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July 22, 2005 – The latest Fatal1ty motherboard, the
Fatal1ty AN8 SLI, continues to take the hardware world by storm. The latest
review, from the folks at HEXUS.net, praises the Fatal1ty AN8 SLI for
both performance and features. HEXUS editors, after a battery of tests,
proclaimed that "...no other board, we feel, is designed
to meet the needs of the enthusiast as well as the Fatal1ty line,"
and awarded it with not one, but two awards!
HEXUS editors really enjoyed the convenience of the Guru Panel accessory bundled with the Fatal1ty AN8 SLI: "ABIT also includes its µGuru Panel that connects up to various headers on the board and sits in a spare 5.25" bay. Once hooked-up with the appropriate cables, it offers two front-mounted USB2.0 ports, a single FireWire 1394a port, headphone and microphone jacks. One cable attaches to the clear CMOS jumper, such that you can reset the BIOS without having to open your case (system needs to be switched off, though). The left-hand display is a mine of information, highlighting all the key reporting from the µGuru chip, including speeds, voltages, and temperatures. Further, in conjunction with the Windows-based OC Guru application, one can overclock the system to a preset level. Another top-notch bundle from the folk at ABIT."
The Fatal1ty AN8 SLI's BIOS received some great comments from HEXUS: "ABIT still allows you to save up to 5 pre-configured BIOSes that can be reloaded with the minimum of fuss. This feature is extremely handy if you've tweaked the settings for, say, maximum performance or maximum stability. There's a slew of timings and parameters to consider, so being able to save all the various settings is a definite bonus. Also, much like the non-SLI board and ABIT boards of late, you can engage in on-the-fly overclocking, which dynamically adjusts the BIOSes parameters without needing to reboot...ABIT's µGuru probably has the best voltage reporting of any additional board-mounted chip...Another excellent BIOS from ABIT." |
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 The conclusion? "ABIT isn't pulling any punches with the Fatal1ty line of motherboards. It is going squarely for the enthusiast who values performance and overclocking potential above all else. That's why, ABIT says, the Fatal1ty AN8 SLI isn't rammed with an extraordinary feature count. Rather, the design budget has been spent on developing a S939 motherboard that should offer greater tweaking/overclocking potential than any other. ABIT, in large part, succeeds in meeting this design brief. The Fatal1ty AN8 SLI has one of the best BIOSes that we've come across, replete with 3.55v VDIMM voltage. The layout is generally good, as is board-specific cooling, taking the form of OTES exhausting on the I/O section, explicit control over 6 fans, and the addition of SLIpstream (geddit?); ABIT's funky fan that keeps SLI cards cool. The inclusion of the µGuru Panel adds a bit of value to the £130 package, too...There are cheaper boards currently available that carry the same feature-set as the Fatal1ty AN8 SLI, but no other board, we feel, is designed to meet the needs of the enthusiast as well as the Fatal1ty line...If it's the promise of sky-high overclocks and care and attention paid to cooling and tweaking, the ABIT Fatal1ty AN8 SLI is hard to beat. Recommended to the enthusiast/gamer."
For the full review, go to: http://www.HEXUS.net
For more information on the Fatal1ty AN8 SLI, go here: ABIT Fatal1ty AN8 SLI |
