The standard i810 featureset is present and accounted for in the MX3W, including UDMA/66 support as well as 4MB of DC-100 SDRAM dedicated to the chipset's video processor.

For audio support, AOpen chose to go a different route than we've seen in the other i810 boards by opting to utilize an audio CODEC (AD1881) to generate sound.

This is a cost saving move versus selecting a dedicated Yamaha audio processor, which off-loads the system's CPU by processing the routines itself. In the MX3W the AD1881 relies on the system's CPU to get the job done, and that eats into the maximum computing potential of the PC to the tune of approximately 5 - 10% depending upon what application is being run.

Although the sound was crisp and clear, we'd rather have seen AOpen include a 3rd party dedicated audio processor, as we hate to give up even the slightest amount of CPU performance when we don't need to. But for the target audience of the MX3W (mostly business oriented, non-gamer specific) we believe that its audio capabilities will be up to the tasks it will likely face.

Included in the MX3W's box of goodies is the now obligatory Norton anti-virus software on CD, as well as an adapter to utilize a digital flat panel display. The thought of using a $2,000 flat panel display with a $200 mainboard/CPU combo may seem amusing when taken at face value, but it's a testament to how popular integrated PC solutions are in the arena of corporate PC buying where flat panel displays have flourished due to space constraints.

Thanks to its small size, installing the MX3W is largely a painless procedure, although users will have to put up with multiple reboots in order for Win98 to equip itself with the necessary drivers required for the board's audio and video support.

We don't care for the small "Quick Installation Guide" that AOpen as well as some other mainboard manufacturers currently pack with their products in lieu of a fully detailed manual. We understand that it saves trees by using less paper, and also saves the consumer a little cash from the reduction in page count, but we still fear that someone installing boards with nothing but a glorified pamphlet could run astray and be left out in the cold due to a problem that a full manual might have been able to alleviate.

The MX3W's quick installation guide is well written, as these things go, and clearly illustrated to provide as much information as possible in its ten pages.