Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C., December 23, 2002-
Those who know hardware know ABIT's MAX motherboard series. With stunning
performance and an unparalleled set of features, users worldwide are taking
their PCs to the MAX with ABIT. Hot Hardware recently reviewed the new
P4-based IT7-MAX2 motherboard, and discovered it to be a most powerful
and flexible P4 platform, giving it a whopping 9 out of a possible 10!
Hot Hardware takes a look at the IT7-MAX2's SoftMenu interface: "Within the
SoftMenu III, users can adjust the FSB (Front Side Bus) between 100 and 250MHz
in 1MHz increments. The IT7-MAX2 also has a wide assortment of dividers that
allow for better stability at higher bus speeds, but the most useful feature
allows users to lock the PCI clock at 33, 37 or 44MHz, regardless of what FSB is
being used. This feature will no doubt make this board a favorite amongst
hardcore overclockers."
Here's how they fared with overclocking on the IT7-MAX2: "We had very good
luck overclocking our 2.4GHz "Northwood" P4 on the IT7-MAX2. With the Vcore
voltage set to its 1.7v maximum, we slowly raised the FSB until the system was
no longer stable. We hit our limit at an FSB of 160MHz, which brought our CPU up
to 2.87GHz. This was the highest we have ever been able to take this particular
CPU with simple air-cooling..."
The verdict? "Well, overclocking with IT7-MAX2 was a pleasure. With this
board, we were able to overclock our CPU to its air-cooled limit, and this board
remained "rock-solid" until we ran it way out of spec. The IT7-MAX2's bundle and
list of features is also second to none. With on-board RAID, LAN, Audio,
Firewire, a slew of USB connectors, a POST debugger and Serial-ATA, along with
all of the necessary cables and adapters to use these features, the IT7-MAX2
brings new levels on integration to the market...If you ask us though, buying an
IT7-MAX2 is money well spent...The bottom line is the ABIT IT7-MAX2 is an
excellent product, and is deserving of your consideration if a high-end P4
system is in your future. Based on its performance, stability, features and
overclockability, we give the IT7-MAX2 a solid 9 on the HotHardware.Com Heat
Meter."
For the full verdict and review, click here:
http://www.hothardware.com/hh_files/Motherboards/it7_max.shtml
For more information on the IT7-MAX2, click here:
http://www.abit.com.tw/abitweb/webjsp/english/pt_main_back.jsp?pPRODUCT_TYPE=MotherBoard&pMODEL_NAME=IT7-MAX2
For more information on ABIT and other ABIT Engineered products, click here:
http://www.abit.com.tw |