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The ABIT AT7 is a speed demon in our
comparison with the rest of the 3 KT333 boards we have benchmark before. In
terms of Performance, the AT7 wins most of the categories. The AT7 seems to have
maximised to its utmost performance.
The board is the most feature rich board I have
ever seen. 6 ch audio support, Highpoint HPT374 ATA-133 RAID 0/1/0+1 up to 8
devices + 4 ATA-133 IDE. Rich overclocking features. We tested the overclocking and
were able to run it steadily at 150Mhz FSB using an AthlonXP 1500+ o/c to 1800+ using
normal timings (defaults are set to maximum performance. e.g. 1T cmd). We
did try to overclock our unlocked AthlonMP1.2G, it went up to 166Mhz easily.
Anything above that was not possble and this could be due to the quality of the CPU.
Installation is very straightforward except
that we need to go out and purchase USB mouse and keyboard for the test. In
fact, I feel that PS/2 connectors should be built in instead of just leaving it
out and rely on USB totally. With Firewire and USB 2.0 on board, it makes it a
good choice for digital video enthusiasts who needs fast transfer of movie
files. The 6 channel audio can also be used for viewing of DVD encoded with
Dolby Digital 5.1 format.
In conclusion, this board brings the PC to a
new level. This board is priced at USD171 (minimum) on pricewatch.com is a bit
steep. The board will appeal to those who wants the latest technology and best
integration of features all in one. To date, this is the most innovative board
we have seen.
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