EPoX EP-8U1697-GLI Motherboard - Getting it ready

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Now that the cat is out of the bag, or the motherboard is out of the box, the next thing to do is get it ready for installation.  In this case, I have acquired an AMD Athlon 64 3000+ for this board.

Installation was pretty easy.  All we had to do was insert the CPU into the socket 754 zif socket, and then add the CPU fan.  We are using the stock cooling in this configuration.

Installation of the board into the computer was pretty straightforward.  Fasten the board into place, plug in a few wires, and voila.  After adding a hard drive, CD ROM, and a video card, the machine is actually ready to boot. 

As with other motherboards in their line, EPoX has bundled some useful utilities with the 8U1697. Ghost Bios allows you to back up and then restore the bios for your machine. If you have a catastrophic error and lose your bios, you can easily restore a saved bios, or get the newest one from the Internet.

Thunderprobe is a hardware diagnostic program, designed to give you insight into the heath of your computer hardware.  Available in the snazzy interface are variables such as bus speed, CPU core voltage, CPU temp, fan speeds, and much more.  You can even set alerts and have the software notify you if your computer steps outside of your predefined parameters.  Here’s a shot of what it looks like:

Next: Up and running >>
 

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Comments On: EPoX EP-8U1697-GLI Motherboard

· I love EPoX motherboards, and their ability to overclock easily.    · as far as SLI goes on this mb, the SLI bridge (not included) doesn't fit. the...    · Still haven't figured out how to run two video cards. just doesn't boot with...   >>> Post your comment now!