Chipping in
Intel's 845PE chipset ties the IT7 MAX2 V2.0 together, and it is the reason for this "Version 2.0" of the board in the first place. Both the original IT7 MAX and its successor, the IT7 MAX2, use Intel's 845E chipset, which doesn't officially support DDR333 memory. Check the box to make sure you're getting the latest version of the board. You can fiddle around with the BIOS with Abit's 845E-based boards to get support for "DDR354" memory speeds, but it's a hack, and there's no guarantee that DDR333 DIMMs will run faster than stock.

I'd cover the 845PE chipset in more depth, but our own 845PE review did such a good job I might as well just point you there. Other than support for DDR333 memory, there's really not much new with the 845PE, anyway.

The 845PE chipset is joined on the IT7 MAX2 V2.0's PCB by the almost half dozen auxiliary chips needed to power the board's various integrated peripherals. Chips from Texas Instruments, VIA, Marvel, and RealTek power the IT7 MAX2 V2.0's Firewire, additional USB 2.0, Serial ATA, and Ethernet ports, respectively. You can access all but one Firewire and two USB 2.0 ports via the IT7 MAX2 V2.0's port back plane and provided USB 2.0 expansion header. This extra port capacity is accessible via Abit's Media XP drive bay port extender/media reader, but that particular accessory isn't bundled with the board.

RealTek's popular ALC650 audio chip also makes an appearance on the board. The ACL650's audio fidelity is only average, but that's still pretty good for an integrated chip

The AMD embargo continues

Abit puts an LED display for BIOS boot codes right on the IT7 MAX2 v.2.0, and I love them for it. The boot code display is particularly useful for troubleshooting boot errors, and I'd really like to see it integrated into all of Abit's motherboards in the future. At the very least, it probably simplifies tech support for them a little.

Like previous MAX motherboards, the IT7 MAX2 V2.0's IDE RAID is provided by HighPoint's 374 controller chip. This time around, the RAID ports are split between IDE and Serial ATA channels to further future-proof the package. Serial ATA may seem useless with no drives readily available on the market, but Abit packages a Serillel adapter with the IT7 MAX2 V2.0 that will let you connect a normal IDE drive to one of the board's Serial ATA ports.

Serial ATA today, almost

The Highpoint chip controls drives plugged into the Serillel adapter. Although using the adapter will clean up some of the IDE ribbon clutter inside your case, the adapter itself isn't perfect. Unfortunately, the connection between the Serillel adapter and every hard drive I tried it with was so loose, even a gentle bump could cause the adapter to fall out. Not that you should be bumping your case, even gently, but I'd expect an adapter like this one to fit snugly. This board should appeal to enthusiasts more likely to move their cases to and from LAN parties, so a loose hard drive connector is particularly annoying.

Bundle it up
Bundles won't make or break a motherboard, but they can add a lot of value to the package. Then again, sometimes they also add a lot of fluff that's going to end up in the garbage anyway. Fortunately, Abit gets it right.

The IT7 MAX2 V2.0's potent bundle

The IT7 MAX2 V2.0's bundle is pretty stacked, and it's all good stuff. In addition to custom black IDE ribbons, you also get a customary USB PCI back plate header and a port shield that will work with the IT7 MAX2 V2.0's unique port layout.

It might seem like a small thing to some, but the zip ties and cable binders that Abit includes with the IT7 MAX2 V2.0 really do it for me. I may just be a sucker for zip ties. (The tube of 600 odd zip ties on my work bench would support that theory.) Nevertheless, zip ties and cable binders will come in handy if you need to clean up your PC's internal or external cabling. The cable binders made short work of the mess of CAT5 cable running back and forth between my hub, test machines, and server.

Despite the IT7 MAX2 V2.0's two Serial ATA ports, Abit only includes one Serillel adapter with the board. If the adapter fit better, I'd probably be more disappointed there wasn't a second one included. Still, I've yet to see any other Serial ATA-equipped board come with something like a Serillel adapter.

The only thing missing from the IT7 MAX2 V2.0's bundle is Abit's Media XP port extender and media card reader, which fits into a 3.5" drive bay. At a $70 street price, the Media XP would be a pricey addition to the bundle, but I think it'd be a worthwhile addition, perhaps for a "Special Edition" version of the board.