Abit IS7-E

Big B · Dec 13, 2006

<h2>Intro</h2>
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-board.jpg">
 
I used to not like Abit at all. Sure, they overclocked well, but they weren't stable. Part of that has been shown to be from faulty capacitors, but at the time, I'd all but sworn off the company. Then came the NV7-133R. I wish I'd never sold that board, as it was arguably the best nForce 1 board at the time. Not much for overclocking, but it was stable and loaded. That changed my whole opinion of Abit. Maybe they'd started from ground zero and gotten their act together. Who knows? Regardless, I'm pretty happy to have the opportunity to review another board from these guys: the IS7-E.
 
The IS7-E is an i865PE based motherboard combined with Intel's ICH5R sporting SATA RAID. While Intel has set the i865 chipset as their value line, there's nothing concerning it's performance that's value. While the i875P should eclipse the i865 (any variation) at the same settings, countless benchmarks have shown some i865 boards to outpace their pricier siblings, and making people wonder why they should spend an extra $50-100 for the i875P equvalent.
 
Abit is one of those companies that leads the pack in pushing the envelope. They made it possible to run dual PPGA Celeron's in SMP with their famous BP6, so much that Intel made sure to disable SMP in the CPU's they did not want being run as such. Abit was also one of the first out of the gate to add unofficial PAT-like support to their i865PE boards. While it seems Intel has let this slide, don't be shocked to find Intel fixing this one in their Grantsdale/Alderwood chipsets due out next year with the Prescott CPU core. In the meantime, lets have some fun, but first, a run-down of the IS7-E's specs.
 

<ul>
<li>Supports mPGA 478 Pentium 4 with 800/533/400MHz Front Side Bus
<li>i865PE+ICH5
<li>4x 184-pin DIMM slots, up to 4GB of PC3200
<li>1x AGP 8x/4x slot
<li>5x PCI slots
<li>2x IDE ports
<li>1x Floppy port
<li>3COM Gigabit network adapter
<li>4x USB 2.0 (I/O panel)
<li>4x USB 2.0 (with expansion bracket)
<li>Realtek AL650 audio codec
<li>SPDIF in/out
<li>PS/2 and keyboard ports
<li>1x Parallel port
<li>1x Serial port
<li>ATX form factor
</ul>

 
The IS7-E retail packaging comes with the following extras:
<ul>
<li>1x Quick setup manual
<li>1x Detailed manual
<li>1x ATA100 ribbon cable
<li>1x Floppy ribbon cable
<li>1x SATA interfact cable
<li>1x SATA power adapter
<li>1x 2-port USB 2.0 bracket
<li>Motherboard reference sticker
<li>Custom I/O shield
<li>Driver/Software CD
</ul>

Big B · Dec 13, 2006

<h2>Packaging and Layout</h2>
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-box.jpg ">
 
While Abit has been using some very nice box art for their high-end motherboards, they chose not to with the IS7 line. Since the IS7 series is more of a budget type, having a plain box saves money.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-acc1.jpg">
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-acc2.jpg">
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-acc3.jpg">
 
While this is a budget board, Abit includes a few accessories to help get people started. A few things I've noticed are a quick setup manual and a reference sticker. The sticker idea is one I've only really seen on MSI and Gigabyte boards, but it's a nice touch if you're one that tends to lose their manuals easily. In Abit tradition, you get one CD-ROM with drivers and any software they choose to include. If you like lots of extras, sorry, Abit's never been one to throw in stuff that you don't need to get going with their products.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-board.jpg">
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-corner.jpg">
 
Moving to the IS7-E motherboard itself, you'll notice its dark orange color. Up until they came up with their MAX series of motherboards, Abit stuck to the unexciting brown PCB. As certain companies have been able to gain name associations with a particular PCB color (blue for Gigabyte, red for MSI, purple for Soltek, etc), Abit's been playing around with a few colors. I personally think the shade of orange is pretty ugly, and have found it to camoflague some fan headers; however, other people may find it pretty cool. As I was looking over the board, I noticed several jumpers. It's not that jumpers bother me, but Abit has traditionally been a company with a single jumper---for clearing CMOS. Before you freak out, the jumpers don't have anything to do with overclocking, just wake-up voltages for the PS/2 and USB ports. Abit has taken a cue from Iwill and has been including long jumpers on their recent boards. While you hopefully won't need to change the jumpers, these kind are really nice to work with when you have to. Lastly, the edges are rounded. While I've seen DFI, Gigabyte and MSI doing this, it's a nice touch that most companies opt not to do.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-iopanel.jpg">
 
The I/O panel is packed, and Abit implements a custom setup to minimize the use of brackets. As shown previously, the only bracket with the IS7-E is a single, 2-port USB 2.0 one. For those still using a game pad or joystick that uses the game/midi port, you're out of luck here. While the Realtek ACL650's sound is mediocre at best, you have the digital S/PDIF in and out jacks to run to a reciever. The other nice thing is that all the jacks for the audio are on the I/O panel. Often, you'll see a company have the rear and center/sub outputs on an optional bracket and then don't include that bracket, not so here.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-pciagp.jpg">
 
The board has 1 AGP and 5 PCI slots. Abit has chosen to leave a gap between the AGP slot and the first PCI slot as some video cards take up that first PCI slot under the AGP. This does create a dilemma seen with virtually all conventional 1 AGP, 6 PCI slot designs. You'll have to remove the video card to change, install or remove your memory, but come on, that shouldn't be a big deal or a deciding factor in a motherboard.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-dimm.jpg">
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-mch.jpg">
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-agpdimm.jpg">
 
In the top half of the motherboard, the i865PE MCH sits between the AGP slot and the CPU heatsink bracket. Abit spiced up the cooling with an aluminum heatsink covered by a bluish fan. Due to the orientation of the bracket, it's a bit tight here, but this isn't something most people mess with often. The 12V auxillary power connector is behind the I/O panel, which makes it pretty hard to work with. One of the five fan headers is located right next to it, making it a pain to work with also. Personally, this isn't a big issue for me since I run most, if not all my fans right off the power supply. The ATX power connector and the floppy are on the other side of the DIMM slots, making them pretty easy to work with.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-mchskt.jpg">
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-skt.jpg">
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-caps1">
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-caps2">
 
The heatsink bracket is lined with capacitors and mosfets along one side. While none of these are taller than the bracket, you may want to take note and double check if you have an oversized heatsink. The orientation of the bracket makes it easier to work with the heatsink once the board is inside a case. Between the bracket and the DIMM slots lies the CPU fan header. The capacitor right next to it makes using this one a little bit of a chore.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-ide.jpg">
 
I've seen Asus doing this for awhile, and Abit has decided to do this as well lately. The IDE ports are angled 90 degrees parallel with the PCB. Big deal, right? Actually this can help with cable routing, something I'm a bit picky about. The con here is if you want to use your IDE drives at the top of a full tower case, the location of the IDE ports leaves much to be desired.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-ich5.jpg">
 
Behind the 2nd PCI slot lies the ICH5R. While no Abit has said there are no RAID capabilities or SATA to begin with, the SATA part is and the SATA ports are close by to prove it. Under the ICH5 are both USB 2.0 headers.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-nic.jpg">
 
I'm kind of puzzled as to why Abit went with the 3COM NIC. This isn't to say 3COM is bad, but with CSA supported here, they could've used an Intel gigabit adapter and taken the NIC off the PCI bus completely. However, they didn't though still providing a gigabit adapter. While Abit does specify the IS7-E only having a 10/100 NIC, I'm fine with having them use something better.

Big B · Dec 13, 2006

<h2>The BIOS</h2>
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-bmain.jpg">
 
Abit has gone with a Phoenix Award BIOS for the IS7, as usual for their boards. I'm not going to go through every single menu and sub-menu, but I am going to point out the intresting stuff.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-bsoftm.jpg">
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-borgfsb.jpg">
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-bfsb.jpg">
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-bagp.jpg">
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-bvagp.jpg">
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-bagpratio.jpg">
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-bdratio.jpg">
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-bvmem.jpg">
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-bvcorelo.jpg">
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-bvcorehi.jpg">
 
The thing most people look for in an Abit motherboard BIOS is their famous Soft Menu. Here you can change your CPU FSB, voltages for the CPU, AGP, and DIMM, FSB, PCI and AGP ratios...the good stuff. The CPU voltage is adjustable from 1.5V to 1.9V, which seems to be plenty for the P4's. The DDR voltage is adjustable up to 2.8V, and the AGP up to 1.65V. You can change the CPU:AGPCI ratio, and if you do, you can see the AGP and PCI frequencies here. Remember, the i865PE/i875P have the ability to lock the AGP and PCI busses, which helps to keep any add-on cards happy. With the 17 BIOS, you have an FSB adjustable from 100MHz to 412MHz.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-badv.jpg">
 
The Advanced Chipset Features have the memory timings and the Game Accelerator which seems to add some PAT-like performance to the IS7.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-bhdboot.jpg">
 
One of the intresting sub-menus is the Hard Disk Boot Priority one. Here you can specify which drive/controller card boots first, making it easier for those with several different storage controller cards.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-bide.jpg">
 
As part of the ICH5R, the SATA channels are integrated into the OnChip IDE Device sub-menu. There's no sense enabling the SATA channels if you're like me and don't have an SATA drive to use.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7-blan.jpg">
 
Lastly, the 3Com Gigabit NIC has it's own little sub-menu.

Big B · Dec 13, 2006

<h2>Benchmarking</h2>
 
The IS7-E is an impressive board, but that means jack if the performance is sub-par. While I haven't run the same benchmarks twice in past motherboard reviews, the addition of the Game Accelerator feature needs to be tested to see if it actually works. As a base, the results from of the MSI 865P Neo motherboard will be added in. Do know that the MSI board used some older graphics drivers and these have been updated for the IS7-E review. While I haven't seen any major differences, I do feel that this is something worth mentioning to the readers of this review.
 
Software:Software used is as follows:
<ul>
<li>SiSoft Sandra
<li>ID Software's Quake 3 Demo
<li>Futuremark's 3DMark 2001SE build 330
<li>Clibench
<li>ScienceMark
<li>nVidia driver 52.16
<li>Intel INF 5.0.1006
</ul>

 
Hardware Configuration:
<ul>
<li>Abit IS7-E, BIOS 17
<li>Intel Pentium 4 2.4GHz (Northwood B)/533MHz FSB
<li>2 x 256MB PC3200 (DDR400) Kingston ValueRAM
<li>PNY GeForce 4 Ti4600
<li>Maxtor 40GB, 5400RPM hard drive
<li>Toshiba 6x DVD-ROM
<li>Hercules Fortissimo II
<li>TI IEEE1394 Card
<li>Antec PP352X Power Supply (350W)
</ul>

 
The BIOS settings were left at the defaults, except when the Game Accelerator feature was enabled. The F1 setting was used here. The Memory:FSB ratio was set 1:1 for all tests.

 
3DMark 2001 SE
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7_3dmark2k1.jpg">
 
Here, the MSI board pulls ahead, but this is due more to the drivers used. Still you can see turning the Game Accelerator feature on does provide a noticable bump in the scores.
 
Quake 3
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7_q3bench.jpg">
 
Turning the Game Accelerator feature on here povides a nice little boost in the FPS. Don't let the graphs fool you, as it's only a few FPS difference. However, the IS7-E edges out the MSI board when the resolution goes to 800x600.
 
SiSoft Sandra
 
CPU Arithmatic
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7_sanarith.jpg">
 
Here, the MSI board bests the IS7-E in both tests, and the Game Accelerator doesn't have any effect on the scores.
 
CPU Multimedia
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7_sanmulti.jpg">
 
Once again, MSI is on top, but not by much. Again, GA doesn't have much influence on this benchmark set.
 
Memory Bandwith
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7_sanmem.jpg">
 
Here, the IS7-E blows past the 865P Neo and shows the power of the Game Accelerator feature.
 
Clibench
 
You'll notice the benchmarks regarding the Game Accelerator feature are absent. That's because it would crash, particularly when it came to the memory throughput test. I ran the test several times to try to get a reading, but no such luck. I also had problems getting a score without GA enabled as well, so the results are still iffy at best.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7_cli1.jpg">
 
In this set of tests, the IS7-E edges out the MSI board.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7_cli2.jpg">
 
The second set has the IS7-E taking an even stronger lead over the 865P Neo.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7_cli3.jpg">
 
The boards are pretty much neck in neck with each other here.
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7_cli4.jpg">
 
I expected to see some variation in the scores, but I kept coming up with the same exact score despite repeated tests.

Big B · Dec 13, 2006

<h2>Benchmarks, Cont.</h2>
 
Science Mark
 
<img src="http://www.zone365.com/z365-images-2/46/is7_sci.jpg">
 
Except for the Promethium test, the Game Accelerator makes no real difference on the tests. The 865P Neo only bests the IS7-E on the Liquid Argon test.

<h2>Conclusion</h2>
 
While Abit has come out with a newer i865PE board, their AI7, the IS7-E is still a great board. I should note that I have an early version of the board in which Abit accidentally included the Gigabit 3Com NIC and SATA. Since then, Abit has apparently made sure that the IS7-E's come as their specifications say. Even so, the IS7-E is a great motherboard. It's first and foremost stable, but is also pretty fast. The Game Accelerator feature is an excellent addition for those hoping to squeeze the last bit of performance from their system. Price wise, it runs around $80 USD online, and is a good price for a high-quality, high-performance motherboard.
 
Now, I did have a couple of minor issues with this board. First, almost every time I rebooted the system, the USB mouse would turn off and not work until being plugged into another USB port. Pulling out a PS/2 to USB adapter fixed this problem. The 2nd issue I had was when I updated the BIOS. After doing so, Windows refused to boot, culminating with a reinstall of the OS. I haven't heard of other people having this issue, and it could be user error on my part. While I did have issues with Clibench, I ran Memtest and Prime 95 for over 24 hours without a single error.
 
As far as overclocking goes, I was able to hit a 174MHz FSB with the memory timings tweaked to their lowest settings and had the Game Accelerator set to 'Street Racer'. This gave me a CPU running at 3135MHz on 1.65V. If the CPU was pushed any higher, Prime 95 would eventually put out an error long before a 24 hour burn in was finished. The FSB may seem a little low to some, but remember, I was using a 2.4B chip which uses a 533MHz FSB (4 x 133MHz). With the latest 17 BIOS version, the FSB ceiling is 412MHz, and not too many people are getting very far past 300MHz (quad pumped=1200MHz).
 
There are a lot of people using some form of the IS7 (IS7, IS7-G, IS7-E), and for good reason: it's an excellent board. While any board will have some minor issues in some respect, I can't think of any real reason not to recommend the IS7-E.
 
The Good

<ul>
<li>Stable
<li>Game Accelerator
<li>Good layout
<li>Excellent price
<li>Great overclocking features
</ul>

The Bad

<ul>
<li>May have to reinstall Windows after BIOS update
<li>Problems with USB mice
</ul>

4.8 out of 5.

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