Intel's platform has undergone a series of changes recently like transition to a 64-bit architecture and dual-core processors with appropriate new chipsets, yet older, 5xx processors are viable still. Moreover, following the market laws they have become even more affordable. And if there's demand for processors, there is also demand for appropriate mainboards.
One such mainboard has come to our test lab. It is the high-end 925XE7AA model from Foxconn. Let me get down to business right away by showing you its specification.
Specification
Here are the basic characteristics of the reviewed mainboard:
Foxconn 925XE7AA |
CPU | LGA775 Pentium4 800/1066MHz |
Chipset | 82925XE Express North Bridge
ICH6R South Bridge |
FSB frequency | 200-260MHz with 1MHz increment |
Memory | 4 DDR DIMM slots for DDR2 400/533 SDRAM |
Graphics card slot | PCI Express x16 |
PCI Express slots | 1 x PCI Express x16
2 x PCI Express x1 |
PCI expansion slots | 3 x PCI
3 x PXI Express x1 |
USB 2.0 ports | 8 USB 2.0 ports |
IEEE1394 ports | 3 100/200/400 Mbit/s ports |
Back panel connectors | 1 x PS/2 keyboard
1 x PS/2 mouse
2 x RJ45 (Gigabit Etherenet LAN)
8 x USB 2.0
6 x HD Audio I/O
1 x parallel (SPP/ECP/EPP)
1 x COM
Additional line-outs for 7.1 channel audio
3 x IEEE1394b
2 x S/PDIF (coax out)
1xFDD |
ATA-100/133 | 1 x ATA100
2 x ATA133 |
Serial ATA-150 | 8 |
BIOS | Phoenix-Award BIOS v6.0PG
8Mb flash EEPROM w/ LAN boot,
PnP, ACPI, WfM, DMI 2.0 |
IDE RAID support | RAID 0, 1, 0+1
Intel Matrix Storage Technology |
Overclocking friendly features in the BIOS | SuperSpeed Technology |
Form-factor | ATX, 12?x 9.6 |
A heap of various brackets and cables are enclosed with the mainboard. I found the following in the box:
- Foxconn 925XE7AA mainboard
- CD with drivers
- Three ATA-100 cables and one FDD cable
- Eight Serial ATA cables and four power adapters (with two connectors on each)
- User's manual
- User's manual on building and configuring RAID arrays
- Bracket with two FireWire ports
- Bracket with four USB 2.0 ports
- I/O shield
- Three diskettes with drivers for the mainboard's RAID controllers
So, there's everything you may need, and my only gripe was about the quality of the ATA-100 and FDD cables. They are made as separate wires in rubber pipes, the so-called aerodynamic version. But the rubber casing is thick, so the cables are too stiff. Moreover, one connector just collapsed in my fingers when I was mounting hard drives. I tend to believe that I just had bad luck having got a defective connector, because Foxconn has always provided excellent accessory quality. Anyway, I hope Foxconn will pay more attention to the quality of accessories they include with their mainboards. I have no complaints other than that one.
