W1zzard
Sep 23, 2005, 02:03 PM
[pagE=Introduction & Features]
Introduction
I would like to thank ECS (http://www.ecs.com.tw) for supplying the tested motherboard.
Intel's i945 and i955 chipsets are the first to support dual core Pentium D CPUs. The i955 is the "Performance" part, while it's i945 counterpart is geared more toward value. Although the price difference between the two is quite big, the technical differences are rather small. I955 has support for up to 8 GB of ECC memory, while i945 can "only" support 4 GB of non-ECC memory, not really important for you, as long as you don't plan on running a high-performance server. The other difference is that the i955 features Intel's proprietary "Memory Pipeline Technology". According to the Intel Website it "enables a higher utilization of each memory channel, accelerating data transfers between the processor and system memory and resulting in higher system performance".
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/shield.jpg
Features
<table border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="resulttable">
<tr>
<th colspan="2">ECS PF5</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Processor</th>
<td>Intel Pentium 4 LGA Socket775</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>FSB</th>
<td>533/800/1066 MHz</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Chipset</th>
<td>Intel i945P</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Memory</th>
<td>4x 240 Pin DDR2, Dual Channel DDR2 533/666, up to 4 GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>BIOS</th>
<td>AwardBios</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Slots</th>
<td>2x PCI-E x16<br />
1x PCI-E x1<br />
3x PCI</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>HDD Connectivity</th>
<td>2x ATA-133<br />
6x SATA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Networking</th>
<td>10/100/1000 Mbps - Marvell 88E8053<br />10/100 Mbps - Realtek 8100C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Ports</th>
<td>8x USB 2.0 (4 on Back Panel)<br />
1x Serial<br />
IEEE1394 Firewire</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Audio</th>
<td>8 Channel Intel HD Audio, ALC880</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Form Factor</th>
<td>ATX 305 x 244mm</td>
</tr>
</table>
Specifications from ECS
CPU
LGA775 socket for Intel Pentium 4 / Pentium D processor
FSB 1066/800/533 MHz
Support Hyper-Threading Technology
CHIPSET
IntelŽ 945P & ICH7R
North Bridge: IntelŽ 945P
South Bridge: IntelŽICH7R
MEMORY
Dual-channel DDR2 memory architecture
4 x 240-pin DDR2 DIMM socket support up to 4 GB
Support DDR2 667/533/400 DDR2 SDRAM
EXPANSION
2 x PCI Express x16 slots
1 x PCI Express x1 slot *
3 x PCI slots
*when use two PCI Express VGA card, this slot is disable
STORAGE
Supported by IntelŽICH7R
-- 2 x Ultra DMA100/66 devices
-- 4 x Serial ATA2 devices
RAID0, RAID1, RAID0+1, RAID5 configuration
Supported by SiI3132
-- 2 x Serial ATA2 devices
RAID0, RAID1& e-SATA configuration
AUDIO
Realtek ALC880 8-channel audio CODEC
IEEE 1394a
VIAŽ VT6307, support 2x IEEE1394a ports
DUAL LAN
Marvell 88E8053 PCI-E Gigabit LAN controller
Realtek 8100C 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet controller
REAR PANEL I/O
1 x PS/2 keyboard & PS/2 mouse connectors
4 x USB ports
2 x RJ45 LAN connectors
1 x 1394a connector (4-pin)
1 x SPDIF in connector
1 x Serial port (COM1)
1 x FAN Duct
1 x Audio port (Line-in,4x Line-out, SPDIF out)
INTERNAL I/O CONNECTORS & HEADERS
1 x 24-pin ATX Power Supply connector
1 x 4-pin ATX 12V connector
1 x FDD connector supports two 360K~2.88MB FDDs
1 x IrDA for SIR header
1 x Speaker header
1 x 1394a header
2 x USB 2.0 headers support additional 4 USB Ports
6 x Serial ATA connectors
1 x Front panel switch/LED header
1 x Front panel audio header
CD in header
CPUFAN/NB_FAN/3x SYSFAN connectors
SYSTEM BIOS
AMI BIOS with 4Mb Flash ROM
Supports Plug and Play 1.0A, APM 1.2, Multi Boot, DMI
Supports ACPI revision 1.0 specification
FORM FACTOR
ATX Size 305mm*244mm
[pagE=Packaging]
Packaging
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package1.jpg)
The PF5 comes in the typical ECS style box with metallic paint on it.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package2.jpg)
On the backside you get a quick look at the motherboard and its features.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package3.jpg)
On the main package you find even more features listed.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package4.jpg)
The motherboard is the first you will see when opening the package. It sits there wrapped safely in an anti-static bag.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package5_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package5.jpg)
Under the motherboard you will find heaps of accessories well organized.
Contents
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/contents_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/contents.jpg)
You will receive:
Motherboard
Users Manual, ECS case badge
1x IDE Cable, 1x Floppy Cable, 2x SATA Cable, 1x Dual-SATA Power Adapter
External SATA bracket
IO Shield
Driver CD, Utility CD
Front Panel USB Port
ECS Top Hat Flash
Parallel Port bracket
Ethernet cable
Even though the board from ECS is geared more toward value, the included package feels very complete. Everything you would need is included. I really like the external SATA bracket and the Ethernet cable.
[pagE=Board Layout]
Board Layout
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/board_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/board.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/back_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/back.jpg)
Click here (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/board_fullsize.jpg) for a 3000x2500 high-res shot of the board (3 MB download), the backside is here (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/back_fullsize.jpg).
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/cpuarea_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/cpuarea.jpg)
The space around the CPU area is well within specifications, but the chipset cooler worries me a bit. With ultra-huge heatsinks this might be a tight fit.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/io_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/io.jpg)
The IO backpanel has an air exhaust for the OTES-like blower. From left to right the connectors are PS/2 keyboard, PS/2 mouse, Serial Port, SPDIF, Dual Ethernet, 4 USB ports, and audio.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/dimm_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/dimm.jpg)
It has become good-practice to color-code the memory slots to indicate dual-channel configuration. Putting both memory modules in slots of the same color enables dual-channel.
ATX mobo hole issue
When I first hooked this board up to the test bench, I was surprised to see the PSU switch on an off repeatedly in fractions of a second, even though I never touched the power button. Usually this is caused by a short circuit. The PSU detects the short and turns off, then it turns on again, and so on.
Did ECS send me a broken board? After removing the board from the motherboard tray and just holding it in my hands it worked. Strange... so it only happens when the board is in the tray. I added sheets of insulation below the board to spot the location which causes the short circuit.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/mobohole_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/mobohole.jpg)
I was shocked that the PF5 seems to be missing a motherboard mounting hole. One the left is the ECS PF5, on the right is the DFI LanParty NF4. As you can see the second hole is not there.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/mobohole2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/mobohole2.jpg)
The ATX specification defines the location of hole B, but it also says that it is not required for full-size ATX designs.
"The hole at B in Figure 2 was previously required along the rear edge of the board. This location is not required for ATX designs. If it is desired to implement a board mount in this area, a removable standoff should be used to avoid problems with boards that do not use this mounting location."
I could not find a single motherboard here (I checked eight different boards from different manufacturers) that does not implement this hole.
So if you get the ECS PF5, make sure you do not have a metal spacer at the location of the missing hole.
Connectors
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/atx_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/atx.jpg)
The ATX12V connector isn't placed so well. If a PSU has a short cable you would have to route it right across the board instead of nicely tucking it away. The ATX power connector is placed fine though.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/sata_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/sata.jpg)
The SATA ports are grouped. Four ports coming from the Intel Southbridge are marked in orange, while the two ports from the SATA addon-chip are in red.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/pata_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/pata.jpg)
With PATA devices slowly dying out, there is only one IDE port on this board, which can support up to two devices on one cable.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/headers1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/headers1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/headers2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/headers2.jpg)
Color-coded headers with proper labels on the board make first time installation very easy.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/fanheaders_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/fanheaders.jpg)
Five fan headers are located on the board, two are already used by the OTES and the chipset fan.
Slots
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/slots_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/slots.jpg)
Two PCI-Express video card slots will let you use ATI's CrossFire. NVIDIA has not announced support for SLI on Intel yet, but in my opinion this is only a matter of time. The single PCI-E x1 slot is lost if you use CrossFire, but are there any cards for PCI-E x1 yet anyway?
[page=Layout continued]
Cooling
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/chipset_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/chipset.jpg)
The small chipset fan is not too noisy, it should blend in with your CPU fan's noise.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/southbridge_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/southbridge.jpg)
The southbridge does not need active cooling, it barely gets warm during use, even when overclocked.
Chips
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/clockgen_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/clockgen.jpg)
The ICS954127 is the clock generator used on the PF5 Extreme.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/monitoring_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/monitoring.jpg)
Winbond's W83627THF's hardware monitoring chip is monitoring the system's health state.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/lan1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/lan1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/lan2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/lan2.jpg)
ECS uses a network chip from Marvell for the Gigabit interface, while a Realtek chip is used for the Fast Ethernet port. Both are a cost-effective solution.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/audiochip_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/audiochip.jpg)
As our tests will show later, the on-board audio of the PF5 is quite good. This is accomplished by using a Realtek ALC880 HD Audio chip.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/satachip_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/satachip.jpg)
A Silicon Image SiI3132 SATA controller chip handles the two SATA ports which ECS added to this board.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/firewire_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/firewire.jpg)
The Firewire interface is implemented by a VT6307 chip from VIA Technologies.
[pagE=BIOS]
BIOS
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_cmos_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_cmos.jpg)
ECS is using an AMI Bios on the PF5 Extreme.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_standardcmos_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_standardcmos.jpg)
The first page Standard BIOS Features has some information about your motherboard and the system. You can change the date and time settings here.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_bootconfig_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_bootconfig.jpg)
On the Boot Config page you can disable the full-screen logo and disable some POST tests which speeds up the boot process.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_advanced_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_advanced.jpg)
Advanced BIOS is home to many system related options of the motherboard.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_cpuconfig_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_cpuconfig.jpg)
On the CPU Config page you can enable/disable CPU-specific features like C1E and EIST. The CPU frequency is selected here as well.
Integrated Peripherals
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_floppy_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_floppy.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_ide_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_ide.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_superio_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_superio.jpg)
On these pages you can change the configuration of storage related settings, for example if you want to disable the floppy controller.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_security_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_security.jpg)
The Security tab lets you set a password for system boot or to enter the BIOS Setup.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_power_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_power.jpg)
On the Power Management page you find the standard options which are available in pretty much every BIOS available.
Memory Timings
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_advchipset_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_advchipset.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_dramtiming_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_dramtiming.jpg)
On the Advanced Chipset page you can customize your memory timings. All current public BIOSes from ECS have a bug where the CAS Latency setting is not displayed. If you use custom timings now, the system will always crash. We notified ECS of this issue and got a fixed BIOS to continue our testing. The changes will be included in the next public BIOS release. The available settings here are all that are available to change in the Intel chipset.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_dramfreq_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_dramfreq.jpg)
The DRAM Frequency options lets you change the ratio at which the memory is run in relation to the CPU FSB. The numbers here are not fixed, which means they change if you change your FSB. 400 MHz means 1:1, 533 means 3:4 and 667 means 3:5.
[page=BIOS continued]
Overclocking
The overclocking related options are spread out all over the BIOS.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_fsb_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_fsb.jpg)
The FSB selection is located on the CPU settings page. The range goes up to 500 MHz here, way above what's actually possible on this board.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_pcieclk_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_pcieclk.jpg)
All i945 chipsets have an overclock lock which limits the overclocking based on the PCI-Express frequency. If you enable the "synchronize" option, the lock is circumvented. Unfortunately you can't indefinitely increase the PCI-E clock, at some point you lose the SATA drives and the video card. More about this in the overclocking section of the review.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_vcore1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_vcore1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_vcore2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_vcore2.jpg)
The range of VCore options is ok. A maximum of 1.6V might be good for air coolers, more extreme means could easily handle more voltage. Undervolting is possible, which allows for reduced heat output in underclocked systems like a Media PC.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_vdimm_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_vdimm.jpg)
Much better is the memory voltage range. Everything is covered here, even for the most extreme people.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_vnb_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_vnb.jpg)
I found no reason to increase the chipset voltage, not even when overclocking. But having the option here is sure nice, just in case.
Monitoring
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_monitoring1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_monitoring1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_monitoring2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_monitoring2.jpg)
A very nice feature, usually only found in much more expensive boards is that the fan speeds can be controlled based on temperature. Really good work here, ECS.
[page=Performance: Test systems]
Test Systems
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr align="center">
<th colspan="2" scope="row" style="font-size:larger;text-align:center">Test System "ECS PF5"</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">Intel Pentium 4 3.0F (S775; 2MB; Prescott)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">ECS PF5, Bios 10/18/05<br />i945P</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 512MB OCZ PC2-5400 EB Platinum 4-3-3-8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI X850 Pro PCI-E</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Maxtor DiamondMax 160GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">HEC Power475</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.10</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">OC is 15 x 241 and 15 x 300 = 4500 MHz, Memory 1:1 = DDR2-600</td>
</tr>
</table>
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr align="center">
<th colspan="2" scope="row" style="font-size:larger;text-align:center">Test System "ABIT AL8"</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">Intel Pentium 4 3.0F (S775; 2MB; Prescott)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">ABIT AL8, Bios 1.4<br />i945P</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 512MB OCZ PC2-5400 EB Platinum 4-2-2-8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI X850 Pro PCI-E</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Maxtor DiamondMax 160GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">HEC Power475</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">OC is 15 x 300 = 4500 MHz, Memory 1:1 = DDR2-600</td>
</tr>
</table>
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr align="center">
<th colspan="2" scope="row" style="font-size:larger;text-align:center">Test System "AA8XE"</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">Intel Pentium 4 3.0F (S775; 2MB; Prescott)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">ABIT Fatal1ty AA8XE, Bios 1.4<br />i925XE</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 512MB OCZ PC2-5400 EB Platinum 4-2-2-8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI X800 Non-Pro PCI-E</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Maxtor DiamondMax 160GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">HEC Power475</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">OC 4500 is 15x300 FSB, Mem Ratio 1:1 (=300 MHz)</td>
</tr>
</table>
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr align="center">
<th colspan="2" scope="row" style="font-size:larger;text-align:center">Test System "Sapphire PI-A9RX480"</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">AMD Athlon64 3000+ (S939; 512KB; Venice)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">Sapphire PURE Innovation PI-A9RX480, Bios 07/27/05<br />ATI RX480</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 512MB OCZ PC3500 Gold GX 2-2-2-5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI X850 Pro PCI-E</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Maxtor DiamondMax 160GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">HEC Power475</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">OC 2700 is 9x300 FSB, Mem ratio 2:3 (=200 MHz)</td>
</tr>
</table>
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr align="center">
<th colspan="2" scope="row" style="font-size:larger;text-align:center">Test System "ASRock 939Dual-SATA2"</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">AMD Athlon64 3000+ (S939; 512KB; Venice)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">ASRock 939Dual-SATA2, Bios 1.40<br />ULi M1695</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 512MB OCZ PC-3200 Gold GX 2-2-3-5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI X850 Pro PCI-E</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Maxtor DiamondMax 160GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">HEC Power475</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.10</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">OC 2700 is 9x300 FSB, Mem ratio 2:3 (=200 MHz)</td>
</tr>
</table>
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr align="center">
<th colspan="2" scope="row" style="font-size:larger;text-align:center">Test System "LP NF4 Ultra-D"</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">AMD Athlon64 3000+ (S939; 512KB; Venice)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">DFI LanParty NF4 Ultra-D, Bios 5.10-2 Fix<br />nForce4 Ultra</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 512MB OCZ PC3500 Gold GX 2-2-2-5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI X850 Pro PCI-E</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Maxtor DiamondMax 160GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">HEC Power475</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">OC 2700 is 9x300 FSB, Mem ratio 2:3 (=200 MHz)</td>
</tr>
</table>
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr align="center">
<th colspan="2" scope="row" style="font-size:larger;text-align:center">Test System "P4 2.4C"</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">Intel Pentium 4 2.4C (S478; 512KB; Northwood)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">ABIT IC7, Bios 2.8<br />i875P</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 256MB Generic PC3200 2.5-3-3-6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI X800 XT</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Maxtor DiamondMax 160GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Antec TrueControl 550W</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">OC 3400 is 15x283 FSB, Mem Ratio 2:3 (=188 MHz)</td>
</tr>
</table>
[page=Performance: Sandra & Everest]
SiSoftware Sandra
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/sandraint.gif
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/sandrafloat.gif
Lavalys Everest
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/everestread.gif
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/everestwrite.gif
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/everestlatency.gif
[pagE=Performance: SuperPi]
SuperPi
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/superpi1m.gif
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/superpi32m.gif
[page=Performance: PCMark04 & 3DMark01]
PCMark 2004
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/pcmark04.gif
3DMark 2001
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/3dmark2001.gif
[page=Performance: CineBench & Kribibench]
CineBench
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/cinebench.gif
All boards using the same CPU show about the same speed. Intel systems with their Hyper-threading Technology are king here.
KribiBench
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/kribibench.gif
[page=Performance: Comanche 4 & Quake 3]
Comanche 4
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/comanche4.gif
Quake 3 Arena
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/quake3.gif
[page=Performance: Audio RMAA]
Rightmark Audio Analyzer
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/rmaa.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/loopback_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/loopback.jpg)
We used Rightmark Audio Analyzer together with a loop-back cable to analyze the quality of the on-board audio solution.
Summary
<table width="600" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1">
<tr align="center">
<td bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="left"><strong>Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB:</strong></td>
<td>+0.25, -0.32</td>
<td>Good</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
<td bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="left"><strong>Noise level, dB (A):</strong></td>
<td>-86.9</td>
<td>Good</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
<td bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="left"><strong>Dynamic range, dB (A):</strong></td>
<td>86.9</td>
<td>Good</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
<td bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="left"><strong>THD, %:</strong></td>
<td>0.0068</td>
<td>Very good</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
<td bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="left"><strong>IMD, %:</strong></td>
<td>0.021</td>
<td>Good</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
<td bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="left"><strong>Stereo crosstalk, dB:</strong></td>
<td>-87.7</td>
<td>Excellent</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
<td bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="left"><strong>IMD at 10 kHz, %:</strong></td>
<td>0.102</td>
<td>Average</td>
</tr>
</table>
General performance: Good
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/audio.gif
For easier comparison we summed up the individual scores of all tested boards (1: Very poor, 2: Poor, 3: Average, 4: Good, 5: Very good, 6: Excellent). The sound quality of the ECS PF5 is among the best.
Frequency Response
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/fr.png
<table width="400" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1">
<tr bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="center">
<td align="left"><strong>Frequency range</strong></td>
<td><strong>Response</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">From 20 Hz to 20 kHz, dB</td>
<td>-1.68, +0.25</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">From 40 Hz to 15 kHz, dB</td>
<td>-0.32, +0.25</td>
</tr>
</table>
Noise Level
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/noise.png
<table width="400" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1">
<tr bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="center">
<td align="left"><strong>Parameter</strong></td>
<td><strong>Left</strong></td>
<td><strong>Right</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">RMS power, dB:</td>
<td>-81.7</td>
<td>-83.0</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">RMS power (A-weighted), dB:</td>
<td>-86.9</td>
<td>-86.9</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">Peak level, dB FS:</td>
<td>-68.0</td>
<td>-69.5</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">DC offset, %:</td>
<td>-0.00</td>
<td>-0.00</td>
</tr>
</table>
Dynamic Range
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/dynamics.png
<table width="400" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1">
<tr bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="center">
<td align="left"><strong>Parameter</strong></td>
<td><strong>Left</strong></td>
<td><strong>Right</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">Dynamic range, dB:</td>
<td>+80.5</td>
<td>+81.8</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">Dynamic range (A-weighted), dB:</td>
<td>+86.9</td>
<td>+87.0</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">DC offset, %:</td>
<td>-0.00</td>
<td>-0.00</td>
</tr>
</table>
THD + Noise (at -3 dB FS)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/thd.png
<table width="400" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1">
<tr bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="center">
<td align="left"><strong>Parameter</strong></td>
<td><strong>Left</strong></td>
<td><strong>Right</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">THD, %:</td>
<td>0.0068</td>
<td>0.0071</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">THD + Noise, %:</td>
<td>0.0220</td>
<td>0.0191</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">THD + Noise (A-weighted), %:</td>
<td>0.0136</td>
<td>0.0138</td>
</tr>
</table>
Intermodulation distortion
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/imd.png
<table width="400" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1">
<tr bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="center">
<td align="left"><strong>Parameter</strong></td>
<td><strong>Left</strong></td>
<td><strong>Right</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">IMD + Noise, %:</td>
<td>0.0212</td>
<td>0.0222</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">IMD + Noise (A-weighted), %:</td>
<td>0.0164</td>
<td>0.0166</td>
</tr>
</table>
Stereo crosstalk
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/cross.png
<table width="400" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1">
<tr bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="center">
<td align="left"><strong>Parameter</strong></td>
<td><strong>L <- R</strong></td>
<td><strong>L -> R</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">Crosstalk at 100 Hz, dB:</td>
<td>-81</td>
<td>-80</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">Crosstalk at 1 kHz, dB:</td>
<td>-85</td>
<td>-87</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">Crosstalk at 10 kHz, dB:</td>
<td>-81</td>
<td>-81</td>
</tr>
</table>
IMD (swept tones)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/imdswept.png
<table width="400" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1">
<tr bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="center">
<td align="left"><strong>Parameter</strong></td>
<td><strong>Left</strong></td>
<td><strong>Right</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">IMD + Noise at 5 kHz, %:</td>
<td>0.0343</td>
<td>0.0343</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">IMD + Noise at 10 kHz, %:</td>
<td>0.1129</td>
<td>0.1126</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">IMD + Noise at 15 kHz, %:</td>
<td>0.1600</td>
<td>0.1608</td>
</tr>
</table>
[page=Fan Noise]
Fan Noise
In order to give a measurement of how loud this board is, we used an IEC651 Type II sound level meter on the dbA slow setting.
The distance between fan and sound level meter was 10cm. Please note that this is very little, compared to the "standard" measurements, which are made at 1m distance. We had to do this, to get proper readings with our sound level meter, because we obviously can't spend thousands of dollars on audio measuring equipment.
All tested fans were connected to an external 12V lab PSU. 12V is the maximum rated fan speed. Some motherboards/video cards use slower fan speeds and slowly ramp them up with temperatures. This is also the reason, why the X800 series seems to have such a "loud" fan. During normal usage its fan is usually running at 33% to 66%.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/soundlevel.gif
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" class="resulttable">
<tr>
<th colspan="2">Common sound levels </th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ambulance siren</td>
<td align="right">120 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Crying baby </td>
<td align="right">110 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Shout (5 feet) </td>
<td align="right">100 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Truck</td>
<td align="right">90 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Urban street</td>
<td align="right">80 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Automobile interior </td>
<td align="right">70 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Normal conversation (3 feet) </td>
<td align="right">60 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Office, classroom </td>
<td align="right">50 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Living room </td>
<td align="right">40 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bedroom at night </td>
<td align="right">30 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Whispering at (5 feet)</td>
<td align="right">20 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Rustling leaves </td>
<td align="right">10 dbA </td>
</tr>
</table>
[page=Overclocking]
Overclocking
Overclocking is a pain with this board. Every time the board doesn't complete the POST the CMOS checksum will be invalid, which means you have to redo all settings in the BIOS. This also happens sometimes when the board crashes in Windows, for example during a stability test.
The next issue is that manual memory timings are not possible, because of a BIOS bug, which is fixed now. Let's hope ECS gets the update out fast.
Another issue I had was with the BIOS flashing. Every time I updated the BIOS using the flashing utility in DOS, I would get "CMOS checksum failure" on every reboot after the update, not only the first one. This basically left me with a non-booting motherboard: CMOS checksum failure, hit F1 to enter BIOS. F1. Save. Reboot. CMOS checksum failure, hit F1 to enter BIOS, and so on ...
The only way to get a working system was using the ECS Top Hat Flash and use the BIOS flashed on it to boot. Then remove the Top Hat Flash and flash the original BIOS back.
After getting the first board replaced by ECS, and seeing the same issue again, I found out that you MUST use the Windows flashing tool to update your BIOS. The DOS tool does not seem to write to all areas.
Next issue: the TRCD and TRP settings are not correctly applied. If you set 4-3-3-8, it becomes 4-4-4-8. 5-3-3-9 becomes 5-4-4-9. This can be changed with SysTool in Windows though. I think the BIOS always uses TRCD and TRP from the memory's SPD info.
Last but not least, the i945 overclocking lock is in effect. The chipset compares the PCI-Express clock and the FSB clock. If the difference is too high, the system will not start (more details in our ABIT AL8 review (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Abit/AL8/15)). In order to get around this, the "PCIE CLK Synchronize" setting in the BIOS exists. When it is enabled, any increase to the FSB will also increase the PCI-E clock a bit. A distinct setting where you can freely pick the frequency would be better (the clock generator does support it). The problem with the linked setting of the PF5 is that you can't just indefinitely increase the PCI-E frequency. At some point the SATA drives are no longer detected, and a bit further the video card does not initialize right.
With all these issues and gotchas I could still get the board to run at 241 FSB = 3618 MHz. One MHz more and the SATA drives were gone.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/maxfsb_bios_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/maxfsb_bios.gif)
With the BIOS set to 241 FSB booting into Windows works fine and the system is stable all day. Next I used SysTool to reprogram the motherboard's clock generator, which let me use frequencies up to 293 FSB = 4395 MHz. Any higher setting would not apply to the clock generator and the clock would not change.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/maxfsb_win_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/maxfsb_win.gif)
The benchmarks were run at 3618 MHz and at 4395 MHz as well. Some benchmark results do not seem to improve because changing the clock within Windows affects of how some benchmarking program measure time.
[page=Value & Conclusion]
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
ECS is selling the PF5 for about $120, which is a quite competitive price for an Intel Socket LGA775 motherboard.</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Good price
Gigabit Ethernet
Two PCI-E x16 slots
Good on-board Audio
Six SATA ports
Good accessory package
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Performance not too good
Weak overclocking
Overclocking issues
</td></tr>
<tr><th>7.2</th>
<td>From a feature perspective ECS offers a very well rounded board. Having one Gigabit and one Fast Ethernet port is exactly the combination which I think is a good compromise between speed and price. Getting six SATA ports and two PCI-E x16 ports for around $120 is also very nice.<br />
However, if you are looking into overclocking more than just a little bit you will definitely hate this board. It has many issues when it comes to overclocking. With ECS' great support we could help get some of them fixed, but others remain. Don't get me wrong, as long as you stay close to stock speeds and leave the memory timings alone, the board will work rock stable. Having two PCI-Express video card slots is definitely nice since ATI decided to enable CrossFire on Intel chipsets in their drivers.</td></tr>
<tr><th></th><td></td></tr>
</table>
Introduction
I would like to thank ECS (http://www.ecs.com.tw) for supplying the tested motherboard.
Intel's i945 and i955 chipsets are the first to support dual core Pentium D CPUs. The i955 is the "Performance" part, while it's i945 counterpart is geared more toward value. Although the price difference between the two is quite big, the technical differences are rather small. I955 has support for up to 8 GB of ECC memory, while i945 can "only" support 4 GB of non-ECC memory, not really important for you, as long as you don't plan on running a high-performance server. The other difference is that the i955 features Intel's proprietary "Memory Pipeline Technology". According to the Intel Website it "enables a higher utilization of each memory channel, accelerating data transfers between the processor and system memory and resulting in higher system performance".
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/shield.jpg
Features
<table border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="resulttable">
<tr>
<th colspan="2">ECS PF5</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Processor</th>
<td>Intel Pentium 4 LGA Socket775</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>FSB</th>
<td>533/800/1066 MHz</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Chipset</th>
<td>Intel i945P</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Memory</th>
<td>4x 240 Pin DDR2, Dual Channel DDR2 533/666, up to 4 GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>BIOS</th>
<td>AwardBios</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Slots</th>
<td>2x PCI-E x16<br />
1x PCI-E x1<br />
3x PCI</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>HDD Connectivity</th>
<td>2x ATA-133<br />
6x SATA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Networking</th>
<td>10/100/1000 Mbps - Marvell 88E8053<br />10/100 Mbps - Realtek 8100C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Ports</th>
<td>8x USB 2.0 (4 on Back Panel)<br />
1x Serial<br />
IEEE1394 Firewire</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Audio</th>
<td>8 Channel Intel HD Audio, ALC880</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>Form Factor</th>
<td>ATX 305 x 244mm</td>
</tr>
</table>
Specifications from ECS
CPU
LGA775 socket for Intel Pentium 4 / Pentium D processor
FSB 1066/800/533 MHz
Support Hyper-Threading Technology
CHIPSET
IntelŽ 945P & ICH7R
North Bridge: IntelŽ 945P
South Bridge: IntelŽICH7R
MEMORY
Dual-channel DDR2 memory architecture
4 x 240-pin DDR2 DIMM socket support up to 4 GB
Support DDR2 667/533/400 DDR2 SDRAM
EXPANSION
2 x PCI Express x16 slots
1 x PCI Express x1 slot *
3 x PCI slots
*when use two PCI Express VGA card, this slot is disable
STORAGE
Supported by IntelŽICH7R
-- 2 x Ultra DMA100/66 devices
-- 4 x Serial ATA2 devices
RAID0, RAID1, RAID0+1, RAID5 configuration
Supported by SiI3132
-- 2 x Serial ATA2 devices
RAID0, RAID1& e-SATA configuration
AUDIO
Realtek ALC880 8-channel audio CODEC
IEEE 1394a
VIAŽ VT6307, support 2x IEEE1394a ports
DUAL LAN
Marvell 88E8053 PCI-E Gigabit LAN controller
Realtek 8100C 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet controller
REAR PANEL I/O
1 x PS/2 keyboard & PS/2 mouse connectors
4 x USB ports
2 x RJ45 LAN connectors
1 x 1394a connector (4-pin)
1 x SPDIF in connector
1 x Serial port (COM1)
1 x FAN Duct
1 x Audio port (Line-in,4x Line-out, SPDIF out)
INTERNAL I/O CONNECTORS & HEADERS
1 x 24-pin ATX Power Supply connector
1 x 4-pin ATX 12V connector
1 x FDD connector supports two 360K~2.88MB FDDs
1 x IrDA for SIR header
1 x Speaker header
1 x 1394a header
2 x USB 2.0 headers support additional 4 USB Ports
6 x Serial ATA connectors
1 x Front panel switch/LED header
1 x Front panel audio header
CD in header
CPUFAN/NB_FAN/3x SYSFAN connectors
SYSTEM BIOS
AMI BIOS with 4Mb Flash ROM
Supports Plug and Play 1.0A, APM 1.2, Multi Boot, DMI
Supports ACPI revision 1.0 specification
FORM FACTOR
ATX Size 305mm*244mm
[pagE=Packaging]
Packaging
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package1.jpg)
The PF5 comes in the typical ECS style box with metallic paint on it.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package2.jpg)
On the backside you get a quick look at the motherboard and its features.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package3.jpg)
On the main package you find even more features listed.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package4.jpg)
The motherboard is the first you will see when opening the package. It sits there wrapped safely in an anti-static bag.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package5_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/package5.jpg)
Under the motherboard you will find heaps of accessories well organized.
Contents
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/contents_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/contents.jpg)
You will receive:
Motherboard
Users Manual, ECS case badge
1x IDE Cable, 1x Floppy Cable, 2x SATA Cable, 1x Dual-SATA Power Adapter
External SATA bracket
IO Shield
Driver CD, Utility CD
Front Panel USB Port
ECS Top Hat Flash
Parallel Port bracket
Ethernet cable
Even though the board from ECS is geared more toward value, the included package feels very complete. Everything you would need is included. I really like the external SATA bracket and the Ethernet cable.
[pagE=Board Layout]
Board Layout
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/board_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/board.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/back_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/back.jpg)
Click here (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/board_fullsize.jpg) for a 3000x2500 high-res shot of the board (3 MB download), the backside is here (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/back_fullsize.jpg).
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/cpuarea_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/cpuarea.jpg)
The space around the CPU area is well within specifications, but the chipset cooler worries me a bit. With ultra-huge heatsinks this might be a tight fit.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/io_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/io.jpg)
The IO backpanel has an air exhaust for the OTES-like blower. From left to right the connectors are PS/2 keyboard, PS/2 mouse, Serial Port, SPDIF, Dual Ethernet, 4 USB ports, and audio.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/dimm_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/dimm.jpg)
It has become good-practice to color-code the memory slots to indicate dual-channel configuration. Putting both memory modules in slots of the same color enables dual-channel.
ATX mobo hole issue
When I first hooked this board up to the test bench, I was surprised to see the PSU switch on an off repeatedly in fractions of a second, even though I never touched the power button. Usually this is caused by a short circuit. The PSU detects the short and turns off, then it turns on again, and so on.
Did ECS send me a broken board? After removing the board from the motherboard tray and just holding it in my hands it worked. Strange... so it only happens when the board is in the tray. I added sheets of insulation below the board to spot the location which causes the short circuit.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/mobohole_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/mobohole.jpg)
I was shocked that the PF5 seems to be missing a motherboard mounting hole. One the left is the ECS PF5, on the right is the DFI LanParty NF4. As you can see the second hole is not there.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/mobohole2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/mobohole2.jpg)
The ATX specification defines the location of hole B, but it also says that it is not required for full-size ATX designs.
"The hole at B in Figure 2 was previously required along the rear edge of the board. This location is not required for ATX designs. If it is desired to implement a board mount in this area, a removable standoff should be used to avoid problems with boards that do not use this mounting location."
I could not find a single motherboard here (I checked eight different boards from different manufacturers) that does not implement this hole.
So if you get the ECS PF5, make sure you do not have a metal spacer at the location of the missing hole.
Connectors
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/atx_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/atx.jpg)
The ATX12V connector isn't placed so well. If a PSU has a short cable you would have to route it right across the board instead of nicely tucking it away. The ATX power connector is placed fine though.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/sata_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/sata.jpg)
The SATA ports are grouped. Four ports coming from the Intel Southbridge are marked in orange, while the two ports from the SATA addon-chip are in red.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/pata_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/pata.jpg)
With PATA devices slowly dying out, there is only one IDE port on this board, which can support up to two devices on one cable.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/headers1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/headers1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/headers2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/headers2.jpg)
Color-coded headers with proper labels on the board make first time installation very easy.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/fanheaders_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/fanheaders.jpg)
Five fan headers are located on the board, two are already used by the OTES and the chipset fan.
Slots
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/slots_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/slots.jpg)
Two PCI-Express video card slots will let you use ATI's CrossFire. NVIDIA has not announced support for SLI on Intel yet, but in my opinion this is only a matter of time. The single PCI-E x1 slot is lost if you use CrossFire, but are there any cards for PCI-E x1 yet anyway?
[page=Layout continued]
Cooling
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/chipset_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/chipset.jpg)
The small chipset fan is not too noisy, it should blend in with your CPU fan's noise.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/southbridge_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/southbridge.jpg)
The southbridge does not need active cooling, it barely gets warm during use, even when overclocked.
Chips
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/clockgen_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/clockgen.jpg)
The ICS954127 is the clock generator used on the PF5 Extreme.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/monitoring_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/monitoring.jpg)
Winbond's W83627THF's hardware monitoring chip is monitoring the system's health state.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/lan1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/lan1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/lan2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/lan2.jpg)
ECS uses a network chip from Marvell for the Gigabit interface, while a Realtek chip is used for the Fast Ethernet port. Both are a cost-effective solution.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/audiochip_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/audiochip.jpg)
As our tests will show later, the on-board audio of the PF5 is quite good. This is accomplished by using a Realtek ALC880 HD Audio chip.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/satachip_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/satachip.jpg)
A Silicon Image SiI3132 SATA controller chip handles the two SATA ports which ECS added to this board.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/firewire_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/firewire.jpg)
The Firewire interface is implemented by a VT6307 chip from VIA Technologies.
[pagE=BIOS]
BIOS
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_cmos_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_cmos.jpg)
ECS is using an AMI Bios on the PF5 Extreme.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_standardcmos_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_standardcmos.jpg)
The first page Standard BIOS Features has some information about your motherboard and the system. You can change the date and time settings here.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_bootconfig_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_bootconfig.jpg)
On the Boot Config page you can disable the full-screen logo and disable some POST tests which speeds up the boot process.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_advanced_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_advanced.jpg)
Advanced BIOS is home to many system related options of the motherboard.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_cpuconfig_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_cpuconfig.jpg)
On the CPU Config page you can enable/disable CPU-specific features like C1E and EIST. The CPU frequency is selected here as well.
Integrated Peripherals
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_floppy_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_floppy.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_ide_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_ide.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_superio_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_superio.jpg)
On these pages you can change the configuration of storage related settings, for example if you want to disable the floppy controller.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_security_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_security.jpg)
The Security tab lets you set a password for system boot or to enter the BIOS Setup.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_power_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_power.jpg)
On the Power Management page you find the standard options which are available in pretty much every BIOS available.
Memory Timings
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_advchipset_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_advchipset.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_dramtiming_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_dramtiming.jpg)
On the Advanced Chipset page you can customize your memory timings. All current public BIOSes from ECS have a bug where the CAS Latency setting is not displayed. If you use custom timings now, the system will always crash. We notified ECS of this issue and got a fixed BIOS to continue our testing. The changes will be included in the next public BIOS release. The available settings here are all that are available to change in the Intel chipset.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_dramfreq_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_dramfreq.jpg)
The DRAM Frequency options lets you change the ratio at which the memory is run in relation to the CPU FSB. The numbers here are not fixed, which means they change if you change your FSB. 400 MHz means 1:1, 533 means 3:4 and 667 means 3:5.
[page=BIOS continued]
Overclocking
The overclocking related options are spread out all over the BIOS.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_fsb_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_fsb.jpg)
The FSB selection is located on the CPU settings page. The range goes up to 500 MHz here, way above what's actually possible on this board.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_pcieclk_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_pcieclk.jpg)
All i945 chipsets have an overclock lock which limits the overclocking based on the PCI-Express frequency. If you enable the "synchronize" option, the lock is circumvented. Unfortunately you can't indefinitely increase the PCI-E clock, at some point you lose the SATA drives and the video card. More about this in the overclocking section of the review.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_vcore1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_vcore1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_vcore2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_vcore2.jpg)
The range of VCore options is ok. A maximum of 1.6V might be good for air coolers, more extreme means could easily handle more voltage. Undervolting is possible, which allows for reduced heat output in underclocked systems like a Media PC.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_vdimm_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_vdimm.jpg)
Much better is the memory voltage range. Everything is covered here, even for the most extreme people.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_vnb_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_vnb.jpg)
I found no reason to increase the chipset voltage, not even when overclocking. But having the option here is sure nice, just in case.
Monitoring
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_monitoring1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_monitoring1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_monitoring2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/b_monitoring2.jpg)
A very nice feature, usually only found in much more expensive boards is that the fan speeds can be controlled based on temperature. Really good work here, ECS.
[page=Performance: Test systems]
Test Systems
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr align="center">
<th colspan="2" scope="row" style="font-size:larger;text-align:center">Test System "ECS PF5"</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">Intel Pentium 4 3.0F (S775; 2MB; Prescott)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">ECS PF5, Bios 10/18/05<br />i945P</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 512MB OCZ PC2-5400 EB Platinum 4-3-3-8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI X850 Pro PCI-E</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Maxtor DiamondMax 160GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">HEC Power475</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.10</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">OC is 15 x 241 and 15 x 300 = 4500 MHz, Memory 1:1 = DDR2-600</td>
</tr>
</table>
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr align="center">
<th colspan="2" scope="row" style="font-size:larger;text-align:center">Test System "ABIT AL8"</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">Intel Pentium 4 3.0F (S775; 2MB; Prescott)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">ABIT AL8, Bios 1.4<br />i945P</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 512MB OCZ PC2-5400 EB Platinum 4-2-2-8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI X850 Pro PCI-E</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Maxtor DiamondMax 160GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">HEC Power475</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">OC is 15 x 300 = 4500 MHz, Memory 1:1 = DDR2-600</td>
</tr>
</table>
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr align="center">
<th colspan="2" scope="row" style="font-size:larger;text-align:center">Test System "AA8XE"</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">Intel Pentium 4 3.0F (S775; 2MB; Prescott)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">ABIT Fatal1ty AA8XE, Bios 1.4<br />i925XE</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 512MB OCZ PC2-5400 EB Platinum 4-2-2-8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI X800 Non-Pro PCI-E</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Maxtor DiamondMax 160GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">HEC Power475</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">OC 4500 is 15x300 FSB, Mem Ratio 1:1 (=300 MHz)</td>
</tr>
</table>
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr align="center">
<th colspan="2" scope="row" style="font-size:larger;text-align:center">Test System "Sapphire PI-A9RX480"</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">AMD Athlon64 3000+ (S939; 512KB; Venice)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">Sapphire PURE Innovation PI-A9RX480, Bios 07/27/05<br />ATI RX480</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 512MB OCZ PC3500 Gold GX 2-2-2-5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI X850 Pro PCI-E</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Maxtor DiamondMax 160GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">HEC Power475</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">OC 2700 is 9x300 FSB, Mem ratio 2:3 (=200 MHz)</td>
</tr>
</table>
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr align="center">
<th colspan="2" scope="row" style="font-size:larger;text-align:center">Test System "ASRock 939Dual-SATA2"</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">AMD Athlon64 3000+ (S939; 512KB; Venice)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">ASRock 939Dual-SATA2, Bios 1.40<br />ULi M1695</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 512MB OCZ PC-3200 Gold GX 2-2-3-5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI X850 Pro PCI-E</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Maxtor DiamondMax 160GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">HEC Power475</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.10</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">OC 2700 is 9x300 FSB, Mem ratio 2:3 (=200 MHz)</td>
</tr>
</table>
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr align="center">
<th colspan="2" scope="row" style="font-size:larger;text-align:center">Test System "LP NF4 Ultra-D"</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">AMD Athlon64 3000+ (S939; 512KB; Venice)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">DFI LanParty NF4 Ultra-D, Bios 5.10-2 Fix<br />nForce4 Ultra</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 512MB OCZ PC3500 Gold GX 2-2-2-5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI X850 Pro PCI-E</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Maxtor DiamondMax 160GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">HEC Power475</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">OC 2700 is 9x300 FSB, Mem ratio 2:3 (=200 MHz)</td>
</tr>
</table>
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" class="ramtable" width="450">
<tr align="center">
<th colspan="2" scope="row" style="font-size:larger;text-align:center">Test System "P4 2.4C"</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th width="100" scope="row">CPU:</th>
<td scope="row">Intel Pentium 4 2.4C (S478; 512KB; Northwood)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Motherboard:</th>
<td scope="row">ABIT IC7, Bios 2.8<br />i875P</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Memory:</th>
<td scope="row">2x 256MB Generic PC3200 2.5-3-3-6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Video Card:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">ATI X800 XT</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Harddisk:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Maxtor DiamondMax 160GB</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Power Supply:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Antec TrueControl 550W</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Software:</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">Windows XP SP2, Catalyst 5.4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2">OC 3400 is 15x283 FSB, Mem Ratio 2:3 (=188 MHz)</td>
</tr>
</table>
[page=Performance: Sandra & Everest]
SiSoftware Sandra
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/sandraint.gif
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/sandrafloat.gif
Lavalys Everest
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/everestread.gif
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/everestwrite.gif
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/everestlatency.gif
[pagE=Performance: SuperPi]
SuperPi
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/superpi1m.gif
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/superpi32m.gif
[page=Performance: PCMark04 & 3DMark01]
PCMark 2004
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/pcmark04.gif
3DMark 2001
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/3dmark2001.gif
[page=Performance: CineBench & Kribibench]
CineBench
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/cinebench.gif
All boards using the same CPU show about the same speed. Intel systems with their Hyper-threading Technology are king here.
KribiBench
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/kribibench.gif
[page=Performance: Comanche 4 & Quake 3]
Comanche 4
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/comanche4.gif
Quake 3 Arena
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/quake3.gif
[page=Performance: Audio RMAA]
Rightmark Audio Analyzer
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/rmaa.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/loopback_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/loopback.jpg)
We used Rightmark Audio Analyzer together with a loop-back cable to analyze the quality of the on-board audio solution.
Summary
<table width="600" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1">
<tr align="center">
<td bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="left"><strong>Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB:</strong></td>
<td>+0.25, -0.32</td>
<td>Good</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
<td bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="left"><strong>Noise level, dB (A):</strong></td>
<td>-86.9</td>
<td>Good</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
<td bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="left"><strong>Dynamic range, dB (A):</strong></td>
<td>86.9</td>
<td>Good</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
<td bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="left"><strong>THD, %:</strong></td>
<td>0.0068</td>
<td>Very good</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
<td bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="left"><strong>IMD, %:</strong></td>
<td>0.021</td>
<td>Good</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
<td bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="left"><strong>Stereo crosstalk, dB:</strong></td>
<td>-87.7</td>
<td>Excellent</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center">
<td bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="left"><strong>IMD at 10 kHz, %:</strong></td>
<td>0.102</td>
<td>Average</td>
</tr>
</table>
General performance: Good
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/audio.gif
For easier comparison we summed up the individual scores of all tested boards (1: Very poor, 2: Poor, 3: Average, 4: Good, 5: Very good, 6: Excellent). The sound quality of the ECS PF5 is among the best.
Frequency Response
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/fr.png
<table width="400" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1">
<tr bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="center">
<td align="left"><strong>Frequency range</strong></td>
<td><strong>Response</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">From 20 Hz to 20 kHz, dB</td>
<td>-1.68, +0.25</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">From 40 Hz to 15 kHz, dB</td>
<td>-0.32, +0.25</td>
</tr>
</table>
Noise Level
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/noise.png
<table width="400" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1">
<tr bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="center">
<td align="left"><strong>Parameter</strong></td>
<td><strong>Left</strong></td>
<td><strong>Right</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">RMS power, dB:</td>
<td>-81.7</td>
<td>-83.0</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">RMS power (A-weighted), dB:</td>
<td>-86.9</td>
<td>-86.9</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">Peak level, dB FS:</td>
<td>-68.0</td>
<td>-69.5</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">DC offset, %:</td>
<td>-0.00</td>
<td>-0.00</td>
</tr>
</table>
Dynamic Range
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/dynamics.png
<table width="400" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1">
<tr bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="center">
<td align="left"><strong>Parameter</strong></td>
<td><strong>Left</strong></td>
<td><strong>Right</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">Dynamic range, dB:</td>
<td>+80.5</td>
<td>+81.8</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">Dynamic range (A-weighted), dB:</td>
<td>+86.9</td>
<td>+87.0</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">DC offset, %:</td>
<td>-0.00</td>
<td>-0.00</td>
</tr>
</table>
THD + Noise (at -3 dB FS)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/thd.png
<table width="400" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1">
<tr bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="center">
<td align="left"><strong>Parameter</strong></td>
<td><strong>Left</strong></td>
<td><strong>Right</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">THD, %:</td>
<td>0.0068</td>
<td>0.0071</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">THD + Noise, %:</td>
<td>0.0220</td>
<td>0.0191</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">THD + Noise (A-weighted), %:</td>
<td>0.0136</td>
<td>0.0138</td>
</tr>
</table>
Intermodulation distortion
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/imd.png
<table width="400" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1">
<tr bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="center">
<td align="left"><strong>Parameter</strong></td>
<td><strong>Left</strong></td>
<td><strong>Right</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">IMD + Noise, %:</td>
<td>0.0212</td>
<td>0.0222</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">IMD + Noise (A-weighted), %:</td>
<td>0.0164</td>
<td>0.0166</td>
</tr>
</table>
Stereo crosstalk
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/cross.png
<table width="400" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1">
<tr bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="center">
<td align="left"><strong>Parameter</strong></td>
<td><strong>L <- R</strong></td>
<td><strong>L -> R</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">Crosstalk at 100 Hz, dB:</td>
<td>-81</td>
<td>-80</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">Crosstalk at 1 kHz, dB:</td>
<td>-85</td>
<td>-87</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">Crosstalk at 10 kHz, dB:</td>
<td>-81</td>
<td>-81</td>
</tr>
</table>
IMD (swept tones)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/imdswept.png
<table width="400" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" border="1">
<tr bgcolor=#C0C0C0 align="center">
<td align="left"><strong>Parameter</strong></td>
<td><strong>Left</strong></td>
<td><strong>Right</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">IMD + Noise at 5 kHz, %:</td>
<td>0.0343</td>
<td>0.0343</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">IMD + Noise at 10 kHz, %:</td>
<td>0.1129</td>
<td>0.1126</td>
</tr>
<tr align="center"><td align="left">IMD + Noise at 15 kHz, %:</td>
<td>0.1600</td>
<td>0.1608</td>
</tr>
</table>
[page=Fan Noise]
Fan Noise
In order to give a measurement of how loud this board is, we used an IEC651 Type II sound level meter on the dbA slow setting.
The distance between fan and sound level meter was 10cm. Please note that this is very little, compared to the "standard" measurements, which are made at 1m distance. We had to do this, to get proper readings with our sound level meter, because we obviously can't spend thousands of dollars on audio measuring equipment.
All tested fans were connected to an external 12V lab PSU. 12V is the maximum rated fan speed. Some motherboards/video cards use slower fan speeds and slowly ramp them up with temperatures. This is also the reason, why the X800 series seems to have such a "loud" fan. During normal usage its fan is usually running at 33% to 66%.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/soundlevel.gif
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" class="resulttable">
<tr>
<th colspan="2">Common sound levels </th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Ambulance siren</td>
<td align="right">120 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Crying baby </td>
<td align="right">110 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Shout (5 feet) </td>
<td align="right">100 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Truck</td>
<td align="right">90 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Urban street</td>
<td align="right">80 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Automobile interior </td>
<td align="right">70 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Normal conversation (3 feet) </td>
<td align="right">60 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Office, classroom </td>
<td align="right">50 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Living room </td>
<td align="right">40 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bedroom at night </td>
<td align="right">30 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Whispering at (5 feet)</td>
<td align="right">20 dbA </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Rustling leaves </td>
<td align="right">10 dbA </td>
</tr>
</table>
[page=Overclocking]
Overclocking
Overclocking is a pain with this board. Every time the board doesn't complete the POST the CMOS checksum will be invalid, which means you have to redo all settings in the BIOS. This also happens sometimes when the board crashes in Windows, for example during a stability test.
The next issue is that manual memory timings are not possible, because of a BIOS bug, which is fixed now. Let's hope ECS gets the update out fast.
Another issue I had was with the BIOS flashing. Every time I updated the BIOS using the flashing utility in DOS, I would get "CMOS checksum failure" on every reboot after the update, not only the first one. This basically left me with a non-booting motherboard: CMOS checksum failure, hit F1 to enter BIOS. F1. Save. Reboot. CMOS checksum failure, hit F1 to enter BIOS, and so on ...
The only way to get a working system was using the ECS Top Hat Flash and use the BIOS flashed on it to boot. Then remove the Top Hat Flash and flash the original BIOS back.
After getting the first board replaced by ECS, and seeing the same issue again, I found out that you MUST use the Windows flashing tool to update your BIOS. The DOS tool does not seem to write to all areas.
Next issue: the TRCD and TRP settings are not correctly applied. If you set 4-3-3-8, it becomes 4-4-4-8. 5-3-3-9 becomes 5-4-4-9. This can be changed with SysTool in Windows though. I think the BIOS always uses TRCD and TRP from the memory's SPD info.
Last but not least, the i945 overclocking lock is in effect. The chipset compares the PCI-Express clock and the FSB clock. If the difference is too high, the system will not start (more details in our ABIT AL8 review (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Abit/AL8/15)). In order to get around this, the "PCIE CLK Synchronize" setting in the BIOS exists. When it is enabled, any increase to the FSB will also increase the PCI-E clock a bit. A distinct setting where you can freely pick the frequency would be better (the clock generator does support it). The problem with the linked setting of the PF5 is that you can't just indefinitely increase the PCI-E frequency. At some point the SATA drives are no longer detected, and a bit further the video card does not initialize right.
With all these issues and gotchas I could still get the board to run at 241 FSB = 3618 MHz. One MHz more and the SATA drives were gone.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/maxfsb_bios_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/maxfsb_bios.gif)
With the BIOS set to 241 FSB booting into Windows works fine and the system is stable all day. Next I used SysTool to reprogram the motherboard's clock generator, which let me use frequencies up to 293 FSB = 4395 MHz. Any higher setting would not apply to the clock generator and the clock would not change.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/maxfsb_win_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ECS/PF5/images/maxfsb_win.gif)
The benchmarks were run at 3618 MHz and at 4395 MHz as well. Some benchmark results do not seem to improve because changing the clock within Windows affects of how some benchmarking program measure time.
[page=Value & Conclusion]
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
ECS is selling the PF5 for about $120, which is a quite competitive price for an Intel Socket LGA775 motherboard.</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Good price
Gigabit Ethernet
Two PCI-E x16 slots
Good on-board Audio
Six SATA ports
Good accessory package
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Performance not too good
Weak overclocking
Overclocking issues
</td></tr>
<tr><th>7.2</th>
<td>From a feature perspective ECS offers a very well rounded board. Having one Gigabit and one Fast Ethernet port is exactly the combination which I think is a good compromise between speed and price. Getting six SATA ports and two PCI-E x16 ports for around $120 is also very nice.<br />
However, if you are looking into overclocking more than just a little bit you will definitely hate this board. It has many issues when it comes to overclocking. With ECS' great support we could help get some of them fixed, but others remain. Don't get me wrong, as long as you stay close to stock speeds and leave the memory timings alone, the board will work rock stable. Having two PCI-Express video card slots is definitely nice since ATI decided to enable CrossFire on Intel chipsets in their drivers.</td></tr>
<tr><th></th><td></td></tr>
</table>