Test were run with a variety of processors and with both PC100 and generic EDO DRAM and the BIOS were adjusted accordingly...

I was interested to see how the board would function when using a PCI graphics card instead of the usual AGP card normally associated with Super7 mainboards.  Many of you have written to ask if you had to upgrade to an AGP graphics card right away.   One of the major features of the Super7 platform is that you can reuse virtually everything in your existing system that is PCI/ISA compatible.  I did use a VoodooČ card but as you will see in the final reality benchmark the ATI All in Wonder Pro 8MB PCI card performed quite well without the Diamond Monster 3DII.

The Business Winstone 98 scores were about what I have come to expect from most Super7 mainboards.  Since most boards I have tested varied so slightly in the Winstone 98 Benchmark it is a good idea to choose a mainboard based on its included features and stability.

OpenGL scores in QuakeII were probably a little lower than those that can be attained with an AGP graphics card nonetheless with the use of the Diamond Monster 3DII 8MB games based on the Quake engine are extremely playable.  One thing you need to be aware of however, is the need for efficient cooling when using a PCI card like the All in Wonder Pro as many times floating point intensive applications set off the alarm associated with the CPU temperature monitor Epox includes within the  Award 4.51PG BIOS

Direct 3D applications also take about a 7-10% performance hit when using a PCI based graphics card but the marks below still show the system to be more than effective and I have to admit that the game looks astounding played on this system.

As I stated earlier Final Reality marks were high whether accelerated with VoodooČ or not as you can see below...

Conclusion
There are a few blemishes on the report card for this board. First of all there are the restrictive voltage settings that can make overclocking the board difficult.  The lack of the 112MHz setting that has become common on many of the MVP3 based Super7 mainboards is also a point against as well as the lacking 5th PCI expansion slot so coveted on a few of the larger ATX boards currently available.  But on the plus side the large size and easy configuration are points for and the rock steady stability of the board and the Epox name all combine to insure good value for money and so we honor this mainboard with our Golden Super7 Award.  This mainboard is currently available for as little as $99.00 according to PriceWatch so if it look as though this one meets your needs, we at MediaTek wonder what you are waiting for...

MediaTek Epox 51MVP3E-M Performance 97 Value 94 Ease of Installation 98 Documentation 98 Stability 98 Overclockability 93 Overall Score 96.3

Last Updated on 9/3/98

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