Subsystem Testing

The first thing we'll check is the audio. We downloaded and installed to test its CPU utilization.

It must be a Realtek thing, as this is far from the norm with an nForce2 solution that usually averages around the <2% average, but this time around the average was in the 4%-6% mark. I don't think this is the end of the world really, as today's CPU's should be a fast enough speed to more than compensate for this loss but let's take a look at how this effects UT 2003 performance.

UT 2003 Inferno Sound Tests

For our UT2003 tests, we ran dm-Inferno benchmarks at 640x480, minimum detail with sound on and off. This was repeated at 1024x768. The reasoning is at low detail and resolution, the work will fall on the CPU and motherboard subsystem. Higher resolution is more representative of actual game play for most users.

With a low resolution the emphasis is on the CPU and subsystem to do the work hence we see a rather large difference between the two. When we up the resolution to somewhere the graphics card can help out more, the difference between the two shrinks quite a bit.

In terms of quality ... this is a Soundstorm board, does anymore really need to be said?

Hard Drive Performance

We used HD Tach to gauge read performance with our Western Digital SE 80GB HDD. Unfortunately, I don't have an identical drive to perform RAID testing anymore, but we'll try to follow this up when I can acquire a second drive.

Network Performance

We used to test the networking speed, and Windows Task Manager for CPU usage. We copied a variety of install files, totaling 698MB, varying in sizes of 300kb to as much as 60MB per file from the AN7 machine, to our ASUS A7V266 1900+ box, which uses a D Link 10/100 PCI card. We also performed the same test with an ISO image, totaling 530MB. Both systems were connected via a CAT-5 crossover cable, which should prevent any bottlenecks that would arise with our standard 10/100 switching hub.

Download speeds averaged about 9MB/sec, and upload speeds about 9.3MB/sec which is virtually identical to the numbers gained from the MSI board. The CPU usage's was very low, averaging about 7%.

Final Words

Well quite a bit to talk about here and although the board did well in our tests, it wasn't without some issues.

The µGuru technology shows a lot of promise, and not just from the OC Guru, but from all the programs, however in their current state they are far from perfect, presenting a rushed and cobbled appearance which ABIT seriously need to work on. The one program that needs attention quickly is the ABITEQ program which is offensively large in it's appearance. So much potential lies here for a kick ass hardware and software monitoring and control system, fingers crossed ABIT will sort this out in due time.

Overclocking performance was OK with the highest FSB reached being 220. Many nForce2 boards, including the NF7-S, will clock higher than this but despite the fact I switched to watercooling of both the CPU and the Northbridge it wouldn't overclock higher. It did however highlight an issue that the NF7-S board had of ignoring the CPU Fan Fail Warning setting being disabled. It's possible that a higher overclock can be achieved as the highest stable FSB I've had on the CPU is 219FSB, so it stands to reason this could be the CPU's limit.

Feature wise the AN7 is as packed as any nForce2 board we have seen, although the overall package isn't as good as it should be for ABIT's latest AMD 32bit motherboard, with even the NF7-S motherboard showing a better overall package.

I know what you're all thinking. But when you look at the numbers from the real world tests it really isn't that bad in the performance department. Yes, this board has issues but it is something that can be sorted out by ABIT with some updates, and from my talking with ABIT it's something they are looking into. Am I going to keep this board in my system? Again yes. I enjoy the ease of overclocking, be it from the BIOS or even the comfort of windows. One might argue that with Nvidia's system utility you can have this feature with most nForce2 motherboards, but my own experiences with it have been less than stellar. The ABIT OC Guru works. I really like being able to save profiles in the BIOS, although now that I'm aware of the limits of the hardware the usefulness of this has decreased.

Like any nForce2 motherboard on the market, there is very little point in upgrading your current nForce2 motherboard to the latest and greatest for the performance increase; it won't be worth it clock for clock, so this leaves the feature's and extra's provided to make the deciding factor. The AN7 has all the signs of being one of the best motherboards on the market, as at , the pricing is good, but in it's current state it doesn't quite deliver. It really is a shame, and I hope ABIT can sort out these little issues. When they do, believe me I will be singing this boards praises and recommending it to everyone in the search for an nForce2 board, but right now I can't honestly do that. The NF7-S v2.0 has a better overall package and the little teething problems (a few of which the AN7 shares) have been fixed long ago, making it a more attractive board than the newer AN7. If ABIT were to fix the small issues, enhance the overall package to at least the same level as the NF7-S, and redesign the µGuru software into one user friendly GUI, then the AN7 would be a lot more appealing. The AN7 is far from being a bad board, but with a market that is already filled with plenty of decent nForce2 motherboards then you have to have something overall special to stand out from the crowd. AN7 Max3 anyone?

Pros: µGuru technology, FanEQ provides an onboard Rheobus, BIOS Profiles, nForce2 performance, packed with features, Nice locations/orientation for IDE and floppy headers, Plenty of voltage and memory timing options, L.E.D Diagnostics onboard, good layout

Cons: µGuru software needs an overhaul, µGuru prevents use of MBM or Speedfan, CPU Fan Fail Warning on regardless of setting, better overall package from the more mature platform of the NF7-S v2.0, rushed to market feel

Bottom Line: Give it a few months of BIOS and Software updates and this board should be at the top of everyone's lists, but right now the AN7 has some work to be done when compared with even their own NF7-S 2.0.

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