Late Vintage: High Degree of Maturity of the KT133 – THG.RU

<!–#set var="article_header" value="Late Vintage:
High Degree of Maturity of the KT133″ –>

Athlons And Durons Are Sitting Tight in the Socket

The advance of socket A platforms for AMD’s Duron and Athlon CPU’s can no longer be halted. Our previous tests have proven that the great attractiveness of AMD processors is not only because of very good performance and stability, but also due to their reasonable prices. The following table clearly demonstrates this:

Prices from www.pricewatch.com, last update 17th January 2001

The prices for socket A motherboards with a KT133 chipset are also very attractive. Usually, boards like these are cheaper to buy than corresponding socket 370 products for Intel CPUs. For this reason we have taken a close look at new KT133 motherboards. We are comparing 7 boards from Acorp, ECS, MSI, NMC, QDI and Transcend, increasing the previous test field from 16 to 23 candidates.

The Candidates in Detail

Acorp 7KTA

BIOS-Version: 27th October 2000

Board Revision: 1.09

The Taiwan manufacturer Acorp is making its debut at Tom’s Hardware with the 7KTA. With a total of 1 ISA slot, 1 AMR slot and 5 PCI slots, the Acorp main board offers sufficient plug-in places. Unfortunately the connection cable for the two additional USB ports is missing. Due to the similarity in the board layout of the 7KTA with the 7KTM variant with onboard graphics, the second COM port can, additionally, only be used via a slot filter. Fortunately, this connection cable is included in the delivered items.

The 7KTA should, however, be of little interest to overclockers as the CPU system bus cannot be varied in 1 MHz steps. Other settings, such as CPU Vcore or DRAM voltage, are not possible, either. Nevertheless, the processor bus clock can be adjusted from 100 to 132 MHz. The memory clock can only be adjusted between 100 and 133 MHz. An advantage, on the other hand, is the built-in temperature sensor in the CPU socket. Hence, the current condition can be read at any time and overheating can be prevented. Acorp, however, cuts unnecessary corners by using the 686A chip set in the storage area. Although the KT133 has no problems coping with 1.5 Gbytes, the storage expansion with the 7KTA is restricted to a maximum of 768 Mbytes.

ECS (Elitegroup) K7VZA

BIOS Version: 28th August 2000

Board Revision: 1.0

The K7VZA from Elitegroup did surprisingly well in the test. It came first in almost all the benchmark categories. An outstanding feature of the K7VZA is the built-in temperature sensor and the temperature monitor integrated in the BIOS. In a range from 60 to 75 degrees, automatic shutdown can be activated. The fine adjustment takes place in 5-degree increments. If the adjusted temperature is reached through a fan breakdown or another heat accumulation, the system automatically shuts down to protect the processor. This is especially useful for future CPU’s from AMD, as the K7VZA is prepared for processor speeds of up to 1.5 GHz. Altogether 5 PCI slots, 1 AMR slot, 4 USB ports and a maximum of 1.5 GByte SDRAM (100 or 133 MHz) complete the equipment of the new K7VZA main board from ECS.

This product offers few possibilities for overclocking. Thus, the CPU bus clock can only be adjusted from 100 to 112 MHz and not even in 1 MHz steps. Furthermore, the DRAM clock can only be switched between 100 and 133 MHz. An adjustment of the Vcore voltage is not possible. Two UDMA/66 cables are included in the delivered items. As with many other main board manufacturers, no connection cable is included for the USB port 3 and 4. The ECS K7VZA can only be purchased from specialised retailers.

MSI K7T Pro2 (MS-6330)

BIOS Version: 1st December 2000

Board Revision: 1.0

MSI has gone back to the drawing board with the K7T Pro and made a few changes to improve system stability. The K7T Pro2 is now excelling in the present version with 686A Southbridge through its excellent tuning capabilities. In addition to the possibility of changing the multiplier, the CPU core voltage (Vcore) can be adjusted between 1.550 and 1.850 V, and the system bus can be adjusted in 1 MHz steps (DEC numbers).

With a maximum memory of 1.5 Gbyte and 6 PCI slots, the K7T Pro2 from MSI offers the extension-mad user sufficient room to move. In this context, it needs to be noted that only 4 interrupts are available for 6 slots. Therefore, a full conversion with extension cards may sometimes test your patience until the correct sequence is found. Additionally, MSI throws in a CNR slot. However, with prices for complete network cards at their lowest, this slot is a waste of space and only increases the cost of materials. On the other hand, the retaining clip on the AGP slot, which prevents the graphics card from slipping out, only makes sense. A variation available from MSI is the K7T Pro2-A, which contains the new 686B-Southbridge with ATA/100 support. The remaining specifications are identical to those of the K7T Pro2.

When problems arise during boot-up, four diagnostic LEDs or voice output show the condition of the main board. A postcode card is, therefore, rather unnecessary, since the source of the error can easily be found in the well-structured handbook. The current BIOS 2.01 update from December 2000 protects, among other things, the BIOS from being overwritten by Windows 9x, uses a new algorithm and a new time behaviour for the SPD chips of the SDRAM modules.

To reiterate the differences to the previous K7T Pro, we have compiled the following table for revision 2:

MSI K7T Master (MS-6347)

BIOS Version: 1st September 2000

Board Revision: 1.0

The K7T master (MS-6347) from MSI is excellently suited for workstations and servers. With IEEE1394/Firewire and Ultra160-SCSI interfaces integrated in the board, it clearly offers additional value on top of the normal connections. The tuning possibilities of the K7T master have, unfortunately, not turned out to be as plentiful as with the MSI K7T Pro2. Thus, the CPU clocking speed can be changed from 100 to a maximum of 150 MHz, but the Vcore voltage, on the other hand, cannot be varied. The BIOS update in the current version 1.1 of September 2000 eliminates problems with the ATI Rage 128, driver problems with the nVidia GeForce MX and problems in the energy saving mode. Flashing the BIOS can, with due caution, only be advised.

The K7T master has six PCI slots and one CNR slot addition the AGP Pro port. It offers the user plenty of room for future expansions in this area as well. In contrast to the other test candidates with 3 DIMM slots, the board is equipped with 4 DIMM sockets that can tolerate up to 1.5 Gbytes. However, when using double-sided SDRAMS, only either the plug-in place 3 or 4 can be used. Concerning the other accessories supplied, the K7T master from MSI includes a connection cable with a slot cover for two fire wire ports as well as an LVD-SCSI cable with four ports.

MSI K7T Master (MS-6347), Continued

Many manufacturers do not dare to take chances. Though you may find many motherboards with Intel-based chipsets equipped with SCSI, AMD platforms offer only a minimal selection of SCSI models. Nevertheless, MSI is leading the way with its K7T Master.

The SCSI connections of the Adaptec AIC-7892B controller include a 50-pin and a 68-pin socket. This enables the operation of fast server and workstation hard disks without adding adapter cards.

Up to 63 peripherals can be connected to the Firewire Controller from Texas Instruments, regardless of whether they are DV Camcorder or external IEEE1394 storage media. For this purpose, mobile hard disks or CD writers are also available. Whoever decides for the Firewire, however, loses a PCI slot, which falls victim to the space needed for the firewire connectors (see the red arrow in the picture).

NMC 8TAX

BIOS Version: 1st December 2000

Board Revision: 1.1

As a practical solution NMC eliminates the hapless AMR and CNR slots, as corresponding cards are not available on the market. Included in the layout is the WOM function (Wake on Modem) but is not fitted. Wake-on-Lan (WOL), on the other hand, is integrated. A network card with an appropriate connection cable to the main board is required. Unfortunately, the connection cable for the additional USB ports 3 and 4 is missing on the NMC board, just as for the existing IrDa interface. Included software is Norton Antivirus 2000 and Ghost 5.1. With six PCI slots and an ISA slot, the 8TAX offers sufficient space for plug-in cards of your choice. The last PCI slot can, however, only be used if you give up an ISA card.

After the first start-up, the current BIOS dated November (or later) should be installed if USB devices are to be connected. Otherwise, USB scanners or other devices may not operate without errors.

The CPU multiplier on the NMC main board can be adjusted using the DIP switch up to factor 12.5 and the system bus cycle in the BIOS from 95 MHz up to a maximum of 166 MHz. The settings for the useable area are 102, 104, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111 und 112 MHz. The DRAM timing in the BIOS offers either the host clocking or host + 33 MHz as options. Furthermore, VCM RAM runs in the 8TAX also. Overall, the main memory can be expanded up to 1.5 Gbytes. This is sufficient even for memory-intensive MPEG coding or video editing programmes. Furthermore, the CPU Vcore voltage can be adjusted for tuning purposes using the DIP switch between 1.30 and 2.05 V in 0.05 V steps.

QDI KinetiZ 7T

BIOS Version: 13th November 2000

Board Revision: 1.0 (s1.2)

The KinetiZ 7T is equipped with 5 PCI slots, 1 ISA slot and an AMR slot. The maximum storage conversion of 1.5 Gbytes with PC100 or PC133 SDRAM and the support of VCM modules are advantages as well. In addition, the board has four USB ports. Unfortunately, these additional ports can only be used with an optionally available connection cable, not included in the standard delivery package. Both Wake-on-LAN (WOL) and Wake-on-Modem (WOM) are integrated as add-ons on the main board.

The Front Side Bus can be clocked up to a maximum speed of 133 MHz DDR (“266 MHz” in marketing jargon). This also includes the option of changing the memory clock within a range of 100 to 166 MHz. The useable area should also be examined more closely here. Possible options are 100, 102, 104, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111 and 112 MHz. As you can see, 1-MHz steps are not constantly achievable. The multiplier can be adjusted through jumper settings, at least if the AMD processor has been prepared beforehand. Searching for a setting for the CPU core voltage (Vcore) is, however, fruitless. This last item diminishes the overclocking enjoyment.

The QDI server uses the current BIOS version 1.3 dated November 13th, 2000. This eliminates minor start-up problems when operating under Windows 98

Transcend TS-AKT4

BIOS Version: 3rd November 2000

Board Revision: 29-8080

The TS-AKT4 is equipped with two additional USB ports, as introduced also by some other main board manufacturers. A notable exception is, however, the USB connection cable with the slot cover included in the delivery package. All in all, the TS-AKT4 has 5 PCI slots and 1 ISA SLOT. The latter shares the installation space with the last PCI slot. In addition, Transcend has integrated an AMR connection, but appropriate RISER cards are not available in computer supply stores.

Transcend’s new main board allows the adjustment of clocking in the BIOS. Over-voltage and over-current protection ensure that the system is reset in the event of defective overclocking, and no damage is caused to both the CPU and the board. The possible (hypothetical) limits of the processor bus clock lie between 100 and 132 MHz, and can be adjusted in 1 MHz steps. Necessary for successful overclocking is, of course, an AMD-CPU, which L1-bridges have been closed using the pencil trick. Unfortunately, this option is not available to change the Vcore voltage. Therefore, the overclocking options are limited.

The current BIOS dated November 3rd, 2000, version 1.04, eliminates compatibility problems with some SDRAM models that are only just within the specification limit. As with all BIOS updates, you should, if possible, make sure that the FLASH procedure is not interrupted. An advantage is that the Intercept Virus Hardware solution restores the BIOS in case of a failure. In addition, this function protects the BIOS from a virus attack. Lazy users who would rather not consult the handbook end up realising that the front panel connector is not labelled. Consulting the handbook cannot be avoided.

Model variation TS-AKM4 with a KM133-chip set comes equipped with an S3 Savage4 graphic core, which reduces the purchase price of a PC intended purely for office applications. By extending two years warranty, Transcend offers good service on its main boards.

Test Procedure And Configuration

For this test, we used the same hardware as in our last test 5 New SocketA Boards With UltraATA/100. Also, the versions for the driver remained. Therefore, a direct comparison with the older KT133 boards is possible.

Benchmark Results

Sysmark2000

All seven test candidates placed in the upper middle regarding this office application benchmark. The Aopen KK73 Pro of our last test was, however, able to defend its first place.

Quake 3 Demo 1

In the OpenGL-game Quake 3 Arena, an inconsistent picture emerges. Only two boards, the ECS K7VZA and the QDI KinetiZ 7T, are able to break through the barrier of 143 frames per second.

Expendable Timedemo

In the Direct3D game Expendable, the ECS K7VZA and the QDI motherboard, on the other hand, pull ahead of the other 5 candidates. However, they do not achieve the top marks of Asus A7V and the Gigabyte model.

AWadvs-04

We use the SPECviewperf 6.1.2 for the workstation application. This includes a series of individual tests, the most important of which are published below. In case of the AWadvs-04, only the ECS K7VZA is convincing. The QDI KinetiZ 7T occupies the middle, while the other candidates only make up the rear.

DRV-07

Bonus points are collected by the models from ECS, QDI, Transcend and MSI in the OpenGL-Benchmark DRV-07. They cause fear and trembling for our previous favourites, the Asus A7V and AOpen AK73 Pro. Only the Acorp VIA KT133 and the NMC 8TAX do not come out unscathed.

DX-06

The DX-06 test confirms a trend: The ECS K7VZA holds its own again and establishes itself at the top of the field. The distance to the QDI KinetiZ 7T increases.

Light-04

The last OpenGL clearly shows that ECS has earned a recommendation as far as performance goes, as the other contestants are unable to satisfy us.

ATA/66 vs. ATA/100 – Errors in the New VIA-Southbridge?

In the last motherboard article, we observed a strange effect. The boards we presented in this article with the new ATA/100-Southbridge admittedly performed very well during hard disk-intensive applications in the office field (Sysmark results), but the new Southbridge seems to have a negative effect on the Northbridge of the KT133 chip set. The Northbridge controls the AGP bus for the graphic card as well as the data exchange between CPU and memory. Therefore, the results of the 3D games and the OpenGL tests can only be described as uniformly bad.

This correlation is evident particularly in the case of MSI. The manufacturer offers two versions of the MSI K7T Pro2. The classic K7T Pro2 has the ATA/66-Southbridge (VT82C686A), while the K7T Pro2-A is based on the ATA/100-Southbridge (VT82C686B). Apart from this difference, the boards are constructed identically. The result shown above reveals that the VT82C686B appears to slow down the Northbridge. A different graphics driver version from NVIDIA does not change this trend, either.

Conclusion

During the performance tests, the ECS K7VZA challenges the positions of the Asus A7V and the AOpen AK73 Pro. The design of the ECS board can, therefore, be described as a clear success. The ECS board is less suited to overclockers as it neither allows adjustment possibilities for the Vcore core voltage or 1 MHz steps for the processor bus clock nor does it allow adjustments to the multiplier.

The MSI K7T Pro2 and the NMC 8TAX represent alternatives to the Asus A7V or the socket A board from Abit. The latter boards have sufficient overclocking properties.

The MSI K7T Master (MS-6347) emerges as a clear highlight of this test. Very few manufacturers dare to design socket A mother Boards that are server and workstation-friendly – here, MSI is leading the way. Therefore, an Ultra160-SCSI Controller and an IEEE1394/Firewire interface can be found on the K7T Master. This job was previously reserved for Intel-based platforms.

Concerning performance, we are not going to make any recommendations this time, as the percentage differences between all the test candidates are too minute to make a final judgement. Regarding equipment, the MSI K7T master (MS-6347) has clearly earned the Editor’s Choice. But customers will now have to adjust their thinking. Anyone who thinks Intel platforms are the more reliable is mistaken as Intel’s recall of Pentium III 1.13 GHz proves. Anyone using an Athlon system as server today has found a cost-effective alternative.

The new VIA-Southbridge with ATA/100 functionality leaves a stale taste. Especially when used with a single hard drive – as most computers are operated nowadays -, boards with this chip run slower than their ATA/66 pendants in the field of 3D games and OpenGL applications. The ATA/100 chip only leads to a slight improvement in system performance with classic 2D office programmes if you own a modern hard drive. It seems that VIA should revise the VT82C686B-Southbridge, otherwise the ATA/100 option as sales argument may go up in smoke.

Features Table