865PE/875P Motherboard Roundup June 2003 - Part 1: 20-way Shootout
by Evan Lieb on June 12, 2003 10:57 PM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Gigabyte 8IPE1000 Pro
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Motherboard Specifications |
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CPU
Interface
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Socket-478
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Chipset
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Intel
82865PE MCH (North Bridge)
Intel 82801EB ICH5 (South Bridge) |
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Bus
Speeds
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up
to 355MHz (in 1MHz increments)
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Core
Voltages Supported
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up
to 1.76V (in 0.0125V increments)
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I/O
Voltages Supported
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N/A
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DRAM
Voltages Supported
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up
to 2.8V (in 0.050V increments)
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Memory Slots
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4 184-pin
DDR DIMM Slots
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Expansion Slots
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1 AGP
8X Slot
5 PCI Slots |
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Onboard IDE RAID
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N/A
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Onboard USB 2.0/IEEE-1394
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Eight
USB 2.0 ports supported through South Bridge
TI TSB43AB23 IEEE-1394 FireWire Controller (up to 3 ports total) |
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Onboard LAN
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Intel
PRO/100 VE LAN (no CSA)
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Onboard Audio
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Realtek
ALC655 codec
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Onboard Serial ATA
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Two
SATA connectors via ICH5 (no RAID)
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BIOS
Revision
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Rev.
F6 (04/30/2003)
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Even though the 8IPE1000 Pro is a value motherboard it carries some of the same features previously only found on high-end motherboards, and even on some of today's high-end motherboards. Let's talk a little bit about these features…
First off we have the Serial ATA support via the ICH5 South Bridge. This isn't surprising to see, as every single 865PE or 875P motherboard we've ever tested has come with native Serial ATA support. What makes this special is the fact that it signals that Serial ATA is now finally becoming a standard feature on the majority of desktop motherboards being shipped (Intel-only motherboards for now), and that includes value to high-end. Unfortunately the 8IPE1000 Pro does not include the ICH5R, which supports RAID 0 & RAID 1. However most users looking to purchase a value motherboard are likely not too serious about IDE RAID to begin with, so this isn't a huge loss.
The two features that make a value motherboard like the 8IPE1000 Pro stand out in our opinion is the addition of IEEE 1394 FireWire (TI's TSB43AB23 controller) and the Realtek ALC655 codec. IEEE 1394 support is an excellent option to have on a value motherboard if it doesn't add any significant cost, and with the 8IPE1000 Pro going for as low as $115 shipped in the U.S. the 8IPE1000 Pro certainly seems to be priced quite well. The Realtek ALC655 codec is a very nice addition as it has jack sensing technology that allows users to choose whichever audio port they want for their speakers. That is, you could plug in a pair of 2.1 speakers into any of the available audio ports and the ALC655 codec would configure whichever port you chose into Analog out. A nifty feature for inexperienced users, but a nice one nonetheless.
The dual BIOS is also another nice perk for users that may venture too far off into overclocker land.
In terms of BIOS features the 8IPE1000 Pro does not disappoint, especially for a value motherboard. Vcore is adjustable up to 1.76V in 0.0125V (though a heavy 0.080V after 1.60V) which will allow for plenty of room for serious overclockers, especially when you consider that the 8IPE1000 Pro overvolts by about 0.04V. VDIMM up to 2.8V, VAGP up to 1.8V, and FSB up to 355MHz are all excellent choices to include in a value overclockering motherboard. UPDATE 6/19/2003 We should also mention that you must hold the CTRL key and press F1 to bring up the Advanced Chipset Features section, where you will be able to adjust your memory module's timings.
There are only a few negative things to say about the 8IPE1000 Pro. On the overclocking side of things we would have preferred more finely adjustable Vcore options after 1.60V. Gigabyte did an excellent job with the 8IPE1000 Pro's layout, the only thing we would have changed would be the location of the Floppy connector to a more friendly position that isn't prone to entanglement. Besides that the 8IPE1000 Pro is an extremely well put together value motherboard that performs quite well at stock and overclocked speeds (skip ahead to the overclocking section of this review for more information).
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18 Comments
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Zak - Sunday, January 18, 2004 - link
I bought IS7 after reading this article and I've been having problems. Random resets, then BSOD after changing XP recovery settings. Over the past few months it worsened. In the begining it like once a week maybe. I wasn't concerned, bad driver I thought. Now it won't run more than an hour without BSOD. I have Corsair XMS DDR400 in it. I've played with memory settings for weeks, timings and voltages as well, reinstalled XPPro several times, updated BIOS, got all newest drivers and run out of ideas... I've put a stick of DDR333 because that's all have to test and I still get the same random BSOD, even durnig XP installation. I have no PCI cards in this box. Mushkin calls this board problematic and attributes the memory problems to forced implementation of PAT that is not normally present in 865. I may try getting it replaced by NewEgg but I don't suppose it'll help. I'm thinking about getting a 875 board instead. Zak.Anonymous User - Friday, October 24, 2003 - link
I would like to see part II of the roundup of the 865 chipset. I wonder what is the delay?Anonymous User - Monday, October 13, 2003 - link
I thought Part 2 would be out by now at least... There are good new boards out there I'd like to see... Shuttle AB60R (cheap and full featured) and Abit IC7-MAX3 (OTES for mobo power area). I am still looking forward to seeing this, eventually, right guys?Anonymous User - Tuesday, October 7, 2003 - link
Any comments on newer motherboards? Why hasn't supermicro been tested since 2000?Looking to compare supermicro
Intel s875wp1-e and Super P4SCE (SuperServer 5013C-I (SYS-5013-CI)) for a $50k cluster
Thanks
syzygyus@yahoo.com
Anonymous User - Friday, August 29, 2003 - link
Evan, how in the world is #4 going to research your statement when the articles/review comments forum gets purged/is gone now ?Anonymous User - Saturday, August 23, 2003 - link
Any word on Revision 2 of the Gigabyte 8knxp ultra board yet?Anonymous User - Sunday, August 10, 2003 - link
I bought the is7 after I read this article. It had many problems. I ended up having to ram this board twice. If you read the abit forum boards you will see alot of problems I am fairly surprised after all the tests this board was put through nothing ever went wrong. I will not buy another abit product period. I will stick to gigabye i've built 6 systems with Gigabyte and yet to have any problems with them. Save for the chipset fans having a low life.Anonymous User - Friday, August 8, 2003 - link
I bought the Abit IS7 and am completely pleased. One note is that many of the IS7's appear to be getting shipped with the gigabit lan as opposed to the sales brochure stated 10/100. (mine has the gigabit)Anonymous User - Tuesday, August 5, 2003 - link
How could it be that the Asus p4c 800 de luxe is more expensive then the asus p4p deluxe but in the testresults it is slower?I would think i am misinformed by the computershop?
And the p4c deluxe got a gigabit lan on board, despite mentioning in the summary of this Mb it has not.
PixelDoc - Sunday, July 27, 2003 - link
Error Re: Gigabyte GA-8KNXP MoBoThis MoBo has 4, not 2 SATA connectors, 2 controlled by ICH5R and 2 more contolled by the SIL3112 chip.