Specifications

abit KV8-MAX3
Written by Chris Emry
Friday, 04 September 2009 10:39
The image above represents what the ABIT KV8-MAX3 can offer a user for tweaking their
installed memory of choice. These options are available in the DRAM configuration sub-menu
found within the Advanced Chipset Features main menu. The actual memory timing settings for
each one listed has a very broad range, so if you are planning on squeezing out a CAS
2.0-2-2-2-5-1T timing set, or to aim for a high FSB with CAS 3-etc., you need not worry. The
KV8-MAX3 has got you covered. You just have to make sure your memory can handle what you
throw at it, and then you are off to tweak the night away.
The last section of the BIOS we are going to take a look at is called FanEQ. This is a section of
the BIOS that will work in conjunction with the ABIT µGuru chip. It will surely come in handy for
some users, especially if you have a fan that made the annoying sound that we experienced in
our tests when it was spinning at the highest RPM setting. Just set the values to whatever suits
your fancy and the µGuru chip will adjust the speed of the fan based on the temperature range
of the selected device.
..:: ABIT KV8-MAX3 Overclocking ::..
With the given amount of headroom and options within the BIOS of the KV8-MAX3, we were
curious to see how well the board could overclock our test system. Our overclocking
adventures, of course, had to be performed manually since the OCGuru software failed to prove
it could do it for us. I wasn't too surprised to see that ABIT’s solution was able to push the
system farther than any other K8T800 chipset based motherboard we have tested to date, since
the engineers at ABIT are the pioneers of overclocking.
The motherboard finally hit a 440MHz DDR FSB ceiling while the memory timings remained at
2.0-3-3-6-1T. I did have to increase the processor voltage to 1.6v, the Hyper-Transport voltage
to 1.35v, and the DDR voltage to 2.8v to get our maximum result, but the KV8-MAX3 proved to
us that it could still complete our tests without fault at these settings. Anything higher and the
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