Cebit 2005 - Day 3 Review 0

Cebit 2005 - Day 3 Review

Albatron »

Motherboards


Based on the success of the first uGuru clock which can display system information like frequencies, temperatures and fanspeeds, ABIT created two new models.
One successor to the uGuru clock is external and displays what the "old" uGuru clock could do together with new stuff like Skype messages and E-Mail alerts and a readout which goes into a 5.25" drive bay. Both now come with an extra USB connector and buttons to cycle power and change clock speeds without leaving your game. The 5.25" one adds another USB and 1394 connector together with a CMOS reset button under a really cool rocker switch.


The NI8 SLI uses NVIDIA's new nForce4 for Intel chipset.
  • Intel LGA Socket 775
  • 1066 MHz FSB
  • Dual Channel DDR2 667, up to 8GB
  • 2x PCI-E x16, 2x PCI-E x1, 2x PCI
  • 4x SATA RAID
  • Gigabit Ethernet
  • 7.1 Channel Audio via AudioMAX slot which puts the sound card on an extra PCB for greatly enhanced sound output quality and increased board stability because of less interference.

Equipped with Intel's i945G chipset, the AL8 and the BTX version BL8 feature:
  • Intel LGA Socket 775
  • 1066 MHz FSB
  • Dual Channel DDR2 667, up to 8GB
  • 1x PCI-E x16, 3x PCI-E x1, 2x PCI
  • 6x SATA II RAID
  • Gigabit Ethernet
  • 7.1 Channel Audio

Equipped with Intel's i955X chipset, the AW8 features:
  • Intel LGA Socket 775
  • 1066 MHz FSB
  • Dual Channel DDR2 667, up to 8GB
  • 1x PCI-E x16, 2x PCI-E x1, 2x PCI
  • 6x SATA II RAID
  • Dual Gigabit Ethernet
  • 7.1 Channel Audio via AudioMAX slot which puts the sound card on an extra PCB for greatly enhanced sound output quality and increased board stability because of less interference.

Based on NVIDIA's nForce4 SLI the AN8-SLI offers following features:
  • AMD Socket 939
  • 2000 MHz HTT
  • Dual Channel DDR 400, up to 4GB
  • 2x PCI-E x16, 2x PCI-E x1, 2x PCI
  • 4x SATA RAID
  • Gigabit Ethernet
  • 5.1 Channel Audio via AudioMAX slot which puts the sound card on an extra PCB for greatly enhanced sound output quality and increased board stability because of less interference.

Based on NVIDIA's nForce4 the AN8 and AN8-Fatal1ty offer following features:
  • AMD Socket 939
  • 2000 MHz HTT
  • Dual Channel DDR 400, up to 4GB
  • 1x PCI-E x16, 2x PCI-E x1, 3x PCI
  • 4x SATA RAID
  • Gigabit Ethernet
  • 5.1 Channel Audio via AudioMAX slot which puts the sound card on an extra PCB for greatly enhanced sound output quality and increased board stability because of less interference.
  • The Fatal1ty edition has a different color theme and adds cooling for memory.

The AV8 is based on VIA's K8T800 Pro Chipset:
  • AMD Socket939
  • 2000 MHz HTT
  • Dual Channel DDR400 Support, up to 4GB
  • 1x AGP, 5x PCI
  • 2x SATA RAID
  • 5.1 Channel Audio

The GuruRemote was another cool innovation ABIT had to show off. It is an infrared remote which is compatible to all remote controls because you can teach it commands. The big backlit LCD display has a touch screen, which allows changing system functions like overclocking and fan speeds. Also you can see your current hardware monitoring values on the remote, it is constantly getting pushed the latest values from the system via infrared.
Obviously it can be used to remotely control ABIT's media player application - moving the mouse cursor in windows for "generic" control is not yet possible.
Getting a list of incoming Skype and MSN calls is possible as well.
I really like the design of the remote control, it looks classy and elegant. Other PC remote controls look just like a toy and are a shame to have lying on the table.
Next Page »Albatron
View as single page
Apr 26th, 2024 12:04 EDT change timezone

New Forum Posts

Popular Reviews

Controversial News Posts