BIOS
DFI uses a slightly modified Phoenix AwardBIOS setup. The modifications make it a better BIOS, however.
As always, our attention is drawn to the right-hand side and DFI's in-house overclocking section that goes by the name of Genie Bios (sic).
Canterwood boards are all about performance allied with huge overclocking potential. The chipset is the cream of Intel's crop, after all. Multipliers are only available on unlocked processors, so don't expect one from Scan's shelf to present you with the options you see above. CPU FSB speeds range from 200MHz (for 800MHz CPUs) through to 400MHz. That's 1200MHz FSB in Intel speak. We appreciate that DFI allows the user to key in a number directly. Saves having to cycle through each one, a la ASUS.
Much like all of DFI's Intel-based boards, there's an option of running out-of-spec bus speeds. 73/36/100 and 80/40/100, respectively. We'd urge users to keep to the default 66/33/100 shown above. CPU voltages, for a 3.4GHz Northwood, ranged between 1.55v - 1.975v. DFI should really allow the user the full range of voltages, from, say, 0.8v - 2v. DIMM voltage tops out at 2.9v, which is just about acceptable on an enthusiast-orientated board. Again, DFI should allow the option of, say, 3.2v but have an accompanying warning stating the dangers of inputting such a high voltage. On the other hand, that's exactly how boards fry. AGP voltage can be raised to 1.8v.
An excellent addition to the LANPARTY PRO 875B is CMOS Reloaded, DFI's BIOS-saving function. Put simply, 4 BIOS configurations can be saved and restored in seconds. Tinkering with a BIOS for the best possible combination can be a time-consuming affair which is laid to waste if the board needs to be reset for any reason. What CMOS Reloaded does is saving a set of inputted parameters that can be called up instantly. It's far handier than you imagine, especially if you have to run through the dreaded clear CMOS routine. This function is especially pertinent in the case of bleeding-edge benchmarking,
DRAM latencies have the usual degree of manipulation. Another usual feature is the ability to set system RAM to asynchronous speeds to the CPU's FSB. At 200MHz FSB RAM speeds can be synchronous (DDR400, 1:1), DDR320 (5:4) and DDR266 (3:2). A hither-to unseen addition is one for system bandwidth, which matches system RAM settings for a specific purpose.
Some DFI boards tend to read CPU temperatures at between 5-10c below most other manufacturers' boards. Others, like DFI's i865PE LANPARTY, read significantly higher. It's hard to believe that an Intel reference cooler is keeping a 3.4GHz Northwood happy at 33c, and it's also hard to understand why there's no consistency between boards from a single manufacturer. We also can't quite fathom why DDR voltage isn't being reported in this section.
This is an average BIOS that's lifted above mediocrity by the excellent CMOS Reloaded feature. DFI needs to work on implementing some of the features inherent in ABIT and ASUS' BIOSes. Explicit fan speed control, DDR voltage reporting, a wider range of lower CPU voltages, overclocking on-the-fly, and automated overclocking, to name but a few.
