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Quality & Setup of the Intel D815EEA2
Motherboard |
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This Thing Has
Everything... |
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When
it comes to the D815EEA2 motherboard, the designers at Intel
haven't left much out. This board is a complete system
wrapped up in a single motherboard. Whether you want
to set up a high quality workstation or personal server, the
D815EEA2 has all the trimmings for a complete system.
The
D815EEA2 is a compete system solution
with 4X AGP on-board video,
on-board sound support using the AD1885 codec,
and integrated LAN connectivity.
The best part is there are still more goodies to come.
Let us move on, shall we?
The D815EEA2 comes with 3 DIMM
slots supporting up to 512MB of PC100/133 RAM. We
found this board to be very neat and placement of key
components excellent. The power connector is mounted
in position on the perimeter of the board, assuring that the
wiring will not obscure the airflow of the CPU cooler.
Notice the ample room around the Socket 370. The
capacitors are placed far enough away so as
not
to inhibit the installation of
a larger heat sink assembly. What is that connection
at the top left hand corner of the picture? Hmm, let's
take a closer look.
The
D815EEA2 comes with a Digital Video Output Header which
supports flat-panel, digital CRT or TV-Out cards. So
if you are willing to pay the price for a digital or
flat-panel monitor, it should be comforting to know that you
wouldn't have to work a video card
into your budget
that supports this feature . Intel has included so
much in one board,
yet they've allowed for a decent
amount of expandability too.
Usually when we review a board
that includes 5 PCI slots, we don't complain too much, but
always wish they'd add a sixth one. In this case, it
is hard to make that argument. With so many features
built into this board, a user would be hard pressed to come
up with enough add-on components to fill every slot.
However, with the obvious room for an additional slot, no
need for a CNR, and LAN connectivity already integrated into
the board, it would have been nice to see Intel incorporate
a 6th PCI slot anyway
This motherboard also boasts 4,
count'em...4 USB connections off the back of the board,
which is a priceless feature to this reviewer.
Although USB is supposed to be "Universal", there are
numerous components that like to be first in line or they
will not work. This gives the user a lot of
flexibility if they are planning on using several external
USB components.
Let us move on to the BIOS and
see what ties everything together...
The BIOS
When it comes to the BIOS, there
isn't much to say. It's a dry read. Intel has
always focused on building quality motherboards that perform
well and that are known for their stability. With that
said, you will not find any tweaks in the BIOS that would
allow the adjustment of the Bus speed or anything else that
would stress components beyond their design. For the
most part, the D815EEA2 is designed to run at specified
settings, nothing more, nothing less. Thinking about
overclocking? Forget it. This is a board
designed for the serious user who wants performance and
stability, period.
So without much to tweak in the
BIOS, let us move on to the benchmarks and see how the new
"Tualatin" runs the numbers...
The H.H. Test Systems,
Our Girl Sandra, and The Stones
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