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Review: Abit NV7-133R

Sound, RAID, LAN, Ultra DMA 133 capability, and USB 2.0 - Abit's latest motherboard has all that and more, writes Dave Cook.

Product	NV7-133R
Company	Abit
Web	www.abit.com.tw
Price	£109
We like	Superb feature set. Rock solid reliability.
We don't like	Poor overclocking features.
Rating	9/10
Requirements

Abit's NV7-133R is the ideal motherboard for busy upgraders who would rather be doing something else with their valuable time. How come? Because onboard graphics chipset apart, practically everything else required in a motherboard is provided as standard.

Up to four Ultra DMA 100 devices can be connected to the board's two IDE channels. In addition, the NV7-133R helps you maximise data capability in terms of storage, reliability, and productivity in the shape of IDE RAID technology. RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 0+1 configurations are available, with the ability to support up to four Ultra DMA 133 devices via Highpoint's HPT 372 chipset.

Main Features

To whet your appetite, the following lists the board's main features:

Supports AMD Athlon/Athlon XP (or Duron 200MHz) Socket A processors based on 200/266MHz clock.
Integrated nVIDIA nForce 415 and MCP-D chipset with Advanced Configuration and Power Management Interface (ACPI).
nVIDEO MPC-D built in audio with 256 voices. Supports AC3 and 6-channel DAC (CA-20 back plate and cables provided).
Midi/Game Port, plus LineOut/LineIn/Mic.
5 PCI slots.
Supports AGP 1X/2X/4X (1.5 volts only).
Onboard Realtek 10/100MB LAN (RJ45).
Supports up to Ultra DMA 100 IDE, plus Ultra DMA 133/RAID via HPT 372 IDE controller.
Supports up to 8 IDE devices (including 4 RAID).
RAID 0 (striping mode for boosting performance).
RAID 1 (mirroring mode for data security).
RAID 0+1 (striping and mirroring).
3 184-pin DIMMs support up to 1.5GB PC1600 and PC2100 DDR SDRAM. Unbuffered non-ECC type DDR DIMM support.
PS/2 keyboard, PS/2 mouse connector, 1 floppy port (up to 2.88MB). 2 serial ports. 1 parallel port (standard/EPP/ECP).
2 USB 2.0 ports (and cable/connectors), plus onboard USB 1.1 header.
SoftMenu II for setup of CPU parameters.
Award Plug and Play BIOS supports APM, DMI, and write-protect Anti-Virus functionality.
Built-in Wake on LAN/Modem headers.
Built-in IrDA TX-RX, SM-Bus, and SPDIF headers.
ATX form factor.

Wired For Sound

Considering the keen price of the NV7-133R its feature set is quite remarkable.

For example, the nForce 415 chipset means you get 5.1 channel audio supporting the AC3 digital standard. A CA-20 back plate connects to the motherboard's 6-channel audio header and provides the analogue audio signals for the centre channel/subwoofer plus left and right rear channels. The back plate also boasts digital S/PDIF In and Out connectors along with a couple of USB ports that complement the two USB ports attached directly to the motherboard.

Port Ahoy!

Two additional USB headers (courtesy of the VIA VT6202 chipset) provide the board with the latest, lightning fast USB 2.0 technology. One header attaches to the CA-20 back plate as described earlier, while the other header can be linked with a further two USB ports via an additional back plate (back plate and cable included).

A further header is provided for devices that support the slower USB 1.1 specification. Thus, Abit has managed to provide plenty of expansion capability without the user having to worry about installing an additional USB hub.

Additional expansion potential is provided by way of five PCI slots. Meanwhile, for users linked to a network, an integrated Realtek RJ45 10/100 LAN is present and sports green and yellow LEDs for assessing the current status of the network. The board's AGP interface can take graphic cards with AGP 1X/2X/4X.

BIOS

As is the norm with Abit motherboards, the NV7-133R is a jumperless design, which means you can configure all hardware parameter including the CPU through the BIOS.

The only disappointment is that BIOS configuration is handled by SoftMenu II rather than the newer SoftMenu III. Although you can still tweak the memory via the Memory Timings and CAS Latency, the fact remains that SoftMenu II is not as configurable as SoftMenu III.

That said, SoftMenu II is perfectly adequate for the many users who simply want to get the board up and running with the minimum amount of downtime. Indeed, this proved to be the case because we found the entire installation process smooth and entirely painless.

Verdict

Unlike other Abit motherboards, the NV7-133R will not be regarded as the overclocker's board of choice. It offers virtually everything else, though, thanks to a remarkable feature set and Abit's usual rock solid reliability.

Dave Cook