DFI AK76-SN Review

Author : Wayne Date : 17th August 2001

3DVelocity would like to thank DFI and especially Eliza (Huang Yi-Chin) for their help and courtesy in providing this motherboard for review.

The Board Cont. :

Other nice considerations have been incorporated into the design layout of the board. The DIMMs for example are close enough to the edge of the board that most AGP graphics cards won't foul the retainers and hinder memory fitting/removal. Considering this board's suitability as a basis for server applications, it seems a little strange that DFI didn't opt for an AGP Pro slot, but again I think price considerations and their desire to appeal to the majority of users lay behind this decision.

You'll also notice below that the IDE connectors have been fitted at right angles to the board's edge and are staggered in comparison to the PCI slots which allows full sized cards to be used in every single PCI slot if required.

On the negative side, these IDE connectors are quite a long way down the board (or to the left as viewed above), and try as I might there was no way I could connect two hard disks, a DVD and a CD-RW on conventional length IDE cables in my Antec case. For the CD and DVD this is no problem as extra long ATA66 IDE cables are readily available, but if you need to use 80 pin ATA100 cables, their length is fixed at a maximum lenth to eliminate signal degradation.

Another negative is the position of the ATX power connector. I've said for some time that I don't agree with all the hype about wanting the connector right be the board's edge as most of the time a strategically placed tie will keep things well clear of the CPU and offer very few problems to your case cooling, but in this case the connector is way down the board, almost level with the AGP slot in fact. The problem here is two-fold. Firstly, if your power supply manufacturer has been a little mean with the cable length you may find you just can't get it to even reach the connector and secondly, even if you do, it may not leave enough slack to tie things safely out of the way. The answer may lie in the use of a small ATX extension lead, but I have no idea if such a thing exists anyway, and if not maybe somebody should market one :o)

Another thing that puzzled me was the Phoenix BIOS sticker on the CMOS. Maybe I've missed a merger or collaboration somewhere but the BIOS is definately Award.

Other than the IDE and ATX power positioning, the rest of the board smacks of thoughtful design and quality components. Three fan headers (two are monitored) make for relatively flexible cooling arrangements while a fourth fan header powers the North Bridge fan. Also onboard are support for Wake On Ring, Wake On LAN, IrDA and a USB header to add two additional ports to the existing two.

The board ships with a fairly extensive user's manual, a single floppy and 80 pin ATA100 IDE cable, installation CD and a free copy of PC-cillin 2000 antivirus software.

About DFI :

DFI is one of the world's leading manufacturers of motherboards that use the latest chipsets available from the top manufacturers such as AMD, Intel and VIA. Based just outside of Taipei, Taiwan, and with regional offices in the USA and Europe, DFI is a global player that combines modern technology with traditional values. Constantly gaining rave reviews from the media and users alike for both the quality and speed of its mainboards, DFI prides itself on an incredibly low failure rate, which stems from its world-class R&D and team, an insistence on only the best materials being used and stringent quality controls. State-of-the-art manufacturing facilities couple with great logistical solutions to ensure DFI stays one step ahead of the competition. So why haven't you heard more about them? well, that's mainly down to DFI's focus on the OEM market, where they have an impressive reputation with system builders for solid performance and low returns.

Okay, that's the basics of the board covered, let's take a look at the performance.

Page 3, Testing >>>

 

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