Athlon64 Motherboards: First Look at Chaintech, FIC, and MSI

Chaintech ZNF3-150: Basic Features

Motherboard Specifications
CPU Interface	Socket-754
Chipset	nVidia nForce3-150 Single Chip
Bus Speeds	200 MHz to 400 MHz (in 1 MHz increments)
Core Voltages Supported	Default, 1.45V to 1.70V (in 0.025V increments)
AGP Voltages Supported	Default, 1.6V to 2.2V (0.1V increments)
DRAM Voltages Supported	Default, 2.7V to 2.9V (in 0.1V increments)
Chipset Voltage	Default, 1.7V to 1.9V (in 0.1V increments)
Memory Slots	3 x 184-pin DDR DIMM Slots Support to 2Gb DDR400/333/266/200
Expansion Slots	1 AGP 8X Slot 5 PCI Slots 1 Chaintech MultiMedia
Onboard RAID	Silicon Image Sil3224 supports up to 4 SATA drives in Raid 0/1/5/10 configurations
Onboard USB 2.0/IEEE-1394	Six USB 2.0 supported through nForce3 VIA VT6306 IEEE-1394 Controller for 3 ports
Onboard LAN	Broadcom GigaLAN
Onboard Audio	VIA Envy 24PT 1.1 channel 24-bit
Onboard Serial ATA	Six IDE drives provided by 3 IDE connectors via nForce3-150 Four SATA connectors via Sil3224 Controller
BIOS Revision	9/18/2003

The “cage” for attaching the Heatsink/Fan for the Athlon64 is much more robust than the small, easily-broken lugs for Socket A Athlon. The holder is attached with 2 screws to a back plate, which reinforces the whole socket area. The HSF that we have seen have large clips which are connected, and then an arm for final tightening that is pushed down and locks to the holder. In actual use, the new HSF assembly is much better than what we thought it would be. It is a decent solution that should allow very effective cooling solutions to be attached to Athlon64 processors.

Chaintech uses the VIA Envy24PT, a 7.1 multi-channel format integrated audio controller. 24-bit audio resolution is supported as well as 96KHz sampling rates for digital connections. The VIA Envy24PT also supports up to 8-channel outputs enabling support for Dolby Digital EX and DTS ES DVD-Video soundtracks. It is clear from the high-end specs of Envy24 and the MultiMedia riser that Chaintech intends the ZNF3-150 on-board audio to make no apologies to any one.

Gigabit LAN is provided by the Broadcom 10/100/1000 chip.

3 firewire ports are provided by the VIA VT6306 chip. Silicon Image Sil3114 supports up to 4 Serial ATA connections with RAID 0/1/0+1. Chaintech claims Raid 0/1/5/10 compatibility in their specifications.

The Single-Channel nForce3-150 adds control for up to six IDE devices, up to ATA133, connected to the 3 IDE sockets.

The ZNF3-150 uses a very robust 4-phase power instead of the more typical 2- and 3-phase seen on other Athlon64 boards. The Radex copper heat-pipe/active fan system cools the power transistors used in the 4-phase power system.

The color coding that is used throughout the ZNF3-150 is continued onto the IO deck on the rear. The slots you see are the output from the Radex heatpipe and fan system that cools the power transistors.