Virtual-Hideout | ASRock ALiveNF7G-HD Ready Motherboard Review

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ASRock ALiveNF7G-HD Ready Motherboard Review

Date Published:
07-27-2007

Written By:
Sludge

Edited By:
Diceman

Provided By:
ASRock

Where to Buy:
ASRock

Discuss Article:
VH Forum link

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6

PCMark05:

Overclocking:

Hybrid Booster - Safe Overclocking

A new overclocking technology concerning both performance and safety.

In order to provide advanced performance, the Hybrid Booster provides the CPU Multiplier, CPU Vcore voltage adjustment, CPU Frequency Stepless control, and AGP/PCI Frequency control features.

With the CPU Multiplier, power user could change the processor multiplier setting to get the best performance of CPU speed. The CPU Vcore adjustment helps to power up the CPU core voltage to support the CPU overdrive demand. The CPU Frequency Stepless control provides the CPU clock frequency upward/downward adjustment interface. The AGP/PCI Frequency control provides the interface of AGP/PCI frequency value setting.

However, to perform overclocking is at risk of hardware damage and boot failure. With two safety features, "ASRock U-COP" and "Boot Failure Guard", Hybrid Booster will minimize the risk of overclocking. ASRock U-COP helps protect the CPU from overheating while the CPU frequency or core voltage is overdriven. The Boot Failure Guard will automatically issue the safe boot up mode when improper overclocking settings result in system boot failure. Under the double safety protections and with performance enhancement, Hybrid Booster is definitely a Safe Overclocking design for you.

Some overclocking features might be disabled while the chipset doesn't support. For detailed overclocking support information please visit our web site www.asrock.com. Advanced skills are needed to perform the overclocking feature properly; improper operation will cause permanent damage to the CPU or other system devices. The information of the latest CPU Support list is available on our web site www.asrock.com.

Once again, the key to getting this motherboard to overclock easily is to upgrade to the latest BIOS, which during the time this review was written, is v1.20. Also, do not expect fantastic results, as the voltages for the CPU and RAM are very limited. The CPU can't go beyond 1.40v and the RAM is capped at 2.05v, just like on the AliveNF5. During my overclocking test, I was able to get the RAM to 980Mhz, and 454Mhz extra MHz from the CPU, before the system became too unstable. As you read above, the Hybrid Booster allows safe overclocking, which means limited adjustments

Conclusion:

Once again, I'm baffled about the placement of the motherboard power connector, although on the AliveNF7G-HDready it's slightly further away. CPU coolers with those odd-shaped and -placed heatpipes still may interfere with the power connection.

As for overclocking, it's rather time consuming with this motherboard with the constant powering down to change settings versus an OS based adjustment tool. Although I did have much better success overclocking the AliveNF7G-HDready than the ALiveNF5 I just reviewed. I would have liked to see a larger heatsink on the chipset, or the possibility of a chipset fan.

One other nice feature for the video enthusiast is the ability to use both video ports for a dual monitor setup without the need for an additional video card. Overall, the board performed well and should work out great in a HTPC setup. I would to thank ASRock for sending this motherboard for VH to review.

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