ABIT KV7 (KT600): Budget Performance in a Small Package
by Evan Lieb on September 7, 2003 10:42 PM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
ABIT KV7: Basic Features
| Motherboard Specifications | |
| CPU Interface | Socket-462 |
| Chipset | VIA KT600 North Bridge VIA VT8237 South Bridge |
| Bus Speeds | up to 250MHz (in 1MHz increments) |
| Core Voltages | up to 2.325V in 0.0250V increments excluding 1.925V, 2.050V, 2.150V, & 2.250V) |
| DRAM Voltage | up to 2.80V (in 0.05V increments excluding 2.75V) |
| Chipset Voltag | up to 2.95V (in 0.1V increments) |
| AGP Voltage | up to 1.65V (in 0.05V increments) |
| Memory Slots | 3 X 184-pin DDR DIMM Slots |
| Expansion Slots | 1 X AGP 8X Slot 5 X PCI Slots |
| Onboard IDE RAID | N/A |
| Onboard USB 2.0/IEEE-1394 | Eight USB 2.0 ports supported by VT8237 No IEEE 1394 FireWire available |
| Onboard LAN | VIA VT6103 10/100 controller |
| Onboard Audio | VIA VT1616 AC’97 codec |
| Onboard Serial ATA | Two SATA connectors via VT8237 (RAID 0, 1 & 0 + 1) |
| BIOS Revision | August 4th, 2003 |
ABIT is one of the first motherboard makers (Soltek being the first we’ve seen) to finally implement the VIA VT1616 codec that has been glaringly absent on previous KT600 motherboards, such as Epox’s 8KRA2+, Gigabyte’s 7VT600 1394, MSI’s KT6 Delta-FIS2R, and ASUS’ A7V600. We have preached the use of VIA’s VT1616 codec instead of cheaper codecs like Realtek’s ALC650/655 because the VT1616 is capable of outputting higher sound quality when an analog speaker system is utilized (in other words, when you use the analog out port). While this sound solution isn’t in the same league as VIA’s Envy24 solutions (which are capable of 24 bit/96KHz sampling), it’s better than most Socket A motherboards that are bound to using fairly low-end Realtek codecs. However, for everyday audio tasks, such as listening to MP3s and even occasional gaming, the KV7 offers good sound quality. Therefore, the KV7’s onboard sound quality really isn’t terribly different from the other KT600 motherboards that AnandTech has reviewed in the past, but it certainly is better.
The ABIT KV7’s LAN controller is powered by an uncommon, but perfectly functional, IC (integrated circuit) named the VIA VT6103. The VIA VT6103 is your standard 10/100 Fast Ethernet PHY that will serve any basic broadband user’s needs. We’ve mentioned in countless reviews that 10/100/1000 network controllers can be found on most modern-day Intel motherboards, but that the same cannot be said about modern-day AMD motherboards (KT600, nForce2, or otherwise). GbE (Gigabit Ethernet) is quite useful for a small niche of home/home office users who transfer large files between networked computers, but besides that it’s not terribly helpful for the majority of mainstream users and enthusiasts. Therefore, we view the absence of onboard GbE as a minor negative attribute of the KV7.
The ABIT KV7 comes with a rather standard collection of I/O ports for a low-end enthusiast motherboard. Included in the rear panel are two PS/2 ports, one serial port, one parallel port, four USB 2.0 ports, one LAN port, SPDIF ports, and Mic In, Line In, and Line Out, which drive the onboard sound. The four USB 2.0 ports should be just enough for people that use everyday USB equipment, such as printers, scanners, digital cameras, USB flash memory keys, etc. ABIT is known for adding intriguing sets of I/O ports, so the addition of SPDIF ports to the KV7 is no surprise whatsoever. SPDIF won’t be too useful to the average person, but enthusiasts should be pleased with this option as it gives them flexibility. It is to be expected that the KV7 omits any support for IEEE 1394 FireWire, via the rear I/O panel or otherwise. There are very few mainstream motherboards that come with onboard FireWire to begin with, save for select few Intel motherboards. So, the lack of FireWire is not a huge loss, especially since USB devices are quite prevalent.
As expected with all current KT600 motherboards, the KV7 has native Serial ATA support, courtesy of VIA's brand new VT8237 South Bridge. The VT8237 supports RAID 0, 1 and 0 + 1, which is a nice addition for users looking for the best combination of RAID support in a desktop motherboard. The advantage of RAID 0 + 1 is fast data access (like RAID 0), with the ability to lose one drive, and still have a complete duplicate surviving drive or set of drives (like RAID 1). In case you didn't already know, RAID 0 + 1 is stripping (RAID 0) and mirroring (RAID 1) combined without parity having to be calculated and written. In addition to all of this, VIA has also upped V-link's throughput from 533MB/s to 1066MB/s. All in all, VIA's new South Bridge is impressive, and certainly gives KT600 boards some added value compared to nForce2 motherboards. The new increased chipset I/O bandwidth is also a welcome addition, as it should help in those “intangible” computing experiences, such as multitasking.
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Anonymous User - Saturday, September 13, 2003 - link
Oh, so since I'm anonymous, I'm not a human being with feelings? Your behavior is completely unjustifiable because for one, it was only *your* opinion that my original post was cold and rude, and for two, I really don't think Mr. Lieb would give a shit even if I *was* cold and rude. This is a professional site and based on his response to my original comment I believe Mr. Lieb is also a professional who acted appropriately to a legitimate comment about his work. I really doubt that you're the difference-maker who makes Mr. Lieb feel good about the work he has done. Who told you that his feelings were hurt anyway? Are you Mr. Lieb's big brother or something? I'm simply amazed at how you can assume so many things based on my original comment. Egregious? That's frickin' hilarious. How the heck did you deduce that from my little comment? I mean, LISTEN TO YOURSELF. "After my first post, I have to admit that I just kept going because I was having fun..." Do you not see the hypocrisy in your words my son? You preach sensitivity and the sparing of feelings, you rush to the defense of "poor, hurt feelings" Evan, yet you enjoy acting like an asshole to others. The best part is when you tell me to lighten up, and then you tell me to be more sensitive. So which one is it? This whole thing started because *you* were overly sensitive about my comment, so maybe *you're* the one who should lighten up.I wonder when the mods will delete these useless comments, or whether they're getting a good laugh out of them. haha!
Anonymous User - Saturday, September 13, 2003 - link
In all sincerity, I initially posted #13 because I thought your original post was rather cold and rude. As a result, I wanted to help Evan laugh it off and feel good about the work he had done. I think that sometimes when we are in a forum such as this, we forget that the people receiving our comments and criticisms are human beings with feelings. I find this particularly inappropriate when they are identifiable by name, as is the case for Evan (but not for you or me). I would have preferred to see something like, "Hey, great review, but you had a typo." At least then you spare the person's feelings, and are ultimately more successful in getting your point across if you truly believe that the omission of a word is such an egregious error.After my first post, I have to admit that I just kept going because I was having fun since you appeared to respond to every post I made. In terms of making everyone miserable, please review the posts above and see if you can find anyone else complaining. In closing, lighten up. I encourage you to think before you post (advice that equally applies to me and others) and try to be more sensitive.
Anonymous User - Saturday, September 13, 2003 - link
Oh, and yes, Evan, I just meant to point out that you were missing a word in that sentence. I take back what I said about you not caring, because I had read your comment #14 before #11. I was just a little bit upset with the rudeness of #13. Keep up the good work!Anonymous User - Saturday, September 13, 2003 - link
Wow, you really need to get a life. Did you even have a point to make in your original post #13? Or are you just here to make things miserable for everyone? Talk about taking things to the extreme...Anonymous User - Saturday, September 13, 2003 - link
#18 Cease! Desist! I surrender. I concede. You win. You are right. I apologize.P.S. When beginning a sentence with a clause that starts with because, you should separate the clause from the remainder of the sentence with a comma. The truth is that you forgot the comma.
Anonymous User - Saturday, September 13, 2003 - link
To #18: Again, I really don't see why you have to be so sarcastic. This is a page for making comments and a comment about a "minor" typographical error is still a comment. If there are rules against making observations like the one I made, then please point me to it so I won't repeat it. Because of your tone and attitude I am explicitly *not* going to share my thoughts on the content of the review with you, but I doubt that you were serious when you were saying that anyway. I just don't see why you have to get so worked up about a little comment. Even the author didn't say anything about it, because as you said, it's a "minor" error that's easily corrected. It was just that at the time I read the article, it was incorrect. Finally, unlike you all my comments have been honest and sincere, and I maintain that I have taken the high road in response to your blatant sarcasm. The truth is you did omit an "s" in your comment, and I was merely stating a fact (and not being sarcastic) as well as demonstrating to you that some people do in fact notice these things.Anonymous User - Saturday, September 13, 2003 - link
Thank you, #17, for your observation as to my omission of the letter "s" in my previous post as #13. I have no problem with acknowledging errors when I make them and I appreciate your bringing this to my attention. At the same time, I am pleased to see that I may have been helpful to you. In contrast to your initial comment as #5, you actually discussed the content of my post rather than focusing exclusively on a minor typographical error. It seems that progress has been made! I welcome reading any thoughts you may have as to the content of the review of the Abit KV7.P.S. If you were trying to take the high road, you seem to have abandoned it with your P.S. Cheers!
Anonymous User - Friday, September 12, 2003 - link
#13, there is no need to be sarcastic. I don't understand why you're so offended by my pointing out a simple grammatical error. I did not take any time to carefully proofread the article, as you put it. I encountered it on my first read. As a news and review website, I believe that AnandTech.com should at least make an effort to write articles that are free of errors and I was merely trying to point out a mistake in case it was missed by the author and/or the editor. Based on #14's response, however, I doubt that the author cares very much about this issue. I was very tempted to take #13's sarcasm route but I think I'll take the high road here. Thank you for taking the time to read my comments.P.S. #13, you spelled "consistent" incorrectly. Sorry, I'm just an astute reader, these things pop out at me.
Anonymous User - Tuesday, September 9, 2003 - link
About the mentioning about a natural increased voltage fluctuations at "certain values", is there a good rundown of around what specific values those values would be? Perhaps it might be worthwile to raise the voltage by a 0.025 increment if less fluctuation could be achieved.Anonymous User - Tuesday, September 9, 2003 - link
Evan, thanks for helping out on the FSB/RAM question. It seems that when setting the FSB with a manual option then the RAM frequency is kept in sync at all times, regardless of what the separate DRAM speed setting is set to. It's reassuring to be able to confirm such things with CPU-z.