Freetech P6F107 i440BX ATX Socket-370

Power management consists of pretty much the standard stuff these days. Wake on LAN and wake on modem ring headers are available to allow the system to power on in the presence of network activity or incoming call. The BIOS can be set to turn on the system at a specific time. The CPU fan can be shut off when the system suspends to quiet things down a bit. Full ACPI support is included for additional power management options under an ACPI compliant OS, such as Windows 98 or 2000.

Hardware monitoring is provided courtesy of the Winbond 83783S hardware monitoring chip. This is a stripped down version of the 83782D chip that differs in the number of voltages monitored (6 vs 9), external temperatures (1 Vs 3), and fans (2 Vs 3) that are monitored. As such, just two fan headers are included on board. The voltages measured are Vcore, 3.3V, +/- 5V, and +/- 12V. The CPU temperature is read via a fairly slow reacting thermistor in the middle of the CPU socket.

The only paper documentation that arrives with the board is a single quick reference sheet that includes just enough information to get up and running. The full manual is on CD and is pretty average. That CD is generic for all Freetech boards and includes manuals, drivers, and utilities for all their motherboards.

The Bad

The biggest problem with the P6F107 is stability. It's below average at both non-overclocked and overclocked speeds. As noted above, this may be due to the overly frugal use of capacitors around the CPU socket.

As usual, there's still no sign of voltage tweaking options from most manufacturers, including Freetech. Another oversight by many manufacturers is also found here - the ability to assign a specific IRQ to a particular PCI slot. This has been a boon for many users trying to sort out fully loaded situations, but something Freetech users will have to do without for now (although there is always the possibility of a BIOS upgrade to add it). Finally, as many other motherboard manufacturers have omitted, there is no option for resuming power if AC power is lost.

Only a single sheet of paper is included with the P6F107, a quick reference that serves to get you up and running with information about CPU settings, memory, and front panel connectors. Unfortunately, we still miss a real paper manual and that quick reference guide does nothing to help the first time system builder install the board.

Finally, Freetech warns in that manual and quick start guide that PCI slot 4 cannot be used with a bus mastering device if the onboard audio option is enabled.

USB Compatibility

• Number of Front Universal Serial Bus Root Ports: 0

• Number of Rear Universal Serial Bus Root Ports: 2

• USB IRQ Enable/Disable in BIOS: Yes

• USB Keyboard Support in BIOS: Yes

Recommended SDRAM

Recommended SDRAM: 1 x 64MB Mushkin SEC Original PC100 SDRAM; 1 x 64MB Memory-Man SEC Original PC100 SDRAM

SDRAM Tested: 1 x 128MB Mushkin SEC Original PC100 SDRAM; 1 x 128MB Memory-Man SEC Original PC100 SDRAM

Manufacturer: The Memory Man
Purchase Web-Site: http://www.memory-man.com

Manufacturer: Mushkin
Purchase Website: http://www.mushkin.com