SOYO P4I875P
Version 1.0 Black Label
Reviewer:
Thomas Soderstrom
SOYO brings a long list of features to
the market in a board with an equally long name. Perhaps it’s fitting then that
we should publish a likewise long review. Rather than release dozens of models
per year, SOYO's been perfecting existing models, lengthening the name with each
new feature. Let's see if using more mature designs with newer features result
in a higher quality board. We'll use the board from our Asus P4C800-E Deluxe
review as a reference, since these are targeted at the same market.
The Package
SOYO packs the
handy carrying case with four SATA cables, three ATA100/133 cables, one floppy
cable, an audio port bracket, a back plate, a case badge sticker, and a media
card device. Software includes the driver CD and SOYO's "8-in-1 Super Bonus
Pack" utility CD.
The media card device is identical to
the
BayOne DV we reviewed, except it comes without the
black or silver faceplates and includes only the cables needed to connect it to
this specific board. I guess it's time for some of us to get out the paint!
Layout and Features
The SOYO P4I875P
Version 1.0 Black Label is jam-packed with features! It includes four SATA ports
and four IDE connectors, supporting a total of 12 hard drives! RAID is
controlled by an ALi M5281 controller (two IDE ports plus two SATA ports) plus
the Intel ICH5R integrated SATA RAID controller. The CMI8738 audio controller
offers 5.1 sound, and SOYO actually includes a bracket to allow all analog
outputs and inputs to be used simultaneously (five jacks), along with digital
audio outputs and inputs for both coaxial and optical devices! Five fan
headers provide enough onboard connections for most cases. A VIA IEEE1394
Firewire controller has three connections on this board, one external and two
internal: one port is available on the included BayOne DV, leaving one more port
for your case header if needed. SOYO also provides the old stuff in case you
need it; a parallel port, two serial ports, and even a gameport header.
Like most other recent boards, there
are five PCI slots, with the AGP slot shoved downward one position. This trend
may be in response to other critics asking for more room between the AGP slot
and the DIMM clips. I, however, prefer the AGP slot to be in the case's topmost
position in order to assure good graphics cooling with five PCI cards installed
(I leave the slot below AGP open). Welcome to the worst of both worlds: the AGP
slot is not only pushed down, but so are the DIMMs. At least they've been moved
far enough toward the front of the board that the clips won’t hit most cards
while changing modules. I believe SOYO might have used this layout to ease the
routing of RAM traces to the chipset.
The ATX12v connector is located between
the chipset northbridge and sound ports, while the main IDE connections are
located near the bottom of the board. You’ll have to run your ATX12v cable
either around or over your CPU cooler, and your IDE cables may not reach the top
bays on some chassis. Because most modern IDE cables locate the slave position
around 4" below the master position, an 18" cable reaches the top drive bay in
my relatively short case, but slave position will NOT reach the second bay down
on the same case. I'll probably have to make my own cable!
A row of capacitors along the rear edge
of the board prevent the sound port bracket from being used in any slot except
the second position from the bottom, and the unused top position above the AGP
card. I needed PCI slot 4 (second from the bottom) for a card; placing the
bracket above the AGP card meant running the cable across several cards. A
simple solution for SOYO might be to use shorter, fatter capacitors such as
those found on many video cards.
I'm not going to criticize the bottom
location of the RAID controller's IDE connections, because most cases locate
hard drive bays near the bottom of the case. But I will criticize the location
of the Firewire ports, which are in the bottom rear corner, far removed from any
front or top case connectors. While I'm at it, I'll also criticize the large
angled chipset heatsink being too close to the CPU socket: it will interfere
with the use of some oversized coolers!
SOYO does away with any labeling for
the front panel header: Looks like it's time to open up the manual!
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What the heck is this?
Cryptic labels for
the Firewire connectors confuse even the
most experienced builders! |
This would be a good place to start a
comparison with the Asus P4C800-E Deluxe we've reviewed. Asus listened to their
critics and rotated their northbridge cooler 45 degrees on the –E after
suffering the same complaints on earlier versions. Although their IEEE1394 ports
are also located at the bottom of the board, they are located near the center of
the bottom, easing cable placement. And Asus not only labels their front panel
connections, they color code them as well!
SOYO and Asus both provide gameport
headers, but while Asus provides the needed bracket, SOYO does not. On the other
hand, Asus offers only three analog audio ports and no digital inputs. In fact,
SOYO not only offers all the ports you'd need but also allows you to connect a
case's front panel audio headers without disabling those ports on the back
panel. Asus uses bridge jumpers to connect the rear audio ports, which you must
remove to install your front panel sound cables.
by-http://www.sysopt.com
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