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Abit is highly regarded in the enthusiast community as one of the best overclocking motherboard manufacturers on the market. They are also one of the most innovative mainstream motherboard manufacturers. They were the first to introduce a jumper-free environment, a tweakable BIOS, 3-phase power, and a legacy free board design.
Currently, Abit offers three variations of the nForce 2. The Abit NF7-M we'll be reviewing today includes the nForce 2 Integrated Graphics Processor (IGP), and is based on the 1.2 Revision PCB. How will it stack up against the other nForce 2s we've reviewed previously? That's what we're here to find out.
Specifications
CPU: Supports AMD-K7 Athlon/ AthlonXP/ Barton FSB 200/266/333MHz Processors
Chipset: NVIDIA nForce2 IGP chipset with MCP
Dual DDR: Dual DDR architecture combines two independent 64-bit memory controllers
Memory: Three 184-pin DIMM sockets
VGA: Integrated GeForce4 MX AGP Graphics
Audio: 6-Channel AC 97 CODEC on board
LAN: On board 10/10M LAN Physical layer interface
System BIOS: SoftMenu™ Technology
Internal I/O Connectors
1 AGP, 5 PCI slots
Floppy Port supports up to 2.88 MB
2 x Ultra DMA 33/66/100/133 Connectors
1 x CD-IN, 1 x IrDA
Back Panel I/O
1 x PS/2 Keyboard, 1 x PS/2 mouse
1 x Serial, 1 x VGA connector, 1 x Parallel
1 x S/P DIF Output
Audio connectors (Front Speaker, Line-in, Mic-in, Center/Sub, Surround Speaker)
2 x USB, 1 x RJ-45 LAN Connector
Miscellaneous
ATX form factor
Hardware monitoring- Including Fan speed, Voltages, System environment temperature
The setup is pretty standard fare for the nForce 2, but be aware that this board comes with the nForce 2 MCP, and not the MCP-T. I'll explain why this is relevant later on.
The motherboard ships in Abit's typical red, black and white box. Inside, you'll find the motherboard, as well as the usual items they package. There is one IDE and one floppy cable, the manual, a USB bracket, a driver CD, and a back I/O bracket in case your current one lacks the cutouts needed for the NF7-M.
Next Page - The Board
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Abit NF7-M nForce2: We take a look at Abit's latest nForce 2 solution, the NF7-M. It's based on the revision v1.2 PCB, and includes the nVidia nForce 2 IGP.
