Is the Gigabyte GA-7VRXP KT333 any good?

[robo555]

I'm thinking of building a new computer, and was leaning towards the Epox 8K3A+ motherboard, but was slightly disappointed that it didn't have any USB 2.0 ports. Then I found the Gigabyte GA-7VRXP KT333, which has a bundle of USB ports incl USB 2.0, RAID, onboard Creative sound and LAN. According to the benchmark on this page, I was surprised to see it perform almost identical to the Epox 8K3A+:

http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=review&dId=211&dPage=4

Info on the board is here:

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/products/7vrxp.htm

Is this Gigabyte a good board? The CPU will probably be an AthlonXP 1600 or 1700, maybe higher if the Thoroughbred 2200+ CPU makes the current line cheaper.

 

[robo555]

Anyone care to comment?

 

[jpetermann]

This is a great board! I have one that I run an xp 1800 on and it just rocks! VERY stable and it has good overclocking potential if that is your thing. I fyou have any specific questions, feel free to ask!

PJ

 

[jar5tyle]

Yes, very stable

I'm recommending this board to a friend of mine

 

[squiddley]

I have this board and "yes" it's fine. I had trouble (still unresolved and on the back burner now) getting XP Pro to accept the Promise RAID driver so failed in that respect. Other than a few inconsistencies with the manual (rev 1.0) installation and setup were fine. I haven't really tried overclocking, and am over that fad now (no insult inferred), but it looks to be very "tweak-friendly".

I originally planned on an Asus, but decided I didn't need or could justify the additional expense of the onboard IEEE1394. I then looked at Magic Pro DR4, but it wasn't quite the package. Spotted the 7VRXP in another tore window and no regrets.

Bottom line : Right now I guess it's as good a choice as any

 

[jpetermann]

From my experience, the only problem with the raid was the drivers that came on the cd. They were bad drivers. The one's on their site are the correct ones to use, and then you should be fine.

PJ