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AOpen AX4SG Max
Review by Michael
Tran on 05.21.03
Managing Editor: Harry Lam
Motherboard provided by AOpen
MSRP $229, ESP $209
Overview:
 About seven months ago, nVidia released their nForce2 chipset
for AMD's line of
CPU's. This chipset supported dual-channel DDR 333 and 400 which allowed memory
to run synchronously with the Athlon XP's 333MHz FSB. This gave AMD the
edge over Intel's 845PE
which only supported single-channel DDR333 (in addition the CPU and
memory are running asynchronously). Intel has now responded to that threat
with the release of the Springdale chipset. Intel's original plan with
the Springdale was a dual-channel DDR333 part, however with the
finalization of the PC3200 standard Intel decided to take another step
forward by upgrading the Springdale's ram support to DDR400. Since
then, Intel has split the Springdale into two different chipsets: the
865 (Springdale) and the 875 (Canterwood).
The primary difference between the two chipsets is that the Canterwood
features PAT, which is touted to improve performance. The Springdale
will be the cheaper of the two chipsets, focused towards the mainstream
market. However, the Springdale will still retain DDR400 and 800Mhz FSB
support.
With the announcement of the Springdale, AOpen just released a
brand new motherboard, the AOpen AX4SG Max.
The AOpen AX4SG Max
supports Intel Socket 478 Pentium 4 CPUs (1.6GHz ~ 3.06Ghz), 400/533/800
FSB and Intel's Hyper Threading Technology. If you have not heard of
Hyper-Threading, it fundamentally creates two virtual processors
allowing the processor to track multiple software threads
simultaneously.
First Impression:
The first thing that caught my eye was the shiny detachable aluminum AOpen chipset heatsink
located at the middle of the motherboard. I won't lie, style is
definitely a major factor when it comes to consumers. The second
physical feature I noticed was the long row of capacitors. AOpen feature
low equivalent series resistance capacitors to enhance stability of
performance. AOpen also uses capacitors that hold twice as much
capacitance as most normal motherboard capacitors, thus further
increasing stability for CPU power. Probably the most unique physical
feature was an unique stand-up clip on the CMOS battery.
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AOpen Northbridgeheatsink
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Innovative Battery Clip
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