SOLTEK - Soltek Qbic EQ3801 (Socket 754) nForce3 250Gb SFF Review

In comes Soltek to the rescue with the cubed Qbic EQ3801 for the Athlon 64. We have previously reviewed two Qbic models, the EQ3701M and EQ3701M with impressive results. Thus, we were quite pleased when we received not one but two variants of the Qbic EQ3801, the EQ3801MW and the EQ3801GD-300. The two models are essentially the same except that the EQ3801GD-300 has an updated power supply. Soltek has beefed up the power supply to a 300W unit from a 250W unit found in the EQ3801MW. The EQ3801 uses a motherboard based upon the nForce3 250Gb chipset, boasting a full 800MHz HyperTransport bus, Gigabit LAN and a whole slew of features in a petite package. With the additional power, it should be able to accommodate even more demanding components than before. In the following pages, we delve into the Soltek Qbic EQ3801 to see what makes it tick, and if it ticks fast enough to be considered a high-performance system.

…In terms of performance, the Qbic EQ3801 was able to keep within 1-2% of its desktop equivalent motherboard, the SL-K8AN2E-GR. This goes to show that Soltek puts the same amount of effort into their SFF motherboards as they do their regular desktop boards. Keep in mind that the EQ3801 was running at slightly relaxed memory timings of 7-4-4 CAS 2.5. Although we did not managed to keep the memory timings running lower, it was nevertheless impressive that the performance loss was only marginal. If the EQ3801 was to be able to run at better memory latencies, it might even be able to edge out the SL-K8AN2E-GR. However, the differences are basically negligible, making the Qbic EQ3801 increasingly attractive as a serious desktop replacement. Soltek has done themselves proud with another excellent member to the Qbic SFF family.

Score: 4.5 / 5

Soltek Qbic EQ3801 (Socket-754) @ Hardware Zone