AOpen AX4B Max
Thursday, May 23, 2002
Introduction
Today we'll be reviewing AOpen's latest entry into the Socket 478 motherboard market: the AX4B Max. The AX4B Max is, first and foremost, a Pentium 4, DDR-SDRAM compatible mobo based on the i845 chipset. It includes USB 2.0 ports, a 6-channel sound-card, and even an IEEE-1394 controller as its standard features. Perhaps even more importantly to some, however, will be its expandability; the AX4B includes no fewer than six PCI, and four memory slots.
So, if that's enough to whet you're appetite, let's say we head in to the review.
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Characteristics of the AOpen AX4B Max
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CPU
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Supports Intel ® Socket-478 Pentium 4.
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Chipset
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i845
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Form factor
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ATX 30.5cm 24.4cm
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Expansion
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6 PCI - 0 ISA - 1 CNR - 1 AGP - 4 USB 1.1 + 4 USB 2.0
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Memory
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4X 184-pin DIMM sockets DDR SDRAM slots for up to 2GB
of DDR200, DDR266.
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FSB
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100Mhz to 248Mhz in 1Mhz increments
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Vcore adj.
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1.1v to 1.85v in 0.025 increments
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Dram adj.
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NA
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Audio chipset
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Realtek ALC650
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Audio
Much like the AK77-333 that we reviewed recently, the AOpen AX4B Max's audio circuitry is based on the Realtek ALC650 chip. The ALC650 supports the AC3 and Surround Sound 5.1 standards, and includes support for up to six audio-channels out, including a center base channel.
From a fidelity standpoint, the Realtek AL650's sound-capabilties are quite good, and should prove more than satisfactory for most users.
Please note, however, that though SPDIF connectors are present on the motherboard, and would allow for the addition of RCA and optical jacks, the proper ports are not supplied as part the package.
Configuration
The AOpen AX4B Max's design is truly Jumperless; not a single on-board jumper relates to the configuration of the CPU, or related systems.
As a result, users will be entering most of their configuration settings into the BIOS, and into the "Frequency/Voltage Control" menu in particular.
Once located there, tweakers will be presented with the option to set the FSB frequency to between 100Mhz and 248Mhz in 1Mhz increments.
Unfortunately, the clock multiplier setting is not adjustable.
The Vcore voltage can be changed though, to any of the values indicated in the table above.
Finally, as one might expect, a number of memory-timing options are also adjustable from within the "Advanced Chipset Features" menu. Most importantly, this includes the option to set the memory-bus frequency manually, or set it to "SPD" (Serial Presence Detect), which allows the system to determine an appropriate setting automatically.
Next: Technical details
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