ABIT KD7-RAID

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The words "ABIT" and "Overclocking" have been synonymous as far back as their BX chipset days. There was a time that if you were looking to overclock easily, ABIT's Softmenu™ bois was pretty much the only option. Since that day a lot of manufacturers have jumped on the Softmenu bandwagon under one title or another, but what has not changed is ABIT's reputation for producing feature packed motherboards that stand on not only tweakability, but stability and overall performance. What we are setting out to do today is see if the ABIT KD7 mainboard lives up to those expectations. Without further ado, let's take a look at the KD7-RAID motherboard offering from ABIT.

Manufacturer:	ABIT
Product:	ABIT KD7-RAID Motherboard
Price:	USD$112.00
Availability:	NOW
Reviewed By:	Jim "Justi" Miller
Review Date:	February 2003

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ABIT KD7-RAID Motherboard Review

 

Introduction:

The words "ABIT" and "Overclocking" have been synonymous as far back as their BX chipset days.  There was a time that if you were looking to overclock easily, ABIT's Softmenu™ bois was pretty much the only option.  Since that day a lot of manufacturers have jumped on the Softmenu bandwagon under one title or another, but what has not changed is ABIT's reputation for producing feature packed motherboards that stand on not only tweakability, but stability and overall performance.  What we are setting out to do today is see if the ABIT KD7 mainboard lives up to those expectations.  Without further ado, let's take a look at the KD7-RAID motherboard offering from ABIT.

 

 

Features:

I don't like to waste a buttload of time going over the specifics of a product for the simple fact that they are readily available on the manufacturers product page, but I will show you a quick glance at the feature set of the KD7-RAID featuring the KT400 chipset by Via.

Processor

- AMD Socket A Duron (100MHz FSB) Processors up to 1.3GHz
- AMD Socket A Athlon (100/133MHz FSB) Processors up to 1.4GHz.
- AMD Socket A Athlon XP Processors up to 2800+

Chipset

- VIA KT400/VT8235 chipset
- Supports Hi-Speed Universal Serial Bus (USB 2.0)
- Supports Advanced Configuration and Power Management Interface (ACPI)
- Accelerated Graphics Port connector supports AGP 4X/8X (1.5V/0.8V)

Memory

- Four 184-pin DIMM sockets
- Supports 2 DIMM DDR 333/400 (Max. 2GB)
- Supports 3 DIMM Unbuffered DDR 200/266 (Max. 3GB)
- Supports 4 DIMM Registered DDR 200/266 (Max. 3.5GB)

RAID

- High Point HPT372 IDE RAID Controller supports Ultra DMA 33/66/100/133
- RAID 0/1/0+1(striping + mirroring mode for boosting performance and data security)

Audio

- 6-Channel AC 97 CODEC on board
- Professional digital audio interface supports 24-bit S/PDIF Out

LAN

- On board 10/100Mb Operation supports ACPI & Wake on LAN

System BIOS

- SoftMenu™ Technology to set CPU parameters
- Supports Plug-and-Play (PNP)
- Supports Advanced Configuration Power Interface (ACPI)
- Supports Desktop Management Interface (DMI)
- Write-Protect Anti-Virus function by AWARD BIOS

Internal I/O Connectors

- 1 x AGP, 6 x PCI slots
- Floppy Port supports up to 2.88MB
- 4 x Ultra DMA 33/66/100/133 Connectors
- 2 x USB headers
- 1 x CD-IN, 1 x AUX-IN
- 1 x IrDA

Back Panel I/O

- 1 x PS/2 Keyboard, 1 x PS/2 mouse
- 2 x Serial, 1 x Parallel
- 1 x S/PDIF Output
- Audio connectors (Front Speaker, Line-in, Mic-in, Center/Sub, Surround Speaker)
- 2 x USB, 1 x RJ-45 LAN Connector

Miscellaneous

- ATX form factor
- Hardware Monitoring - Including Fan speed, Voltages, CPU and System temperature
 

Ok, so what does all of that mean in a nutshell?  It means that ABIT has built the KD7 around the Via KT400 chipset, included onboard LAN, onboard 6 channel audio, onboard RAID controller by High Point, USB 2.0, and of course their Softmenu bios.  There, that seems a little more palatable to me.   Oddly, there are a few features that I feel should have warranted mention on their own pimp list but were left off, we'll get to those later :)

 

Out of the Box:

When opening the box we were greeted with the following:

• Motherboard

• Manual

• Driver/Software CD

• ATX Connection Template

• 2 USB Port extension slot.

• RAID Drivers on floppy.

• 2ea ATA133 IDE Cables

• Floppy Drive Cable

 

Yup, basically your standard fair.  Other than the fact that ABIT packaged Norton's Antivirus and their standard "Hardware Doctor" system monitoring Windows program, nothing really stood out here. 

 

Let's take a closer look at the board...

Next: ABIT KD7-RAID >>
 

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