Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/447



Transcend is one of the motherboard companies that has been around for a while but still is not well known in the market. They focus on two different components -- motherboards and memory -- an uncommon combination. While many people might be skeptical of Transcend after the TS-AVD1 review, don't be too quick to write Transcend off. They have made quality products in the past and this board is no exception.

The TS-UWH31 is the most recent Transcend board to arrive at AnandTech, sporting Intel's i810 chipset. One advantage of the new chipset is built-in video and audio, with video built into the chipset running directly off of system memory. However, the main advantage of the board is the low price, which does not usually parallel quality construction. The question is, can Transcend make a competitive i810 board -- an extremely stable, low-priced motherboard?


New Anand Tech Report Card Rating
88/B+

Motherboard Specifications

CPU Interface
Socket 370
Chipset
Intel i810-DC100
On-Board Video
i810-DC100 GMCH
I/O Controller
i801 ICH
L2 Cache
N/A (on-chip)
Form Factor
microATX
Bus Speeds

66 / 75 / 83 / 95
100 / 150

Clock Multipliers
3.0x - 8.0x
Voltages Supported
Autodetect
Memory Slots
2 168pin DIMM Slots
Expansion Slots
1 AMR Slots
0 AGP Slot
3 PCI Slots (2 Full Length)
0 ISA Slots
BIOS
Award 6.00

The Good


Click to enlarge

The microATX TS-UWH31 is outfitted with Socket-370 and a 3/1/0 (PCI/AMR/AGP) expansion slot configuration. This means that that the TS-UWH31 has 3 PCI, 1 AMR (Audio Modem Riser) and no AGP slots. With the GMCH (Graphics and Memory Controller Hub) replacing the north bridge and the i801AA ICH I/O Controller Hub replacing the south bridge, the i810's unique design is first apparent. The i801AA ICH is probably going to be the most popular choice by i810 manufacturers. The controller also supports ATA-66 allowing both of the IDE ports to transfer at a theoretical 66MB/s.

The GMCH that Transcend included is Intel's i810-DC100 GMCH which includes 4MB of 100 MHz display cache. For more information on the chipset and GMCH, take a peek at the i810 chipset review. Although most i810 buyers might not care, all three of the PCI slots are capable of accepting full length PCI cards. Like other i810 boards, the TS-UWH31 has two 168-pin 100MHz SDRAM DIMM slots supporting up to 512 MB of RAM. The TS-UWH31 provides sound by featuring a built-in AC97 CODEC which uses processor power. The "soft audio" powers the audio input/output jacks towards the rear of the motherboard, but when CPU power needs to be preserved, the CODEC can be disabled allowing the addition of a PCI soundcard.



When first examining the layout of the board, this board is different from some other microATX boards. The AMR slot is placed on the outside of the PCI slots, but, more noticeably, the floppy connector is above the socket. The TS-UWH31 sports three fan connectors which shows that cost cutting is not the first priority. There are thirteen 1500uF capacitors which are located immediately around the CPU slot and a few other capacitors are placed sparsely all over the board. The popular green heatsink is mounted on the i810-DC100 via spring clips. Due to the onboard video, one of the serial ports is replaced by a monitor connector. If you need the second serial port, the board includes an expansion slot bracket with a second serial port.

Overclocking options on Transcend's i810 are not as numerous as they could be, with only four FSB settings of 66/75/83/95 MHz for 66 MHz Celerons. Although our test bed Celeron 333 has run at 500 MHz, it would not boot at that speed in the TS-UWH31. However, Transcend claims speeds up to 150 MHz in their manual. The board is practically jumperless, with a jumper to set 66/100 MHz. The clock multiplier can be set in the BIOS from 3.0x - 8.0x; however, clock multiplier support isn't a big issue anymore with Intel processors now that all Intel CPUs are multiplier locked.

The jumperless setup is a function of the Award BIOS utility that is part of the board's i802AB FWH (Firmware Hub). The TS-UWH31 uses the updated revision 6.00PG of Award's popular BIOS. The 6.00PG is much easier to navigate with descriptions of the settings in the right panel of the screen and also provides many more system settings allowing optimization under extreme overclocking situations, definitely a plus for hardcore hardware enthusiasts.

Fortunately, the TS-UWH31 was extremely stable both at 433 and 484 MHz, making it a strong competitor in the motherboard market. For anyone looking for a solid, reasonably priced motherboard without needing a plethora of overclocking options, this board is one to look into.

For hardware monitoring, the board sports the Winbond 83627 HF-AW chip -- which provides adequate hardware monitoring. In fact, the TS-UWH31 monitors 7 voltages, 3 fan speeds and CPU temperature. Also, the temperature should be read from the CPU's on die thermal diode but is instead reported via a thermistor below the chip.

The power management options are the same as most other boards these days. For the users who wish the computer to turn on in the presence of network activity or an incoming, both wake on LAN and wake on modem ring headers are available. Also, the BIOS can be set to turn on the system at a specific time so the computer can wake up before you. The CPU fan can be shut off when the system suspends to quiet things down a bit. ACPI support is built into the BIOS for added power management under an ACPI compliant OS like Windows 98 or Windows 2000. The system can be configured to power on via hot key or mouse click as well.



The Bad

As mentioned previously, the placement of the floppy drive connector forces you to stretch the cable over the rest of the motherboard in order to plug it in. While a little unusual, the power connector's placement on the right side of the board should not be too much of a trouble except in extremely cluttered systems.

The on-board audio CODEC may not be the best choice for gamers or music enthusiasts because of the drain on CPU time. If the included GMCH is sufficient for your video needs but the AC97 CODEC is too much of a CPU hog, a PCI sound card can always be added as a supplement. Because the AC97 CODEC is relatively cheap, most boards in the future will probably be sporting such equipment.

Transcend is one of the few companies that usually includes more written documentation than just a quick installation guide. However this was not the case for the TS-UWH31. While this might not necessarily be a true problem for anyone but the novice computer builder, it is still an appreciated addition. The only written documentation included was a Quick Installation Guide outlining the basics of the TS-UWH31. For people not that familiar with motherboards, the Quick Installation Guide does contain a few helpful pointers and a brief description of installation. Unfortunately, cost-cutting is more and more prevalent in a competitive market where motherboard manufacturers try their best to keep profits high.

While recently some companies have been including virus programs, the Transcend CD provided drivers and an in depth manual in PDF format. The CD is a generic copy included with all their boards and includes manuals and specifications for all of them. The CD manual was readable even though English teachers might not be very happy with the grammar or some word choices.

Overclockers may be a bit disappointed with the message that the TS-UWH31, like the MX3W, does not support any sort of manipulation of the core voltage of Socket-370 processors. It's not so much that such a feat can't be accomplished, as it has already been proven that it can (ABIT, Iwill and Microstar to name a few), but it does take a little time and effort to implement. If anything, Transcend might want to keep stability their number one priority, meaning that implementing core voltage tweaks isn't high on the to-do list until more of their customers demand it.


USB Compatibility

  • Number of Front Universal Serial Bus Root Ports: 0

  • Number of Rear Universal Serial Bus Root Ports: 2

  • USB IRQ Enable/Disable in BIOS: Yes

  • USB Keyboard Support in BIOS: Yes


Recommended SDRAM

Recommended SDRAM: 1 x 64MB Mushkin SEC Original PC100 SDRAM; 1 x 64MB Memory-Man SEC Original PC100 SDRAM

SDRAM Tested: 1 x 128MB Mushkin SEC Original PC100 SDRAM; 1 x 128MB Memory-Man SEC Original PC100 SDRAM

Manufacturer: The Memory Man
Purchase Web-Site: http://www.memory-man.com

Manufacturer: Mushkin
Purchase Website: http://www.mushkin.com




The Test

In recent times, choosing a motherboard cannot be completely determined by a Winstone score. Now, many boards come within one Winstone point of each other and therefore the need to benchmark boards against each other falls. Therefore you shouldn't base your decision entirely on the benchmarks you see here, but also on the technical features and advantages of this particular board, seeing as that will probably make the greatest difference in your overall experience.

Click Here to learn about AnandTech's Motherboard Testing Methodology.

Test Configuration

Processor(s):
Intel Celeron 433
RAM:
1 x 64MB Mushkin PC100 SDRAM
1 x 64MB Memory-Man PC100 SDRAM
Hard Drive(s):
Western Digital Caviar AC28400 - UltraATA/33
Bus Master Drivers:
Microsoft Win98 DMA Drivers
Video Card(s):
810-DC100 w/ 4MB DC
Video Drivers:
Intel 810 Chipset Graphics Driver PV1.1
Operation System(s):
Windows 98 SE
Motherboard Revision:
Transcend TS-UWH31 revision 1.1

 

Windows 98 Performance

 
Business
Winstone 99
Intel Celeron 433 (66MHz x 6.5)
17.7
Intel Celeron 488 (75MHz x 6.5)
18.7

The Final Decision

After the TS-AVD1, it was difficult to believe in the strength of Transcend boards. However, Transcend showed once again that they can produce a high quality competitor. Transcend has once again proven that smaller names in the industry can produce quality and competitive products. If you are looking for a motherboard chock full of overclocking options to get maximum FPS in Quake III, the i810 chipset is not the best choice. However, if the goal is building a low-priced microATX system, the Transcend TS-UWH31 is a good match. The board's stability made it clear that it is a reliable competitor in the market.

As mentioned in previous reviews, for companies like Transcend to become readily available from a variety of vendors, they really need to make a name for themselves in the market. To do so, they need to develop something unique which would appeal to a variety of users . Having excellent stability, high build quality, and no major issues alone might not be enough in this extremely competitive market.


How it Rates

AnandTech Motherboard Rating

 
Business
Performance
85%
Price
85%
Ease of Use
94%
Overclocked Stability
87%
General Stability
94%
Quality
89%
Documentation
85%
Reliability
87%
Overall Rating
88%

Click Here to learn about AnandTech's Motherboard Testing Methodology.

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