VIA KT400A (pre)view: Chipset looks disappointing!!

[jiffylube1024]

Well, I just checked out Anand's preview of the KT400A, and boy doesn't it look great! [/sarcasm] Thanks, VIA, but I'm pretty happy with my nForce2 board, and dual channel DDR. Perhaps when the VT8237 South Bridge comes out it will make KT400A more competitive, but in the meantime nVidia holds the performance lead.

Isn't it funny that Via is late to the market with a chipset that can't beat nVidia's solid offering, and yet nVidia is the one who is 6+ months late in the market with NV30!

Edit: Instead of posting to the 100+ thread KT400A "anticipation" thread (above) I think it makes much more sense to discuss it in a new thread that people will actualy be able to read through .

 

[Iron Woode]

what's your problem? You must love stroking your ego.

The NF2 chipset and the VIA KT400a are almost identical in performance according to Anandtech's own review. And this on a preview board.

Wait till the retail boards are tested and they mature a bit before you start making blanket statements.

 

[BarryAZ]

Look, if the KT400a is marketed as an *upgrade* for existing nforce boards, then it is targeted improperly. I don't know that it will be though.

If instead, it is marketed as an alternative -- which can cost $20 or more less than the Nforce boards which offer similar performance, then, we all benefit from the competition.

For those with an nforce board -- hang on to it.

For those looking to purchase a new motherboard/CPU combination -- these boards go into the mix.

 

[DoubleL]

Well from what I have seen the KT400 boards run right with and beats the Nforce2 in all test but one so If they get any thing out of the KT400A at all it will be the boards that go in my computers I sell

 

[yodayoda]

don't forget that Via "juiced" their KT400 refernce boards and shipped boards to reviewers that minutely overclocked the CPUs and memory. so a Via reference board is going to be at least as good if not better than a retail board. besides, it has no firewire, sh*tty audio, no good integrated video options, no dual channel DDR, and bad bad memories of that infamous 686B southbridge. man, when i sleep i swear i can hear my speakers popping because of that buddy southbridge. never never again--i would rather buy SiS than Via (maybe even ALi, but that is pushing it).

 

[NicColt]

>but I'm pretty happy with my nForce2 board, and dual channel DDR.
>but in the meantime nVidia holds the performance lead.

I agree with Iron, your just blowing hot air like most anti-via fudpackers. According to The Tech-Report

"The KT400A's new memory controller looks especially strong in our memory latency tests, beating out the nForce2 by 20 ns. NVIDIA has argued that the nForce2's dual-channel config has memory access latency advantages, but the single-channel KT400A has no trouble outrunning its dual-channel competitor."

Edit: BTW this was on an early reference board not the final released product.

Both nvdia's nforce2 and via's kt400a will be excellent boards and kt400a's will even have better sound, both will have strong and weak points. But to come and say at this point that the kt400a doesn't look great is just foolish.

 

[Killrose]

I was dissapointed. I figured it would wipe the floor with the nForce2. I don't know why, but I guess I sort of expected some sort of great leap in performance. I guess I watch to many video card reveiws where things change sustanstially (usually)

 

[BarryAZ]

I don't know that there is that much margin to be had performance wise anyway -- perhaps a few per cent here and there, but that would be about it for now.

When new CPU's and faster RAM hits, along with production Serial ATA support and drives (I saw that WD review and it was interesting), then we might see the 'edge' in terms of what motherboards can produce.