Intel D815EPFV Review :: Installation

Setup was very easily done, as the system auto detects all your settings allowing for a trouble free setup. For these tests, we connected the motherboard to the test station with just two screws, which was enough to adequately secure the board to the station. There are actually six holes in all for securing the motherboard in your enclosure, and they all have adequate space around them to insure a ground free installation.

I installed the CPU the Molex cooling solution and the SDRAM onto the motherboard without any problems. The Molex solution has a slightly large clip, which is why the RAM was installed into the third slot instead of the first for easy access to the CPU. The AGP card was installed easily without one of those in-the-way retaining levers that I find more of a hassle than any actual benefit for the user. Maybe if you were going four-wheeling with your computer I could see this being an asset.

We then proceeded to hook up all the system cables and power connectors including the system lights and the start and reset controller wires. The system fired up on the first attempt and after playing around in the BIOS I determined it automatically set itself up to the optimal system configuration. This is one very easy motherboard to work with, and even a green beginner would find this a simple motherboard to install and setup due to its ease of use and its Auto detection features.

Windows setup went in without any problems and took about twenty minutes of total time to complete. With the Intel series of motherboards, the only drivers you have to install are the audio and the Ultra ATA100 controller. I installed these and then moved on to the installation of the video card and the the 10/100 onboard LAN drivers. The testing software was then installed and the system restarted before running the system tests. We then ran each test three times, restarting the system between each battery of tests for accuracy and then taking the middle results as the final score.

While not the fastest scores I have seen, the Intel 815 series is just rock solid stable through all the tests. I encountered no system lag in any of the system tasks I performed. The Internet ran very smoothly and when using my LAN it recognized my other systems without any problems. This is a very good motherboard to work with. It is virtually hassle free and very automated in its setup procedure. This motherboard is a winner when it comes to setup and installation. I was very pleased with its overall performance.