Supermicro PIIISED ATX Slot-1 i810E

The Bad

As mentioned previously, the placement of both the power and fan connectors can cause problems during installation by forcing you to stretch the cables over the rest of the motherboard in order to plug it in. These problems are not disastrous but it also should not be difficult for a motherboard company to cater to the user for easier installation.

As with all i810 or i810E motherboards, neither the audio CODEC nor the GMCH are the best choice for gamers or music enthusiasts -- the audio CODEC uses CPU power and the GMCH provides less than ideal video. However, both can be disabled, allowing for the addition of either a PCI video or sound card to reduce CPU usage. Because of the low price of the AC 97 CODEC, it is a likely addition on most future motherboards.

While Supermicro has increased the FSB options, overclockers may be a bit disappointed that the PIIISED does not support any sort of manipulation of the CPU's core voltage. This feat can be accomplished by motherboard manufacturers, but it does take a little time and effort to implement. However, with the lack of AGP support, overclockers are not the most likely patrons of i810E boards.

Because the i820E includes onboard video, the second serial port is replaced with a video connector. While some motherboard manufactures included the second expansion slot mounted serial port, Supermicro opted to not include it.

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; 1 x 128MB Mushkin SEC Original PC133 SDRAM

SDRAM Tested: 1 x 128MB Mushkin SEC Original PC133 SDRAM

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

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