Legit Motherboard Reviews

AOpen AX4SG Max I865G Motherboard

Manufacturer: AOpen
Product: AX4SG Max
Date: Wed, May 21, 2003 - 09:00 AM
Written By: Justin West -
Share:

Conclusion:

Justin's Thoughts:

AOpen has definitely flexed their muscle on this motherboard. This "Springdale" motherboard gives many of our "Canterwood" motherboards a run for their money! When we consider all the complications we have had with a few companies with regard to critical BIOS updates, AOpen has shown that they have put some hard work in this board's BIOS since we got all of these numbers using the BIOS that came already on this motherboard. We did not have to spend countless hours trying to get the newest BIOS update for this board. That shows a lot about the amount of quality that was put in to making this motherboard from its beginning.

When you look at our results and notice how close (and in some cases, passing) the results are of this "Springdale" motherboard compared to its big brother, the "Canterwood", I don't know who I would not recommend this motherboard to. It is definitely an enthusiast's motherboard, and with a slightly lower price tag. The MSRP of the AOpen AX4SG Max is US$229. Now remember this is the "Max" series of AOpen's 865 motherboards. The MSRP of AOpen's five I865 "Springdale" chipset motherboards is shown below.

Intel 865 AOpen Motherboards Now Available in North America:

  • AX4SPE Max - MSRP US$209
  • AX4SPE-N -----MSRP US$149
  • AX4SG Max --- MSRP US$229
  • AX4SG-N ------ MSRP US$159
  • MX4SG-N ------ MSRP US$149

So those of you who have been waiting patiently for the "Canterwood" chipset to pass over so you could see how the "Springdale" performs before you make your next computer upgrade should be very happy to see these results! I don't know what else to say but to point out again that AOpen has really done a nice job on this motherboard.

Nathan's Thoughts:

Today we had the chance to review the Intel 865G, which is the 865PE but with Intel's integrated graphics core. The new springdale uses the same graphics core as the 845G, which is far from an enthusiast 3D accelerator. When using a Geforce 4 Ti4800 we received 14,000 points, whereas we hit 3,000 points with the onboard graphics! Since not everyone is into gaming we should point out that when using basic 2D applications, Intel's integrated graphics works just fine.

As far as system performance is concerned the Springdale does keep pretty close to the Canterwoods! One noticable feature the Intel 865 series that they lack Intel's Performance Acceleration Technology and ECC memory support. Something many people don't understand is that the Intel 865 chipsets do have support for CSA and that they are all dual channel DDR solutions. The AOpen AX4SG MAX uses a Broadcom gigabit ethernet controller, therefore it does not use CSA.

The AOpen AX4SG MAX is a great upgrade for many small companies, schools, and home users that are not going to be doing heavy gaming. There is a noticible performance gain (~15%) on SYSmark2002, which is a real world benchmark showing you actual performance gains that you will notice. We have been using the AX4SG for a number of weeks and the board is solid. Even better than that we have yet to have any issues with the BIOS! This says a bunch for the guys/gals over at AOpen that have put out a quality board weeks before it got to the store shelves. If you are looking for a board that has onboard graphics and high-end performance you should keep the AOpen AX4SG in mind.

My final words? It's golden!

Questions or Comments? View this thread in our forums!

Return to Motherboard Home or Return Home


Review Index
Page 1 - Introduction:
Page 2 - Layout:
Page 3 - BIOS:
Page 4 - Test System:
Page 5 - Memory Stability Results:
Page 6 - Conclusion: