iXBT Labs - Computer Hardware in Detail

Platform

Video

Multimedia

Mobile

Other

Foxconn 915M03-G-8EKRS2 Mainboard
Based on Intel 915G



We are reviewing Foxconn mainboards for the first time (Alas? No, why. We are just stating the fact...), but this does not mean that they somehow differ from all other mainboards of this class. This class is called "typical Middle-End at an acceptable price". Unless (considering the main specialization of the manufacturer) we can count on the high quality connectors :). The mainboard is rather functional for its format, perhaps its only drawback is the scarcity of PATA connectors (only one actually), but this limitation is imposed by the chipset as well as by the form factor.





PCB layout is usual and... inconvenient – the form factor dictates its terms. Access to jumpers may be hampered when the mainboard is in a case, their description is provided on the PCB. The 3-phase switching voltage regulator of the processor incorporates three 1800 uF capacitors and eight 560 uF capacitors. The PCB also contains voltage regulators for the PCI-E x16 bus (2x1000 uF) and for memory (4x1000 uF).

The mainboard lacks the AUX-In and WOM connectors, which are provided by the PCB layout. Mainboard dimensions – 245x245 mm ("wide" mATX, eight-screw mount, the fore-left PCB edge may sag). The ITE IT8712F-A chip is used to monitor:

  • CPU and memory voltage, +3.3 and +/-12 V, VBAT
  • RPM of 2 fans
  • CPU temperature (by the embedded CPU sensor)
  • board temperature (by the on-board sensor)

Onboard ports, sockets, and connectors

  • Processor socket (Socket 775)
  • 4 x DDR2 SDRAM DIMM (differ by color, grouped in pairs)
  • 1 x PCI-E x16 (with a latch)
  • 2 x PCI-E x1
  • 1 x PCI (32bit, 33MHz)
  • Power connectors: standard EPS12V (24 pins) and 4-pin connector for 12 V
  • 1 x FDD
  • 1 x IDE (Parallel ATA) – in the chipset
  • 4 x SATA (Serial ATA) – all in the chipset
  • 2 connectors for brackets with additional USB (2.0) ports
  • Connector for the bracket with an additional FireWire port
  • 1 x CD/DVD audio connector
  • 1 x standard IrDA connector
  • Connector for a case open sensor
  • WOL connector (Wake-On-LAN)
  • TPM connector (Trusted Platform Module)
  • Headers for additional Audio-Outs and S/PDIF
  • 2 x fan connectors (both with RPM control)

Back panel (left to right, blockwise)







  • PS/2 mouse and keyboard
  • 1 x LPT, 1 x COM, 1 x VGA (D-Sub)
  • 2 x USB and FireWire
  • 2 x USB and 1 x RJ-45 (Gigabit Ethernet)
  • 3 x Audio (Mic-In, Line-In, Front)
  • 3 x Audio (Center/Sub, Rear, Side)

Package Contents







  • Standard design box
  • Documentation (in English):
    • user's guide
    • SATA RAID setup guide
    • poster with short instructions how to install and setup the mainboard

  • Cables:
    • ATA66/100/133
    • 1 x FDD
    • 1 x SerialATA (with a SATA power converter)

  • Rear panel bracket
  • Floppy with SATA RAID drivers
  • CD with software:
    • mainboard drivers
    • Adobe Acrobat Reader
    • Norton Internet Security 2004
    • Foxconn SuperUtilities
    • DirectX 9.0b

One can note the SATA power converter (useful accessory for the owners of power units without Serial ATA power connectors) and Norton Internet Security 2004 – fairly good personal firewall (the latest version). Foxconn SuperUtilites is a set of utilities, which functionality can be easily guessed from their titles: SuperBoot, SuperBIOS-Protect, SuperStep (overclocking), SuperLogo, SuperUpdate.

Integrated Controllers

  • Avance Logic ALC880 HD Audio Codec supporting 7.1 surround sound audio, with front line-in/out and S/PDIF jacks
  • Network controller based on the Realtek RTL8110S-32 chip supporting 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T
  • FireWire based on the VIA VT6307 chip supporting two FireWire ports

It's interesting to see the FireWire support in the mainboard of the mATX format, which is traditionally associated with inexpensive budget solutions.

The integrated audio quality was tested in 16bit, 44 kHz using the RightMark Audio Analyzer 5.1 test application and the Terratec DMX 6fire sound card:

FR passband ripple (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB:
+0.14, -0.16
Very good
Noise level , dB (A):
-91.3
Very good
Dynamic range, dB (A):
90.9
Very good
THD, %:
0.0038
Very good
Intermodulation distortions, %:
0.011
Very good
Channel crosstalk, dB:
-90.8
Excellent

General performance: Very good (details).

Settings

Jumpers and switches Clear CMOS jumper  
Flash recovery jumper (to block Boot Block BIOS flashing)
In Award BIOS v6.00PGMemory timings+CAS Latency, RAS to CAS Delay, RAS Precharge, Precharge Delay
Memory frequency selection+Auto, DDR2-400, DDR2-533
AGP bus setup+ 
PCI bus setup +  
PCI bus setup- 
PCI frequency divider setup - 
PCI IRQ manual assignment+ 
FSB frequency setup+ 100-350 MHz at 1 MHz steps
CPU multiplier+ x4-x50
CPU core voltage control+Default, -0.0375 - +0.1 V to voltage nominal at 0.125 V steps
Memory voltage control - 
Chipset voltage control - 
PCI-E bus voltage control - 

We used BIOS dated 29.05.2004, the latest available BIOS version at the time of our tests.

Preliminary test results

We'll provide one of the diagrams from the future review. Foxconn 915M03-G-8EKRS2 results are represented by the "i915G/DDR2-533" bar:

References



Dmitry Majorov (destrax@ixbt.com)
9 August, 2004

Write a comment below. No registration needed!


Article navigation:



blog comments powered by Disqus

  Most Popular Reviews More    RSS  

AMD Phenom II X4 955, Phenom II X4 960T, Phenom II X6 1075T, and Intel Pentium G2120, Core i3-3220, Core i5-3330 Processors

Comparing old, cheap solutions from AMD with new, budget offerings from Intel.
February 1, 2013 · Processor Roundups

Inno3D GeForce GTX 670 iChill, Inno3D GeForce GTX 660 Ti Graphics Cards

A couple of mid-range adapters with original cooling systems.
January 30, 2013 · Video cards: NVIDIA GPUs

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1

An external X-Fi solution in tests.
September 9, 2008 · Sound Cards

AMD FX-8350 Processor

The first worthwhile Piledriver CPU.
September 11, 2012 · Processors: AMD

Consumed Power, Energy Consumption: Ivy Bridge vs. Sandy Bridge

Trying out the new method.
September 18, 2012 · Processors: Intel
  Latest Reviews More    RSS  

i3DSpeed, September 2013

Retested all graphics cards with the new drivers.
Oct 18, 2013 · 3Digests

i3DSpeed, August 2013

Added new benchmarks: BioShock Infinite and Metro: Last Light.
Sep 06, 2013 · 3Digests

i3DSpeed, July 2013

Added the test results of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 and AMD Radeon HD 7730.
Aug 05, 2013 · 3Digests

Gainward GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST 2GB Golden Sample Graphics Card

An excellent hybrid of GeForce GTX 650 Ti and GeForce GTX 660.
Jun 24, 2013 · Video cards: NVIDIA GPUs

i3DSpeed, May 2013

Added the test results of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770/780.
Jun 03, 2013 · 3Digests
  Latest News More    RSS  

Platform  ·  Video  ·  Multimedia  ·  Mobile  ·  Other  ||  About us & Privacy policy  ·  Twitter  ·  Facebook


Copyright © Byrds Research & Publishing, Ltd., 1997–2011. All rights reserved.