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12/03/04 By pr101j (Paul)
ASUS is one of the largest motherboard manufacturers in the world. Today we are going to take a look at their K8V-X 64 Bit board. This board is a mid range 64 bit supporting the 754 class KT800 class chipset. This is our first 64 bit motherboard review so hopefully we highlight what folks want to know. Let's take a look and see if ASUS performs as well as they did with there XP chipsets. |
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| CPU | 754-pin socket supports one AMD Sempron CPU or Athlon 64 processor |
| System Bus | 800MHz |
| Chipset | VIA
K8T800 VIA VT8237 |
| Memory | 3 x 184-pin DIMM Sockets support max. 3GB un-buffered ECC and non-ECC PC3200/PC2700 / PC2100 DDR SDRAM memory |
| Expansion Slots | 1 x
AGP 8X 5x PCI |
| Storage | South
Bridge 2 x ATA133 2 x SATA, RAID0, RAID1 |
| Audio | ADI
AD1980, 6-channel CODEC S/PDIF out interface |
| LAN | Marvell 88E 8001 GbLAN |
| USB2.0 | 8 USB2.0 ports |
| Special Features | AMD
Cool 'n' Quiet! Technology AI NET ASUS MyLogo2 ASUS C.P.R. ASUS EZ Flash Support S/PDIF out interface ASUS CrashFree2 BIOS ASUS Instant Music(Lite) ASUS Multi-language BIOS |
| Overclock Features | -
ASUS JumperFree - Memory, Vlink voltage adjustable - Adjustable FSB/DDR ratio - SFS(Stepless Frequency Selection) from 200 MHz up to 300MHz at 1MHz increment |
| Back Panel I/O Ports | 1xSerial 4xUSB 1xParallel 1xRJ45 1 x PS/2 Keyboard 1 x PS/2 Mouse 1x Audio I/O 1x SPDIF OUT |
| Internal I/O connectors | -
2x USB2.0 connector supports additional 4 USB 2.0 ports - Intel Front Panel Audio connector - 20-pin ATX power connector - 4-pin ATX 12V power connector - CPU /chassis fan connectors - CD/ AUX audio in - GAME port connector - SPDIF_OUT connector |
| BIOS Feature | -
4Mb Flash EEPROM - AMI BIOS with enhanced ACPI,DMI,PnP - ASUS EZ Flash, ASUS Mylogo2, SM BIOS 2.3, Crash-Free BIOS2 |
| Industry Standard | PCI 2.2, USB2.0 |
| Manageability | WOL by PME, WOR by PME |
| Support CD | drivers ASUS PC Probe Trend Micro PC-cillin 2002 anti-virus software |
| Accessories | User's
manual UltraDMA cables FDD cable IDE cable SATA cables I/O shield |
| Form Factor | ATX 12" x 9.6" (30.5cm*24.5cm) |
Price:
XTechnology Price $97.00 USD Purchase Link
90 USD is a very fair price for a 64bit system board supporting SATA.
Installation:
This install is pretty standard. The CPU is a bit smaller and the cooler mounts are a bit different from the XP class coolers, but still pretty standard. ASUS has always been known for their easy installs, everything is pretty much plug and play and the K8V-X is no exception. All that was really needed is to make sure you plug all the hardware in the correct places and then power on the PC. This board is good for any novice with little experience building a PC.
You can see in the photos below the three 184 pin memory slots and on the right, the 5 PCI slots and one AGP.
Here we have the pins' installation for sound USB, LED's and switches. The documentation provided describes this install in detail. This was very easy.
Below are a few pictures of the stock CPU cooler and the different style of mount from the socket A. There is not much more to elaborate on, I just wanted to show you the difference for the people not familiar with the AMD 64 bit CPU's.
Driver installation is just as easy. You can either insert the CD provided and run the auto setup or as windows finds the hardware, point the install shield to the CD and everything will load easily.
Appearance & Quality:
ASUS does a fine job with the production of this board. The packaging is nothing new, very similar to most of the motherboard manufacturers, so no worry of shipping damage.
Overall, the K8V-X is a solid board. ASUS makes the KT800 chipset very stable. This makes driver installation and setup easy. Placement of the power connectors and internal expansion pins was well thought out. Sometimes manufacturers have a tendency of not leaving room for wire hides or oversized CPU coolers. This is not the case here.
There is not much to elaborate on as far as the looks of this motherboard. It is the standard ASUS yellow, not too many frills, such as colored plastics or UV reactive parts. However, this can be a plus if you want to create a specific look for a window case.
Performance:
As you will see in the results listed below, the ASUS K8V-X motherboard runs quite well. Due to the fact that this is our first review on a 64 bit system, we compared our results to another ASUS board: the A7N8X-X XP class board. The 64 bit system performs leaps and bounds, better then the XP Class. Overall, ASUS has made a well performing motherboard. Check out the multi-comparison results HERE. This board runs more then 25% better then the XP 2500+ model. I am very impressed with all the features and performance.
These FutureMark results help represent what I saw when using this board the KT800 chipset auto recognized all the hardware installed there was nothing to configure and all components ran very smooth. The PCMark tests where done with default setting but ASUS allows for many overclocking features in the BIO's we wont get into that here just note that it is very easy for anyone that has ever altered there FSB or frequencies to tweak their performances.
| General Information | ||
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 2000 | Microsoft Windows 2000 |
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| DirectX Version | 9.0c | 9.0c |
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| Mobo Manufacturer | ASUSTeK Computer Inc. | ASUSTeK Computer Inc. |
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| Mobo Model | K8V-X | K8V-X |
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| AGP Rates (Current/Available) | 8x / 8x | 8x / 8x |
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| CPU | AMD Athlon(tm) 64 2203 MHz | AMD Athlon(tm) 64 2203 MHz |
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| Physical CPUs | 1 | 1 |
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| HyperThreading | Not Available | Not Available |
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| FSB | 200 MHz | 200 MHz |
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| Memory | 1022 MB | 1022 MB |
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| Display Information | ||
| Graphics Chipset | NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700LE | NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700LE |
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| Driver Name | NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700LE | NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700LE |
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| Driver Version | 5.6.7.2 | 5.6.7.2 |
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| Video Memory | 256 MB | 256 MB |
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| Core Clock | 250 MHz | 250 MHz |
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| Memory Clock | 399 MHz | 399 MHz |
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| Sound Information | ||
| Sound Adapter Driver Name | SoundMAX Digital Audio | SoundMAX Digital Audio |
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| Sound Adapter Driver Version | 5.12.1.3663 | 5.12.1.3663 |
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| Hard Disk Information | ||
| Model | MAXTOR 6L020J1 | MAXTOR 6L020J1 |
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| Connection | IDE | IDE |
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| Capacity | 19.13 GB | 19.13 GB |
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| Benchmark Information | ||
| Program Version | PCMark04 Revision 2 Build 0 | PCMark04 Revision 2 Build 0 |
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| System Test
Suite (PCMarks) |
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| CPU Test Suite |
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| Memory Test Suite |
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| Graphics Test Suite |
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| HDD Test Suite |
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| System Test Suite | |||||
| Multithreaded Test 1 /
File Compression (MB/s) |
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| Multithreaded Test 1 /
File Encryption (MB/s) |
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| Multithreaded Test 2 /
File Decompression (MB/s) |
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| Multithreaded Test 2 /
Image Processing (MPixels/s) |
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| Multithreaded Test 3 /
Virus Scanning (MB/s) |
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| Multithreaded Test 3 /
Grammar Check (KB/s) |
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| File
Decryption (MB/s) |
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| Audio
Conversion (KB/s) |
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| Web Page
Rendering (Pages/s) |
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| WMV Video
Compression (FPS) |
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| DivX Video
Compression (FPS) |
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| Physics Calculation and
3D (FPS) |
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| Graphics Memory - 64
Lines (FPS) |
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| CPU Test Suite | |||||
| Multithreaded Test 1 /
File Compression (MB/s) |
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| Multithreaded Test 1 /
File Encryption (MB/s) |
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| Multithreaded Test 2 /
File Decompression (MB/s) |
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| Multithreaded Test 2 /
Image Processing (MPixels/s) |
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| Grammar
Check (KB/s) |
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| File
Decryption (MB/s) |
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| Audio
Conversion (KB/s) |
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| WMV Video
Compression (FPS) |
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| DivX Video
Compression (MFPS) |
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| Memory Test Suite | |||||
| Raw Block Read - 8
MB (MB/s) |
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| Raw Block Read - 4
MB (MB/s) |
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| Raw Block Read - 192
kB (MB/s) |
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| Raw Block Read - 4
kB (MB/s) |
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| Raw Block Write - 8
MB (MB/s) |
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| Raw Block Write - 4
MB (MB/s) |
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| Raw Block Write - 192
kB (MB/s) |
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| Raw Block Write - 4
kB (MB/s) |
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| Raw Block Copy - 8
MB (MB/s) |
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| Raw Block Copy - 4
MB (MB/s) |
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| Raw Block Copy - 192
kB (MB/s) |
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| Raw Block Copy - 4
kB (MB/s) |
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| Random Access - 8
MB (MB/s) |
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| Random Access - 4
MB (MB/s) |
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| Random Access - 192
kB (MB/s) |
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| Random Access - 4
kB (MB/s) |
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Pros:
Ease of installation, both hardware and software.
ASUS provides both IDE and SATA interfaces for drives.
Performance is amazing.
Placement of internal connections are well thought out.
Cons:
They only provide "3" memory slots, could be an issue for some folks.
Appearance is bland, typical "stock" style. This might be an issue for people that want that extra flair, such as the use of window cases.
Getting to the BIOS for any changes can be difficult. The screen flashes pretty quick, it took me 4 tries.
Conclusion:
This board is made for anyone from the first time builder to the experienced modder. I definitely recommend the K8V-X for a stable, easy to install board. 64 bit AMD's Rock!!! I am pleased to award ASUS a 5 & 1/2 out of 6 stars, giving them the Marns CDA Blue Ribbon Seal of Approval. Congratulations!
Rating
5 & 1/2 out of 6
Review Date 12/03/04
Reviewer pr101j (Paul)
Company Info:
| Sales |
|
Notebook
Sales Hotline |
| Technical Support |
|
Motherboard
and General Product Support: |
| Notebook
Support: Email: notebooktsd@asus.com Notebook ONLY Hotline: 510-739-3777 ext. 5110 |
|
PDA
Support: |
| Server
Support: Tel: 510-791-3700 Fax: 510-797-2102 |
| RMA
Support: For ( USA and CANADA Customer only) please visit our website at http://helpdesk.asus.com to obtain a technical support case number before talking to our technical support agents. Use ASUS E-tools to check status on ongoing support cases online. Obtaining an RMA number or tracking your RMA status is just a click away when using ASUS E-Tools. E-mail: rma@asus.com |
|
Tel: 510-739-3777 (select option
3) |
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