Bundle and presentation
Bundle and associated accessories can put the wow factor into a package. It's clear from the outset that this is exactly what Chaintech intends to do.
The huge box has a cool holograph-like cover. It's about twice as thick as a usual box, so we can surmise it's full of goodies. This really is the best packaging I've seen in covering over 40 motherboards. If final considerations were based on style points alone Chaintech would walk away with it.
Looking inside the box is like opening Russian dolls; you keep finding more and more the deeper you dig. 4 SATA cables and two adjoining power cables provide enough to get started. Chaintech also bundles in matching, rounded ATA133 and floppy drive cables. The board will look good when setup inside a windowed case. EPoX has now begun shipping an installation screwdriver/tool with its latest range of motherboards. Chaintech's at it too, but its took gets the edge on looks and usage. Thermal compound, often an overlooked necessity, is provided via a syringe. The custom back panel needs a custom shield, which you can see in the centre. There's also an optical S/PDIF cable (Toslink) provided. That's notable as they're generally not cheap. Why add an optical cable when there's no associated port on the back panel?.
Here's why. An add-in card that looks like a cutdown Audigy fits into the CNR slot. It provides a couple of FireWire400 ports (also missing from the back panel), 3 audio jacks and digital S/PDIF out (Toslink). Note that both VIA's VT1616 and Envy24PT are provided on the board itself. Hence two pairs of jacks.
We're not finished yet. There's only a couple of USB2.0 ports on the back panel. A 5.25" box adds a further 2 and the third FireWire port, run off VIA's VT6306 controller. That's not the main purpose of this box, though, as it doubles as a multi-card reader and audio outlet. Chaintech's also been thoughtful enough to include different covers to match your PC's exterior. What's more, the CBOX3 provides an EPoX-like POST LED display from DigiDoc.
Software installation is intuitive and easy. Perhaps, as we often say, a one-touch system would be nice. InterVideo's WinCinema Pro, comprising of WinDVD 4 and Win Rip 2, has been brought in to bolster the multimedia element. A separate CD also contains Norton AntiVirus 2003, Adobe Photoshop Album SE, Imagemore, ProMagic 6.0, and Image IT, which all fall under the banner of Value Pack
The Main manual, whilst being multilanguage in nature, makes a reasonable effort at explaining board setup and operation. What's better is the accompanying fold-out chart, in glorious colour, which delineates installation in a easy-to-understand manner. An above average bundle to go with the above average feature set.
