Windows.
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The
BIOS, Layouts and Quality
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