Introduction
MSI KT6 DELTA-FIS2R KT600 MOTHERBOARD
A worthy contender to nForce2's throne ?
We had an initial look at VIA's and EPoX's all-new KT600-based motherboard. I could bore you with technical details that would make watching paint dry an energetic and interesting pastime. Instead, I'll point you over to this link with the intention of familiarising yourself with exactly what the KT600 chipset is and how it plans to challenge NVIDIA for SoA supremacy. We expect the Clawhammer CPUs to provide AMD's desktop performance from Q3 '03 onwards, but we also expect that the present S462 format still has a ways to run.
In that context, VIA's decision, late on in the game, to produce a single-channel 200FSB, DDR400-capable chipset is still a wise move. Several long-term relationships with key motherboard manufacturers should have cemented VIA's ability to sell on a new chipset. The KT600, therefore, should be produced by a number of first tier makers, even if the very same motherboard giants have nForce2 offerings in their respective catalogues.
MSI is a case illustrating the above point. It produces a whole host of motherboards for both Intel and AMD, and it does this without tying itself down to a certain chipset maker. The KT6 DELTA-FIS2R is MSI's deluxe KT600-powered motherboard. We expect it to be laden with all the cutting-edge features that make up a modern MSI deluxe board. What we're not so sure about is its performance. Does the VIA KT600 have a place in a world where the nForce2 has so aggressively set out its stall ?. Let's find out.
