Need new mobo - KT333 or KT400?

[metroplex]

I'm looking for a new mobo that uses the KT333 or KT400, the final decision weighing on which board is the most reliable.

I'm going to use an Athlon XP2100+, and if the mobo has on-board LAN and sound, all the merrier.
I looked at some of the usual places like Tom's Hardware Guide and they never comment on reliability.

So I thought if I asked folks that worked with computers everyday, I might get a better picture.

Thanks

 

[intelbugger]

Maybe the upcoming nforce2 board from Epox with GF4MX core, 6 channel sound, DDR 400, AGP 8x, LAN and firewire is the best option.

The board is EP-8Rga+

 

[metroplex]

how reliable is it?

 

[CaptnKirk]

Be aware the the KT400 technology is not maturing at an acceptable rate, and some manufacturers are restricting their support.
the most reliable at present are based on the KT333, and you can't go wrong with either the Abit KX7 series, or the Epox 8K5A2's
It's a coin flip unless you're a serious overclocker, then the Epox wins the death match.
Insane3D's done a bunch with the Epox

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

When you say that the KT400 is not maturing rapidly enough, what exactly do you mean by that?

 

[metroplex]

Well for a KT333 board, I need reliability and features...

So far I've heard that the Asus A7V333 is the winner for reliability, but are there any other choices?

I really dont' like ABit now, I used to use Abit boards and solely Abit but the KG7-RAID I bought is pure crap.

 

[metroplex]

I just wanted to be more specific:

I need native AMD Athlon XP2100+ support along with reliable DDR33 operation (PC2700 RAM will be used).

The Abit AX7 looks like a good deal: stripped down board for about $70-80 (no on-board LAN or sound) but its an Abit... How reliable are they? I don't want another KG7-RAID that works sometimes and not all the time.

 

[CaptnKirk]

You may have gotten a fluke in a bad KG7 board. I have built several Abits based on the KR7-133 and the KX7-333 mobo's, and they have proven to be a very stable platform. I've had more issues with drivers from Philips, and driver updates from ATI & Creative than any other specific problem.
The key to stability lies with the quality of the RAM, and I don't recommend anything other than the PC2700 from Crucial or TRUE Samsung.

The Abit will autodetect, set up under SPD, and have very good overclocking capabilities. Epox may O'Clock higher, but stability and reliability should NOT be an issue.

The JEDEC never spec'd any RAM above the PC2700, so there is 'technicaly' no PC3000 or PC3200, as there is no actual requirement to meet, but some manufacturers have taken this on as a sales propaganda. Samsung does make a PC3200 (DDR400) but once again - no spec.

There is a review within this Anandtech website regarding both the KT133 ( DDR266) and KT333 (DDR333) motherboards which can give you insight to the capabilities and features of several motherboard candidates.

 

[metroplex]

Ok here's another question:

Is it really worth it to get PC2700?
I have two sticks of Crucial Pc2100 DDR, 256MB ea for 512MB total

I used them on my abit KG7-raid which is on the fritz...

I seriously doubt the RAM was bad, but I don't have another mobo + CPU to test.

So the KX7-333 is a very good board?

 

[MichaelD]

I'll throw my hat in the ring, here. I do not have a KT333 board (thinking about it though). I have a KT266A board; a Shuttle AK35GTR. It has been rock stable, and I beat on it quite a bit.

I have read nothing but good things about Shuttle's KT333 board, the AK35GTR2. AMDMB did a KT333 roundup and the Shuttle was right at the top.. Nice and stable. However, it doesn't have USB 2.0 (not a biggie, IMHO) nor does it have an onboard NIC. Also not a biggie...I have extra NICs lying around...no problem.

If I bought a KT333 today, it would be the Shuttle. You want stable? Get the Shuttle. You want to overclock everything to squeeze the last nth' out of it w/disregard to frying things? Get the Epox. Epox=King Overclocker.

Just my two cents.

ps
KT400 is not a good idea at this time.

 

[CaptnKirk]

Your PC2100 Crucial will work fine in the Abit KX7-333, but if you do not have the PC2700 the SPD feature will not turn on the 166 RAM (the 333DDR feature) which lets the memory run about 15% faster, and the 5:2:1 divider wil not automatically turn on.

I have had great performance building Abit boards on both the KR7 and KX7 series equipment.
Look at these links, courtesy Mr. AnandTech:

KT266A Which rated Abit the best of many good ones

KT333 In which the Abit AT7 tied for 3rd, but the
KX7-333 was penalized for NOT having enough built in features. Abit hardly ever included built-ins
allowing the builder to pick the specific LAN, sound, Etc. that they wanted. I personally don't like
the built-in stuff, I'll pick my Audigy or whatever. Again stability is not an issue, nor is reliability.

 

[metroplex]

The problem with these reviews is that all they care about is performance on synthetic benchmarks and the # of features (and sometimes stupid stuff like the board has a cool PCB color so it gets top billing), and none of them caught the 75GXP fiasco early on... all they cared about was performance.

I'm asking these questions online because people have real-world experience with products and forums are more up to date than articles.

of course I read them, but it appears that either the Asus or Abit are good choices.

I heard the gain from using Pc2700 over 2100 was neglible, any truth in that?

 

[metroplex]

The Asus A7V333 definitely supports the 2100+ right out of the box right???

I saw a store ad and it said it only supported up to 2000+

My only CPU is the 2100+, I don't have another to test with.

 

[CaptnKirk]

I build performance computers for myself, my son, my daughter, and a circle of friends and co-workers. I don't put them into systems that will let them 'bug' me about trivial things like: 'It won't boot, it's down, it don't do this, it don't do that'. My daughter is 700 miles away, my son is 1100 miles, and I'm not interested in making housecalls to fix their stuff. My co-workers build fighter jets - go figure.

What I build are multifunction home entertainment capable systems, that are not going to be overclocked for sport, but are very fast, reliable, performance equipment.

The design of the KT333 was expected to provide a 25% performance in the RAM function, but only about 10% -15% in speed was actually realized. I see marginal performance improvement since I changed my PC2100 Crucial to PC2700 Sansung, perhaps bulking up the memory volume will help.

Presently the KT400 stuff has delivered more overall features - but less actual speed and performance - to the point that it will probably become a dead end item,
or a 'niche' board, having rather limited deployment, unless something happens to make it better - the struggle with the KT400 equipment continues.

Asus makes a board that is rather easy to use, there are millions in service. Epox boards are the hot overclock ticket right now.
Abit is what I have found to be the best choice to build my friends and relatives that I don't want to hear griping at me, that's real world.

 

[intelbugger]

I doubt a 333 gives any performance increase as long as the CPU FSB stays 266.

Unless a 333 is sure to support the next upcoming AMD CPU with a raised FSB probably 333, I Would still go for a good KT266A.

As a review (I think on anand itself) says, The 333 boards perform, at best, as good as their 266a counterparts, and in cases, worse.

I have seen KT333s and Sis 745s. Nothing struck me as superfast there.

NB : The n-force2 chipset is worth considering if it is an integrated solution you want. NO reviews are out yet because, i guess no boards are out.

The Epox board specs have been put up at their org site : http://www.epox.org/products/mainboards/8rgaplus

Looks good, the specs. Yet to be seen is how it performs with DDR333 and DDR 400 and whether any new memory bandwidth innovation from nvidia finds its mark

 

[mrman3k]

I have the Soyo KT333 Dragon mobo and it has been great for me so far, except that it doesn't have a 1/5 or 1/6 PCI divider which would have been nice. Also the max vcore is 1.85v which is plenty for me since I do not do water cooling, but for the serious OC, definetly go Epox!

 

[kyoshozx]

KT333 actually does have some performance benefits compared to kt266A and it shows on most software even though it's small.


KT400 boards do not perform any better than kt333, while most people say it performs worse. Kt400 boards actually perform better at 333mhz than at 400mhz because at 400mhz memory timings are slower.

Gamepc one site that actually tested an asus a7v8x at 333mhz and at 400mhz. The board was faster at 333mhz and was even slightly faster than asus's own kt333 solution the a7v333.
http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=a7v8x&page=8

If you are looking for a board for reliablilty I would definately go with a kt333 board. Since it's been on the market longer it had more time to mature than the kt400 boards.

 

[Insane3D]

The Abit AX7 looks like a good deal: stripped down board for about $70-80 (no on-board LAN or sound) but its an Abit... How reliable are they? I don't want another KG7-RAID that works sometimes and not all the time.

The Epox 8K5A2 comes with 5.1 sound and 6 USB 2.0 ports for only $83.46 @ Mwave. The KX7-333 is a decent board I guess, but I personally have had reliability issues with Abit in the past. That does not mean all Abit's will have problems, and the KX7-333 might work perfectly for you. However, for just a little bit more money, you get a faster board, with plenty of ability to o/c if you choose, and get upgraded features like using the newest Via 8235 southbridge and having 5.1 sound and USB 2.0.

Also, just because the Epox is the king of o/c, does not mean that it's not designed to run @ stock speeds.

Do some research and get what best suits your needs. Everyone has a different idea of what's "the best"....