Epox MVP3G-M Super7 Motherboard Review
Last updated: 1/7/2000

CAPACITORS.  I counted thirty 105°C electrolytic, three tear-drop tantalums, and one old-fashioned ceramic capacitor on the board.  There are many more bypass, etc. capacitors all over the place. There is a good measure of them in the middle of the CPU socket. 

SILK-SCREENING.  Like previous Epox boards I have reviewed, the silk-screening on this board is superb--excellent!  Everything from the jumpers to I/O connectors is clearly labeled.   If  you loose the motherboard book you can still set-up the jumpers.  All of the setting are printed on the motherboard.

DOUGHNUTS. There are seven mounting holes and oversized doughnuts surrounding each of them.  One doesn't have to worry about the head of the screw, used to fasten the motherboard to the case, overlapping a trace on the motherboard and capacitively grounding it.

FROM PANEL CONNECTORS.  The front panel connectors are in two rows along the front of the board where they are easy to see and get at.  They are clearly labeled.

I/O CONNECTORS.  There are PS/2 keyboard, PS/2 mouse, 1 printer, two serial, and two USB ports along the back of the motherboard (the configuration matches all of the Aopen ATX cases I have reviewed).

THE BOARD HAS THE WINBOND W83781D hardware monitoring chip and temperature sensors for both the CPU and the system.   You can see these temperatures changing in the CMOS setup.  There are three fan connectors (3-pin) on the motherboard labeled CPU, Power, and Chassis.  You can see real-time RPM values for these fans in the CMOS setup or the Epox USDM display.  The user can set  a temperature ceiling in CMOS which will cause an alarm.  If the CPU fan quits, you will hear a siren-like warning before your CPU is destroyed by the heat.

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