FIC AZ11E Review :: Installation

This motherboard can be set up in a few ways: through the BIOS if you want it to auto detect all the settings (use this if you are a beginner), or, for the overclockers and advanced users out there, you change the settings through the use of two sets of switches as shown below. One set controls the Bus Ratio Setting (clock speed), and the other sets the CPU core voltage. You have multiple choices and various settings to explore and play with on this motherboard, making it an overclockers friend.

I first mounted the CPU on the motherboard, and then installed the Thermaltake cooling fan and the RAM. I proceeded to identify where everything connected, and then I set my CPU settings to 6.5 X 100Mhz via the onboard switches. I then got my cables and my tools ready and prepared myself for the task at hand. I used six screws to secure the motherboard to the inside of the case.

Installation into the case was a simple task. The mounting holes all lined up perfectly due to the standard ATX design of the motherboard. It mounted inside of the case using the six set screws mentioned earlier, without the need for additional washers because the design of the motherboard leaves ample room around the mountings for a ground-free installation. All the mounting hardware, such as the set screws and the riser pins, all came with the case itself.

After hooking up all the cables to their respective places I connected the power leads and the power connector to the motherboard itself, and then checked to make sure everything was connected properly inside the case. I then hooked up the case-to-motherboard wiring for the power, reset and HDD/Power LEDs and also the speaker connector, which was easy to do thanks to the very legible writing on the motherboard itself. All and all, this was a very easy motherboard to install due to its ease of use and features.

Windows installation went without incident and took about twenty minutes. After the primary OS was finished, I installed the latest 4-in-1 driver from VIA's Web site before anything else was put in the system. The video, audio and other drivers all installed without problems, as did the testing software.