KT333 mobos and 166 FSB CPU's

[Need4Speed]

I'm shopping around for a new mobo in anticipation of the 166/333 FSB amd chips and have a quick question...

do all KT333 mobos support these chips natively (or at least a BIOS flash)? I've read that the Abit mobo supports the 1/5 PCI divider, do others as well?

-P

 

[Insane3D]

They do not all support it...but most do.

The best KT333 board right now IMO is the Epox 8K5A2+..

 

[Vic]

The Epox 8K3A and 8K5A2 (new model with added features) both support the 1/5 divisor just fine. I run at 166+ all day every day.

 

[Need4Speed]

Originally posted by: Insane3D
They do not all support it...but most do.

The best KT333 board right now IMO is the Epox 8K5A2+..

excellent! i was looking at the 8K5A2 and the 8K5A2+

I have no use for raid, so I'll probably grab the 8K5A2....

 

[Insane3D]

The + also comes with LAN if you are interested...

I just set one up with a $50 1600+ XP and I'm running 166mhz FSB, 166mhz memory and 1.75ghz with no voltage increases...

 

[Actaeon]

Another satisfied 8K5A2 owner here.... running my 1600XP @ 1.9ghz (181x10.5)

 

[Need4Speed]

the onboard lan would be nice, but it has a ton of pci slots, and the 25.00+ difference isn't worth it since i have a ton of nics.

Looks like Ill place my order

 

[BD231]

A question for you Insane3D, where do you think the KT3 Ultra2 stands compared to the 8K5A2. I had an EPox 8KHA+ and that thing was a nightmare, but I have an MSI KT266 Pro2 that has never once given me an issue. Do you really think the 8K5A2 is the best buy over the MSI board?

 

[Need4Speed]

I have been running the 8kha+ for almost a year with no problems what so ever. What kind of problems were you having?

 

[Athlon4all]

Many KT333 boards will support future 333fsb 2700+ and up XP's, but only the next generation of chipsets (SiS 746, KT400 and nForce2) will offically support 333fsb on all boards.

 

[BD231]

Originally posted by: Need4Speed
I have been running the 8kha+ for almost a year with no problems what so ever. What kind of problems were you having?

Well I had to RMA 3 all together, that was my biggest problem. I had bad ram slots on one. Another killed my Radaeon 8500 and one of my back-up video cards, and the second replacement they sent me was dead when it got here. I had a problem with the 8500 and video flikering, and a problem with my old SB Audigy. Overall just got some really bad boards, and I've read some bad things about the 8K5A2 over on amdmb, but I also heard about some issues with the MSI board as well. I'm kinna stuck on what to get.

 

[Vic]

Be very wary about what you read at amdmb. While many of the posters are knowledgeable and very helpful, a great deal of them are absolute idiots. For example, the longest negative post over there about the 8K5A2+ is a total idiot whose biggest rants are that he can't use his optical devices on the HPT372 RAID controller

and that the internal clock resets everytime he clears the CMOS

For beta BIOS'es, hacked BIOS'es, mem tweaks, and other such funky stuff, amdmb is the best. But a large part of the forums over there are made up of 14 year-olds who have no clue what they are doing and yet always make sure to blame the respective manufacturer for their user error. You just have to take it all with a grain of salt.
Sorry to hear about your defective boards though. Mobos of every make and model are tricky and prone to DOA, which is why I always buy mine locally from a place with a good return policy.

 

[Technonut]

For example, the longest negative post over there about the 8K5A2+ is a total idiot whose biggest rants are that he can't use his optical devices on the HPT372 RAID controller and that the internal clock resets everytime he clears the CMOS

LOL!! I read that one myself.

A good forum dedicated to EPoX mobos is: Alliance For The Advancement Of The Overclocking Arts There are EPoX techs on hand there to answer posts.

EDIT: My 8K5A2+ runs a 214 FSB rock solid.