Socket-A VIA KT133 Motherboard Roundup - August 2000

Microstar K7T Pro
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CPU Interface	Socket-A
Chipset	VIA KT133
Form Factor	ATX
Bus Speeds	100 / 101 / 102 / 103 / 105 / 107 109 / 110 / 111 / 113 / 115 / 117 / 120
Voltages Supported	Auto Detect 1.70 - 1.85V (in 0.025V increments)
Memory Slots	3 168-pin DIMM Slots
Expansion Slots	1 AGP Slot 6 PCI Slots (4 Full Length, 1 optional) 1 CNR Slot (Shared) 1 ISA Slot (optional)
Onboard Sound	VIA VT1611A AC 97 CODEC
BIOS	AWARD 6.00PGN

The MSI K7T Pro is a very well made board, boasting excellent stability, a great track record courtesy of MSI as well as a full 6 PCI slots unfortunately the board lacks the multiplier/voltage tweaking settings we've come to know and love which is why it doesn't come away with a recommendation in this roundup. If you're not concerned with overclocking at all, then the K7T Pro is an excellent choice but for most readers, getting the most bang for your buck involves overclocking and the Duron processor, which unfortunately leaves MSI out of the picture.

We have been informed that a later revision of the K7T Pro could possibly feature multiplier control settings, if this does turn out to be true we should see a sample by the end of August.

The K7T Pro board features no onboard ATA-100 controller but some boards may be packaged with an MS-6915 controller card which is basically a Promise Ultra100 Ultra ATA-100 card without a BIOS chip on it, meaning that it can only be used on boards that have the Ultra100 BIOS integrated with the motherboard BIOS, i.e. the K7T Pro.