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ASRock 775Dual-VSTA Review
[Abstract]
IntroductionIn the wake of both AMD and Intel launching new processors and platforms, ASRock has been releasing a slew of new and updated motherboards and them being ASRock, they've got quite a...
[Content] PCDigitalMobileGame
Introduction
In the wake of both AMD and Intel launching new processors and platforms, ASRock has been releasing a slew of new and updated motherboards and them being ASRock, they've got quite a few interesting chipset implementations; all built to be easy on the bank account. On the AMD front, we've taken a look at the AM2V890-VSTA, which was somewhat a revival of the VIA K8T890 chipset fitted for Socket AM2. While we were none too impressed with its persistent memory issues, we actually liked its direction and what it represented as an ultra-budget platform. Because of this, we've picked up ASRock's 775Dual-VSTA, the Intel counterpart of the AM2V890-VSTA to see if their value Core 2 platform makes the grade.
The ASRock 775Dual-VSTA motherboard. |
The 775Dual-VSTA is based on VIA's older PT880 Ultra chipset, a variation of the PT880 Pro with 1066FSB support and modified by ASRock to support Intel's new Core 2 processors. However, the 775Dual-VSTA is a more interesting motherboard when compared to the AM2V890-VSTA because of the hybrid nature of the PT880 Ultra chipset. Let's have a look at the board's technical specifications below before we delve further into its details.
Peripheral bundle included in the box packaging are as follows:-
1 x SATA data cables 1 x SATA power converter cable 1 x 80-conductor Ultra ATA data cable 1 x floppy drive data cable HDMI S/PDIF audio cable I/O shield Driver CDs User's guide ASRock 775Dual-VSTA Technical Specifications
CPU Support | - Supports 90nm/65nm LGA775 processor package
- Supports Intel Core 2 Duo / Core 2 Extreme
- Supports Intel Pentium D / Pentium Processor ExtremeEdition
- Supports Intel Pentium 4 / Pentium 4 Extreme Edition
| Chipset | - Northbridge: VIA PT880 Ultra
- 533 / 800 / 1066MHz front side bus
- AGP 8X graphics
- PCI Express x4 graphics
- Southbridge: VIA VT8237A
- Supports up to six PCI slots
- Supports up toeight USB 2.0 ports
- 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet MAC
- Supports two SATAports (with RAID 0, 1 and 0+1 capabilities)
- Dual-channel Ultra ATA-133 ports
| Memory | - Supports two 184-pin unbuffered DIMM?.5vDDR SDRAM
- Up to 2GB燿ual-channel DDR-400 memory
- Supports two 240-pin unbuffered DIMM?.8Volt DDR2 SDRAM
- Up to 2GB燿ual-channel DDR2-533/667memory
| Storage | - VIA VT8237A Southbridge
- 4 x Ultra ATA33/66/100/133 (data transfer rate up to133MB/sec.)
- 2 x SATA (SerialATA 1.5Gbps interface)
- Supports SATA RAID0,RAID 1, RAID 0+1
| Audio | - Intel High Definition Audio (Azalia)
- Realtek ALC888 HD Audio CODEC
- HDMI S/PDIF interface
| Networking | - VIA Networking VT6103 Fast Ethernet PHY
| I/O Interface | - 1 x Floppy connector
- 2 x Ultra ATAIDE connectors
- 2 x SATAconnectors
- 8 x USB 2.0ports (4 x rear, 4 x header)
- 1 x RJ45 LANport
- 8-Channel Audio I/O ports
- 1 x CD-IN
- 1 x 9-pin serial port
- 1 x parallel port
- 1 x mini-DIN-6 PS/2 mouse port
- 1 x mini-DIN-6 PS/2 keyboard port
| Expansion Slots | - One PCIe x16 slot, PCI Express Bus specificationv1.0a compliant
- One AGP 8X slot
- Four 32-bit PCI slots, PCI 2.3 compliant
| PCB | - ATX Form Factor, 12"x 8.0"(30.5cm x 20.32cm)
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Rear I/O panel comes with standard components like PS/2, parallel, serial and four USB 2.0 ports, an RJ-45 connector and analog surround jacks. S/PDIF is missing though the board does feature HDMI audio output. |
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