ASRock AM2XLI-eSATA2 PCIe SLI AMD Athlon 64 Socket AM2 Motherboard Review

Manufacturer ASRock
Name AM2XLI-eSATA2
Type / Chipset Sockel AM2 / ULi M1697 Chipset
Dimensions +++ 22 mm (44 mm radius) around the socket to the next capacitor or other parts of the mainboard – for further information see Fit for Fan. The overall size is 305 x 244mm.
Slots ++++ 3x pci, 4x PCI Express 1×16/1×8/2×1, 4x DDR2-533 – DDR2-800 (max. 8GB RAM)
Connectors

+++ 1x Floppy, 2x UDMA133, 4x SATA II, 1x serial (and 1x IrDA), 1x parallel, 2x PS/2, onBoard 10/100 Mbps base-T Ethernet (Realtek RTL8201 CL), 8x USB 2.0/1.1 (6x of them internal, Slot bracket for two additional USB Ports are included), 1x Gameport (mounting bracket isn’t delivered with the mainboard), 8-Channel AC’97 RealTek ALC888 onboard 7.1 sound with 6x connectors (1x int. Aux, 1x ext. S/PDIF, ext. Line in, ext. Mic, ext. Front out, ext. Side out, ext. Rear out, ext. Center/Subwoofer) and 2x fan connectors.

Vcore +++ BIOS between 0.80 Volt and 1.45 Volt in steps of 0.025 Volt (Vcore depends on the used CPU)
Multiplier ++++ BIOS between 4x and 25x (max multi depends on the used CPU) and 1x to 5x HT
Host Frequency ++++ BIOS between 150 and 400 MHz (PCIe 75 – 200 MHz)
VIO/VDD ++ VCCM (VDIMM) adjustable between Low, Normal and High, Chipset adjustable to Normal/High
Performance**** ++++ Benchmark ratings with AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Orleans Processor. 1x Gigabyte GV-NX66T128VP Nvidia 6600 GT PCIe graphic card: 8100 points with 3DMark 2003 2x Gigabyte GV-NX66T128VP Nvidia 6600 GT PCIe graphic card: 13960 points with 3DMark 2003
Manual and Labeling

++ Complete motherboard inscription and except the often mentioned missing BIOS section it’s a detailed manual in different languages e.g. German, English, etc. Small devaluation of the manual, because the BIOS is explained only in the manual on the CDROM, where it doesn’t helps if one is in the BIOS! Positive is the additionally enclosed S-ATA II quick reference guide and the description of all pin assignments.