Accelerated Graphics Port connector supports AGP
PRO 8X/4X (0.8V/1.5V)
Serial ATA RAID
2 channel Serial ATA 150MB/s data transfer rate
with RAID 0 function support
Audio
6-Channel AC 97 CODEC on board
Professional digital audio interface supports
24-bit S/P DIF optical In/Out
Media XP
(Optional)
Supports card reader function for Memory Stick™,
Secure Digital™ and Type I/II CompactFlash™
Supports Wireless Remote Control and S/PDIF Out /
Mic In / Headphone Out / USB 2.0 / IEEE 1394
System BIOS
SoftMenu™ Technology to set CPU parameters
Supports Plug-and-Play (PNP)
Supports Advanced Configuration Power Interface
(ACPI)
Supports Desktop Management Interface (DMI)
Write-Protect Anti-Virus function by AWARD BIOS
IEEE 1394
Supports IEEE 1394a at 100/200/400 Mb/s transfer
rate
Internal I/O
Connectors
1 x AGP PRO, 5 x PCI slots
1 x IrDA
1 x Floppy Port supports up to 2.88MB
2 x Ultra DMA 33/66/100 Connectors
2 x Serial ATA 150 Connectors
2 x USB 2.0 headers, 2 x IEEE 1394a header
1 x CD-IN, 1 x AUX-IN
Back Panel I/O
1 x PS/2 Keyboard, 1 x PS/2 mouse
1 x Printer Port, 1 x COM port
1 x S/PDIF Out connector, 1 x S/PDIF In connector
1 x Audio connectors (Front Speaker, Line-in,
Mic-in)
1 x Audio connectors (Center/Sub, Surround
Speaker)
2 x USB 2.0, 1 x IEEE 1394a
2 x USB 2.0
Miscellaneous
ATX form factor
Hardware monitoring - Including Fan speeds,
Voltages, System environment temperature
The board is certainly smart looking with its all-black PCB, once again a departure from the usual brown or rust coloured Abit norm. The large Thermaltake orb style Northbridge cooler instantly informs you that this is a late revision model of the board, with the earlier revisions having a much smaller unit with a much faster (and irritatingly loud) fan unit.
Abit have been on a roll with their board layouts recently, with the BH7 blowing us away with its smart design. The IC7 is similar, with the power supply connector well away from the CPU, and plenty of space to install your DIMMS without having to annoyingly remove the graphics card as well. Abit once again have put their PATA connectors facing sideways. Some reviewers think this is a great idea, others find it tricky. With rounded cables however, it works well, and since Abit have included them for you to use, there really is no excuse to moan - and it means that full-length PCI cards wont be compromised by bulky IDE cables.
This is the "cut-down" version of the board, and as you can see the second SATA raid controller is replaced with a green IC7 sticker. Its big brother, the IC7G comes with a Silicon Image PCI chip in addition to the controller on the Intel South Bridge.
You will notice also that the IC7 has its network port covered by adhesive foil. This is because although the IC7-G has onboard Intel CSA Gigabit LAN, the IC7 has no network connection at all. I can't remember the last time I saw a high end board with no LAN capability at all, and I can't help but feel not including at least a 10/100 NIC is a bit stingy.
Both the IC7 and the IC7G support firewire, as well as USB 2.0. Firewire connectivity is provided by a single rear port, with extra ports available via a bracket (supplied) and two internal headers. The IC7 also has two internal USB ports, so should your case feature I/O via a front panel, the IC7 will fit the bill.
Audio is provided by an integrated ALC650 6-Channel AC 97 CODEC on board, which certainly won’t win any awards for fidelity. However the inclusion of optical I/O is always welcome, and makes recording direct to minidisk a breeze.
An annoyance for system builders will be the lack of an AGP retention mechanism, meaning your precious Radeon 9800 Pro could well fall out in transit. Abit's BH7 had such a device, so I cannot think why they chose to remove it for this board.
Abit uses the ICS 952607EF clock generator, which is compatible with SetFSB, allowing overclocking in windows without a reboot. Handy stuff!
