KT400A is teh sucks

airspirit · 04-01-2003, 02:08 PM

It is confirmed.

http://www.ocworkbench.com/2003/giga...xpaultra-1.htm

In EVERY benchmark, the KT400A fell behind the NForce2. It does NOT have pci/agp lock. It even falls behind when run at higher memory speeds. For all of you that have been waiting, it has been for naught.

jtroutma · 04-01-2003, 03:29 PM

For those of you who want additional reviews, Anandtech tested the new Gigabyte KT400A board and found similar results. Not nearly as bad as Airspirit claimed but the nForce2 is still your best bet.

Anandtech KT400A Review

bigben2k · 04-01-2003, 03:38 PM

Yep, I waited, but no more. I'm getting the Asus A7N8X dlx, and I already ordered the RAM for it

airspirit · 04-01-2003, 04:03 PM

If you need the dual LAN, go for the ASUS. If you don't, then I would highly recommend the EPoX board because of the added overclocking flexability and performance (no volt mod needed except possibly VDD). Make sure, regardless of your choice, that you put a GOOD chipset cooler on it, and stick a HS on the SB. The stock ones on both boards are crap.

pHaestus · 04-01-2003, 04:15 PM

I don't know exactly why this is a big surprise

I have to say I am still reasonably satisfied with my KT333 (Epox 8K3A), but the Asus Deluxe is just such a great board that it is hard to avoid it. The MSI NForce2 with IGP and dual display onboard also looks pretty tasty though, as does the new Shuttle microatx board.

bigben2k · 04-01-2003, 04:21 PM

Since I'm upgrading from an Asus P55TP4, I think I made a good choice

I'll be going over chipset blocks soon, but I'll probably end up making my own: I hate paying $35 for one.

airspirit · 04-01-2003, 04:23 PM

The EPoX 8RGA+ IGP board also has dual monitor support. Be aware than many of the MSI NForce2 boards have had issues both in design and in their BIOSes ... like getting shipped with unflashable engineering BIOSes and such.

I push on that EPoX series of boards because I've successfully installed a number of them: I'm up to number six or seven as of last night, and I've had spectacular results with all of them, though I must admit that the 8RGA+ wasn't quite as easy to overclock, though that could be due to the CPU or the junk PC3200 he bought ... I didn't have more than a couple of hours to push it, and he used a mediocre HSF. The voltage, timing, and other variables in the BIOS makes it a simple board to push to the limit, unlike the ASUS which has a very limited selection of settings.

bigben2k · 04-01-2003, 04:32 PM

Funny, from what I've picked up in other forums, the ASUS has a revised bios that allows to set FSB up to 250. Of course few of us will reach that!

pHaestus · 04-01-2003, 05:13 PM

Epox's decision to push a newer motherboard on me rather than give me a bios with full multiplier control has left a bad taste in my mouth. I have also heard horror stories regarding voltage regulation on 8RDA boards (fixed by later revision?).

Rastlin · 04-01-2003, 06:45 PM

I recomend the Abit NF7-S V1.2 or V2.0 they seem to be among the best out, and are priced VERY rightly, My V1.2 hits 410 mhz stable on the memory, and the V2.0's look to be hiting 440 mhz out of the box (at least the only one I know of did)

airspirit · 04-02-2003, 09:38 AM

Does the Abit have mounting holes yet?

I was talking about voltage settings on the EPoX. If I remember, the VCore goes to 2.15, the VDimm goes to 2.9, and the VAGP goes to 1.8. The Asus doesn't touch that.

pHaestus · 04-02-2003, 10:50 AM

Yea the 1.0 didnt and the 1.1 werent in the right spots, but the 1.2 I think has 4 holes in the proper positions.

I am so leery of Epox and Abit for their constant hardware revision upgrades I guess. Bios flashes I can deal with, but RMAs suck.

bigben2k · 04-02-2003, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by airspirit
I was talking about voltage settings on the EPoX. If I remember, the VCore goes to 2.15, the VDimm goes to 2.9, and the VAGP goes to 1.8. The Asus doesn't touch that.

The A7N8x can do up to 1.85 Vcore (without mod), 2.8 Vdimm and 1.7 Vagp.

The Vcore is the biggest block, but otherwise, I have no intentions to set Vdim above 2.8, which is usually a bad idea anyways (IMO). I don't know how useful Vagp would be.

I sure wish Asus had put that Vcore +0.2 jumper on the board!

EDIT: Here's a 9 way roundup from OCNZ of recent AMD boards, that includes the 8RDA+ and the A7N8X dlx.

pHaestus · 04-02-2003, 12:45 PM

Voltage mods are so simple that voltage of mobos doesnt ever affect my buying decision. Voltage REGULATION does, however. I have run ram up to 3.0V, but I have 3 sticks of cheapo PC2700 that I was trying to get 190fsb out of

Rastlin · 04-02-2003, 12:54 PM

The NF7-S has 2.3Vcore 2.9Vdim 1.7V northbridge adjustments. Im not sure what the AGP is I think it's 1.8V Max. The holes are in the right place, on V1.2 and V2.0 and the V2.0 has the new Crush 18D chipset that seems to be the only difference, Im beting every maker has a new revison for the 18D chipset which seems to be the one that officaly supports 400 mhz FSB. but thats just my thoughts.

airspirit · 04-02-2003, 12:58 PM

I always run my RAM at 2.9V. I dunno ... I figure that when you consider that I try to stick with high quality/high speed RAM with a copper heatsink in a case with proper ventilation, 2.9V is not too risky. I'd never go over 3.0V, though.

IMHO, it is safer to avoid doing a voltage mod and use a board with the settings native in the BIOS. There is always an element of risk with voltage mods. I learned that the hard way when a solder connection broke in my case, shorted to another nearby component, and blew the board.

I'm not saying the Asus is a bad board -- far from it! I just prefer a board that has all the same capabilities but allows for more OC flexability in the BIOS ... especially since it costs less. Either way you go I'm sure you'll be happy.

Blackeagle · 04-02-2003, 02:08 PM

Has anyone heard if Epox is going to put out a revision/upgrade of the 8RDA n-force 2 board?

And what improvements may the Kt 600 boards offer that Via is supposed to have out by early summer? I know they are supposed to support 400 fsb, but has anyone heard what other improvements they may have? SATA on board perhaps on more of those boards.

I'm looking closer as I'd like to build a new system this summer, and want to get the best results I can.

airspirit · 04-02-2003, 02:29 PM

I think the revision is already out.

Blackeagle · 04-02-2003, 05:16 PM

Anyone know of a reveiw(s) of the 8RDA+ revision?

Thanks

airspirit · 04-02-2003, 06:19 PM

Check oc-forums. A guy there got a new revision (and C1 stepping NB) from Newegg and worships it.

04-01-2003, 02:08 PM	#1
airspirit Been /.'d... have you? Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Moscow, ID Posts: 1,986	KT400A is teh sucks It is confirmed. http://www.ocworkbench.com/2003/giga...xpaultra-1.htm In EVERY benchmark, the KT400A fell behind the NForce2. It does NOT have pci/agp lock. It even falls behind when run at higher memory speeds. For all of you that have been waiting, it has been for naught. __________________ #!/bin/sh {who;} {last;} {pause;} {grep;} {touch;} {unzip;} mount /dev/girl -t {wet;} {fsck;} {fsck;} {fsck;} {fsck;} echo yes yes yes {yes;} umount {/dev/girl;zip;} rm -rf {wet.spot;} {sleep;} finger: permission denied

04-01-2003, 03:29 PM	#2
jtroutma Cooling Savant Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: SLO, CA Posts: 837	For those of you who want additional reviews, Anandtech tested the new Gigabyte KT400A board and found similar results. Not nearly as bad as Airspirit claimed but the nForce2 is still your best bet. Anandtech KT400A Review __________________ Athlon64 X2 4200+ @ 2.5Ghz (250FSB x 10) OCZ VX 1GB 4000 @ 250FSB (6-2-2-2 timmings) DFI LANParty nForce4 Ultra-D SCSI Raid 5 x (3) Cheetah 15K HDDs LSI Express 500 (128MB cache) OCZ PowerStream 520W PSU ATI X850XT PE (Stock) DTEK WhiteWater + DTEK Custom Radiator Eheim 1250

04-01-2003, 03:38 PM	#3
bigben2k Responsible for 2% of all the posts here. Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas, U.S.A. Posts: 8,302	Yep, I waited, but no more. I'm getting the Asus A7N8X dlx, and I already ordered the RAM for it __________________ WBTA (Water Block Testing Alliance) Nordic Hardware WC 101

04-01-2003, 04:03 PM	#4
airspirit Been /.'d... have you? Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Moscow, ID Posts: 1,986	If you need the dual LAN, go for the ASUS. If you don't, then I would highly recommend the EPoX board because of the added overclocking flexability and performance (no volt mod needed except possibly VDD). Make sure, regardless of your choice, that you put a GOOD chipset cooler on it, and stick a HS on the SB. The stock ones on both boards are crap. __________________ #!/bin/sh {who;} {last;} {pause;} {grep;} {touch;} {unzip;} mount /dev/girl -t {wet;} {fsck;} {fsck;} {fsck;} {fsck;} echo yes yes yes {yes;} umount {/dev/girl;zip;} rm -rf {wet.spot;} {sleep;} finger: permission denied

04-01-2003, 04:21 PM	#6
bigben2k Responsible for 2% of all the posts here. Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas, U.S.A. Posts: 8,302	Since I'm upgrading from an Asus P55TP4, I think I made a good choice I'll be going over chipset blocks soon, but I'll probably end up making my own: I hate paying $35 for one. __________________ WBTA (Water Block Testing Alliance) Nordic Hardware WC 101

04-01-2003, 04:15 PM	#5
pHaestus Big Player Making Big Money Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: irc.lostgeek.com #procooling.com Posts: 4,782	I don't know exactly why this is a big surprise I have to say I am still reasonably satisfied with my KT333 (Epox 8K3A), but the Asus Deluxe is just such a great board that it is hard to avoid it. The MSI NForce2 with IGP and dual display onboard also looks pretty tasty though, as does the new Shuttle microatx board.

04-01-2003, 04:23 PM	#7
airspirit Been /.'d... have you? Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Moscow, ID Posts: 1,986	The EPoX 8RGA+ IGP board also has dual monitor support. Be aware than many of the MSI NForce2 boards have had issues both in design and in their BIOSes ... like getting shipped with unflashable engineering BIOSes and such. I push on that EPoX series of boards because I've successfully installed a number of them: I'm up to number six or seven as of last night, and I've had spectacular results with all of them, though I must admit that the 8RGA+ wasn't quite as easy to overclock, though that could be due to the CPU or the junk PC3200 he bought ... I didn't have more than a couple of hours to push it, and he used a mediocre HSF. The voltage, timing, and other variables in the BIOS makes it a simple board to push to the limit, unlike the ASUS which has a very limited selection of settings. __________________ #!/bin/sh {who;} {last;} {pause;} {grep;} {touch;} {unzip;} mount /dev/girl -t {wet;} {fsck;} {fsck;} {fsck;} {fsck;} echo yes yes yes {yes;} umount {/dev/girl;zip;} rm -rf {wet.spot;} {sleep;} finger: permission denied

04-01-2003, 04:32 PM	#8
bigben2k Responsible for 2% of all the posts here. Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas, U.S.A. Posts: 8,302	Funny, from what I've picked up in other forums, the ASUS has a revised bios that allows to set FSB up to 250. Of course few of us will reach that! __________________ WBTA (Water Block Testing Alliance) Nordic Hardware WC 101

04-01-2003, 05:13 PM	#9
pHaestus Big Player Making Big Money Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: irc.lostgeek.com #procooling.com Posts: 4,782	Epox's decision to push a newer motherboard on me rather than give me a bios with full multiplier control has left a bad taste in my mouth. I have also heard horror stories regarding voltage regulation on 8RDA boards (fixed by later revision?).

04-01-2003, 06:45 PM	#10
Rastlin Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 22	I recomend the Abit NF7-S V1.2 or V2.0 they seem to be among the best out, and are priced VERY rightly, My V1.2 hits 410 mhz stable on the memory, and the V2.0's look to be hiting 440 mhz out of the box (at least the only one I know of did)

04-02-2003, 09:38 AM	#11
airspirit Been /.'d... have you? Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Moscow, ID Posts: 1,986	Does the Abit have mounting holes yet? I was talking about voltage settings on the EPoX. If I remember, the VCore goes to 2.15, the VDimm goes to 2.9, and the VAGP goes to 1.8. The Asus doesn't touch that. __________________ #!/bin/sh {who;} {last;} {pause;} {grep;} {touch;} {unzip;} mount /dev/girl -t {wet;} {fsck;} {fsck;} {fsck;} {fsck;} echo yes yes yes {yes;} umount {/dev/girl;zip;} rm -rf {wet.spot;} {sleep;} finger: permission denied

04-02-2003, 10:50 AM	#12
pHaestus Big Player Making Big Money Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: irc.lostgeek.com #procooling.com Posts: 4,782	Yea the 1.0 didnt and the 1.1 werent in the right spots, but the 1.2 I think has 4 holes in the proper positions. I am so leery of Epox and Abit for their constant hardware revision upgrades I guess. Bios flashes I can deal with, but RMAs suck.

04-02-2003, 12:45 PM	#14
pHaestus Big Player Making Big Money Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: irc.lostgeek.com #procooling.com Posts: 4,782	Voltage mods are so simple that voltage of mobos doesnt ever affect my buying decision. Voltage REGULATION does, however. I have run ram up to 3.0V, but I have 3 sticks of cheapo PC2700 that I was trying to get 190fsb out of

04-02-2003, 12:54 PM	#15
Rastlin Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 22	The NF7-S has 2.3Vcore 2.9Vdim 1.7V northbridge adjustments. Im not sure what the AGP is I think it's 1.8V Max. The holes are in the right place, on V1.2 and V2.0 and the V2.0 has the new Crush 18D chipset that seems to be the only difference, Im beting every maker has a new revison for the 18D chipset which seems to be the one that officaly supports 400 mhz FSB. but thats just my thoughts.

04-02-2003, 12:58 PM	#16
airspirit Been /.'d... have you? Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Moscow, ID Posts: 1,986	I always run my RAM at 2.9V. I dunno ... I figure that when you consider that I try to stick with high quality/high speed RAM with a copper heatsink in a case with proper ventilation, 2.9V is not too risky. I'd never go over 3.0V, though. IMHO, it is safer to avoid doing a voltage mod and use a board with the settings native in the BIOS. There is always an element of risk with voltage mods. I learned that the hard way when a solder connection broke in my case, shorted to another nearby component, and blew the board. I'm not saying the Asus is a bad board -- far from it! I just prefer a board that has all the same capabilities but allows for more OC flexability in the BIOS ... especially since it costs less. Either way you go I'm sure you'll be happy. __________________ #!/bin/sh {who;} {last;} {pause;} {grep;} {touch;} {unzip;} mount /dev/girl -t {wet;} {fsck;} {fsck;} {fsck;} {fsck;} echo yes yes yes {yes;} umount {/dev/girl;zip;} rm -rf {wet.spot;} {sleep;} finger: permission denied

04-02-2003, 02:08 PM	#17
Blackeagle Thermophile Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: U.S.A = Michigan Posts: 1,243	Has anyone heard if Epox is going to put out a revision/upgrade of the 8RDA n-force 2 board? And what improvements may the Kt 600 boards offer that Via is supposed to have out by early summer? I know they are supposed to support 400 fsb, but has anyone heard what other improvements they may have? SATA on board perhaps on more of those boards. I'm looking closer as I'd like to build a new system this summer, and want to get the best results I can.

04-02-2003, 02:29 PM	#18
airspirit Been /.'d... have you? Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Moscow, ID Posts: 1,986	I think the revision is already out. __________________ #!/bin/sh {who;} {last;} {pause;} {grep;} {touch;} {unzip;} mount /dev/girl -t {wet;} {fsck;} {fsck;} {fsck;} {fsck;} echo yes yes yes {yes;} umount {/dev/girl;zip;} rm -rf {wet.spot;} {sleep;} finger: permission denied

04-02-2003, 05:16 PM	#19
Blackeagle Thermophile Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: U.S.A = Michigan Posts: 1,243	Anyone know of a reveiw(s) of the 8RDA+ revision? Thanks

04-02-2003, 06:19 PM	#20
airspirit Been /.'d... have you? Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Moscow, ID Posts: 1,986	Check oc-forums. A guy there got a new revision (and C1 stepping NB) from Newegg and worships it. __________________ #!/bin/sh {who;} {last;} {pause;} {grep;} {touch;} {unzip;} mount /dev/girl -t {wet;} {fsck;} {fsck;} {fsck;} {fsck;} echo yes yes yes {yes;} umount {/dev/girl;zip;} rm -rf {wet.spot;} {sleep;} finger: permission denied

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