Introduction

Very few motherboard manufacturers are able to compete in the demanding enthusiast market. For a product to be considered ideal, it must first boast stability. Performance is another important characteristic, as is a well-rounded specification sheet. ABIT, ASUS and EPoX have all manufactured boards incorporating a combination of the aforementioned qualities with varying degrees of success.



It is a difficult market to persist in, though. With each additional feature, the price of a motherboard increases. The situation is further complicated by the fact that enthusiasts make up only a small percentage of those looking to purchase motherboards. So, while high-end motherboards may be great for earning accolades, stiff competition makes it difficult for manufacturers to turn worthwhile profits selling expensive boards.

DFI is no stranger to the motherboard manufacturing process, as the company was founded in 1981; however it has previously focused primarily on the OEM market. The last few motherboards to emerge from DFI indicate an interest in attracting enthusiasts looking for more than just the bare essentials. Newly offered features like DDR400 memory support, USB 2.0, IEEE 1394, six-channel audio, and Serial ATA provide a stark contrast to older DFI motherboards that often included onboard audio and in some cases, an integrated Ethernet interface at most.

The DFI AD77 Infinity motherboard

In the box

While DFI’s product index would indicate a conservative history, its rapid adoption of VIA’s KT400 and P4X400 chipsets suggests that the company may be trying something new. VIA doesn’t even list DDR400 memory support as a feature of its chipsets, yet DFI is confident enough with its results to claim compatibility with existing 200MHz memory modules.

Stepping Out – The DFI AD77 Infinity

The latest in DFI’s Athlon XP-compatible lineup contradicts the company’s heritage. That’s not to say the board isn’t stable – in fact, it powered through our entire testing suite without issue. However, the AD77 Infinity does include many features seemingly aimed at the power user.

4 DIMM sockets support up to 4GB memory

The most distinguishing feature of the AD77 is its four, 184-pin DDR memory slots. Most manufacturers offer three such slots, and it isn’t uncommon to see an i845 board with two. The AD77 is able to claim support for up to 4GB of DDR memory, though. DFI has even gone so far as to test the board with DDR400 memory and publish its results here. Surprisingly, the AD77 Infinity is stable with DDR400 in three of its four memory slots, according to DFI!