Layout and features
Working from top to bottom, the initial similarity of the SR7-8X's general layout to the ABIT SD7-533 (SiS645-based) is disarming to say the least. Thankfully, this models ships with the Pentium 4 retention bracket that was sometimes lacking on the SD7.
The 4-pin 12v P4 power connector is located in a decent place to the left of the retention bracket. The same, however, cannot be said for the location of the main 21-pin ATX power connector. I far favour a location further up the motherboard as the numerous wires of the power connector have to now navigate the heatsink area, causing possible airflow problems.
Just like previous SiS-based motherboards, ABIT have chosen to passively cool the 648 Northbridge once more. They obviously feel confident that the SR7-8X will function flawlessly at 133FSB, I'll investigate later whether the lack of active cooling hinders the overclocking potential of this sample 'board. The excess thermal paste, that's evident in the above picture, shouldn't really have been allowed to remain. Still, some paste is better than none at all. This production Northbridge is unique as it supports 8x AGP transfers and DDR-400 memory, albeit unofficially. The 8x AGP standard is currently used by SiS' very own Sabre graphics cards and the upcoming Radeon 9700 and NVIDIA NV30 cards.
The increasingly popular Realtek 8100B ethernet controller is used for on-board LAN duties. An RJ45 port provides the physical port on the backplane. Avance Logic's ALC201A provides the on-board sound function. This 18-bit, full duplex AC'97 2.2 compatible stereo audio CODEC also supports S/PDIF out (not provided). I'd have personally preferred the C-Media CMI8738 CODEC found on the original SD7-533, although the ALC201A is fine for those who just want adequate sound. If you're interested in the quality of music reproduction on your PC, look elsewhere.
The SR7-8X is a cost-conscious motherboard in many ways. There's no IDE hardware RAID present, and the Firewire capability of the impressive SiS963 Southbridge is not put to use. We do have at least 2 USB2.0 ports provided on the backplane, though.
Speaking of the backplane, we are greeted with a largely standard ensemble of ports and connections, no legacy-free notions here. Those two USB ports that you can see in the centre of the above picture are, in fact, USB2.0 specification (40x faster than USB1.1). So, if you have a number of high-speed peripherals that use a USB2.0 interface, you'll appreciate them.
