Wednesday, August 08, 2001

Introduction

We haven't really expected to recieve any new motherboards based on the AMD761 chipset for quite some time. For that matter, we really expected that demand for the AMD761 was dead as far as manufacturers were concerned, but DFI seems to have proven us wrong. The DFI AK76-SN is based on that very same chip combo, and comes with support for DDR-SDRAM, and 133MHz FSB Athlon processors. And, while it seems to made a late entrance, the AK76-SN will still manage to draw a few eyeballs, thanks to the many refinements it has incorporated into its design. So, on that note, let's say we get down to the review.

Configuration

While most boards that implement the AMD761 Northbridge have been essentially devoid of any Overclocking functions, DFI's AK76-SN seems to have gotten around that caveat by incorporating a number of jumpers into its circuitry.

That said, user's may not find all the features they're used to, but all the essentials are there for the tweaking.

First off, we have the ability to force the FSB to 100MHz or 133MHz via jumpers JP2, JP3, and JP4.

Next, we can set the clock multiplier to a value ranging from 5X to 12.5X by using the DIPs labeled SW1.

Finally, we found that several memory timing settings can also be changed, but not - unfortunately - the memory bus frequency. This is not surprising however, since its well known that the AMD761 does not feature an independant memory bus.

Within the BIOS menu labeled "Voltage/Frequency Control", users have the option to set the FSB to between 100MHz and 166MHz in 1MHz steps.

Also within the BIOS are several options related to memory timing, without the ability to set the memory bus to an independant frequency.

Note that "Super Bypass Mode" is supported by this board.

Next: Technical details.