Performance conclusion
The performance of the ABIT IT7 I845E motherboard is somewhat unsurprisingly comparable with the I845D. Unsurprising because the revised I845E chipset is basically the I845D with official support for 133FSB operation and USB2.0 support from the ICH4 Southbridge, other than that, it is seemingly identical. We're somewhat miffed that the I845E doesn't have support for PC2700 memory, that's more to do with Intel and JEDEC than ABIT, though.
Performance at 133FSB was excellent, it beat out I845D motherboard, the EPoX 4BDA2+ in every test. We ensured that both motherboards were running at the same speed by comparing WCPUID shots. THE IT7 is fast, stable and tweakable.
Our overclocking exploits saw fruition, too. Although we were limited by a maximum 1.7v Vcore, we still managed to effortlessly boot into Windows XP at 170 + FSB, the fix PCI dividers coming in handy. We were able to complete our gamut of benchmarks at 170FSB without any difficulty whatsoever. Not only does the IT7 offer 133FSB support, it seems more than capable of running at 166FSB+. I've personally used an ABIT BD7. It suffered from the inability to cold-boot when the FSB was set to 150+, the IT7 suffers from no similar problems, though.
The stability and performance are all the more impressive when you consider the glut of features on the IT7, additional integrated features can only make it more difficult for engineers to produce a rock-solid board. I'm pleased with the IT7's benchmark performance.
Overall Conclusion
It's not everyday that you see a motherboard trying to please all of the people all of the time, that is what the ABIT IT7 I845E motherboard attempts to do.
The feature list is easily the most impressive that I've seen on an Intel chipset-based motherboard to date. The standard ATX IT7 has the capacity for 10 USB2.0 connections, 3 Firewire 1394a connections, Onboard 4-channel IDE RAID courtesy of the HPT374 chipset, allowing connection of up to 12 IDE devices concurrently. It also houses onboard sound via the capable Realtek ALC650 CODEC and onboard LAN via the onboard Realtek 8100B controller and port. Cooling enthusiasts will welcome the 5 fan headers present. It manages to combine all this and still have room for 4 PCI and 3 DIMM slots respectively. Some will bemoan the fact that there are only 4 PCI slots, I personally think that 4 are adequate on such a feature-rich motherboard. The new jumpers are a nice touch, too.
I do have one gripe, however. The IT7 is largely legacy-free, doing away with the PS/2 and serial ports altogether, only the floppy drive ports offers any legacy resistance. I've no problem with the IT7 being legacy-free as most devices are available in USB or Firewire formats. What I do have a problem with, however, is the lack of a supplied PS2 - USB connector for the keyboard. This may sound trivial but these cost upwards of £20, a decent USB keyboard costs much the same. I, like most people, use a PS2 keyboard. I had to buy another keyboard just to get the IT7 operational, something that I should not have to do with an expensive motherboard.
Besides the lack of a PS/2 - USB converter, I have little in the way of criticism for the IT7. Everything works well, performance and stability are excellent, you have more high-speed connections and IDE ports than you could ever wish for. BIOS is subjectively excellent, I have long been a fan of Softmenu. It's difficult to think of anything else that a user would wish to be integrated on a motherboard.
I personally favour the legacy-free format. Someone had to take the initiative in removing the archiac legacy ports and replacing them with extra high-speed connections, ABIT have been brave enough to test the water. Whether their gamble pays off is in the hands of the consumer. Change is inevitable, I feel that removing legacy components and replacing them with high-speed connections is defintely a change in the right direction.
I feel that the ABIT IT7 has largely succeeded in its aim to be as all-encompassing as possible. It offers something to everyone. The over clocker has a myriad of options to choose from, the integrated features should appease even the most particular of buyers, the stability and performance will please all.
I was initially reticent when the ABIT MAX series of motherboards were announced, I'm glad to say that after first-hand experience, my fears have been allayed. I like the MAX philosophy, and I like the IT7 in particular. It takes the best parts of every other motherboard and amalgamates them into one board without issue. In view of this, I have no hesitation in awarding the ABIT IT7 I845E motherboard a Hexus Editor's choice award largely based on its technical excellence and performance.
Highs
- More features than you can shake a stick at, the most feature-rich motherboard I've ever seen.
- Stability: Excellent.
- Extremely adjustable BIOS.
- Decent range of voltage options
- Excellent layout considering the amount of integrated options.
- Northwood B ready.
- Overclockability: It ran at 170FSB with ease.
- 5 fan headers.
- 4-channel RAID for unprecedented IDE management.
- 10 USB2.0 and 3 Firewire connections available.
- Onboard LAN and decent onboard sound.
- Legacy-free
Lows
- No PS/2 - USB adapter included.
- Legacy-free (some may view this as a detraction)
- Expensive, the mass of features will result in a high retail price
