First of all, I have to stress that it is based on a four-phase circuit, while most contemporary Pentium 4 mainboards use only a three-phase one. The use of more complex approach has a few positive consequences. First, the stability and “purity” of the supplied current increase a lot. And it is crucial for higher system stability when working not only in nominal conditions but also during overclocking. Second, the use of more complex circuit allows reducing the amount of heat dissipated by this part of the mainboard, which definitely improves the thermal conditions for the CPU. Moreover, the CPU voltage regulator is built of high-quality electronic components, such as high-quality Japanese capacitors, which ABIT has recently started using for its products.

ABIT engineers considered four-channel power supply to be not enough for higher system stability that is why they equipped this unit with additional cooling solution. Another remarkable feature of ABIT IC7-MAX3 is ABIT’s brand name OTES cooling (Outside Thermal Exhaust System) intended to cool down the CPU voltage regulator components. The corresponding part of the mainboard PCB is covered with plastic housing leading to the mainboard rear panel equipped with a special fan ensuring proper air circulation through the housing outside the system case. This way, ABIT solved the overheating problem for power transistors used in the CPU voltage regulator. If other manufacturers are at all concerned about the overheating of their voltage regulator transistors, the maximum they do is cover them with small standard heatsinks. ABIT went one step further here by designing active cooling solution for the processor voltage regulator and… seems to have gone way too far.

Of course, the OTES solution located on the right side of the PCB looks very impressive. Especially since it is lit by three green LEDs during operation. Those of you who have windowed cases will definitely adore it: