EPoX 8RDA+

EPoX is to PCs what nitro-oxide is to car engines: if you're looking to push your system to its limits, an EPoX board is one of the best foundations for any system. It helps to have a powerful chipset too, and the new 8RDA+ uses one of the fastest available for AMD processors - Nvidia's nForce2 ST.

The main feature of the nForce2 ST chipset is the dual-channel memory controller, which supports PC3200 memory, although the MCP-T south bridge also provides plenty of useful features. Chief among these is the Nvidia APU sound processor, which provides six-channel audio via a Realtek ALC650 physical layer. There's no digital output, though, which is disappointing.

As well as the usual serial, parallel and PS/2 connectors, the back panel features four USB 2 ports, with an additional two provided via a backplate. Another backplate provides two FireWire ports. The MCP-T integrates an Ethernet MAC too.

The AGP 8x slot supports all the latest graphics cards and six PCI slots provide plenty of expansion potential. There are three DIMM sockets as well, which can accommodate up to 3GB of RAM.

This is all standard fare - what sets the 8RDA+ apart is its BIOS options. One of the most important features from an overclocking perspective is the ability to adjust the CPU multiplier, which normally involves performing a dangerous surgical operation on your CPU. This isn't necessary with the 8RDA+, as it unlocks the multiplier automatically.

You can also adjust the FSB in 1MHz increments up to 250MHz, providing total flexibility, and you can choose to lock the AGP port at 66MHz to aid stability. Memory speed and latency timings are fully adjustable too.

Another important element is voltage modification, and the 8RDA+ gives you a tremendous amount of control. You can adjust CPU voltage in 0.025V increments up to a dangerously high 2.2V. Most motherboards limit you (quite sensibly) to 1.85V, and if you do decide to go higher make sure you have a high-spec cooling system. AGP and DDR memory voltages can be tweaked too.

To see how far the 8RDA+ would go, we experimented using an Athlon XP 2200+ CPU, Vantec's excellent VA4-C7040 cooler (see opposite) and Coolermaster Premium thermal compound.

By lowering the CPU multiplier to 10.5x, we were able to push the FSB up to an incredible 199MHz, although the most stable results were at 197MHz (2,069MHz). This was with the CPU at 2V, which is a tad high, so we also tried other combinations and eventually settled on 11.5x 182MHz (2,093MHz) with the CPU at 1.9V - an impressive 293MHz over the rated speed.

It was rock solid too, returning a 3DMark2001 SE score of 15,564 with our 9700 Pro - an amazing boost of 16 per cent. And It's not just games that benefit, as overall system performance shot up as well. Our CPU-intensive DivX encoding test using Flask MPEG saw huge improvements, finishing almost three and a half minutes faster at the overclocked settings.

For extreme overclockers looking to squeeze every last ounce out of their Athlon, the EPoX 8RDA+ won't disappoint. It offer tremendous flexibility and runs stably even at massively overclocked speeds. And it's fast even at the standard speeds too, making it an ideal choice all round.

Author: Gareth Ogden