Layout and Installation
ABIT KX7-333
The KX7-333 is identical to the KR7A-RAID I had before in appearance, infact the only giveaway it wasn't the same board was the 'ABIT KX7-333' lettering beneath the 6th PCI slot, and the fact the RAID controller was missing (My board is a KX7-333 not a KX7-333RAID). This is no bad thing - the layout of the board is fantastic with most things exactly where you need them.
You've got 4 memory slots, which to start with looks like a good feature but when you consider that for use of all 4 slots the board only supports Registered PC2100, it looks a little less inviting. At least the feature is there for those who need it.
The IDE connectors are well placed at the edge of the board, meaning you don't need to drape IDE cables all over the place. The ATX power connector is the standard type, and has been placed right at the top of the board - this is a welcome feature, as the ATX power cable will not obstruct the heatsink fan in this position.
The CPU socket itself is also in a great position and includes the 4 mounting holes, crucial for fitting high end water cooling gear, and high end heatsinks like my own Alpha PAL8045. I had no problems at all fitting the Alpha to the KX7-333 - there is ample clearance, and plenty of space around the holes for fitting the standoffs.
Like all ABIT boards I've had, this board features 6 PCI slots - a very welcome addition because there are no worries about using up all the slots, and it also allows you to place quite a few cards and still leave gaps between the graphics card and your PCI cards to ensure good airflow.
Infact the only complaint about the layout is a minor one - the floppy connector is at the very bottom of the board when it could have done with being in the middle, given that most floppy drives are mounted in that area. The board uses a standard ATX back plate, and as such one is not provided in the box.
Installation was a breeze. The Alpha went on perfectly, the board was screwed into the case fine, and everything worked first time. The board did not detect the XP2400+ because the BIOS was not the most current – it simply displayed 'Unknown CPU' and ran it at 15*100, 1500Mhz. It detected it fine once the BIOS update was applied.
ABIT KD7-RAID
The layout is again almost identical to the KX7-333 so I won't explain it all again, but there are a few important differences. Firstly the Northbridge fan is different - it's not the standard ABIT black fan, but a much nicer looking crystal-orb like fan.
The board also features the same 4 memory slot arrangement, and the restrictions for PC2100 are the same - registered only if you want to use all 4 slots with PC2100, or 3 slots with PC2700. It's also worth noting PC3200 is only supported in 2 slots max, as is unbuffered PC2700.
As far as the CPU socket is concerned though, things are not as good as the KX7-333. It also has the mounting holes, and clearance around the socket is fine for the larger heatsinks, but the positioning of the components around the holes is terrible. Some of the holes have components right up to the edge, and on the reverse of the board the tracks on the PCB also approach the side of the holes. This makes installing a heatsink such as the Alpha PAL8045 very difficult indeed - extreme care must be taken to ensure you don't damage the tracks on the rear of the board, of crush the components on the top of the board. This is a big negative point - the holes are obviously provided for large heatsinks and water cooling blocks etc, so failure to ensure adequate clearance around them is very bad indeed.
The board does not use a standard ATX back plate because of the onboard sound and LAN connectors, and as such a revised back plate is included in the box.
Also worth noting is that on the picture of the board on the ABIT website, there is a two digit LCD display system, similar to that found on Epox boards. This was not present on the KD7's I had. The board does, however, have diagnostic LED's, as does the KX7.
Installation of the board was a nightmare. First was the difficulty in fitting the Alpha due to the close proximity of the components to the mounting holes, as described above. Once that was done, I found the case mounting holes on the board were slightly different to that on my previous KR7A-RAID - and I had to move some of them. Not a major complaint, but something to watch out for when fitting the board.
Once it was all in the case, the problems started. The board refused to POST with the XP2400+ in place. I later discovered this was because the board did not have the correct BIOS. I eventually got the board up and running and installed Windows using a spare Duron 800. This is a rather bad state of affairs - not everyone has a spare Socket A CPU lying about, and if you'd just ordered a combo of the latest XP2400+ and the latest ABIT motherboard after moving from, say, an Intel setup, you'd be pretty stuffed – unable to POST until you'd updated the BIOS, but unable to update the BIOS until you could get the system to POST.
Once the board had POST'd, I entered the BIOS and found no option to disable either the onboard sound or the onboard LAN. Despite entering the correct section as described in the manual, the options were simply not there - the only option present was to disable the RAID controller. Once Windows was installed, things got even worse. After powering down the system (Which had worked fine for an hour beforehand) to have a break, I powered it back on again only to have a blue flash from the back of my trusty (Had lasted a year fine) 400W PSU – completely dead. Took everything apart to check for shorting - there was none. Put everything back together and connected a spare 300W PSU and everything was fine for another 4 hours, until exactly the same thing happened again. Luckily the 2nd PSU only tripped out – but the KD7-RAID was taken out and RMA’d. ABIT were great – they sent a new board out right away, which did not display the same PSU blowing antics. I can only assume this was just an obscure fault - which happens from time to time so it isn't anything to worry about.
Something others and I have found with the board though is that the system temperature probe is very inaccurate. It will often read well above the reported CPU temperature - this is apparently because the sensor is right next to a bunch of capacitors near the CPU which get very hot, distorting the system temperature reading. Worth noting with regards to temperatures is that the KD7-RAID has the ability to read the CPU temp from the AthlonXP's internal thermal diode - a welcome addition.
