![[H]ardOCP](/images/blank.gif){kind=small}
- 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?
BIOS
The 8RDA3+ uses the Phoenix AwardBIOS (v6.0). The main screen displays a list of available menus and functions. The Standard CMOS setup and Advanced BIOS features enable users to configure drives, boot priority, and, among other standard features, set the date and time.
The Advanced Chipset Features submenu offers settings that control how the CPU and RAM operate. Changing the System Performance to Expert allows the user the change the CPU Clock Ratio and FSB Frequency. Changing the Memory Timings to Expert will allow user control of memory system parameters.
The Memory Frequency setting (AUTO by default) offers the ability to control the relationship between FSB and memory speed. The options are Auto, By SPD (uses the speed settings provided on the RAM by the manufacturer), and a range of 50% - 200%.
Available adjustments specific to DRAM are T(RAS), T(RCD), T(RP), and CAS Latency. The available ranges more than satisfy users wanting to improve RAM performance and, as always, lower settings are more aggressive.
Enthusiasts view the controls over CPU Clock Ratio and FSB Frequency as one of the most important features. These options, when paired with decent DRAM timings, allow for a very configurable system. This submenu allows the users to overclock the system by adjusting these settings. The CPU Clock Ratio (multiplier) can be set anywhere from 5.0 to 14.0 in 0.5 increments and from 14.0 to 24.0 in 1.0 increments (there is a 0.5 step from 16 to 17 as well). The FSB Frequency can be adjusted in 1MHz increments from 100MHz to 250MHz (except for the missing 101MHz).
Often, such overclocking will require more than the default voltage and this is where you would increase the CPU, AGP, and DRAM voltage settings. The Power BIOS Features submenu gives a user the ability to adjust voltages for the CPU, AGP, DIMM, and VDD regulators.
The CPU Voltage can be adjusted from 1.400 to 2.200. A high of 2.200 is perfectly adequate for most situations.
The AGP Voltage can be set to one of 4 settings ranging from 1.5 to 1.8 which is a good range from which to choose.
DIMM Voltage is one of the important settings when pushing your system above specifications as RAM will require more juice when run faster than designed. The low end of 2.50 will most likely never be touched by enthusiasts as we have seen quality DDR RAM require 2.7x as the minimum. A high setting of 2.90 is welcomed should a user desire to push the memory subsystem much higher than rated.
The VDD range can be set to 1.6, 1.7, or 1.8 and is good support option when the need arises to up the chipset voltage.
The PC Health Status submenu allows the user to enable and control shutdown temperature and displays speeds of the system monitored fans. The ranges for CPU warning and shutdown temperatures are shown in the pictures above.
EPoX also included a utility that enables the user to flash the BIOS from within Windows. This utility, Magic Flash, allows a user to Check for New BIOS (the C with a circle around it), Download BIOS (the first unlabeled button), Restore Original BIOS (the second unlabeled button), and Flash BIOS (the third unlabeled button). The Load indicator will display the status of the Flash process.