KT400A chipset

**OPPAINTER** · 03-09-2003, 11:16 PM

Heres a little spiff on the up coming Via KT400A chipset.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/modules...rder=0&thold=0

OPP

**B5I8** · 03-09-2003, 11:41 PM

I don't see anything.

**OPPAINTER** · 03-09-2003, 11:43 PM

Try it again

OPP

**Dissolved** · 03-10-2003, 12:44 AM

Well those benchmarks are from via.. so they probly tweaked the board to out perform the nf2 by a tiny bit.

But it looks promising.. just hope via can actually make a stable chipset w/o any bugs.

**kanedazan** · 03-10-2003, 01:29 AM

I can't say I adore the way they point it on NF2 "issue". Lost bandwith with dual bank memory?...It's not that untrue, but still, when I see Intel boosting PC2100 up to Rdram speed simpyl due to dual bank, I can't totally agree with this article

But still.
The spec are interisting, especially for the futur, the fact that sata is link finalyl to the Vlink and no more cutted by the pci bus limiataing bandwith, that's a good but thin improvement. Contrary to the NF2, the KT400A must try to rules on a market already rules by Nvidia, so they really can't make a mistake.

**baller02** · 03-10-2003, 01:30 AM

if they used spd settings with the pc3200 dimms the nforce2 was used in async mode!!!!

**B5I8** · 03-10-2003, 01:43 AM

The only way I'd even consider buying a KT400A board is if it features an AGP and PCI lock like the NForce2 boards.

**QuadDamage** · 03-10-2003, 02:35 AM

Sorry, bit IMO, VIA is not able to make decent chipset.

**Alexandrus** · 03-10-2003, 02:43 AM

Not true at all, VIA is a great chipset maker, but they were tried to gain more P4 market share and they didn't pay much attention to the socketA chipsets.

If the rummors are true, then the KT400A has AGP/PCI lock, and I'll drop my nForce2 in a split second, just to be able to use a decent IDE driver again, not the crap nVIDIA has.
I would probably miss the SoundStorm, but that's no biggie, I'll get me an Audigy2

**beatnic** · 03-10-2003, 03:19 AM

Originally posted by B5I8
The only way I'd even consider buying a KT400A board is if it features an AGP and PCI lock like the NForce2 boards.

second that.. but i read about the upcoming asus kt400a board and it has got fixed AGP/PCI frequencies.. but i doubt they are locked

**QuadDamage** · 03-10-2003, 03:24 AM

yeah certainly. KT266/KT400 were really great. i do hope that they are coming up with decent chipset this time...

**MrLavender** · 03-10-2003, 06:48 AM

Dunno about the KT266/KT400, the KT266A and KT333 were certainly great chipsets for their time. The reason everybody was so eager to jump ship to the NF2 was that the KT400 offered nothing new really, apart from AGP 8x.

[H] also has a preview up, the NF2 wins nearly all their tests, albeit by a small margin, even when the KT400A is running DDR400 against DDR333 on the NF2.

VIA's argument that the extra memory bandwidth afforded by dual-channel is wasted because of the limited cpu fsb bandwidth is misleading. As pointed out in this article it can be used by DMA channels which don't go through the cpu. With single-channel those DMA accesses from IDE, AGP, or PCI effectively "steal" memory bandwidth from the cpu. (Before reading that I wondered why turning off all the onboard devices didn't give a big gain in Sandra mem scores like it used to on my KX7-333).

I see no reason at the moment why any NF2 owner would be at all interested in the KT400A. Even if they have closed the performance gap a bit the NF2 is still a superior chipset. And unless KT400A mobos retail for much less than NF2's VIA is going to have a hard time winning back market share.

**Emericana** · 03-10-2003, 08:22 AM

the only reason i would be interested w/ a KT400a over my nf2 is if there is the following in the abit board (since they are the only company i will by from):
Vcore to 2.0v or more
Vdimm to 3.2v
Vagp to 1.85v

Now since the KT400a is set up diff than the NF2, VDD voltage may not be an issue, as people w/ kt333 and kt400 board and good hardrives could do 220mhz or even more without having to mod the vdd voltage.

Pretty much i would want a board that could do 233mhz (w/ a 1/7 divisor since i doubt there will be a lock) or atleast have a FSB up till 266mhz w/ a 1/8divisor

**hedge** · 03-10-2003, 09:11 AM

Keep hoping emericana. The day a 1/7 divisor comes out is when I die. I am going to stick with the nf2. Via has made decent chipsets, but I have just liked my nf2 so much more. No hdd corruption ever. I hate to used the onboard raid on my kt33 board and the raid toasted itself somehow. No more 166 fsb after that happened. I never have to worry about that now. I really don't care if I have to mod my board to make it work great. The warranty is already gone with my pelier system. Plus, it won't be cheaper. That is guaranteed.

hedge

**ASRaiven** · 03-10-2003, 09:15 AM

The KT400A benchmarks are not realy fair, cuz running asynch with the NFORCE2 reduces the latency by up to 30% (!!!!!) which causes perofmance drop, very tricky benchmarks...

**PimpJack** · 03-10-2003, 09:37 AM

mr. Lavendar: I don't think via can make a board on a new chipset that will be cheaper than the nf2... u can get a loaded abit for $125 that is really cheap. The kt400a remindes me of the FX. Too little too late.

CCW · 03-10-2003, 09:47 AM

Originally posted by ASRaiven
The KT400A benchmarks are not realy fair, cuz running asynch with the NFORCE2 reduces the latency by up to 30% (!!!!!) which causes perofmance drop, very tricky benchmarks...

dont run async then

Craig

**mdzcpa** · 03-10-2003, 10:09 AM

Originally posted by PimpJack
The kt400a remondes me of the FX. Too little too late.

Indeed.

**bowman1964** · 03-10-2003, 10:12 AM

[i] The kt400a remindes me of the FX. Too little too late. [/B]

yep thats my fealing.

nf2 with pci lock is still the overclockers dream board.i hated every time i got my at7max2 to a beautiful rock solid speed....a week later hard drive coruption...via has a good product but i believe nf2 still will keep the proformance crown for a while longer.

**Emericana** · 03-10-2003, 10:21 AM

ya esp when the newer versions of the nforce boards are released i am sure the probs w/ current NF2 boards will be fixed (ie USB keyboard/mouse support and low voltages)

**antipop** · 03-10-2003, 10:38 AM

Originally posted by hedge
Keep hoping emericana. The day a 1/7 divisor comes out is when I die. I am going to stick with the nf2. Via has made decent chipsets, but I have just liked my nf2 so much more. No hdd corruption ever. I hate to used the onboard raid on my kt33 board and the raid toasted itself somehow. No more 166 fsb after that happened. I never have to worry about that now. I really don't care if I have to mod my board to make it work great. The warranty is already gone with my pelier system. Plus, it won't be cheaper. That is guaranteed.

hedge

Does the nf7 has some kind of lock on the ide and sata channel? like it has for the agp/pci

**MrLavender** · 03-10-2003, 10:58 AM

Originally posted by PimpJack
The kt400a reminds me of the FX. Too little too late.

Hehe, good comparision!

Funny ain't it - ATI overtakes Nvidia in the GFX market and now Nvidia do exactly the same thing to VIA. Competition is great!

**ASRaiven** · 03-10-2003, 11:22 AM

Originally posted by CCW
dont run async then

Craig

I don't, some of the reviewrs does

**Major** · 03-10-2003, 12:04 PM

here is a detailed review with lots of benches, NF2 still beats KT400A in all of them

http://www.amdmb.com/article-display...D=228&PageID=1

**Ruantic** · 03-10-2003, 12:19 PM

The kt400a reminds me of the FX. Too little too late.

Very well said

Its going to take some drastic performance improvements to pry my Nforce out of my case, and replace with a VIA based board! Especially considering all the crap I went through to get my 9700P to run on it!!

Hmm, reading the above, I think I should clarify, all the crap getting my 9700P running was with the KT400 board, and it never would work with agp 3.0 compliant drivers....

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