ABIT SA6R Socket-370 i815E + RAID ATX

So far, we have covered the most obvious new feature of the board, but now it is time to discover the new tweaks ABIT included with the SA6R. For the first time in their i815/i815E series of motherboards, ABIT has incorporated their SoftMenu III technology in the BIOS for ultimate tweaking of the motherboard. SoftMenu III itself is not something new. It has appeared in some previous motherboards by ABIT already. ABIT's first i815E product, the SE6, took a step back with the inclusion of SoftMenu II. Our guess is ABIT had some trouble implementing SoftMenu III with the new chipset that were easily solved with time.

Probably the most unbeatable feature of SoftMenu III is the FSB support,which includes FSB speeds all the way from 50MHz to 250MHz in 1MHz increments. This wide range of FSB speeds provides all the possible clock speeds you could ask for to help overclock your PCU to the maximum. While you are choosing the FSB, ABIT uses the CPU:SDRAM:PCI ratio to inform users what clock speeds their SDRAM and PCI buses will be running at. With a ratio of 2:3:1, users can choose FSB speeds between 50MHz and 96MHz. This range is suitable for users with Intel Celeron processors, where the CPUs are defaulted to run at 66MHz. With a ratio of 3:3:1, the available FSB settings are 50MHz to 140MHz. These settings are good for processors designated as 100MHz FSB from the factory. With a ratio of 4:3:1 or 4:4:1, you can choose FSB speeds between 50MHz and 250MHz. This is suitable for processors designed for 133MHz FSB operation. The 4:3:1 setting allows you to run your processor at 133MHz while running the memory bus at 100MHz. On the other hand users with PC133 memory can use the 4:4:1 ratio to take advantage of the increased memory bus speed. Notice that the default CPU:SDRAM:PCI ratio used when running an 133MHz FSB CPU is 4:3:1, even if you put in a PC133 memory. So don't forget to go into the BIOS and change the ratio back to 4:4:1 when you first set up your system.

Besides the FSB settings, the SoftMenu III also allows users to change the core voltage for the CPU. The available settings are from 1.30V to 1.90V in 0.05V increments. This is a wide range of voltages, and should be enough for most overclocking.

ABIT has begun using the Winbond W83627HF-AW Super I/O controller, which includes integrated hardware monitoring support. Within the BIOS, you can go to the PC Health panel to check the CPU core voltage as well as the I/O voltage. The temperature of the CPU (via the CPU's on-die thermal diode)and system temperature are also displayed. One additional temperature reading is also supported with an external thermistor header. Unfortunately, ABIT does not include this thermistor cable like they have in the past. Finally, there are three fan connectors on the motherboard, which can also be monitored through the PC Health panel.

Quite frankly, stability was a problem with the ABIT SE6. The board was not stable with PC133 memory set to CAS2, even when the memory was PC133 CAS2 rated. But with the SA6R, ABIT has improved the stability of the system dramatically. The board is now way above average with PC133 SDRAM at CAS 2. If we give up the 2 - 5% performance and set the memory to CAS3, the board is simply rock solid. Just like the SE6, ABIT puts a total of fifteen 1500uF capacitors around the CPU socket. Some of the capacitors are a bit close to the socket, which may prevent the installation of oversized HSF units. It also implies that the oversized FC-PGA-C coolers, which are required for 1GHz and above processors, might not work with this motherboard.

The 82815 Graphic and Memory Controller Hub (GMCH), which is the core of the i815 chipset, sits to the left of the CPU socket. It features integrated i752-based 3D video. One serial port is replaced by the VGA connector at the back of the motherboard. However, from our Intel i815 chipset article, you can see that the integrated i752 performs quite poorly. It should be enough for most users who do not use any 3D accelerated applications, but for everyone else, the on-board video is definitely not acceptable. Fortunately, an AGP slot is provided allowing you to install any video. The AGP slot is a "universal slot," meaning that you can put in almost any AGP card. ABIT also put in a connector beside the AGP slot, where users can plug in an add-on card and allows the on-board video to be output to TV-Out or Flat Panel LCD monitors.

Since the on-board VGA connector replaces one serial port, ABIT puts the second serial port connector next to the power supply connector, and they include the necessary serial port bracket. If you intend to use the extra serial port and want to use the bracket, you will run into problems since the serial port cable will run either above or under the AGP card (if you use one). You have the option of removing the serial port from the bracket, and physically mounting it to a knock out in your case. If this option is taken advantage of, the cables will not have to run across the AGP card.