Opinions differ over the sense of having numerous controllers for mass storage. While the Sil3114 only recognizes hard drives, the Adaptec 7902W can be used for a wide range of devices. Both support the simple RAID modes 0 and 1. Gigabit-LAN, a sound system and high-grade components are only what you would expect from a high-quality mainboard with ambitions.
But the real selling point should be the 6300ESB PCI-X Southbridge, which ensures that there is enough bandwidth on tap for power-hungry components, thanks to two slots for a maximum 266 MHz.
Its performance is on a par for 875 boards; the scope of delivery is also satisfactory, bar the lack of an SCSI cable. Only the price tag is a negative - how about a model without the expensive SCSI controller?
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Patrick Schmid was the editor-in-chief for Tom's Hardware from 2005 to 2006. He wrote numerous articles on a wide range of hardware topics, including storage, CPUs, and system builds.
