MicroStar K7T Turbo review

[Huma]

Reasons I'd grab an MSI.

I only want a 100 or 133 fsb. I'm not hardcore anymore, and stability is more important than speed if I have a choice between the two.

Onboard sound is good when I need to build someone a cheap system.

Price. The MSI's where I live are quite a bit cheaper than all the other brands of decent boards. about 15-25% cheaper than asus/abit.

Stability. I've gotten over the overclock til you die thing. I push for a little more speed, but if I get a single error in prime95, it goes down 50mhz til I'm solid for 24 hours of prime95.

I've used two msi k7tpro-2a's and both worked beautifully. I was very impressed, and they were dirt cheap boards.

 

[LXi]

NFS4:

No I didnt overlook it, I just didnt know what you were talking about until I opened up the VIAHardware review. Since you have relations with AT, why dont you ask them to test the overclockability again with a better RAM stick?

 

[Insane3D]

Well, I can say from experience that my northbridge heatsink gets very warm at 150mhz, it almost borders on hot. I am going to replace it with one of those copper chipset coolers and some AS epoxy and see if it makes a difference...

 

[OS]

Basically everything that you guys are nitpicking about on the MSI mobo has a work around or an easy solution. PCI hardware modems exist. You can attach a 486 fan on the NB chip for less than five bucks and in less than five minutes. You can disable the onboard audio and not have any detrimental effects. You can ignore the AMR slot. Cut it off if you hate it that much. Buy a USB hub if you need more USB plugs. Dear God, you might have to move a single jumper when you change cpus! Heaven forbid!

But stability, there is no fix or solution for poor stability. It's been said a million times, but you can polish a piece of sh!t as much as you want, but it's still a piece of sh!t.

 

[LXi]

nortexoid:

I can't fall asleep without giving your post a reasonable rebottle. Let's see what you got here,


<<in my opinion, this board scores low in many aspects>>

You listed three, two of which are irrevalent, let me show you why.


<<1) it doesn't even use active (fan) cooling on the chipset, which is essential to high fsb overclocking on this particular chipset>>

Essential to high FSB overclocking? The Iwill KK266 board went to as high as 165MHz with just a heatsink, granted the northbridge is beta sample, but it proves active cooling is not absolutely needed to achieve high front side bus speeds. Proven also by the fact that Abit tied MSI for 147MHz despite having active cooling.


<<2) it has a measly 2 fan headers...that's essentilaly...SH1TE! - and requires fans using powersupply connectors...etc.>>

Ok since when do motherboards having 2 fan headers are considered SH1TE? You've got to realize how to fairly weight the advantages and disadvantages.


<<3) Anand needs to find some new RAM sticks to truly test the overclockability of fsb, and seeing that one of his sponsors consist of Mushkin, would it be that hard?...really?...Anand?...are u OK?..if such was the case, i coudl guarantee this MSI board scoring lower on fsb overclocking than the epox and abit boards.>>

Gurantee huh? So everyone who bought an Abit or Epox not running at a higher speed than MSI will be insured and refunded by you? Another RAM will not likely to change the results much, dont forget the Epox with active cooling got a lower achieved FSB than the fanless MSI.


<<otherwise, the board is good for stability...he should have rated it an 8,>>

No they really should've given the board a 9 when MSI again sets new ground for the most important aspect of a motherboard - stability.


<<on a par w/ the epox for havng higher stability,>>

Epox crashed twice in 24 hrs, MSI crashed zero times in 48hrs, that sounds about &quot;on par&quot; to me.


<<but worse everything else (except for 1mhz incremental fsb manipulation)>>

Define &quot;everything else&quot;. It has every feature the Epox does, with RAID, a lower price, and higher achieved FSB despite not having a fan. It also has eight MOSFETs compare to Abit and Epox's six.

Whatever zealot you are, I can see that you have something against MSI.

 

[kingz]

aye, buts its a nice looking peice of shit. yup, you heard me, shit By the way, some people are simply bias in their arguments. MSI and ABIT are both decent boards. I bought the abit kt7a-Raid, and would like to think that i made the right decision, and bought the better board, but i simply DONT KNOW. I dont have both boards, and the difference between each board of the same model probably has just as much weight as the difference between different models of board.

James

 

[OS]

aren't you so cool cause you can say shit :disgust:

 

[LXi]

NM

 

[Regalk]

MSI is playing the waiting game. All KT133A boards are out even the A7V133. Remember the K7Tpro2A - it certainly took its time to debut.

 

[Gothmoth]

@lxi

Like many have said there is no need for it. It is proven by the OC test that both MSI and Abit maxed out at 147MHz

thats not true.
my friends abit runs with 157 MHz.
anandtech can not make a &quot;MAX FSB&quot; statment with the ram he use for the test!
look on other hardware sites and you will see more then 147 Mhz are possible with the abit (or the epox).

I highly doubt using another RAM stick will change this

please READ reviews


Unless you have an ISA modem you still need to use, there is no reason MSI should be accused of not providing an ISA.

please let the people decide what they need
i dont care for cnr or amr slots, they absolutly useless for me.
i dont need a ISA slot but if i have the choice i go for ISA.


Unless you have an ISA modem you still need to use, there is no reason MSI should be accused of not providing an ISA. Whehter you like it or not, its better to have it than not. This is clearly not a disadvantage.

100% agree

No they should not have gotten an 8, they should've gotten a 9 instead. Its much better than Epox in many areas, and its as good or better than the Abit.

mama, uahaha i want that toy.
you sound like a broken record

you have not seen this board yet?
you have only read some reviews (or i am wrong?)

how can you be that SURE?
in which areas the board is better then the epox?

oc? no
stability? i dont see a difference between my msi kt7pro2a and my epox 8kta3!
speed? i dont think so
features? lol, i dont think so

Enough of arguments, Abit zealots seem to ignore the obvious advantages provided by MSI...

sorry, you sound like a kid
if someone are an ABIT zealot you are sure one of the biggest MSI zealots

but MSI is simply superior in this department and there is no excuse for ignoring it.

please stop worshiping anandtechs stress test.
this test means nothing to the normal user.

my epox system is a webserver and now runs for 11 days without a crash.
if i it crash, you could be 99.95% sure that windows crashes my system and not a board issue.

about RMA:
please tell me where you get informations about the RMA rates.


Not many of you noticed this, but the MSI has eight MOSFETs compare to Abit's six, effectively making it a 4 phase power solution.

sorry but this is not that easy.

i have send a email to msi (but get no respones yet).

ps: im not an abit user! i am an msi and epox user

 

[PCResources]

<< Not everyone has a problem with this controller. There are many people on this board that are using the highpoint controller on KT7/KT7A-RAID's with no problems >>



Oh, come on NFS4, the HiPoint controller is a bad one, you know that as well as i do... Now, not EVERYONE has problems with it, but too many... It is the failure rates that count... you SHOULD know this, obviously, you do not... :-(



<< Better safe than sorry. Every other manufacturer is using it, so either MSI is trying to penny pinch or they know something we don't. Here's an email I got from one of the guys at OCWorkbench when I made my Web News posting about the IWill KK266 hitting 165MHz: >>



Well, if i would add 15 fans to a case, that weren't needed, it would be great?? If you think you need one, just add it... I don't think that it is necessary... And about that mail... well... stupid thoughts get dumb replies... right??




<< Try finding an AMR card, or better yet try finding someone here that uses an AMR card >>



Well, you do NOT have to use it, but it is a good thing that you can, right???????????????



<< People still use hardware-based ISA 56k modems. Did you think of that? Most PCI 56k modems are Winmodems. >>



OK, then get a new cheap external modem... is that something you should consider when you buy a motherboard? does it's advantages beat stability?????



<< You must be the only one. Most people would choose jumperless over jumpers anyday. I'd rather change the option in BIOS than have to shut down my computer, open my case, and move dipswitches. There's NO excuse for this. >>



Well, NFS4 i am pretty sure i am not the only one, what will you do when you run into a problem so that you cannot boot to bios??

This whole discussion is sooo stupid, the MSI boards are more stable, the Abit board is just as bad as the KT133 no a board... You should know this MR &quot;ACE Reporter&quot;.

Patrick Palm

Am speaking for PC Resources

 

[NFS4]

<< the Abit board is just as bad as the KT133 no a board... You should know this MR &quot;ACE Reporter&quot;. >>


I just hate it when people try to make things out to be the &quot;second coming.&quot; Sure, the MSI board is nice, but it ain't nothing special.

I've used Abit boards for some time and have NEVER had a problem with them. That's why I continue to use them. If you have a problem with that, well...that's YOUR problem

This is just an extreme BIAS against Abit boards here and it pisses me off.

 

[PCResources]

<< holy christ, PCResources you don't know whwat you're talking about, don't you? >>



Well, until you have tested thousands of boards, maybe you should just shut up, and for NFS4, he usually gives some nice objective input, but i do not think that he has the experience that i have with motherboards...

However, i am willing to discuss this issue with NFS4, but not with you, as you seem to be insulted whenever anyone states that the Abit Raid board is bad...

Patrick Palm

Am speaking for PC Resources

 

[NFS4]

<< and for NFS4, he usually gives some nice objective input, but i do not think that he has the experience that i have with motherboards... >>


Of course not...I don't test them daily in and out But I have read enough on this board to know that they aren't THAT bad.


<< However, i am willing to discuss this issue with NFS4, but not with you, as you seem to be insulted whenever anyone states that the Abit Raid board is bad... >>


I have only made my opinion made known ONCE concerning my thoughts on Abit's RAID and that was in this thread.

Until I get an Abit board that lets me down, I will continue to stand behind them.

 

[PCResources]

<< This is just an extreme BIAS against Abit boards here and it pisses me off. >>



Come on NFS4, i am not biased, never was and never will be... what do you think my customers would say if i was??

Now, i have tested thousands of boards, and yes i have done the 8 week torture test with that new Abit board too, and all of them failed, the MSI boards did just great...

There is a reason behind my thinking and recommendations, i do test these boards, and i share what i find out, but as i cause so much controversy over it, maybe i should stop? Would that be nice NFS4?

Patrick Palm

Am speaking for PC Resources

 

[NFS4]

<< Come on NFS4, i am not biased, never was and never will be... what do you think my customers would say if i was??

Now, i have tested thousands of boards, and yes i have done the 8 week torture test with that new Abit board too, and all of them failed, the MSI boards did just great... >>


I'm not talking about you personally I'm just saying that my last two systems have used Abit boards and I have never had issues with them. They have always been stable and never given me any problems. And I will CONTINUE to stick by them. You may do your tests and see that they have problems. I've been using Abit boards for the past 2 1/2 years with no issues.

 

[PCResources]

<< I've been using Abit boards for the past 2 1/2 years with no issues. >>



Well, that is just great, i am happy for you... i am not your regular brand freak, i just test things and sell stable systems, and i recommend things on this board... Abit is the worst motherboard manufacturer i have ever come across, with too many DOA/RMA issues and not to mention the thousands of instability issues reported right here on this board...

Well, well, if you are happy with your board, nice...

But do not call me biased, and do not state that i am completely off track when you haven't put the kind of work behind your recommendation that i have... Is that OK with you NFS4??

Patrick Palm

Am speaking for PC Resources

 

[NFS4]

<< But do not call me biased, and do not state that i am completely off track when you haven't put the kind of work behind your recommendation that i have... Is that OK with you NFS4?? >>


Why do you keep saying that I'm calling you biased???? I NEVER said that. I said that the overall atmosphere &quot;here&quot; meaning on these boards has been against Abit lately. BIG difference.

 

[PCResources]

<< Why do you keep saying that I'm calling you biased???? I NEVER said that. I said that the overall atmosphere &quot;here&quot; meaning on these boards has been against Abit lately. BIG difference. >>



Well, maybe i took it for granted, too many people have called me biased, but i am certainly not, i just go with what i know, and i do know...

May i offer a small piece of input in the discussion against Abit? Thank you, the reason that Abit KT7-RAID has a bad rep is obvious, many people have problems with it...

The same problems have occured with later releases of Abit boards (yes i have had a few for 3 months now) so the rep will probably not get any better, this is a motherboard that i cannot recommend, as i have tested it and found it below standards.

But, as usual, if your board is great, i'm happy for you...

Patrick Palm

Am speaking for PC Resources

 

[NFS4]

I also don't hear you talking about all the problems people on this board have had with the MSI K7T Pro 2-A:

1) continous beeps caused by the cmos test failing.
2) problems with onboard sound, to be exact...squealing
3) problems with LiveBIOS
4) slow boot-up
5) problems with clock multiplier

etc, etc.

Nobody's perfect and even MSI has a few skeletons in the closet. So before you put down Abit, take a look at MSI.

 

[PCResources]

<< I also don't hear you talking about all the problems people have had with the MSI K7T Pro 2-A...but I won't go there >>



Well, you did go there, and now you have to pay the price...

First of all, it is not a motherboard specific problem (i think you already know this) it is a chipset problem namely the 686B controller that has problems with certain combinations...

I have stated before that the 75GXP series have incompatbility problems, this is one of them, the Quantums and Maxtors usually work very well with this chipset, so it is not mobo-specific, rather chipset, or drive specific...

Unless you have tested different combinations and found out what is real and what is not, i suggest you leave it at that...

(oh, well, now he is defending that motherboard, just because it is a MSI board... SIGH.... WELL READ MY POST AGAIN!)

Patrick Palm

Am speaking for PC Resources

 

[NFS4]

Well, since I did go there, I went back and re-edited my post to reflect as such. Just found these problems in the Motherboard forum...only the ones with the most responses and the most frequent occurences.

 

[PCResources]

And as you did go there, why did you not bother to look up problems with competitors boards?? There are many questions about those in this forum too...

And you say that other are people biased agains one brand... well, well...

Please understand what i am trying to state, MSI boards are not perfect, they are better, in my experience, and i hope that you can understand that my experience might be valuable to some people...

When i logged in today i had 104 PM's, people who have problems with certain hardware, i can usually solve them, but i urge you all to state your whole system setup in the first PM, i really do not have the time to do multiple responses when not necessary.

NFS4, it is clear to me that you are biased against MSI, not from personal experience, not from anything at all, other than that is the brand that i recommend... and the brand that has the most stable chipset setup according to many people, you just cannot take that, now can you?

Patrick Palm

Am speaking for PC Resources

 

[LXi]

<<thats not true.
my friends abit runs with 157 MHz.>>

What makes you think the MSI is not capable of that with another stick of RAM?


anandtech can not make a &quot;MAX FSB&quot; statment with the ram he use for the test!
look on other hardware sites and you will see more then 147 Mhz are possible with the abit (or the epox).>>

Thats true, but they're the only site that reviewed both boards and the reached the same front side bus despite one having an advantage in northbridge cooling.


<<please READ reviews >>

Please direct me to a web site that clearly shows the MSI not reaching as high of a front side bus as Abit.


<<please let the people decide what they need
i dont care for cnr or amr slots, they absolutly useless for me.
i dont need a ISA slot but if i have the choice i go for ISA.>>

Thats you, a majority of the people out there today need PCI instead of the outdated ISA, Im pretending the CNR is not even there, I ignore useless things.


<<mama, uahaha i want that toy.
you sound like a broken record >>

Have I offended you by prasing the MSI over your Epox?


<<you have not seen this board yet?>>

I have seen the board in person at Comdex. But there is no way to get your hands on them right now, nobody besides PCResources has played around with it.


<<you have only read some reviews (or i am wrong?)>>

So have you.


<<how can you be that SURE?>>

Im that sure because Im confident in MSI.


<<in which areas the board is better then the epox?>>

We shall see...


<<oc? no>>

Nupe, you're wrong. MSI reached a higher FSB despite not having northbridge active cooling!!.


<<stability? i dont see a difference between my msi kt7pro2a and my epox 8kta3!>>

You dont see it? Or are you too ignorant too see it? Have you ran any kind of stability tests like PCResources?


<<speed? i dont think so>>

The speed is about equal.


<<features? lol, i dont think so>>

Oh I think so, D-LED, LiveBIOS, FuzzyLogicIII, RAID, onboard sound, the list goes on.


<<sorry, you sound like a kid
if someone are an ABIT zealot you are sure one of the biggest MSI zealots >>

Well I guess you read none of my previous posts, I never denied being an MSI zealot, I even said it's a pleasure to admit it.


<<please stop worshiping anandtechs stress test.
this test means nothing to the normal user.>>

Oh why dont we just ignore stability as a whole then? There shouldnt be much different between the most stable board in the market and the least stable board in the market, right? Wrong, McFly, stability is the most important aspect of a motherboard, whether you like it or not, bit and your Epox are no match for MSI in terms of stability. Anandtech gave them a high rating for a reason.


<<my epox system is a webserver and now runs for 11 days without a crash.
if i it crash, you could be 99.95% sure that windows crashes my system and not a board issue. >>

MSI can easily accomplish the same thing.


<<about RMA:
please tell me where you get informations about the RMA rates.>>

From my personal experience, and the experience of veterans like Patrick.


<<sorry but this is not that easy.

i have send a email to msi (but get no respones yet).>>

We shall see, if its not 4 phase, it's a 3 phase, because I see at least 3 coils.


<<ps: im not an abit user! i am an msi and epox user>>

Clearly you're biased toward Epox, look I dont know what's wrong with your Pro2A, Im sorry if you had bad experience with it, but your arguments are less than relevant. Did you forget your Epox will be more expensive too? Oh I forgot, you just do the card stacking to hide the disadvantage.

PS, can you also stop using the smilies in your arguments? Its annoying the hell out of me, thanks in advance.

 

[NFS4]

<< NFS4, it is clear to me that you are biased against MSI, not from personal experience, not from anything at all, other than that is the brand that i recommend... and the brand that has the most stable chipset setup according to many people, you just cannot take that, now can you? >>


No, I'm not biased against MSI...I just want you to see both sides of the story. It seems OK for you to talk about Abit's problems w/o mentioning MSI's. I don't think that's right.

And what is this about me biased against it because YOU recommend it? I showed my reservations for the board BEFORE you even came into the thread...