View Full Version : new Epox 8K5A2+
supra33202
08-06-2002, 11:29 PM
http://www.bunta.com/
EPoX EP-8K5A2-PLUS - $101.00 :eek:
:banana:
Figures bastards dont have a manual available for download so we can see into the bios availabilities. heh.
Nice find there.
And Welcome to the Sickness.
IFMU
supra33202
08-07-2002, 12:36 AM
I just checked. The board costs $97.00 now!
:smileysex :stick:
xgman
08-07-2002, 08:37 AM
With the Nforce2 and KT400 out around September (according to an email I just received from Epox as I am writing this), I must be nuts for ordering one of these. If you can read a bios file, there is one for the 8k5a2 on epox.org dated 7-17.
sysfailur
08-07-2002, 09:29 AM
MMMmm, I must aqquire this board.
septimus
08-07-2002, 11:29 AM
This board is just a slight upgrade of the 8k3a... if anything, I think it might not perform quite as well as the 8k3a.
dmitriyaz
08-07-2002, 11:54 AM
Epox made 8k3a.
Abit owned it with kx7.
Epox made another, similar board, clearly for the purpose of beating kx7.
Abit owned it again, with the same old kx7.
kt400 and nf2 are upon us, Epox loses this round. :stick:
i hope they do better next time. but highly doubt it.
SPQQKY
08-07-2002, 02:00 PM
I wouldn't say a few points in 3DMark means the Abit board owns the EPoX. They are both great boards. Don't under estimate EPoX, after all, the 8KHA+ was the most awarded board of last year and a serious performer.
sysfailur
08-08-2002, 12:27 PM
Yes let's not turn this into a Abit vs Epox thread. We all know the pluses and minuses of each :P
xgman
08-09-2002, 10:29 AM
First test:
Took out 8k3a and put in 8k5a2+.
Booted right up at exact same settings I was at with the 8k3a, 2200+ at 1920mhz (slk-800), fsb 202 at cas2-2-5-2-1T-4Way Turbo.
WinXP loaded a few drivers incl. USB2 off of the epox cd and restarted.
Bios date is 7-23
HUGE difference in CPU temp reading. 8k3a w/2719 bios =58degrees; 8k5a2+ = 34.5 degrees. I'm not sure what to make of it.
First impression is real smooth, no crashes or quirks.
The board has different layout than the 8k3a with different #'s of caps, etc. It includes a rear template. The northbrige heatsink has no fan, but it is bigger than the one on the 8k3a and round. i put a fan on it anyway.
Now the real important thing is how does it bench compared to the 8k3a. Well, I haven't had time to do more than a couple of runs in Sandra Memory test yet, with and without wpcrset tweaks, and my conclusion is that it benches on the same level as the 8k3a as least as far as memory anyway. maybe ever so slightly better which may be only due to the different bios. CPU fast decode is still not enable and when you set it in wpcrset, and reboot and check in wpcredit, it goes back to 69, so I don't think it can be changed at least in this bios. Hopefully epox will give us a bios that has that option. I'll run 3dmark2001 later and see if there is any change.