KT133A Chipset Question

[Moonbender]

From what I've read on AnandTech, it seems as if DDR boards - including DDR/SDR boards - are extremely hard to find right now. Nobody really doubts that a system running at 133mhz FSB with DDR RAM (AMD760, ALi MAGiK 1) is faster than a system running at a FSB of 133 Mhz but with SDR SDRAM (Via KT133A). However, the latter should be easier to find, and offers nearly the same performance for a lower price.

You can run "old" TBs and Durons, which were designed for a FSB of 100 Mhz on the new boards at a FSB of 133 Mhz. However, keep in mind that the multiplier is locked (well, unless you unlocked it ) and you will be overclocking your CPU by 33%.
A classic Socket A Duron 800 runs at a FSB of 100 Mhz with a multiplier of 8x. If you run the same CPU on a new mobo at the FSB of 133 Mhz, the CPU will be overclocked to 1066 Mhz. This might actually work, however chances are that you will have to unlock the Duron and set the multiplier to 7x (931 Mhz) or even lower.

I am not sure if you can use PC100 RAM when running a 133 FSB - can you use PC66 RAM with the current FSB of 100 Mhz? At the very least, it'd be a serious performance hit.

 

[fergus]

Well then I'll have to learn how to unlock the multiplier. The 900 might run at 1197 but I would then need to get into all the other overclocking issues like using a better cooler than the stock cooler, and maybe additional fans in the case. I read that the 133 mhz boards will run pc100 ram, but why do it for anything other than very short term until the user could buy pc133. The FSB of the 133A boards I have seen reviewed is adjustable in the bios but the range is determined by a switch you set on the board by choosing either 100 or 133.

 

[ChipNOW]

OK... the only difference between the KT133 and the KT133A chipsets is the KT133A supports 133MHz SDRAM and 100MHz DDR (200) Cpu via CPU FSB + 33 (VIA's specialty), whereas the KT133A supports 133MHz SDRAM and 133MHz DDR (266) CPU's... if I am right the KT133A should support 166MHz SDRAM without overclocking the CPU. Sweeet

 

[ChipNOW]

OK... the only difference between the KT133 and the KT133A chipsets is the KT133A supports 133MHz SDRAM and 100MHz DDR (200) Cpu via CPU FSB + 33 (VIA's specialty), whereas the KT133A supports 133MHz SDRAM and 133MHz DDR (266) CPU's... if I am right the KT133A should support 166MHz SDRAM without overclocking the CPU. Sweeet

 

[elSmoko]

I heard they also support the use of 133mhz(266mhz fsb) cpus natively. What I'm looking to do is stick my duron 750 in there and see if I can take it straight to 997.5mhz by changing the fsb to 133, compared to whatever I'll be able to get by just oc'ing the multiplier. I've read that having a higher fsb speed often has better results that a higher mhz (re: multiplier) overclock on the 100mhz fsb.
anyone know when the kt7a is going to be out?

 

[AMD4ME2]

I would guess we will see the KT7A by early february. at least I hope so!

 

[elSmoko]

dangit why so late, I don't want to sit around with this cpu for that long. for all I know it might not even work, and the store won't let me rma it a month later

 

[fergus]

I hear ya. I'm patiently sitting on a Tbird 900 that I bought around Dec 1. But I am waiting for a KT133A if it kills me.... Unless a DDR board comes out that I am confident in, then maybe I'll consider selling the Mushkin Rev 2 PC133 I just bought last week.

 

[dougjnn]

I'm musing like this, about the KT133A boards.

First of all, best looking so far to me is the Epox board. Epox has long been a stability and a low return rate champ. They've added all sorts of nice overclocking and expansion features to their KT133A boards, including onboard raid in one. 6 pci, 4 sdram slots, etc.

But....

My goal is to keep as much as possible of my new build system good for 3 or at least 2 years, while allowing at or near cutting edge upgrades of the most speed affecting components twice or more within that time period.

Things like case, floppy, heatsink, DVD, CD-RW, HDD, soundcard, lan, modem (for fax, cable backup, and autodialing), speakers, monitor, not to mention printers and scanners, should be good for at least a two, and often a three or four year cycle. Not for the bleeding edge, but for almost as good service, and it doesnt' really matter. That's about 2/3 of the price of a PC. Some of these items have service lives, at least on good second computers, or up to five years or so.

But the CPU, video card, mobo and memory, in roughly that order, get better really fast. And make a big difference, in roughly that order.

The goal I think should be to buy these items at the point at which they should be maximally time stable.

Via KT133A mobo's look real attractive. Their performance doesn't look very far off of DDR mobos, depending on whether you believe Anand (me) or Tom's Hardware more (I think in DDR promotion, Tom's has a real bias). But the downside, even if that turns out to really be true after more testing, is taht DDR memory looks like the home/gaming/soho, AT LEAST, standard for the next two to three years, starting in about 1-3 months. I.e., if one wants to lay in an investment in 512meg of memory, if it is in DDR 266, it should be near the top edge for at least two years. Whereas within a year, I think SDRAM will be clearly trailing edge technology. Maybe within 6 months.

Unfortunately, the MOBO situation right now isn't co-operating. There are no AMD 760 DDR mobo's for sale right now. (The MSI Majik DDR line looks like speed crap to me so far.) I have a feeling that when 760 mobos first come out, they will be expensive, buggy, and slow. The price of DDR 266 memory is anyone's guess, but Crucial/Micron's recent announcement to sell FSB 100 DDR memory for about SDRAM cas2 prices is very encouraging.

Net, net, we have a very muddled picture.

My problem is that I am only on a (good) external enabled lapdop now, and am dying to upgrade SOON to do 3D games, have more HDD memory, more system memory (I have 128meg now but I am a mad multitasker and want at least twice that much), CDR burning, more speed, etc., etc.

My current ideal system is a Palomino dual processor SMP system running DDR. w/ probably about 512meg ram. But I know that isn't going to be out, debugged, and off the scaricity price point until at least the fall.

So I don't plan to wait now for that. But I'd rather be buying my Ram now for that. Ideally my 1st cpu also, but I doubt that. But it isn't worth it if cost effective single processor DDR Athlon mobos and 266 memory aren't available for months from now.

Phew!!!

Advice, please!!

 

[fergus]

Axiontech.com replied to an inquiry of mine and says they should have both the Epox 8KTA3 and MSI K7T Turbo KT133A boards in by the 16th. Sounds like they have them now but only for OEMs.

 

[eugovector]

fergus,

Could you post the exact reply from Axion for us, it would be greatly appreciated? Thanks.

 

[Regalk]

For some reason there still seems to be a bit of confusion concerning the KT133 and KT133A chipsets from Via.
Think of the KT133 as the equivalent to the old BX chipset from intel not officially supporting 133FSB.
Think of the KT133A as the equivalent of the Via133A or I815E chipsets.
The only difference is that due the the EV6 bus the chipsets are FSB x 2 (KT133 100 x 2 and KT133A 133x2). However there is still a limiting factor which is that SDRAM runs at 100 or 133 and not 200 or 266 so that effectively the chipsets are still working at 100 or 133 - someone correct me here if I am wrong. As for supporting 166 speed SDram - not officially since the KT133A sill be overclocked if run past 133 Fsb. As someone mentioned before it does not support DDR.

 

[fergus]

axiontech.com's reply was:
"Although officially out, these the KT133A-based mainboards will probably not be available to all but OEMs for a week or two. We will likely get these two mainboards in by the 16th."

My question to them was:
"I'm wondering if Axion will be selling the following KT133A mobo's:
Epox 8KTA3
MSI K7T Turbo

And if so, do you know when they will be on sale?"

Fergus