Abit IC7-MAX3 Motherboard
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- Front Side Bus Speed: 800 MHz
- Storage Controller Type(s): DMA/ATA-100 (Ultra) x 2, Serial ATA x 6
- Video Interface: AGP Pro
- Form Factor: ATX
- Compatibility: PC
- Chipset: Intel 875P
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Top notch board from Abit, highly recommended!
Pros
Bullet-proof performance. Easy management and upgrade. Fast and customizable BIOS. Runs cool and quiet.
Cons
After 8 months, none!
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
I love the board and have no issues the would cause me to disparage it
This is my third Abit MB. I have had it 8 months. Because I purchased one of the early boards it did have a quirk. 2 USB ports would not work, though the merchant tested them and found no problem. The problem ONLY appeared when the LAN port was active. Otherwise, the board is rock solid.
I run 1 GB of Crucial RAM and a 3.2GHz P4. The OTES and upgraded CPU fan keep the board very cool and quiet. Connectors are well positioned, though the smaller power connector will be bent by larger drives in the lower 5 1/4 bays in a mid-Tower. The drive protrudes over the edge of the MB and will bend the PS connector, so be careful. Use the AbitEQ software to monitor system performance, it is invaluable. Have used the Intel SATA connectors, but not the SIL SATA connectors. The 1394 and USB connectors all work well and the board supports front panel access to USB, sound and 1394. Note that only rear OR front panel sound is supported, NOT BOTH.
The BIOS is easy to adjust and overclock, and ABIT has a new Windows based BIOS flashing utility that allows the BIOS to be backed-up and updated from within Windows (no command line requirement, though this is still an option). The onboard raid functions perfectly and I use it for mirroring my primary drive, and have 2 additional drives available for network access through my home network. Have not tried the 1GB LAN speed (yet), but use the on board 100 MHz LAN capability with no problems.
BIOS updates for this new board have been available every 2-3 months, but I have never experienced any of the problems they were meant to address, so have seen no improvement. Drivers for the chipsets have also been updated, but you need to pay close attention to what you need. Abit does not do a great job of explaining the specific purpose of updated drivers and to whom they apply. For example, they made new drivers available months after XP SP1 was released, but the drivers were included in SP1, and some were older than that available in SP1.
Would strongly recommend this board. I bought mine from http://www.monarchcomputer.com as a bundle with the CPU and they have been great about sales AND follow-up service. They tested the board when I returned it for the USB problems, and they discovered the LAN port anomaly.
I am reviewing the board only, see the Abit site for details about the product's features.
I run 1 GB of Crucial RAM and a 3.2GHz P4. The OTES and upgraded CPU fan keep the board very cool and quiet. Connectors are well positioned, though the smaller power connector will be bent by larger drives in the lower 5 1/4 bays in a mid-Tower. The drive protrudes over the edge of the MB and will bend the PS connector, so be careful. Use the AbitEQ software to monitor system performance, it is invaluable. Have used the Intel SATA connectors, but not the SIL SATA connectors. The 1394 and USB connectors all work well and the board supports front panel access to USB, sound and 1394. Note that only rear OR front panel sound is supported, NOT BOTH.
The BIOS is easy to adjust and overclock, and ABIT has a new Windows based BIOS flashing utility that allows the BIOS to be backed-up and updated from within Windows (no command line requirement, though this is still an option). The onboard raid functions perfectly and I use it for mirroring my primary drive, and have 2 additional drives available for network access through my home network. Have not tried the 1GB LAN speed (yet), but use the on board 100 MHz LAN capability with no problems.
BIOS updates for this new board have been available every 2-3 months, but I have never experienced any of the problems they were meant to address, so have seen no improvement. Drivers for the chipsets have also been updated, but you need to pay close attention to what you need. Abit does not do a great job of explaining the specific purpose of updated drivers and to whom they apply. For example, they made new drivers available months after XP SP1 was released, but the drivers were included in SP1, and some were older than that available in SP1.
Would strongly recommend this board. I bought mine from http://www.monarchcomputer.com as a bundle with the CPU and they have been great about sales AND follow-up service. They tested the board when I returned it for the USB problems, and they discovered the LAN port anomaly.
I am reviewing the board only, see the Abit site for details about the product's features.
