ABIT KV7 (KT600): Budget Performance in a Small Package
by Evan Lieb on September 7, 2003 10:42 PM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
As the computer hardware enthusiast world turns, so does ABIT, generally regarded as the leading enthusiast motherboard maker in the world based on their track record over the last two years. All motherboard makers produce an enthusiast motherboard that turns out to be a lemon. ASUS has done it, MSI has done it, Gigabyte has done it, and ABIT has done it. However, ABIT has been much more consistent with their offerings in the last 18 months or so, which is why we give them the nod over ASUS, generally regarded as the best motherboard maker for reliable desktop motherboards.
Anyway, today we take a close look at ABIT’s latest creation, the KV7. The KV7 is powered by VIA’s KT600 chipset. The KT600 chipset was updated to include official support for 400MHz FSB Athlon XP processors several months ago, and finally hit retail channels last July. If you took a look at the half a dozen or so KT600 motherboard reviews that we’ve published the last few weeks, you would have noticed that all the KT600 motherboards we’ve tested so far have reached in excess of 400MHz FSB, and most of the time, well beyond. This is normal for any Socket A motherboard; the difference is in how much further you can go beyond 400MHz FSB, and today, like any AnandTech motherboard review, we really stress test the KV7 to see exactly how much juice we can squeeze out of this board.
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Anonymous User - Monday, September 8, 2003 - link
I am getting tired of the constant advocacy of NForce2 Motherboards. I personally bought an NF7-S 2.0 and I consider it a lemon. I have since returned to the Soyo KT333 based solution I used to use. I still have never seen the BSOD under that board. I wish I could say the same for NForce NForce implements far to much of its functionality in software to be rock-hard trouble-free. VIA implements almost everything in hardware, making it the most durable, reliable, dependable and trouble-free platform around.Anonymous User - Monday, September 8, 2003 - link
A nice review of a nice board. I got me one and don't regret passing over the nForce alternatives. VIAs drivers are hassle free nowadays, whereas certain others are still struggling to even make releases.I have a question though on something that you could perhaps clarify. The RAM speed settings in the BIOS does not seem to have a setting for "same as FSB" if you get my meaning. If I raise the FSB to say 210 and leave the RAM speed setting to "DDR 400", what actually happens with the RAM frequency? Is there some way to verify that it does follow the FSB speed? I'm curious since running FSB and RAM frequency out of sync with eachother has typically been somewhat detrimental to performance on Athlon DDR boards.
Anonymous User - Monday, September 8, 2003 - link
This review fails to state the complete RMA policy for ABIT. If you are missing your sales receipt, there's a $25 charge. If you want to cross-ship, there's a $7 charge for processing, plus $15 if you want 2nd-day instead of ground, plus they will charge you $150 (that's actually a charge up front via Paypal, not just a charge if they don't receive the bad one), and if the motherboard is received by them in good condition, then they'll refund the $150 by company check.Anonymous User - Monday, September 8, 2003 - link
Im very happy to see more staff besides Wesley starting to contribute again. Anandtech article rate has increased dramatically since Wesley came on board, I just wish Anand would do something. He's like a shadow in the wells doing nothing.