..:: 925XE7AA-8EKRS2 Layout: CPU ::..

           

     From an overhead perspective, it’s easy to see that Foxconn was going for an aggressive look with the 925XE7AA-8EKRS2. The only downside that I can find with the aesthetics of this board is the typical PCB substrate coloring. Now, Foxconn can get away with this without much mention because of the attention to detail with the heatsink, headers, and other connections, all of which have been color coordinated to work with the cabling for the system. I don’t much care for this color PCB, but this black and white effect helps. I would’ve preferred to see a lighter color that would bring out a little more contrast with the main components, but that’s just me.

     The Socket T has been oriented lengthwise from East to West across the motherboard, the most typical layout that we’ve seen on these i9xx motherboards. Around the Socket T, we find that Foxconn has chosen to opt for all low-profile components, including the capacitors as well as the encased inductors. In our most recent review of Soltek’s i915G motherboard, we found that utilizing larger capacitors within the greater “keep out” zone could impede mounting of larger heatsinks, so it’s nice to see Foxconn go with all low profile components.

     Foxconn has chosen to implement a three-phase power delivery design for the 925XE7AA-8EKRS2. Normally, on these higher end i925X and i925XE motherboards, we’ve seen manufacturers utilizing four-phase solutions. These four-phase power delivery schemes have become far more common on these latest Intel motherboards. Given the tremendous amount of power required for the latest Pentium 4 processors, especially those based off of the Prescott core, smooth power delivery is an absolute must. We’ve yet to have any stability problems with board running off three-phase power delivery designs, though will this have a negative effect on our overclocking experiences? We’ll have to wait and see.

     The components that make up the bulk of the processor portion of 925XE7AA-8EKRS2 deal with, as always, the core voltage supply. Along the right hand side of the processor socket, we find the typical array of SMT components. This are also houses the ITE IT8266R “Overclocking Controller” which support a 6-Bit VID, 8 GPIO pins, Auto Recovery, Auto Detection for a New CPU, all with a simple serial interface. To the above right of this chip, we find the four-pin fan power connection. These new four-pin fans are music to my ears, solely because of the much improved RPM controls that can really give the end user total control over how loud or quiet they would like their system to be based on system temperatures.

     The left hand side of the processor socket, as well as the portion along the top edge of the PCB, houses all of the oh-so-typical items that can be found on every other motherboard on the market. Here, we see a few larger capacitors, as well as the array of low profile components. Other than these core electrical components, the processor portion of 925XE7AA-8EKRS2 is clean. Foxconn has implemented the three-phase power solution for the 925XE7AA-8EKRS2 with quality, ultra-low ESR capacitors as well as a high quality Intersil Buck Controllers and MOSFET drivers.