Socket 939 Motherboard Roundup: ABIT, MSI, Gigabyte
ABIT designed the AV8 in the spirit of the BH6 and BH7: not a lot of flash, but streamlined with an emphasis on longevity and overclockability. The AV8 is equipped with all high-quality Japanese Rubycon capacitors, ABIT's proprietary "overclocking strips," and its swank uGuru technology. It also has a diagnostic LED readout, lots of USB connectors, and ABIT's signature flush-mounted IDE connectors. About the only thing missing is a secondary RAID controller and an active northbridge cooler...
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| Processor •_Supports AMD Athlon 64 / Athlon 64 FX 939-pin processor 2000MHz system bus using HyperTransport technology Memory •_CPU Integrated Dual Channel Memory Controller •_Four 184-pin DIMM sockets (Un-buffered Non-ECC DIMM) •_Supports Dual Channel DDR 400/333/266 (Max. 4GB) Chipset •_Supports Advanced Configuration and Power Management Interface (ACPI) •_Accelerated Graphics Port connector supports AGP 8X/4X SATA 150 RAID •_Supports SATA 150 MBps RAID 0/1 GbE LAN •_Onboard 10/100/1000M LAN PCI Ethernet Controller •_Operation support ACPI & Wake on LAN IEEE 1394 •_Supports three ports IEEE 1394 at 100/200/400 Mbps transfer rate Audio •_6-Channel AC'97 CODEC onboard •_Professional digital audio interface supports optical S/PDIF In/Out |
Internal I/O Connectors •_1 AGP 8X/4X slot •_5 PCI slots •_Floppy Port supports up to 2.88MB •_2 x Ultra DMA 33/66/100/133 Connectors •_2 x SATA 150 Connectors •_2 x USB headers, 2 x IEEE1394 headers •_1 x FP-Audio header •_1 x CD-IN, 1 x AUX IN Back Panel I/O •_1 x PS/2 Keyboard, 1 x PS/2 Mouse •_1 x Serial, 1 x Parallel, 1 x S/PDIF Output, 1 x S/P DIF Input •_1 x Audio connector (Center/Subwoofer, Surround Speaker) •_1 x Audio connector (Line Out, Line-in, MIC-in) •_2 x USB, 1 x IEEE1394 Connector •_2 x USB, 1 x RJ-45 LAN Connector Package •_User's Manual x 1 •_Quick Installation Guide x 1 •_ABIT uGuru Handbook x 1 •_Jumper setting label x 1 •_Support CD x 1 / SATA Utility Disk x 1 •_USB 2.0 cable x 1 / IEEE 1394 cable x 1 •_SATA cable x 2 / SATA power cable x 1 •_ATA133 Round cable x 1 •_FDD Round cable x 1 •_I/O shield x 1 |
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The ABIT AV8's bundle was also streamlined. We didn't find a lot of filler, just the essentials to get the board installed and take advantage of the integrated features. ABIT included an excellent assortment of manuals detailing the AV8's installation and features and even included a quick reference sticker that makes it easy to quickly identify a jumper or connector. Just stick it to the inside of your case, and you'll never be scrambling for the manual when it comes time to switch a jumper setting or clear the CMOS. A Driver / Utility CD and a floppy disk containing SATA drivers were also included with the AV8. Along with the aforementioned manuals and disks, ABIT also shipped two SATA cables, a single 80-wire IDE cable, a floppy cable, a case bracket with two extra USB and FireWire connectors, and a custom I/O shield.
