| |
 |
|
Date |
: Jun 24th, 2002 |
| Category |
: Motherboards |
| Manufacturer |
: EPoX |
| Author |
: Jin-Wei Tioh |
|
What hits you right away is traditionality of the 8K3A+, at least as far as PCB color is concerned. Or the motherboard could have just been color coordinated with its distinctive lime green packaging. The 8K3A+ sits in an open tray, covered by a semi-transparent sheath. A unique touch is the small carrying strap on the packaging. Once that has gotten your attention, a few other things hold it : the 2 ATA-133 RAID headers, 6 PCI slots (and absence of an AMR slot), 2 digit 7 segment display and the 8K3A+'s sheer size.
Component placement is generally clean with a few gripes. The ATX power header is placed close to the rear of the board, which means that the ATX power cable is going to be dangling above the CPU disrupting airflow. The DIMM slots are just barely above the AGP slot, making DIMM installation/removal a chore when using graphics cards such as the Leadtek WinFast A250. It is absolutely necessary to first remove the AGP card. The 2 IDE headers also obstruct the 2nd to 4th PCI slots, making them unable to accommodate full-length expansion cards.
EPoX decided to integrate only 2 USB ports, including an additional bracket to hook up the other 2 USB ports. As per the industry's standard operating procedure, the front panel connectors are placed in the lower-front corner of the motherboard, ensuring the cables do not get in the way of any expansion slots.
Capacitor placement is alright, though 6 2200uF caps can stand to be placed a little further from the CPU socket. EPoX also sticks to AMD's "no mount zone" specification, permitting the usage of HS/F units which use the 4-lug mounting system, such as the Zalman CNPS5000 and the Swiftech MC462A.
|
|
