EPOX - EPoX EP-8RGM3I mATX Motherboard Review

The EPoX 8RGM3I is actually a revision of a previously released 8RGMI. Both of these boards were built around the popular NVIDIA nForce2 chipset with the integrated graphics processor or IGP. The difference in the two comes from the CPU support from the chipset and the graphics connectors. The originally 8RGMI originally only supported up to the 333MHz frontside bus AMD Athlon XP processors. The new 8RGM3I can now support the 400MHz frontside bus processors. The other unique feature to the 8RGM3I is the twin VGA monitor support. This allows the integrated graphics to control two monitors at once, something not found in most IGP implementations.

..Overall the EPoX 8RGM3I motherboard is an average board for its price range and design. It lacks many features one might expect such as FireWire support and overclocking. In addition, the limitations when using the integrated graphics processor can be very severe. It isn’t capable of running any of the current 3D video games and it requires the memory be run at the lower 333MHz bus speed that is problematic for processors greater than a 2500+ rating.

Still, there are a few good things to say about the 8RGM3I. First, it is one of the few boards available to support dual monitors with an integrated graphics solution. This makes it a very inexpensive solution for those looking to run multiple monitors. Similarly, the small MicroATX motherboard size can allow users to build a very small footprint system.

EPoX EP-8RGM3I mATX Board Review @ About.com