Abit AT7 & IT7 owners, can you offer commentary?

[Kartman]

Hello All,

Well, its time to build a new PC. I was going to build a new one back at the beginning of February, but memory makers that it was funny to quadruple the prices in some lame excuse called business. Anyways, yesterday I started looking at the latest Abit motherboards and discovered the AT7 and IT7 series of boards. The AT7 uses a Via KT333 chipset while the IT7 uses Intel's 845E.

Both boards offer a healthy number of USB 2.0-compliant ports, IEEE 1394A Firewire ports, 6 IDE/ATA channels (12 devices), on-board 6-channel sound, 10/100 NIC, DDR333 up to 3.5GB support, etc.

I knew that Intel was moving towards a plan to remove support for PS/2, serial ports, and the floppy drive, but on these two boards only the PS/2 and serial ports are lost, presumably in favor of the large number of USB2.0 and additional IDE/ATA channels. What I have not seen are comparable boards with this many USB2.0, Firewire, and IDE/ATA ports/channels from another manufacturer. I do not know if this market condition is because of how new the Abit boards are, or just lag by other board makers.

So, I was wondering if I could get commentary by owners regarding these two boards. I'm not looking for sales responses by non-personal users (i.e. evaluators), because I want to know how users are making out with them. I could go either way (AMD or Intel) so that aspect does not really matter.

 

[codehack2]

I just got an IT7 installed last night.. And honestly, it seems a little rough around the edges. For example, my DDR voltage is locked in at 3.2v, and can not be changed in the bios. No matter what I set it at it always comes back to 3.2v. Not good, as spec for DDR Memory is 2.5v. I'll hold on to it for now, to see what comes of this after a bios update or 2.

Also, I wouldn't expect to see alot of vendors come out with MAX type baords just yet. Thinking back a few years...Abit was the 1st motherboard vendor to Include onboard IDE Raid, it took the vendors about 12 to 18 months to really adopt on board raid and make it a high end offering, I would expect the "MAX" concept to be the same. Many of the vendors (ASUS, GIGABYTE, SOYO) are close today, and you will see a mixture of onboard LAN, Sound, USB2, IDE Raid, and Firewire, but rarely do you see them all on one board, and especialy with 8 channel raid.

CH2

 

[Kartman]

CH2, thanks for the reply. Also, I just discovered that 4 of the 6 in-place USB ports are only USB1.1. Why even bother putting USB1.1 on the board if you are going to put USB2.0? Makes no sense. I'd be much more attracted to all USB2.0, but I guess Abit is a little clueless here. I understand that there are physical hubs on the board for an additional USB ports (2@1.1 and 2@2.0), but this again makes little sense.

I'm also starting to see differences between the I and A versions of the boards. The IT7 comes with the LED readout on the board, but the AT7 does not get this feature. Also, viewing pictures on various websites evaluating these boards shows the optical audio out (TOS), but only some of the websites have pictures showing an optical audio in. I do not know if this TOS-In was an initial or later feature.

Not so concerned about the MAX panel. I'm not disappointed in that they had the nerve to continue supporting dedicated USB1.1. Its 100% useless (ok, not 100%, but damn near 98%! I guess keyboard & mouse will use it, but nothing else). I also hope that for those unfortunate folks out there on ADSL using a USB modem don't have to suffer from low-poer USB hubs (which causes line drops). Anyone know what the power spec is for USB2.0?

I was actually interested in moving towards portable hard drives in the sense I could connect them via USB2.0. I knew the Via support for USB-boot was there more than a year ago, but I do not know about external USB2.0-connected memory devices. Anyone know? I guess the initial excitement last month wore off and the stark reality pretty much had buyers look at other products.

BTW, do you mind my asking what you paid for your IT7?

 

[codehack2]

Kartman,

Actually, all of the ports on the IT7 are USB 2... with the i845E, intel upgraded the ICH4 to support usb 2. On the AT7, I believe that part of the USB ports are USB1.1 becuase the kt333 south bridge only supports USB 1.1 at this point. Also, On my IT7 there is only a TOS out.. not sure why they dropped the TOS in? I paid $176 from Newegg.

Bets of Luck,
CH2

 

[Kartman]

CH2,

You are correct about the IT7 having all USB2.0, and this (along with Intel not having cooling problems) may be the way to go. I know I could save $40-50 on the similarly compared processors, but that would just get spent buying a USB2.0 card to make up for the crummy Via Southbridge.

BTW, when did you buy your IT7 from NewEgg? They are currently selling it for $157. Have you spoken with Abit about the memory voltage problem? I wonder if its just the memory voltage being reported incorrectly as opposed to the voltage being truly incorrect. This one problem would seem to cause you lots of headaches.

 

[codehack2]

Kartman,

I ordered about a week ago when I was out of town on business... had I held off for a few days, could have saved $20.. sigh, story of my life.

I've emailed Abit about the voltage problem. no news yet.. I'm almost positive that the Ram is indeed running at 3.2v, as I can not get it stable above 122mhz at default settings. This RAM previously did 160mhz. Not Good. I'm thinking about RMA'ing the board to NewEgg on Monday.

 

[Kartman]

Hmmm, do you mind my asking the exact identification of the memory you are using? Also, has this memory been used in other boards with no problems? Not defineding, here, but just inquiring about eliminating possabilities through the process of elimination.

I may seek to get this board locally with the intent that if I run into the same problem I can return it for a complete refund. Also, what processor (oem, retail, etc.) are you running on this board, and also how are you determining the voltages on the memory (diagnostic software, bios, etc.)? Thanks again for helping me, as I could have run out and bought this board along with a bunch of other stuff today. Now, I'll do a little more research before buying. Its been a whopping +2 years since I built my last PCs, as I usually skip an Intel cpu generation (skipping P3s).

 

[codehack2]

Kartman,

2x 512mb Dimms of Mushkin High Perf DDR 2100.. it is spec'd at Cas2 up to 140mhz. This memory has ran flawlessly in the following boards; Abit KG7, Shuttle AK31, ASUS K7N266C, Gigabyte 8IRXP. Also swapped in a stick of 256mb Crucial that is currently running at 150mhz, CAS2 and the same thing happened.

I've been reading the voltage from the BIOS, Hardware Doctor, and Motherboard Monitor 5. All three have yeilded the same result, which doesn't surprise me as they are all pulling from the Windbond chip... Also, I'm running a retail 1.8A that ran at 2533 (141mhz fsb) flawlessly in the 8irxp. The only component that has changed is the motherboard.

I think you have the right Idea... buy it locally and make sure you get a good return policy.

Good Luck,
CH2

 

[Kartman]

CH2,

Yes, I think I'll buy the board locally and if the same thing happens it will go back. Curious, what made you go with this board in the first place, and what would have been your runner-up?

 

[Nilonym]

Let's remember that we are dealing with a sample size of one at this point. Abit has a great reputation and makes good boards. I would be quite surprised to find that this was actually a desing flaw rather than a single defective board.

I just took delivery of three of these boards, and will be building systems with them on Monday. Two will be driving 1.6as, and one will be driving a 1.8a. I intend to push the 1.8a and one of the 1.6as to 133FSB, and the other 1.6a as high as I can go with retail HSF.

I will post results, as well as DDR voltage, here.

For the record, I went with these boards for two reasons. First, Abit has a good reputation for oc performance. Second, I really dig the "no legacy" aspect. The boards just look incredibly clean and modern without all of that parallel, serial, and PS2 baggage. It may just be psychology, but it gets my approval.

Also for the record, all ten (sic) of the IT7 USB ports are USB 2.0.

Jeff

 

[Kartman]

Nilonym,

I'm not knocking Abit. I've owned three of their motherboards and was quite happy withh all of them (still using two of them). Even my BP6 that many had voltage problems with did not show up on my copy. I am a firm believer in Abit after having a bad experience with two Asus boards in a row. I am eagerly wanting to get this board, but if there is a problem there is a problem and the name Abit doesn't play into my situation, just the name of the company I bought the board from when I try to exchange it or return it.

Also, as far as I can see, Abit is the only company employing the 845E chipset with 6 IDE channels, six USB2.0 ports, etc. I am fully with Intel to stop the support for the floppy, serial ports, and PS/2 ports and in favor of newer and much higher-bandwidth ports. I want this board right now, and even more because it is Abit putting it out, but also keep in mind the ONLY person replying to this thread in terms of AT7/IT7 owners is CH2, which kind of makes you wonder about the board.

I know the board is new, not matured yet, etc., etc.., etc. {insert bad Yul Brenner voice}, but I want to build a new PC that works and not one that doesn't work. Thus, I have to ask questions, listen to owners (both with and without problems) that reply (are you an owner?), and find a reseller that will be looking out for their company's reputation and not Abit's reputation and afford me to exchange/return if I experience the same memory voltage problems.

You shouldn't be so quick to think someone is slamming/flaming Abit when they are real supporters.

 

[Nilonym]

Yes, I completely agree with you, Kartman. I just wanted to point out to everyone who might be reading "silently" that while there are numerous posts, both in the thread and at least one other in this forum, about the DDR voltage problems on the IT7, they are all from the same person.

So often you will find that three months from now someone will post, "Hey, how is the Abit IT7? It looks great." And someone will reply, "There were lots of posts awhile ago about the IT7 having DDR voltage problems, so I would avoid it and get X instead..."

So I was just pointing out that we truly have a sample set of one. I can bring that to a sample set of four very soon, and hey, if that DDR voltage is wrong, guess who will be first in line to RMA all three boards and start bitching and whining about the crappy Abit IT7 right here?

And on that note, hey codehack2, did you RMA your board, or are you still futzing with it?

Nilonym

 

[Nilonym]

Oh, one other question. According the review at Hexus, "You also have the option of connecting up various external memory sources such as Sony's memory stick and Panasonic secure digital cards along with standard compact flash cards."

I cannot find this support anywhere in the manual, nor are there any unidentified headers that might provide this support. Could it be that this supports is provided implicitly via the onbard USB headers, and that I can purchase ports that just connect to an unused USB channel?

Jeff

 

[codehack2]

Nilonym,

Read the dates on my posts... took delivery of the board on Fri and today is Sunday.. newegg.com's RMA dept is good, but not that good. My whole intent of posting here was to indeed find out if this was a problem with the board design in general or just my board. You make it sound as if I'm dropping posts with the intention of bad mouthing Abit. Kartman asked for an opinion and that is what I gave. Bottom line, I paid a good chunk of change for a top of the line board that should not have this kind of problem.

As far as Abit's great reputation and high production standards... I guess in that we can exclude the 3 boards in my closet (KA7, BE6-II, BP6 ) that all died from the leaky capasitor syndrom? (See alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.abit for a small sample of this). If the IT7 does indeed have a design problem... it wouldn't be the first I've been bit.

CH2

 

[Nilonym]

Thanks for the info, codehack.

Hey, let me be clear here, I in no way meant to imply that you were doing anything other than reporting and trying to resolve a problem. I'm glad you did, too, because DDR voltage is the very first thing I am going to check now, and I might not have otherwise noticed a problem for a long time (maybe even after RMA window!).

You, Kartman, and myself are clearly interested in putting these boards through a good quality check, so let's stay in touch and keep our dated posted.

Again, my apologies if I came across at all accusatory.

Nilonym

 

[codehack2]

Nilonym,

No problem.. glad that we cleared the air.. just a bit on edge from 2 days of messing with this thing.

I really like this board and just want it to work, it has everything I'm looking for in a P4 board.

Here is where I'm at... I'm currently able to match the 141 FSB of my 8irxp, but because of the DDR Voltage problem, I'm forced to run memory at 4:3 of bus speed, or 121mhz (DDR). Even at that speed, I'm not comfortable running that much juice through my ram. I think I'm going to get a cross ship RMA from newegg and see what a new board yeilds.

Looking forward to your results!
CH2

 

[Kartman]

Please inconspiculously mark the returned board with CH2 so if someone else winds up with it (including yourself, hehe), we all know!

 

[Kartman]

Originally posted by: Nilonym
Oh, one other question. According the review at Hexus, "You also have the option of connecting up various external memory sources such as Sony's memory stick and Panasonic secure digital cards along with standard compact flash cards."

I cannot find this support anywhere in the manual, nor are there any unidentified headers that might provide this support. Could it be that this supports is provided implicitly via the onbard USB headers, and that I can purchase ports that just connect to an unused USB channel?

Jeff

Abit is/will-be selling a front panel that fits in a 5.25" bay with the additional ports for USB/Firewire, and slots for removable memory. This is also found (I think) on Tom's Hardware website. Too bad it wasn't included with the board, but I at least hope its not going to be an expensive side-item.

 

[blindside]

Another review of this (AT7 version) is also at <a target=new class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://
http://www.motherboards.org/articlesd/motherboard-reviews/1170_3.html">motherboards.org</a>

They did say they had problems with anything below PC2700, but according to the pics the voltage is OK at 2.55.

I also ordered this board from newegg last Thursday with a 1.8a and 512mb corsair 2700. The specs for this board
are very good, and I can't believe the OC ppl are reporting with the 1.6/1.8a cpu's. Very anxious to find out first hand.

 

[SolrFlare24]

I was reading over in at the overclockers.com boards and a couple of people with IT7 boards and really fast RAM(corsair 3200) were getting their 1.6aghz chips to run 100% stable at the 2.7-2.8ghz range using a Volcano+ HSF. No other tweaks were involved just playing with the bios and a non-retail HSF.

They also didn't report any memory voltage issues at least nothing yet Although they did say that on the rarest of occassions after making a really funky BIOS change their keyboard wouldn't respond so they just cleared teh CMOS and were fine.

 

[Blain]

Repaired blindside link

 

[Kartman]

SolrFlare24, thanks for the heads-up over at www.overclocker.com forum. I did a forum-wide search on IT7 and found some rather interesting information. I was originally thinking of just getting a P4 1.7 and leave it at that, but then last night I got to thinking I better go 2GHz since it will be some time before I upgrade again. Now, I am wondering if I should get a 1.6 (1.6a?) and simply trying to OC (I know, Iknow, not certain it will OC but ...) it to 1.9-2.0GHz.

I suppose I should invest in a non-OEM cooling system. Since I have never OCed before, I do not want to just throw money away on lack of insufficient cooling. I've also taken note that these guys are running PC3200 (i.e. 400MHz) DDR. Kudos! I had already figured that into my system purchase! CH2, I also read 'somewhere' in a review that the IT7 (and AT7) did not like memory slower than PC2700. In fact, that review stated they could not even get their evaluation board to post until they used PC2700. I would give this a try, but understand that maybe Abit should at least say something for those making the investment in today's environment where RAM is not cheap as it was 6 months ago.

 

[codehack2]

What to do... What to do... I have 1 gig of High quality PC2100 that I'm really not crazy about parting ways with. I guess if it comes down to the IT7 having issues with PC2100 I'll have look for another board. I'm going to sit on this for a couple of more days before RMA'ing it.

 

[Nilonym]

Unfortunately my systems were ordered with PC2700 Samsung, so I won't be able to provide any data re: instability with PC2100. This is an 845e chipset, which does not even eofficially support PC2700, so if it is not stable with PC2100, Abit has really biffed it.

Nilonym

 

[ForUmuse]

Well, I just ordered an IT7 today. I'm planning on mating it with PC3000-3200. I'll let you know how it goes.