ABIT IC7-MAX3 Motherboard - ABIT IC7-MAX3
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ABIT IC7-MAX3 Motherboard
Layout Continued
Let's cut right to the chase and start checking this mobo out. Here are some shots of the IC7-MAX3 designator and the OTES power connector.
Just a shot of the designator on the left. On the right, you'll see the 3 pin power connector for the onboard OTES cooling.
On the left is the ICH5R (Southbridge) Sata 1 and 2, CMOS jumper and USB Hookups. On the right, you'll see the 2 inverted IDE connectors (I really dig these) as well as the BIOS chip and Sata chip. The IDE's were first seen by ABIT on the BH7 and then the IC7-G MAX2 followed suit and remain on the IC7-MAX3 and I'm glad to see ABIT kept them around. I believe this mobo was built for the ground up to run SATA HD's natively more so than any other motherboard to date, but of course you still have the option to run Hard Drives from the IDE's.
Taking a closer look at SATA hookups 3, 4, 5 and 6 below. These are placed appropriately, on the edge and out of the way. This will keep cable clutter to a minimum over the motherboard and will also let you easily identify where they'll need to be hooked up.
Below is a shot of the 4 memory slots as well as the ATX Power connector and the FDD port. You won't catch me ever using a Floppy Drive again however as I keep a nice USB FDD handy for BIOS updates only. As far as I'm concerned, that technology is about 5 years past it's prime and someone should put the nail in the coffin. Apple has already done this, and we can only hope PC's will follow suit shortly. I won't hold my breath though.
We have 4 DIMM slots to be used with this Dual Channel capable motherboard. To properly utilize it you'll want to have 1 stick of memory in slot 1, and 1 stick in slot 3. Or a stick in 1, 2, 3 and 4. Running DC give an incredible performance boost and unleashes the full potential of the Intel Canterwood chipset. You'll definitely want to run DC if you're even remotely serious about your system's performance.
OTES Cooling
One of the most noticeable features of the motherboard is it's inclusion of the first ever onboard cooling. Not simply a fan that blows hot air around, the OTES cooling system is quite an advance in cooling technology, not to mention hella cool to look at. First introduced on ABIT's video cards, the system basically takes hot air off components and expels them outside of the case. We all know you don't just want hot air rolling around in your case. The best case scenario is to bring cool air into the PC, then push out the hot air, as in a vacuum effect. ABIT has also incorporated some LED lights in the IC7-MAX3 OTES cooling section. A nice effect in any PC. Below is a breakdown of what exactly how the OTES works for the motherboard.
On the right you'll see temperatures before OTES cooling is initiated. Afterward, mosftet temps are MUCH much lower on the left that will result in longer component lifetime, as well as enhanced possibilities for the overclockers out there. Which IMHO should be all of you! Another step that let's us know ABIT is serious about their performance, and their dedication to the enthusiast crowd. In a word, impressive.
Here are a few shots of the OTES Cooling in action.
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