The CPU Socket

Although many of the better CPU coolers require a four-hole mount, ABIT chose to follow NVIDIA's reference design and use the socket mount. This is a big disadvantage because it prevents you from using many of the coolers out there, particularly those designed for overclocking. So, if you intend to buy the NF7-S, you should be aware that you will have to settle for a socket-mounted cooler!

However, this is merely a first revision motherboard from ABIT. Naturally, we should expect them to stick to the reference design as much as possible for the initial version (in order to get the board out quickly) and then work on an improved version for a later release. Sure enough, ABIT has confirmed that there will be a Revision 1.1 motherboard. In fact, it should be shipping anytime now. And the first thing you will notice that they fixed in the Rev. 1.1 motherboard is the glaring lack of the four mounting holes! :)

Unless you have a very good cooler that uses the socket mount, it's best to wait for ABIT's Rev. 1.1 NF7-S motherboard. It may seem like just four holes but it makes a big difference when you shop for a cooler!

Margin around the CPU socket

You should also take note of the clearance around the CPU socket. Although there's a large gap, 45mm long, from the right border of the CPU socket to the first DIMM slot, the clearance on the other three sides is only 15mm. As such, you will be mostly restricted to coolers with heatsinks smaller than 9 x 8 cm. With that said, the NF7-S should be able to accomodate most coolers quite comfortably.

3-Phase Power Supply

ABIT has been touting its 3-phase switching voltage regulator as superior to the 2-phase power solution used by some of the other manufacturers. Well, in a way, it is superior. A 3-phase voltage regulator will run much cooler than a 2-phase voltage regulator since the workload is divided into three phases or power channels, instead of just two. However, whether they improve stability or not depends on whether there's sufficient capacitance.

It could very well be just another marketing ploy, feeding off a need to cut costs in capacitors. This is because the more phases the switching voltage regulator has, the smoother the flow of power. In a two-phase system, larger capacitors are used to even out the flow of power. Because the three phase system itself provides a smoother flow of power, less capacitance is actually required for a stable power supply. Therefore, ABIT may have taken the 3-phase road to cut costs and not to improve stability. Let's take a look...

The 3-phase voltage regulator

Near the power connectors are two rows of capacitors flanking the six power MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor, Field Effect Transistors) and the HIP6301CB multi-phase MOSFET controller that make up the 3-phase voltage regulator. Each of the four giant 16V capacitors has a capacitance of 1200µF while the six smaller Teapo 6.3V capacitors have a capacitance of 2200µF each. Presumably, these are the capacitors that buffer the load from the six power MOSFETs. Doesn't look like they skimped on the capacitors!

Although it's hard to say that the 3-phase voltage regulator is superior to competing 2-phase solutions where stability is concerned, it does run cooler than a 2-phase voltage regulator. Our tests show that the NF7-S' power MOSFETs have a peak temperature of only 38°C at load. No need for bulky heatsinks to cool them down!