Foxconn WinFast NF4K8AC nForce4 Mainboard 

Foxconn Features

Before we dive in, I want to take a second and point out some of Foxconn's proprietary features.  Many of these you will recognize from a functional standpoint.

SuperBoot: Geared toward increasing your boot time by performing POST (power on self test) on initial boot but not on subsequent resets without powering down.

SuperStep: Foxconn's user friendly overclocking tool.

SuperRecovery: Working through a hidden BIOS partition, SuperRecovery protects and can recover some drive data to thwart viruses and problems caused by users in educational settings.

SuperSpeed: Sets system speed via a jumperless user friendly interface.

SuperUpdate: Fast and easy BIOS updates.

SuperLogo: Allows the end user to display graphics/pictures/logos to personalize their PC.

SuperBIOS Protect: Uses hardware/software double BIOS lock technology to keep bad things from happening.

One last point I want to touch on before we look at our board is Foxconn's tagging scheme.  The base product is the NF4K8AC mainboard.  An additional lettering/numbering code system identifies what options are also included.  These options are...

• L = Onboard 10/100 LAN

• K = Onboard Gigabit LAN 

• 6 = 6-Channel Audio 

• 8 = 8-Channel Audio 

• E = Firewire 

• S = SATA 

• R = RAID

Our test unit today is the Foxconn NF4K8AC-8EKRS; meaning 8-Channel Audio, Firewire, Gigabit LAN, RAID and SATA as you can see from the list above.

What you get

Foxconn is following the path of several other mainboard manufacturers in regards to extras.  The premium or deluxe package including everything from rounded cables to adapters and connectors of every usable variety on one end with the stripped down more budget conscious bundle on the other.  The Foxconn NF4K8AC adheres to the more budget conscious side of the spectrum.  In addition to the board itself, you get two SATA cables, a two connection SATA power adapter, two IDE ribbon cables, I/O back plate; driver CD, RAID driver on floppy and a large fold out quick install poster.  The actual 87 page manual for the Foxconn NF4K8AC is in .pdf format on the included driver CD.  For most, the complete manual being on CD isn’t going to be an issue.  It should be pointed out that people only need the manual if they run into trouble and trouble with a mainboard is generally during install when you can’t exactly access a .pdf document unless you have another machine lying around.

 

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Pg 1 - Introduction
Pg 2 - Features / What you get
Pg 3 - The Board
Pg 4 - BIOS
Pg 5 - Setup and Productivity Benchmarks
Pg 6 - Gaming Benchmarks
Pg 7 - Overclocking and Conclusion