Socket-A VIA KT133 Motherboard Roundup - November 2000

Soyo SY-K7VTA

Soyo SY-K7VTA
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CPU Interface	Socket-A
Chipset	VIA KT133
Form Factor	ATX
Bus Speeds	90 / 95 / 100 / 101 / 102 / 103 / 105 / 107 / 109 / 110 / 113 / 115 / 117 / 120 MHz
Voltages Supported	Auto Detect +0.025 to 0.250 (0.025V increments) -.025 to 0.100 (0.025V increments)
Memory Slots	3 168-pin DIMM Slots
Expansion Slots	1 AGP Slot 5PCI Slots (2 Full Length) 1 ISA Slot (Shared)
On-board Audio	Sigmatel STAC9721T AC 97 CODEC
BIOS	Award Modular BIOS 6.00PG

Examining the changes from the engineering sample of the SY-K7VTA to the retail board, we can see how things can change in a one-month span. The retail version of the motherboard has much better performance compared to the sample we first received. Most improved of all is the addition of multiplier ratio settings implemented on the board through a set of dipswitches. Moreover, Soyo also implemented some CPU core voltage tweak options for users, but no I/O voltage tweaks are implemented.

The board also has something like the Smart D-LED offered from Microstar, a feature Soyo calls Voice Doctor. It can tell you, through the PC speakers, if your motherboard has any problems. It also has a safety mechanism, where if the CPU fan is detected as stopped it will automatically turn off the whole system.

The SY-K7VTA is a very decent board and it is pretty stable as well. Therefore it should be on many buyer's lists, especially if overclocking is desired.