First KT133A mobo available now....

[Insane3D]

The two new KT133A based Epox boards, the 8KTA3 and the 8KTA3+, are listed on pricewatch. The regular 8KTA3 (non-raid) is in stock for $129 here. The plus version with the Raid feature is back ordered, but listed for $139 here.

 

[HellRaven]

Now we just got to wait for ones that can manipulate the multiplier, or can these ones do that also?

 

[silky]

Isane 3D, you ever bought anything from this retailer?

 

[Insane3D]

According to the review at VR-Zone...it does.


V I/O Voltage Adjustable by BIOS
VCore Adjustable by BIOS
Vagp Adjustable by BIOS
Multiplier Adjustable by BIOS
FSB Adjustable by BIOS
95/100/102/104/106/107/108/109/110/111/112/114115//116/118/120/ 124/127/130133/136/140/145/150/155/160/166MHz FSB


The full review is here.

The bios looks exactly like the Abit Soft Menu III....

 

[Insane3D]

silky:

No, I haven't. I would look them up on reseller ratings to see how they rate...

 

[Adul]

Wahoo!

Notice how epoc is the fist with another KT133 based board again? I wonder how long efore we see Abit, ASUS, and MSI MB

 

[Insane3D]

I know. I am waiting to see the other manufacturer's offerings, but the Epox 8KTA3+ looks very nice. The only downside I see to it so far is the voltage limit of 1.85. I know people have modded KT7's to get 2.00v+ , so maybe this will be an option for this board too.

 

[billabong]

This company have the Abit KT7A-Raid and the Asus A7V-133 boards.
[l]http://www.overclockers.co.uk[/l]

 

[Insane3D]

I noticed that the KT7A Raid and the A7V-133 both only have 3 dimm slots while the 8KTA3+ has four. Also, I wish Asus would have gone with a 6 PCI slot...

 

[Noriaki]

<< Also, I wish Asus would have gone with a 6 PCI slot... >>

me to damn it me to.
Asus uses AGP Pro but only 5 PCI, MSi uses 6 PCI but not AGP Pro. Damn it I want both! AGP Pro's not that important though so I'm leaning towards MSi....

 

[Myrddin]

I have generally read good things about the EPOX 8KTA3 and 8KTA3+, but I note that it is listed as having build-in AC97 sound. I have a SB Live Value I would be using and I am concerned about conflicts and/or performance issues with built-in sound.

The review I read on the 8KTA3 regarding the +-.2 voltage is that if you are going to overclock anyway there is a way to close some bridges on the CPU to up the default voltage to 1.85, making the +-.2 go from 1.65 to 2.05.

I have ordered from Bunta before and have never had a problem with them. I even had to RMA once and there was no hassle or anything, they were very nice. Everyone I talked to on the phone with them was Asian and one was a bit hard to understand but all were very cooperative and pleasant.

I am tempted to wait for the ASUS but boy did I have a ton of problems with ASUS's P5A. Makes me want to avoid them, even if it was the ALi V chipset that was the culprit. Problem is, there is no way of knowing when we will see the other KT133a boards, next week or next month.

 

[Noriaki]

<< but I note that it is listed as having build-in AC97 sound >>

Don't worry about that. A lot of mobos have built-in sound, you can disable it in the BIOS, and most even have a jumper so you can disconnect it and then it's like it's not even there. Your built in sound won't affect your SBLive!

 

[DaddyG]

Soltekusa, also has the Soltek KT133A mobo, but its price is too high in single qty. These early KT133A mobos do not have the required voltage regulator for 1.5gig BIRDS, just a point worth noting.

 

[eugovector]

How will we be able to identify whether or not a board has the required volage regulator for a 1.5GHz T-Bird?

 

[Myrddin]

Daddy G I have a question about your point. I would like a board that allows me to upgrade as prices fall into the future. Are you saying that this voltage issue is hardware related and can't be fixed by bios upgrades and therefore I will be limited in the speed of the t-birds I can possibly put in the Epox?

That would be an excellent reason to shy away from the Epox as long as other KT133a's, such as the Soltek or possibly the ASUS or ABIT don't have the same limitations. Do we know what their status is with regard to this voltage regulator?

Also, does anyone know where to find a review of the Soltek board? Google is turning up nada, as is a quick sweep of the hardware sites I frequent.

I would surely be willing right now to pay the extra $20 for the Soltek over the non-raid Epox if it had the correct voltage regulator Daddy G mentions above. I did find confirmation of that at the xbit labs site where an AMD rep is quoted as saying:

&quot;Assuming they [mainboards] have the correct voltage regulator (which they should on a validated system), the [Palomino and Morgan] parts are socket compatible. They will need to flash a new BIOS.&quot;

So which KT133a boards have the correct voltage regulators to support the Palomino and Morgan? Are you *sure* the Epox doesn't? Where does that info come from? Does this mean the Epox is not a 'validated system'?

 

[Myrddin]

Don't throw something out there about how the Epox is missing some vital piece of upgrade hardware and then leave us hanging!!

 

[NZstorm]

I,m from New Zealand and am expecting my new Soltek KT133-A this morning, reviews listed below.

www.bxboards.com/mainboard/kt133a/SoltekSL-75KA-V.shtml
www.ocworkbench.com/hardware/soltek/sl75kavx/sl75kavxp1.htm

Did read somewhere that voltage is limited but will wait and see, I got this board for about $120 US. Also there is a mod for EPOX board to allow higher voltage,

www.vr-zone.com/Home/news74/news74.htm#1142

Hope this helps

 

[Myrddin]

I have never attempted anything like that mod before, so I'm not sure it is for me.

It is so damn hard to wait! I have had some Christmas $$ burning a hole in my pocket since December and it is driving me nuts.

Besides that, I have shelved a couple of games until the system upgrade and they are also calling to me.

Can someone point out some good reasons to wait for ASUS or ABIT over the Epox or Soltek?

 

[Myrddin]

^

 

[MotoKamui]

The 8KTA3 is available at Mwave as well. They don't have any (official) 133 MHz FSB Athlons though.

 

[YZ12569]

Personal opinion... I am holding out for the MSI K7T Turbo. I have had an Abit, 2 Asus and 2 MSI Motherboards. Of these I prefer the MSI, for stability and quality. This motherboard does have a Promise Raid controller, so if your not going to run a Raid Array it may not be worth waiting for.
However... one benefit is the motherboard does specify that it will support 1.5 GHz and faster processors. I have not read anything on this voltage issue but if the voltage is the main limitation for the motherboard supporting the faster processror's then this one does not have that limitation.

 

[eugovector]

Can you please provide a link for Mwave? Thanks.

 

[office boy]

lol, www.mwave.com

 

[eugovector]

I'm retarded, for some reason I thought it was spelled &quot;Mmwave&quot;. Please don't shoot.

 

[DaddyG]

Myrddin,

The problem with the 'early' 133A mobos (check out Tomshardware), is that AMD changed the 1.5gig spec very late in the game. Its not a voltage issue, that can be resolved in the BIOS. The issue is the current required is 46 amps !!. Abit has stated that their 3-phase power solution that was first aavailable on the KT7 is OK.

I have a sneaking feeling that 46 amps is also going to push the limits on lots of power supplies.

BTW, I anm pretty sure that the SOLTEK mobo does not have the high powered regulators.