First time builder - ASUA A7V133 or AbitKT7A

[workingjoe]

I've seen the review for both boards and it looks like a toss up, obviously the A7V133 has raid and the KT7A doesn't...The price difference is about 10 bucks. If you were a first time builder which one would you choose? Thanks for any comments.

Here are my requirements:

1) Not interested in OC'ing at this point
2) Want Good performance, but want STABILITY
3) Easy board to setup for a first time builder...

The overal all spec is:

Tbird 900
128mb Crucial SDRAM
46GB IBM HD
Some flavor of nvidia MX
Pioneer 16x DVD
SB Live OEM
3COM 10/100 NIC

 

[sd]

Don't forget the MSI K7T Turbo thats coming out in a few weeks. I'm getting ready to upgrade myself and I'm tryin to figure out which mobo to go with. Each has some strenghts and some weaknesses.

The AV7133 is getting very good reviews, but I wish it had 6 PCI slots. I'm not a RAID guy, but it'll only do RAID 0 right now.

The Abit mobo also is getting very good reviews, but a few say its not as stable as the AV7133.

 

[Informant X]

Well if you crave stablity then the MSI K7T Turbo is by far the champ. However the A7V133 is getting there. They both have raid, and are both great boards. They are both out, and both have reviews here on anandtech.

 

[Charles]

Definately Asus A7V133. Faster and more stable.

 

[MichaelD]

Hello there. The Abit KT7A doeshave RAID. You may or may not use it right away. I have the KT7-RAID myself. Not using the RAID right now, but it's nice to know it's there should I want/need it in the future.

You have narrowed your choice down to two very good boards. Both will allow overclocking in the BIOS (assuming your CPU is unlocked). I wasn't interested in overclocking...for about the first two weeks...now it's getting to be a mild obsession! My current system is also my first self-built system. Once it's up and running and you get filled with a sense of accomplishment and pride at what you've done, you'll probably want to see "just how far" you can take your new "monster" (think Dr. Frankenstein.....IT'S ALIIIIIIVE!) Either board will be good to go.

As far as stability goes, yes, the MSI WAS ranked #1 in stability. With Abit about 1/2 step behind. Remember, the stability tests that Anandtech and other reputable sites use are truly brutal and those test conditions would seldom be replicated in real-world use. I understand though, you want the peace of mind knowing that you've bought the most stable board out there. I've been using mine for over a month. Sometimes I leave it on for a few days, sometimes I turn it off at night. I've added/deleted expansion cards, formatted drives, had about 20 explorer windows open at once, while burning a CD, run loops of 3DMark for about 5 hours. No crashes. Not a single hiccup. Just a mini-testimonial for Abit Either way, MSI or Abit, you'll be good to go. Major manufacturers' boards these days are very reliable, and the support for the KT133(A) chipset is very mature at this point, so it boils down to what features you want/need. Some boards have bells and whistles, others just bells. Good luck.

 

[Dulanic]

<< Well if you crave stablity then the MSI K7T Turbo is by far the champ. However the A7V133 is getting there. They both have raid, and are both great boards. They are both out, and both have reviews here on anandtech. >>



I dont see how you can say the MSI is more stable, they both never crashed in the 48 hour period during the stability test. Both very stable.

The Asus A7V133 is probably the best choice. Especially since you cant get the MSI.

 

[aGeNt73]

Abit KT7A-Raid is available..so abit *does* have raid! its a great boardn and i recommend it

 

[bluesky]

Dulanic.
Msi k7t turbo and turbo-r is getting sold on sale/trade forum right now.

 

[XRdirtHead]

Get the Asus....

 

[AmazonRasta]

<< 2) Want Good performance, but want STABILITY >>



The Asus A7V133 has the performance you're looking for along with the stability you're looking for. I've no experience with Abit boards, but I'll tell you that you cannot go wrong with Asus boards.

BTW, the Abit KT7a-Raid costs a bit more than the A7V133, so if you're not looking to overclock, and you want the performance of RAID 0 rather than the security of RAID 1, then get the Asus board.

 

[LXi]

Asus by far the best choice because you cant get the MSI? Well, check the FS forum, check pricewatch people!

Yea, did I mention that the Asus can only do RAID 0?

 

[Informant X]

Umm...Number one don't argue. The MSI is more stable. I've read reviews elsewhere where i have seen the asus board crash. And 2 the MSI is availible. I don't like the asus all to much because of the 2 phase power solution. I'd get the MSI.

 

[DaddyG]

Anand has a sample of one hand picked mobo, his stability tests are meaningless. Avoid ABIT, unless your goal in life is to RMA. Real world experience with the MSI mobo is limited, more people have the ASUS. Remember, real world, includes fully configured systems (which Anand never tests) with Sound Cards, Nics, Modems etc. ASUS provides better support than MSI for the overclocker (i don't mean overclocking options, but true support for problems).

Gigabyte has just about the highest stability in the industry, not just in one class of mobo like MSI but across many years with many different chipsets.

 

[Biggs]

Can a simple BIOS update allow the Promise RAID controller to support RAID 1 and 0 + 1?

I don't think the x-phase power solution matters now 'cuz I've heard people running Thunderbirds at 1.5Ghz using the Asus A7V133.

 

[Noriaki]

<< I don't like the asus all to much because of the 2 phase power solution. I'd get the MSI. >>

I still have yet to see any evidence the MSi doesn't also have 2 phase. I've been told that each &quot;phase&quot; requires 2 MOSFETs and one Coil. The MSi has 8 MOSFETs and 2 coils, so it's not a true four phase. It's probably better than most 2 phases because of the extra MOSFETs, but it can't be a true 4 without the extra coils.

However, I saw a thread somewhere where a guy was running a TBird at 1500 at 2.4V and outputting 100Watts, and the 2 phase power handled it fine. So 2 phase is enough.


Anyhow, of the Asus A7V133 and ABit KT7A, the Asus definately. ABit has poor RMA history and the Asus survived Anand's 48hour test without a single crash. Handpicked or no, that's impressive.

I would take the MSi K7T Turbo-R, more flexible RAID controller and an extra PCI slot, and it did the 48hour test as well. The MSi is also probably cheaper.

But of the Asus and ABit, it's a no-brainer.

 

[LXi]

DaddyG:

If you read that rig servey thread sometime ago, you actually can see that more people own MSI boards than Asus boards, support is just as good as Asus'. And the point about MSI being only good with one mobo is untrue, they've been making reliable and stable boards ever since we know them.

 

[loosbrew]

my vote goes to abit.

good luck with your new system.

loosbrew

 

[nippyjun]

I'd lean toward abit, but it really doesn't matter. Just get the cheaper of the 2.

 

[Mustanggt]

I would have to agree with Dulanic The Asus looks like the best choice. Even if you could get the MSI the Asus still looks better.

 

[LXi]

<<Even if you could get the MSI the Asus still looks better.>>

Please explain that.

 

[bonkers325]

abit kt7a cause of the 4 way interleave

it helps alot

 

[DaddyG]

LXI, I beg to differ. What has MSI's response been to the problems with Ocing on the Pro 2A when known good Ocing cpus don't OC, or come up with odd multipliers ?? The answer, we're still waiting. MSI was the only ones with issues with the 686B, any reponse yet ???

 

[LXi]

Let me remind you that Asus didn't do anything to solve the poor performance demostrated by the P3V4X either, it was VIA who eventually solved it. I fail to see how Asus is any more or less responsive to technical issues.

 

[Sugadaddy]

Should of made a poll, huh?

I have an ASUS k7V (yeah that old Slot thing...) and my dad has an MSI K7T pro2A, and I actually prefer my board. (I've built both systems)

So my recommendation would be the A7V133 which is definitely as stable as the MSI board. I wouldn't even consider Abit except for OCing.

 

[Zan186]

Tough choice both ASUS and ABIT are in my opinion the #1 and #2 board manufacturers out there. I would have to say ASUS over ABIT only because ASUS has the reputation of being the mose stable board around. However, I think you would be better served going with the ASUS A7V which runs the 760 chipset. The big benefit is the ability to use the new PC 2100 ram instead of using PC 133mhz. If you want Raid you can always go SCSI or buy a seperate raid controller.