CHAINTECH - Chaintech ZNF3-150 Zenith nForce3 Motherboard Review

Chaintech are reknowned for the bundle they put together for their Zenith line of motherboards, an example here with the Chaintech ZNF3-150 Zenith (nForce3 150 ) is the inclusion of silver, beige and black faceplates - just for one of the accessories, the CBOX3 bay device. Bjorn3d’s Shane Unrein reviews:

If someone asked me for the best motherboard package available, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend two mainboard lines — DFI’s LANParty line and Chaintech’s Zenith line. When I first reviewed the Chaintech 7NJS Zenith (nForce2) motherboard, I was more than impressed with the huge bundle and features. It was by far the best package (albeit pricey) I had seen to date, but then months later DFI comes along and throws LANParty boards into the fray. As a big fan of big bundles, I started to wonder which one I liked more.

To be honest, I still haven’t decided which I prefer, but these two motherboard lines are two of the best around as far as the bundles are concerned. Additionally, they are usually top-of-the-line performers as well! This review will focus on Chaintech’s Zenith line and in particular the Athlon64 offering – the ZNF3-150 Zenith, based on the NVIDIA nForce3 150 chip. Not only does this board feature the awesome Zenith bundle, but it also features some innovative features as well, such as RadEX. Keep reading to learn more…

. . . All the great stuff in the Zenith package doesn’t come cheap. As of this writing, Newegg is selling the Chaintech ZNF3-150 Zenith package for $179.99. So, are all the extras worth the extra cash? Well, that all depends on what you think of the extras and having what is probably the best Athlon64 bundle currently available. Value is added to this package by the following bundled items: CBOX3 (keep in mind that this includes a 6-in-1 media reader), useful software and round cables. The high quality onboard sound solution is also worth noting when considering the price. If purchased separately, these items would easily cost the $50 that separates this package from many other Athlon64 solutions available. It’s going to have to be up to you whether or not it’s enough bang for the buck.

Bjorn3d
Chaintech ZNF3-150 Zenith nForce3 Motherboard