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Posted by
Paul
"Crazyace" Bouthiller on December 21, 2001
Manufacturer: FIC
Product: FR33E
(VIA PLE133 based) motherboard
Check
for FR33E
prices OR the motherboard
price index.
Installing the operating system was
quick and painless, and the only driver that did not install
automatically was the display driver. I must say that the
numbers seem to be playing tricks with me, particularly the
memory scores. The system feels great, and very stable. I
must admit that I was surprised that the memory scores were
so low, because surfing the web and loading up assorted
applications felt pretty fast.
As you may have read, I did encounter a
few problems with installation, but they were pretty minor.
This motherboard is a great solution for a budget minded
system, and supports an amazing amount of different
processor speeds. How many motherboards can support 300
MHz-1.2 GHz!
The FIC FR33E is available for around $60,
which I believe is certainly attractive, definitely not a
bad way of getting started if you have half the list of
peripherals already on-board. Although they are based on a
completely different platform, nForce mainboard which can be
considered the high-end of integrated motherboard nowadays
are selling for three times the price of the FR33E, so there
you go, completely different market aims.
Pros:
Cons:
-
RAM Incompatibility problem
-
Low memory scores
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No way to disable on-board video
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Front Panel Block Cable Connection
If you are looking for a budget machine
with no intentions of gaming, this board will fill the void
perfectly. If you have a customer looking for a system for
internet surfing and general application usage, this
motherboard is great. I really like the board, and would
highly recommend it if you are looking for this type of
system.
Manufacturer: FIC
Product: FR33E
(VIA PLE133 based) motherboard
Check
for FR33E
prices OR the motherboard
price index.
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