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Sapphire Axion RS300-AA38 This is the only board in our test to use an ATI chipset. Compared to the Intel cores that dominate the remainder of the group, the Radeon 9100 IGP chipset at the heart of the Axion RS300 is relatively new technology.
Chief among its benefits is the low-cost integrated graphics that are of a decent standard. While graphics enthusiasts may sneer at onboard VGA solutions on budget motherboards, the commendable 9100 IGP chipset has the DirectX8-compatible ATI Radeon 9200 GPU.
The Axion RS300-AA38 was designed primarily to support Northwood processors. Despite this, Sapphire has ensured its compatibility with Prescott with a firmware upgrade. In our tests, the motherboard update was a simple procedure that allowed us to run our 3.2GHz Prescott P4 without incident.
As you may expect, the Axion?s relatively new chipset and initial Northwood focus put it at a slight disadvantage to submissions with an Intel chipset. It returned a PCmark 2004 score of 4,827 ð virtually identical to that achieved by the Via-powered ASRock.
Where the Axion loses ground is in its main specification. It does little to dispel the common perception that motherboards with integrated graphics are intended for the budget end of the market. It has four Dimm slots, but its 2GB memory ceiling is just a half that of its more expensive rivals.
The Axion?s retail pack is also a bit of a disappointment. Aside from the bundled Sata power adapter, IDE cables and USB/Firewire blanking plates, there is little else to mention. Its saving grace is that it accepts a variety of add-ons including six-channel audio, at extra cost.
Deciding if this board offers good value for money depends on whether its onboard graphics are sufficient for your needs. If so, the £76 pricetag could be its saving grace.
Contact: Sapphire 0870 141 7161
www.overclocker.co.uk
Back to Intel motherboards group test
See also:
This motherboard's colour coded fixtures makes installation straightforward. 14 May 2004
All Motherboards
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