Gigabyte 技嘉 K8VNXP VIA K8T800 Mainboard Review (1)
Bluetooth 12 Sept 2003

Introduction

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Last week, we brought you the exclusive coverage of the ALi M1687 Reference board and the Gigabyte K8NNXP (nForce3). In this review, we will bring you more information about the Athlon64 K8 and a review of the Gigabyte's K8NNXP mainboard based on the nForce3 150 chipset.

This time round, we review its brother using the VIA K8T800 chipset. The VIA K8T800 chipset with Hyper8 technology is powering next generation 64-bit compatible platforms based around AMD Opteron™ and new Athlon™ 64 processors, including Dual Opteron™ processor based workstations and servers, and Athlon™64 processor based performance PC platforms. Combined with the VIA VT8237 South Bridge and VIA companion chips, the K8T800 enables an unparalleled range of cutting edge I/O and multimedia features, including an 1.6GHz HyperTransport Bus Link, AGP 8X, Native Serial ATA/RAID, 7.1-surround audio, and Gigabit Ethernet.

Although Hyper8 Technology enables 16-bit/1.6GHz HyperTransport processor-to-chipset link, we must also take note of the North-South link's V-Link of 533 MB/sec bandwidth North/South Bridge interconnect. This is theoretically slower than other competitor's implementation e.g. SiS 755/964 and ALi M1687/1563 (NF3 150 uses a single chipset).
 

Supporting the revolutionary AMD Athlon^TM64 processor, GA-K8VNXP brings new levels of performance and features to the desktop platforms. The brand new AMD Athlon^TM64 processor is furnished with unprecedented framework consisted of AMD’s 64-bit computing platform, HyperTransport Technology, and the CPU-integrated memory controller to boost the overall performance. Accompanied with the innovative designs of Athlon^TM64, a variety of industry’s leading technologies and Gigabyte’s unique designs also contribute to the functionality and stability of this platform. The Gigabyte patented Dual Power System (DPS) enhances the computing power and steadiness of the system. Featuring the industry’s first IEEE 1394b controller, this platform is ready for the next generation high performance interface of Audio/Video appliance. Dual LAN is equipped for establishing the traffic between two separate networks, ensuring rapid transfer of data from WAN to LAN. The Serial ATA and IDE RAID provide superior input/output performance and data protection. GA-K8VNXP will definitely represent the uppermost platform for today’s computer enthusiasts.

AMD Athlon^TM64 Computing Platform
Powered by VIA K8T800 chipset, GA-K8VNXP supports the brand new 8^th generation AMD Athlon^TM64 processor to deliver a high performance platform with dual support for 32-bit applications and increasing 64-bit computing needs.

HyperTransport^TM technology
A high-speed, low latency, point-to-point link designed to provide excellent interconnect for computation and networking. This Technology not only provides more bandwidth but also reduces the I/O bottlenecks and, consequently, greatly enhances the system performance.

Integrated DDR memory controller
The AMD Athlon^TM 64 processor improves the memory performance by integrating a DDR memory controller into the processor. By running at the processor’s core frequency, an integrated memory controller greatly increases bandwidth directly available to the processor at significantly reduced latencies.

Superb bandwidth AGP 8X graphics interface
Featuring AGP 8x (AGP 3.0) the new generation VGA interface specification, this platform delivers enhanced graphics performance with high bandwidth up to 2.12GB/s. Allowing users to have a more realistic graphics experiences while gaming or movie watching.

Dual Power Sysytem K8 (DPS K8)
Specially designed for Athlon^TM64 platform, the Dual Power System delivers a total of 6-phase power circuit to provide more solid and durable power supply for the new generation AMD platform. Ensuring a more secure and stable platform than ever before.

DUAL LAN
Equipped with Gigabit and Ethernet LAN solution, this platform can be applied as network gateway, managing traffic between two separate networks and ensuring rapid transfer of data from WAN to LAN without any added arbitration or latency.

Industry’s first IEEE1394b motherboard
This platform is the first motherboard with IEEE1394b FireWire interface from Texas Instruments (TI). With the transfer speed up to 800Mb/s, the new generation IEEE1394b interface further enhances PC connectivity with consumer electronics audio/video (A/V) appliances, and storage peripherals.

Serial ATA with RAID 0, 1 function
Serial ATA is the revolutionary ATA interface that provides scalable performance for IDE device. With up to 150MB/s data transfer rate, Serial ATA is faster than current Parallel ATA and delivers superior input/output performance. In addition, the Serial ATA interface is furnished with RAID 0,1 function for extra performace enhancement and data protection.

GigaRAID IDE RAID Controller
Supporting RAID (0, 1, 0+1), JBOD function and ATA133 interface, GigaRAID Controller delivers completely solution for storage interface to increase fault tolerance, improve data access performance and provides additional interface for more IDE devices.

6 Channel Audio with UAJ
With the innovative function of Universal Audio Jack (UAJ) of ALC 658 AC97 codec, this platform provides superior 6-Channel stereo sound enjoyment without the distress for wrong installation.

GIGABYTE Patent DualBIOS^TM
DualBIOS^TM prevents BIOS from virus attacks to provide a double security thus assuring the PC stability.

Norton Internet Security™ Included
Norton Internet Security^TM 2003 is the essential protection from viruses, hackers, and privacy threats. It protects user during the online activities such as e-mailing, shopping, banking, and game playing.

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