Aopen AX4C Max 2: Mid-Range Product With A Few Minor Faults

07:00 - Monday 7 July 2003 by Frank Völkel
Source: Tom's Hardware – Keywords: mobo, tsunami

Table of content:
8 – Aopen AX4C Max 2: Mid-Range Pr...
  1. 1 – Motherboard Trends 2003: Consumers Are Spoilt For Choice
  2. 2 – Motherboard Trends 2003: Consumers Are Spoilt For Choice, Continued
  3. 3 – Overview Test Candidates: 24 Boards On The Test Bench
  4. 4 – Abit IC7-G: For Overclocking Fans, Continued
  5. 5 – Abit IC7-G: For Overclocking Fans, Continued
  6. 6 – Abit IS7: Bitter Price War With PAT
  7. 7 – Abit IS7: Bitter Price War With PAT, Continued
  8. 8 – Aopen AX4C Max 2: Mid-Range Product With A Few Minor Faults
  9. 9 – Aopen AX4C Max 2: Mid-Range Product With A Few Minor Faults, Continued
  10. 10 – Aopen AX4C Max 2: Mid-Range Product With A Few Minor Faults, Continued
  11. 11 – Aopen AX4C Max: Cooling Element With Possible Danger Of Burning
  12. 12 – Aopen AXSPE Max: Restrained Enthusiasm
  13. 13 – Asus P4C800 Deluxe: Sparse Selection Of Equipment At A High Price
  14. 14 – Asus P4C800 Deluxe: Sparse Selection Of Equipment At A High Price, Conti...
  15. 15 – Asus P4C800 Deluxe: Sparse Selection Of Equipment At A High Price, Conti...
  16. 16 – Asus P4C800-E Deluxe: Good Choice With CSA Support
  17. 17 – Asus P4P800 Deluxe: The Only One With Activated PAT
  18. 18 – Asus P4P800 Deluxe: The Only One With Activated PAT, Continued
  19. 19 – BIOStar P4TCA Pro: Good Basis With WLAN
  20. 20 – BIOStar P4TCA Pro: Good Basis With WLAN, Continued
  21. 21 – BIOStar P4TCA Pro: Good Basis With WLAN, Continued
  22. 22 – Chaintech 9CJS Zenith: The Features Giant
  23. 23 – Chaintech 9CJS Zenith: The Features Giant, Continued
  24. 24 – Chaintech 9CJS Zenith: The Features Giant, Continued
  25. 25 – DFI Pro 875 Lan Party: A Feast For The Eyes In The Dark
  26. 26 – DFI Pro 875 Lan Party: A Feast For The Eyes In The Dark, Continued
  27. 27 – Elitegroup PF1: Get The Price Down!
  28. 28 – Elitegroup PF1: Get The Price Down! Continued
  29. 29 – Epox PE-4PCA3+: Above Average
  30. 30 – Epox PE-4PCA3+: Above Average, Continued
  31. 31 – Epox PE-4PDA2+: Better Than Its Big Brother
  32. 32 – Epox PE-4PDA2+: Better Than Its Big Brother, Continued
  33. 33 – Gigabyte: Four Boards With 865 And 875 Chipset
  34. 34 – Gigabyte GA-8KNXP Ultra: Top Class At A Top Price
  35. 35 – Gigabyte GA-8KNXP Ultra: Top Class At A Top Price, Continued
  36. 36 – Gigabyte GA-8KNXP Ultra: Top Class At A Top Price, Continued
  37. 37 – Gigabyte GA-8KNXP: Credit Where Credit's Due
  38. 38 – Gigabyte GA-8KNXP: Credit Where Credit's Due, Continued
  39. 39 – Gigabyte GA-8PENXP: Is PAT Activated?
  40. 40 – Gigabyte GA-8PENXP: Is PAT Activated? Continued
  41. 41 – Gigabyte GA-8IG1000Pro: Low Cost At A Cutthroat Price
  42. 42 – Intel D875PBZ: Spartan, Slow, Expensive
  43. 43 – Intel D875PBZ: Spartan, Slow, Expensive, Continued
  44. 44 – Intel D865PERL: Potential For Fine Tuning
  45. 45 – Intel D865PERL: Potential For Fine Tuning, Continued
  46. 46 – MSI 875P Neo-FIS2R (MS-6758): At A High Level
  47. 47 – MSI 875P Neo-FIS2R (MS-6758): At A High Level, Continued
  48. 48 – MSI 865PE Neo 2-FIS2R (MS-6728): Fastest In The Comparative Test
  49. 49 – QDI P4I875PMA-6AFR: Innovation - ATX Becomes Micro-ATX!
  50. 50 – QDI P4I875PMA-6AFR: Innovation - ATX Becomes Micro-ATX! Continued
  51. 51 – Soltek SL-86SPE-L: Color Me Purple
  52. 52 – Soyo P4I875 Dragon 2: Mega Features With Weaknesses
  53. 53 – Soyo P4I875 Dragon 2: Mega Features With Weaknesses, Continued
  54. 54 – Equipment And Overview Of All Test Candidates
  55. 55 – Equipment And Overview Of All Test Candidates, Continued
  56. 56 – Equipment And Overview Of All Test Candidates, Continued
  57. 57 – Equipment And Overview Of All Test Candidates, Continued
  58. 58 – Equipment And Overview Of All Test Candidates, Continued
  59. 59 – Equipment And Overview Of All Test Candidates, Continued
  60. 60 – Test Setup And Details
  61. 61 – Benchmarks In Windows XP
  62. 62 – OpenGL Games: Quake 3 Arena
  63. 63 – DirectX 8 Games: Comanche 4 Demo
  64. 64 – DirectX 8 Engine: 3D Mark 2001 SE
  65. 65 – MP3 Audio Encoding: MP3 Maker Platinum 3.04
  66. 66 – Archiving: WinRAR 3.11
  67. 67 – CPU And Multimedia: SiSoft Sandra 2003 SP1
  68. 68 – Office Application: PC Mark 2002
  69. 69 – Application: SPEC Viewperf 7.1
  70. 70 – Conclusion: Purchase Decision Not Dependent On Chipset
  71. 71 – Conclusion: Purchase Decision Not Dependent On Chipset, Continued
  72. 72 – Awards: Gigabyte GA-8KNXP (Intel 875P) And MSI Neo 2 (Intel 865PE)

Aopen AX4C Max 2: Mid-Range Product With A Few Minor Faults

Ad

Intel 875P Chipset
Board Revision N77
BIOS R1.01e (06/26/2003)

Click on image for larger version

Aopen sent four motherboards to us for the test, with two boards based on the Intel 875P chipset and two on the 865PE. All motherboards are produced using six-layer technology. The top model is the AX4C Max 2. Despite the 875P chipset, Aopen dispenses with CSA LAN and relies on a gigabit chip from Broadcom, which unnecessarily overloads data traffic on the PCI bus.

At the beginning of the test there were considerable problems in connection with the working memory. Especially when Corsair modules (TwinX DDR400) were used, the motherboard refused to carry out the boot procedure and reported a BIOS error. The problem could only be corrected after a BIOS update and contact with the manufacturer. However, the special BIOS version is not freely available, so the user cannot use any Corsair modules.

For noise-free operation, Aopen has installed a fan control device (Silent Tek 2) on the motherboard, which can be adjusted via the BIOS. In addition, the product includes a capacitor microphone, which monitors the volume of the CPU fan and serves as input volume in the closed-loop control circuit. Owing to the confusing description, it is virtually impossible to find the microphone connection. Cables for Serial-ATA and IDE as well as brackets for USB 2.0 and FireWire are included with the product.

The color-coded pin connector is exemplary.

Noise level is measured with the help of a microphone.

  • Print
  • Send to a friend
  • Comment
  • Content also available in:
Ad
Talkback
Google Ads
Ad
The Motherboards Articles and reviews
News
Reviews
Videos