Chaintech ZNF3-250 Motherboard Review - CBOX3

The other interesting addition was the aforementioned CBOX3. For those with older cases, it's a benefit to have a way to bring some USB ports to the front of the case. However, if you notice in the figure below, the card reader (SD and CompactFlash) absorbs two of the port connectors, leaving only two active USB ports in the back.

For many users this isn't sufficient, especially given the current ubiquity of USB. Users are left to juggle between making use of the card reader or use extension cables to bring more ports to the rear of the computer. If nVIDIA saw fit to bring the total onboard to 8 ports, instead of the current 6, or Chaintech added another USB controller to the PCB like ABIT did years ago with their IT7 mainboard, this would all be moot.

In addition to the card reader, the CBOX3 also brings an 80-port code display to the front upon boot-up and a temperature display after the operating system loads. The display is immeasurably useful for diagnosing problems and figuring out why a system is unable to boot. The temp gauge is less useful, since it relies on the processor’s onboard temperature diode. [Author’s note: I've never found these to be terribly reliable for accurate reports. But it certainly looks cool, and that's good enough for many.]

Finally, included in the box are three different faceplates for the CBOX3, to allow it to match beige, silver, and black drives that you might have above or below it.

Next: The Included Daughterboard >>
 

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