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It seems that
regardless of which PC component we speak of today
the subject of bandwidth, and more specifically
memory bandwidth, seems to take center stage.
Recent discussions in the video card arena have
really brought the importance of alleviating the
memory bandwidth bottleneck to the top of many
enthusiasts' minds. Video cards are not the only
parts where performance gains can be realized by
increasing available bandwidth though.
In the never-ending quest to bolster the overall
performance of systems based on their CPUs both
major players,
AMD and
Intel, have embraced
newer...potentially "faster"...memory technologies.
Intel's current flagship setup, a Pentium 4
coupled with expensive RDRAM,
shows huge memory performance
gains. AMD has gone a different route though, and
are promoting chipsets that utilize much less
expensive DDR SDRAM. AMD's own DDR enabled 760 chipset was the
first to hit the streets, and even at this
relatively "immature" stage is showing
an approximate 10-20% increase in available
bandwidth. With a little "maturity", and
the influx of true CAS2 PC2100 RAM there is
potential for even greater gains. Unfortunately,
the AMD 760 chipset isn't widely available (and
probably won't ever be), opening the door for
third parties like
VIA Technologies and
Acer
Laboratories (ALi) to become the dominant
manufacturer of DDR chipsets. VIA already has DDR
enabled chipsets available for the Pentium III and
Athlon and will soon have one available for the
Pentium 4. Their Athlon part (the KT266) has hit a
few speed bumps along the road of acceptance
though, which has allowed ALi's ALiMAGiK 1 to garner a
lion's share of press.
The board we've got in the HotHardware Labs today,
the
Soyo SY-K7ADA, is based on the ALiMAGiK 1.
Soyo is no stranger to the "Performance"
motherboard market, having offered excellent
products based on virtually every major chipset to
be introduced in the last few years. Their
SY-6BA+100 was among the best BX based
motherboards, and was universally praised in
virtually every review. Is the SY-K7ADA Soyo's next
winner? Let's find out...
Click to Enlarge
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| Specifications
/ Features of the Soyo K7ADA |
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It's
ALi's Turn... |
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DESCRIPTION
- AMD
Socket-A Based ALi ALiMAGiK1 ATX
Motherboard
PROCESSOR
- Single AMD
Socket-A type Processor Including Duron
and Althon
CHIPSET
- ALi
ALiMAGiK1(1647/1535D+) chipsets Support
200/266 MHz FSB
SYSTEM MEMORY
- Three
184-pin DDR SDRAM 2.5V DIMM sockets
support up to 3GB
- Support
PC1600/PC2100 DDR SDRAM
EXPANSION SLOTS
- Five
32-bit Bus Mastering PCI slots (v2.2
compliant)
- One
Universal AGP slots (support 1x/2x/4x
mode)
BUILT-IN CHIPSET SUPER I/O
- Two RS-232
serial ports (16550 UART compatible)
- One
Parallel printer port (SPP/EPP/ECP mode)
- One FDD
port (Supports LS120, 3 mode,
1.2/1.44/2.88MB FDD)
- Provides
IrDA port with optional cable for
transceiver
- Six USB
ports (2 rear and 4 front)
TWO ULTRA DMA-33/66/100 IDE PORTS
- Two
independent channels for four IDE devices
- Supports
up to PIO mode 5 and Ultra DMA 33/66/100
- Two PCI
bus mastering ATA E-IDE ports
BOARD DIMENSIONS
- Four
layers, 30.5 cm x 19 cm (12" x 7.48")
- ATX form
factor
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ON
BOARD AUDIO SUBSYSTEM
- AC97 Codec
on board to provide software audio solution
BOOT-BLOCK FLASH BIOS
- Award PCI
BIOS with ACPI function
- Supports
multiple-boot from E-IDE / SCSI / CD-ROM /
FDD / LS120 / ZIP
- 2 Mbit Flash
ROM
ENHANCED PC HEALTH MONITORING
- On-board
voltage monitors for CPU Vcore, VTT, +5v,
+12V, and VBAT
- CPU fan
speed monitor
- CPU
temperature monitoring through flexible
thermal sensor
DOUBLE STACK BACK-PANEL I/O CONNECTORS
- PS/2
Mini-DIN mouse & keyboard ports
- Two USB
ports (2 rear and 2 front)
- One D-Sub
25-pin female printer port
- Two serial
port
- Audio I/O:
LINE-Out x1 , LINE-In x1, MIC JACK x1
- One game
port
PC99 ACPI COMPLIANT
- Advanced
Management Capabilities
- Software
power off control
- Power-on by
keyboard
- Power-on by
Alarm
- Modem Ring
On
CPU FSB
- Core voltage
could be adjusted via DIP switch
- Multiplier
could be adjusted via DIP switch
- Supports
on-board Hardware Monitoring
- Includes
Hardware Health Utility
- Supports WOL
(Wake On LAN)
- Suspend To
RAM
- Suspend To
Disk
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We
grabbed this image directly from ALi's
site...
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specifications and feature list seems very complete...and so is the
bundle, with one notable exception we'll get to a
little later...
Included in the box with the SY-K7ADA, you'll find
a basic users manual, a CD containing all the
necessary drivers for the chipset and on-board
sound, the usual package of cables and
surprisingly, a small bag of thermal paste!
It was great to see this simple addition; with
motherboards based on the same chipsets usually
being so similar, small items like this may sway
your decision from one product to another.
The
RAM, Setup, Installation and Quality
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