Soltek's QBic EQ3901-300P SFF PC
Introduction, Specifications & Bundle
Every time a new small form factor system arrives in the lab, inevitable comparisons are made to Shuttle's popular line of XPC systems. The simple fact of the matter is that Shuttle's XPCs have set the bar for the rest of the industry. And their XPC systems have sold so well, they've transformed Shuttle from a second tier motherboard manufacturer into full-fledged system builders, in a relatively short period of time. With success like that, it should come as no surprise that other manufacturers have since jumped on the bandwagon, and now have an assortment of small form factor systems in their own product line ups as well. Since the initial introduction of Shuttle's XPC, we have taken a look at SFF rigs from AOpen, Biostar, Iwill, EPoX, Chyan Fun, Soyo, and Soltek.
Recently, we took at look at Soltek's QBic EQ3501-Pro. The EQ3501-Pro is based on Intel's i915G chipset for LGA775 Pentium 4 processors. It performed relatively well and we were impressed by its aesthetic qualities. Today, we're going to take a look at a similar SFF system from Soltek, the EQ3901-300P. This machine, however, is based on VIA's K8T800 Pro chipset with support for all Socket 939 Athlon 64 processors. Throw in a fast processor, and the EQ3901-300P has the makings of quite a powerful system in a near shoebox sized footprint. Check it out...
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| Chipset •_VIA K8T800 Pro + VT8237 Processor •_AMD Socket 939 Front Side Bus •_1GHz Hyper Transport Memory •_2 x 184-pin DDR DIMM Sockets •_Supporting unbuffered non-ECC DDR 400/333/266 DRAM up to 2GB •_Supporting Dual-Channel Expansion Slots •_1 x AGP 8X/4X Slot •_1 x PCI Slot On-Board EIDE •_2 x ATA133/100/66 IDE connectors supporting up to 4 IDE devices On-Board SATA •_2 x Serial ATA connectors supporting 2 Serial ATA HDDs Integrated Super I/O •_1 x Floppy Port •_1 x PS/2 Mouse Port •_1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port •_1 x Gigabit LAN Port •_1 x Parallel Port. (via optional cable) •_2 x Serial Ports •_8 x USB 2.0/1.1 Ports(4 integrated, 4 via optional cables) •_Audio Ports •_2 x IEEE1394 Ports (1 integrated, 1 via optional cable) RAID •_2 x Serial ATA connectors supported by VT8237 (RAID 0, 1) IEEE1394 •_2 x IEEE1394 Ports (1 integrated, 1 via optional cable) Audio •_8-Channel AC'97 Audio LAN •_Gigabit LAN Function BIOS •_Award BIOS •_Flash Memory for easy upgrade |
Form Factor •_180mm x 270mm •_Length (cm) 33 •_Width (cm) 21.50 •_Height (cm) 20 Other Features •_BIOS FSB Setting •_BIOS Writing Protection •_BIOS AGP, DIMM, Vcore Voltage Setting •_BIOS Multiplier Setting •_SmartDoc. Anti-burning Shield (optional) •_Soltek H/M Monitor Front Panel •_Aluminum / Mirror •_2 x 5.25 inch Bays •_2 x 3.5 inch Bays (one internal) Power Supply •_300W (APFC)
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Soltek ships the EQ3901-300P with a full array of cables, manuals, and accessories. Included with the system itself, we found three complete user's manuals, one pertaining specifically to the EQ3901's motherboard, another detailed the system's features and installation, and the last explained how to use all of the bundled software. We also found a quick installation poster, a motherboard reference card, and a couple of CDs that contained drivers and the software included with the system. Soltek bundles PC-Cillin Internet Security 2004, RestoreIT 3, and Virtual Drive 7 with the EQ3901.
There were also quite a few cables bundled with the system, including a pair of SATA cables, a floppy cable, an 80-Wire IDE cable, a power cable, and a 4-Pin Molex to SATA power adapter. On top of that, Soltek also included an assortment of screws and wire ties with the system, along with a small tube of thermal paste and a copper-cored aluminum-finned cooler. Unfortunately, during shipping the heatsink broke free of its mount and it seems to have bounced around inside the system. Luckily, the system was OK, but some scratches and dents are visible if you look closely at the cooler.
