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The final outcome? AOpen did not disappoint in the stability department, only crashing once in the FreeBSD makeworld tests. Its performance is excellent in all respects, essentially matching the level of performance expected from the i815E/EP platform. The 1/6/0/1 (AGP/PCI/ISA/AMR) expansion configuration, onboard RAID and provision of 4 DIMM slots (in spite of the i815E's unusual memory constraints) is a boon to the end-user. AOpen put a lot of effort into component layout (save the ATA-100 RAID headers, DIMM slots and ATX power header placement), generally reducing cable clutter and leaving adequate allowance for alternative chipset cooling solutions such as the Blue Orb. The AX3S Plus is also easily one of the most the overclockable motherboards that we've seen, managing a 23% FSB overclock (163MHz)! To top these off are the excellent Dr. Voice and Die Hard BIOS technologies, the nice software bundle and the good documentation (save for the BIOS settings). Lastly, the AX3S Plus also gets good grades in the aesthetics
department, with the sexy black PCB and silver AOpen North Bridge
heatsink.
The main area where the AX3S Plus falls short is memory bandwidth. While there several memory related parameters can be adjusted in the BIOS, it is the lack of memory interleaving that really hurts the AOpen. For end-users who don't plan to use the onboard VGA, the fact that a bracket has to be used for the second serial port might be a source of inconvenience. The motherboard's sheer size might also pose a problem for some end-users.
If you want a swank looking i815E motherboard on the market, with solid stability, nice diagnostics features, excellent overclocking performance, as well as onboard RAID functionality, then you probably don't need to look any further. The AX3S Plus is a nice piece of hardware, and comes
Very Highly Recommended!
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