EPoX EP-8KTA3 Socket-A KT133A ATX

Name: EPoX EP-8KTA3 Socket-A KT133A ATX
Item: EPoX EP-8KTA3 Socket-A KT133A ATX
Author: Mike Andrawes

by Mike Andrawes on January 25, 2001 4:48 PM EST

Posted in
Motherboards

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Final Words

There is no doubt that EpoX’s EP-8KTA3 is a big improvement over the EP-8KTA2 (KT133). EPoX took a lot of effort in redesigning the board, in order to improve the stability of the motherboard as well as putting in a lot of new unique features.

The migration from dipswitches to BIOS for all the overclocking features is a really big step by EPoX, and the P80P LED Debugging tool also aids you in troubleshooting. And if you go for the EP-8KTA3+, you also gain the advantage of having onboard IDE RAID.

However, the new design does have its drawbacks. The poor design around the CPU socket might affect the cooling of the CPU. With AMD processors running relatively hot at speed about 1GHz, cooling has become more important, and the current design takes the risk of blocking the airflow. The lack of 1MHz increments in FSB speeds also takes a big hit in overclocking, especially FSB speeds of higher than 140MHz are proved to be achievable.

If you really need a KT133A solution right now, the EP-8KTA3 should be a very good contender because of its reasonable price and the lack of choice in the market. However, if you can, it is definitely worth the wait to see how other upcoming KT133A motherboards will surprise us.

How it Rates

AnandTech Motherboard Rating
	Rating (x/10)
Performance The EP-8KTA3 performs head to head with the KT7A-RAID, although the KT7A-RAID still holds a slim edge. Just like what we experienced with KT133 motherboards, the difference between performances of each board are very small.	7.5
Price Priced at around $140US, the EP-8KTA3 is one of the most affordable KT133A solutions in the market now. Expect the EP-8KTA3+ to be around $20US more.	5.5
Stability When we reviewed the old EP-8KTA2, the stability of that board was only around average. However, with the new design, the EP-8KTA3 is very stable, tied with the KT7A-RAID and crashed only two times within 24 hours.	8.0
Quality The quality of EPoX products are constantly improving. Even though they are not using the best quality components, compared to their products in the past, the EP-8KTA3 has improved a lot.	6.5
Features Once again, the newly designed EP-8KTA3 has a lot of new features. Multiplier ratio settings, FSB speeds, and voltage adjustments are all done in BIOS now. The new P80P LED provides a much more detailed diagnosing, and the DIMM slots and expansion slot implementation provide a lot of flexibility. The lack of 1MHz increments for FSB speed settings limits the overclocking ability, however.	7.5
Layout The layout is poor compared to other boards we have looked at. The CPU area is crowded with capacitors and voltage regulators. The DIMM slots are too close to the CPU socket as well. The power cables will run over the CPU because of the placement of the power supply connectors. All these might result in bad CPU cooling. The placement of the IDE connectors affects the placement of some longer size PCI devices.	4.0
Availability EPoX’s products are generally easy to find on on-line stores or even local computer stores. They are not available in stores like Best Buy or Circuit City, but readers have seen them at Fry’s Electronics.	6.5
Documentation & Software Bundle EPoX took a big step in writing the manual. It is of much higher quality than the previous ones. Users are now able to find a lot of detailed information on connectors, jumpers, BIOS, and software installation. The CD shipped with the board also contains all the necessary drivers and software. It also has a copy of the Norton Ghost and Antivirus.	7.0
Overall Rating - not an average Click here to find out why	8.0

EPoX EP-8KTA3 Socket-A KT133A ATX

Final Words

How it Rates

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