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- Date:
- Friday , August 01, 2003
- Author:
- Keith Dugger
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
EPoX 8RDA3+
EPoX has released their nForce2 Ultra 400-powered AMD motherboard during highly competitive times. Will the 8RDA3+ perform well and maintain the EPoX reputation of an enthusiast manufacturer?
Introduction
EPoX is known for their ability to cater to the extensive needs of the enthusiast user. In a period where Canterwood is dominating the market, EPoX braves into the competition brandishing an nForce2 offering with a 400MHz FSB. Our expectations are high and it is up to the 8RDA3+ to prove it has what it takes for the [H]-user.
The 8RDA3+ is one of many new AMD platforms EPoX has released this year. This model has Dual Channel Memory, two 10/100 LAN ports, C-Media 6 channel audio, AGP 8X, IEEE 1394, and two SATA connectors supporting RAIDs 0 and 1.
Main Specifications Overview:
Processor | AMD Athlon, Athlon XP, Duron |
Chipset | Nvidia nForce2 SPP Chipset + Nvidia nForce2 MCP |
Max FSB | 400MHz |
BIOS | Award/Phoenix BIOS v6.0 |
Memory | 3 x DDR SDRAM PC3200, 3GB max. |
Expansion Slots | 1 x AGP, 5 x PCI |
Onboard IDE | 2 x E/IDE Ultra DMA/133, 2 x SerialATA Silicon Image-based headers |
USB | 4 onboard, 2 optional. USB 2.0 |
AGP | AGP 8x |
Sound | C-Media CMI9739 6-channel full duplex integrated sound |
Network | 2 x Realtek RTL8201 PHY |
Detailed Mainboard Specification List:
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Board Layout
The motherboard box is striking, clad with an endoskeleton of an animal in pursuit of its prey, but otherwise is just standard material.
EPoX included 2 SATA drive cables, 2 SATA power adapters, 2 80-wire rounded ATA133 cables (including a convenient EPoX pull-tab), a standard floppy cable, 1 Game Port / Serial Port Bracket, 1 IEEE 1394 Bracket, and a Back Panel I/O Shield. Additionally, EPoX included a comprehensive motherboard manual, a 6 language rapid installation guide (surprisingly, one of the 6 languages is not English), a SATARaid manual, a Magic Flash and USDM (Unified System Diagnostic Manager) manual, and a driver CD. The included CD contains the SATA, sound, NIC, and chipset drivers as well as Norton Ghost 7.0, PC-cillin 2002, Magic Flash, and USDM installations.
There is practically nothing to complain about with component placement on the 8RDA3+. EPoX did an outstanding engineering job with respect to layout. The AGP/DIMM interference that is common to a number of boards today is NOT a problem on this board. Even the latest graphics accelerators from ATI and Nvidia will not hinder DIMM installation and removal.
If forced to find a problem on this otherwise problem-free design, I would find two. The first issue is the placement of the floppy connector (lower left in this picture). When installed in your favorite case, this connector will be at the bottom. This might pose an issue to some with larger cases. The second issue is the Northbridge HS installation method. EPoX chose a dual push-pin method that will require motherboard removal should one want to install an aftermarket HS instead. I consider both of these issues as minor and they do not detract from the board.
EPoX chose capacitors from Sanyo (Worldwide), Teapo (Taiwan, Japan), and GSC.
There are no obstructions around the CPU socket. All sides are clear of capacitors or other components that could cause HSF installation nightmares. EPoX went with the preferred four-hole HSF mounting method and each hole is clear of those almost invisible electronic components that washers tend to rip off. At the top left of the socket is the JCLK jumper. This is used to set the CPU FSB from the default of 133/166/200 MHz to 100/133 MHz to support legacy AMD chips.
The ATX and ATX12V power connectors are placed together just above the FSB jumper. This is a good location for these connectors as it falls just under the standard location for the PSU and good cable management will keep the wiring clear of air flow around the CPU HSF.
Just to the left of the CPU socket is the Northbridge (nForce2 SPP-128). Heat is dissipated through a passive aluminum heat sink held in place by the two push-pins detailed above. This is a Rev. 1.x board and the model and serial numbers are included in this shot for your convenience.
The three DIMM slots are directly below the CPU socket and Northbridge area and are color-coded for simple Dual DDR support. Although the manual details the possibility of a problem, I want to note again here that an oversized AGP card does not interfere with DIMM installation or removal.
Between the CPU socket and DIMM slots on the right are two of the three system-monitored 3-pin fan connectors. One is the CPU fan (labeled JCPU_FAN) and the other is labeled JPWR_FAN for an additional fan.
The lower left quadrant houses the Southbridge (nForce2 MCP). The two IDE ports are at the bottom edge just beneath the BIOS chip. To the left are the front case panel connectors with the floppy port at the left edge. To the right of the floppy connector are the diagnostic LED and SATA headers. The Silicon Image SATA controller is just to the left of the BIOS chip. The CMOS clear jumper is logically placed next to the BIOS chip and out of the way of other cable connections. Its location could be a problem if one were to place a long legacy PCI card in PCI slot three as this card would hinder the removal of the CMOS clear jumper block. Realistically, this is just not an issue.
The additional USB2.0 connector is located just above the floppy connector (2 port bracket available separately).
EPoX offers 5 PCI slots and 1 AGP slot on the 8RDA3+. Those users utilizing the 2-slot wide graphics accelerators will not be blocking a PCI slot that would otherwise render it useless. In making another good design decision, EPoX simply did not include the PCI slot directly next to the AGP slot.
To the left of PCI slot 5 (far left edge of picture) is a series of connectors. The three Agere driven IEEE 1394 connectors lead off the bottom with the third system-monitored fan just above them. Further up the left is the two serial port connectors (COM1 and COM2) and well as the game port (GAME1). As one will see in the final picture, EPoX did not include the serial or game ports on the Back Panel I/O. They did, however, include a bracket that consists of a single serial port and one game port.
In between PCI slots 4 and 5 is the Wake On Lan (WOL) connector and just above PCI slot 4 is the Winbond legacy I/O controller chip offering support for floppy, printer, game, serial, and CIR/SIR interfaces.
To the right of the Winbond controller (above PCI slots 2 and 3) is the S/PDIF connector and about an inch to the right of that a series of jumper blocks and connectors offering support for CD-IN1, AUX-IN1, and front panel audio (AUD2).
The two Realtek network controller chips are below the audio cluster (one larger chip between PCI slot 1 and the AGP slot and one smaller chip directly above the AGP slot). The smaller chip is the RTL8201BL directly controlled by the MCP and the larger chip is the RTL8201L off of the PCI bus.
The back panel is arranged with the PS/2 keyboard and mouse connections on the left. To the right of these connections is the Parallel port. Note the absence of the usual Serial ports here. Next are the two towers including four USB2.0 ports and the two Realtek 10/100 NICs. To the far right comes the audio in, audio out, and MIC_IN jacks.