Via KT333 questions?

[montego]

Ok, Ive just sold my GF2 Ultra & my 1.4 Tbird.

I bought an Athlon 1900XP and a GF4 Ti4600.

Now my buyer wants my Epox 8k7a & my 512mb Crucial pc2100 ram.

So if I let my mobo & ram go also, Im gonna need new ones. (yeah, I know ram prices are up, we've got that worked out)

1: So Im pretty sure Im better off going with the KT333 instead of the KT266a, am I correct?
2: PC2700 ram is the way to go with the KT333, correct?
3: Am I understanding correctly that I can overclock all KT333 boards without stressing my vid card etc..? (ie:I may get higher OC speeds)
4: Any problems with any of the KT333 mobos & my "extra Long" Visiontek GF4?
5: Are these boards widely available yet? Ive seen reviews, but not much "user feedback" in the forums.
And Newegg only seems to have the Epox 8K3A in stock, wheres the Asus boards?
6: Are they overclocking stable?
7: Is the Epox board the only one to allow for greater than 1.85v for the cpu?

ANY info / user feedback good or bad is greatly appreciated.

All this hit me kinda suddenly & Ive got 2 days to get this sorted out. (I lose my old board in a week)
I dont wanna be without a pc for too long while Im trying to get myself "up to speed" on these KT333's

Im going searching for a "roundup" of KT333 boards, its hard to decide with just single reviews.
Got a link to a roundup, post it here!

Any opinions on which namebrand has the best features for overclocking??

 

[ScrapSilicon]

I'm no help on this one guy..but keep posting any good info back in this thread alright? <edit> thought Soltek has a KT333 board has a ' 5 ' in the model number..?

 

[montego]

Thanks alot!

Im currently taking a hard look at the Asus A7V333.
REVIEW

But of course its not available anywhere yet. :frown:

 

[The Mudman]

I'm kinda in the same boat. I also have pretty much the same questions. I just can't make a final decision.

The "Soltek 75drv5+" is a new kt333 mobo along with the "epox 8k3a+" These are the two boards I'm considering buying. My biggest question is about the big differences between the kt266a and the kt333 chipsets. I made a post here the other day and from what I gather the 333 is no better than the 266a. Matter fact majority opted for the "epox 8kha+"

When I was at newegg they didn't even have the "'8k3a" listed thats why the soltek came into the picture. "The Purple Ray". looks like a cool board but does it perform. good question because it hasn't been around very long.

Let us know what you go with

 

[LostHiWay]

The main problem with the KT333 is that it needs the memory to run 166mhz at cas2 in order to beat the kt266a. The problem is that alot of the PC2700 memory on the market now will only run stable at cas2.5 at 166mhz. In order to get stable pc2700 ram to run at cas2 your going to have to pay for it (Corsair). Is the extra your gonna pay for the RAM and motherboard really worth the 5%-10% performace increase you MIGHT get?

 

[montego]

More info to checkout, but if youre anything like me, it just makes the decision harder.

If I already had a KT266a board, I wouldnt buy a KT333, but since I dont...Uhhh, im still trying to figure that out.


LostHiWay, you have a very valid point about pc2700 ram!

But would it be beneficial to have new features such as ATA/133, USB 2.0 and DDR333 support in the future?(see link to Toms Hardware Guide below)

Geez, you read one article & think "I dont need it".
Then you read another & think "I better go with KT333 instead of KT266a Just in case or I'll end up regretting it if I dont 3months from now".

The only thing I believe that seems consistant is that everyone feels the KT333 boards will REPLACE the KT266a boards in the next few months.

Anandtechs opinion (of course)

Closer Look: VIA KT333 Chipset

Very Interesting

THG Opinion

MSI KT3 Ultra-ARU Review

Soltek SL-75 DRV5 Review

ASUS A7V333 KT333 Review

EPoX 8K3A+ KT333 Review



And I see a Gigabyte 7VRXP KT333 banner flashing at the to of this forum, but I couldnt find a review on it & several other KT333 Mainboards I came across,
Including the nickle/silver colored Soyo K7V Dragon Ultra.
And Im missing Abit's new boards.

 

[montego]

The Mudman, yeah NEWEGG still doesnt have the EPOX 8K3A+ KT333CE in stock, only the non-raid EPOX 8K3A KT333CE.

I believe all I saw available on newegg were the Soltek, Gigabyte & Biostar KT333 boards.

But I cant remember if all of those had raid.

 

[LoneWolf1]

<< And Im missing Abit's new boards. >>

• ABIT AT7 KT333 Board You may have to scroll down the page a little.
  
• Shuttle AK35GTR v2.2 KT333 Board

 

[Audax]

I'm also in the same boat as you guys. I was all set to get the Epox 8KHA+ 266a board when I heard news about the imminent release of the 333 board. I'll be getting the KT333 board as I want a little more longevity with my system and the luxury that down the track sometime I may need the 333MhZ ram with a new motherboard (maybe the KT400). I got quoted some prices on the KT333 MSI board which was about $80AUS more than the 266A Epox. I'm actually waiting for an Epox 8K3A+ board as I think it will only be a little dearer. The big difference is the price of PC2700 ram which is about another $80 dearer than PC2100. All in all that's a max of $160AUS (approx 80US) for the extra features and power which I think is worth it. Not to mention USB2.o and ATA133 support.

However I waiting for a large roundup review from Anantach or Amdmd.com before I make a final decision. The Epox KT333 board bios is apparently not finalised yet according to some memory performance issues which affect 3D games. But it's hard drive access speeds killed the ASUS and MSi. So be patient and wait another month or so and see what the reviews say. In a nutshell if you don't mind paying a little extra and you don't have a 333 board go for it, but if you have a 266a board it's proably not worth your while. This is what most of the reviews have been saying. I'm also hoping that larger performance increases will be seen once the bios of the boards mature over time.

That's my 2 cents

Audax

 

[The Mudman]

I can't wait no month I need to get this stuff ordered yesterday. I'm not looking for raid so I've confirmed that Newegg has what ever i choose.

This is on hard decision to make. At least I've narrowed it down to 2 from Epox or 1 from soltek. But that don't really help because even if I do go kt333 then then its one or the other.

Any more advice out there.

 

[Technican]

hi:

The answer to #5 is that the ASUS a7v333 is supposed to be widely available the w/o 3/25/02. Many people are saying to wait for the kt400 chipset due out in the 2nd quarter but who knows if that is an accurate date? What I like (and need) that the asus mobo has are usb 2.0 ports (not every kt333 mobo has them) and the darn connector (which hardly any kt333 mobo has). The asus also has a built-in firewire connector (which NO kt333 mobo's have). I need that for my new LaCie ext. hard drive. I'll be buying this mobo and selling my Epox 8kha+ (which I love) on Ebay.

 

[pillage2001]

The waiting will never end. get what you need today.

 

[BD231]

The waiting will never end. get what you need today.

Thats just the way it is dude. And remember, unless your overclocking, running pc2700 will increase your latency times and slow you down in the end.

 

[montego]

ASUS A7V333 REVIEW up against the MSI's KT3 Ultra
Link

Quote from ASUS A7V333 Review
Sadly the Asus A7V333 doesn't allow you adjust the voltage on the RAM or the AGP which will definitely stop you from getting the best out of your RAM. We feel that DDR voltage is especially necessary as PC-2700 has only just started appearing in the market and will need time to work at faster speeds- until that day, some added voltage is the best way to get higher speeds out of your memory module.

Well, there goes the board I "thought" I wanted.

And Im an Overclocker, so Im gonna need more than 1.85v voltage core, otherwise Id buy the MSI KT3 Ultra. (The Asus only goes to 1.85v also)

So Ive ruled out 2 boards I liked.

Quote from the MSI KT3 Review


<< MSI always gives you tons of options in overclocking, however, we always complain about the lack of AGP voltage. Looks like the nice folks at MSI listened and this board has almost everything an overclocker can ask for. Starting from FSB, you have the option to select anything between 100MHz and 220MHz. You can also adjust the clock multiplier between 10 to 14 if you have successfully unlocked your Athlon. Lastly, voltage can be adjusted on the Vcore, DDR and AGP. Memory voltage can be selected between 2.6v, 2.7v and 2.8v, whereas AGP can be chosen between 1.6v, 1.7v and 1.8v. Lastly, the VCore can be adjusted between 1.725v and 1.850v in 0.025v increments. We do wish that higher voltage was available on the VCore like we've seen on the Shuttle AK35GTR. >>

 

[montego]

Anyone know if the Soltek 75drv5 supports more than 1.85v for the CPU?
I dont see it mentioned in the review.

 

[montego]

Bump since more & more people seem to own KT333 boards.

And that quote I posted from the ASUS A7V333 Review about the ASUS A7V333 not allowing memory voltage adjustments is FALSE.
Although it doesnt allow agp voltage adjustments, you can adjust the memory voltage & cpu voltage.
(now i know i cant always trust reviews)

Id still love to know for sure if the Soltek 75drv5 supports over 1.85v on for the cpu.
Anybody have one of these boards?

Is the Epox 8K3A bios fixed yet?


Im still patiently waiting to make a purchase, I dont wanna make a wrong purchase.

When I started looking at KT333 mobos, I thought I would have made a solid decision by now.

 

[KnightshadeDragon]

I'm a little lost on the "using 2700 RAM and not overclocking it will raise latency" statement. If I am running a 333 board with CAS2 2700 RAM, why would the latency be higher than a 266 based board with 2100 RAM?