Anandtech recently wrote a review of a group of motherboards and they think it's "...one of the best AMD motherboards out there now".

See for yourself <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.html?i=15" target="_new">here</A>

IMO, this is probably one of the hottest (as in best) mobos to come along since the 440BX! I strongly recommend it to all Athlon users! RID YOURSELF OF VIA! GET YOURSELF SOME DDR2700, and you'll have the fastest, and most stable mobo available for the Athlon (XP) platform!

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

I just found out that the xp333 board has different nominations...i think...if so, wich one are you reffering to, specificaly?

i.e.

IWill XP333-R Motherboard Review January 19th, 2002 11:30 PM
Iwill XP333-R Overclocking Review December 11th, 2001 3:41 PM
Iwill XP333-R MAGiK 1 M1647 (Rev C) Motherboard Review December 9th, 2001 11:21 PM
ALi MAGiK 1 Rev.C Chipset: Iwill XP333-R Review November 27th, 2001 7:08 AM
Iwill XP333 Engineering Board Preview
thanks again...

Dan

ohh, sorry, I was referring to the latest one.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

So that would be the XP333-R...yes?

What is that "MAGIC 1 M1647" thing?

Yes, that's it. The only difference between the XP333-R and the XP333 is that the XP333-R has a RAID controller on board.

That's the name of the chipset it has.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

Gee AMD_Man......where do you get all that knowledge?
you must read about computers all day long )
I shure wish i had a friend like you around....

What does the RAID controller do anyways?

Well I certainly like what I've seen about the XP333. But I'm bashful about overclocking--it's all like voodoo or something. And this article indicates you can only benefit from PC2700 memory if you overclock the XP333. Everyone might already know this and it probably does not matter to
overclockers, but here's the link and a clip:

-----

http://www.xbitlabs.com/mainboards/iwill-xp333r/

The matter is that DDR333 support on Iwill XP333-R is a purely marketing trick. In reality, there is simply nothing of the kind. When we booted the system built on XP333-R in our testlab, we first of all tried to check how well it worked with DDR333 memory. However, though we did our best we failed to find any jumpers of settings in the BIOS, which could allow us clocking the system bus and the memory bus asynchronously. So, the memory on Iwill XP333-R works only synchronously with FSB, just like on older AMD-760 based mainboards. As a result, if you use XP333-R with the Duron CPUs and the youngest Athlon processors, the memory will appear working at 100MHz. When the system is built with the latest Athlon or Athlon XP CPUs, the memory works at 133MHz (we are talking about the nominal mode here). And it means exactly the support of PC1600/PC2100 DDR SDRAM.

-me-

Yes AMD_Man the Iwill is almost as good as the Abit. What seperates them is IWill is cheaper and has good sound. So I say if you have the money go Abit. The Abit is faster and as stabilty second to none. none none non none

My VIA board run great, very stably, very fast. Same with my Win98 very stable, very fast.

And don't take my word for it, you suplied the sight.

The Winners and Conclusion
With the departure of the AMD 760 chipset, the VIA KT266A has taken control of the market and is now the most widely available AMD chipset. The chipset is by far the fastest AMD platform out there, and it's capable of bringing out the full potential of AMD processors. As the chipset continues to mature, we will start to see more solid KT266A solutions in terms of performance and stability. At the same time a lot of manufacturers have put in some very nice features in their boards to make them stand out from the crowd.
Choice Bronze Award with the AK35GTR. As a successor of their AK31 Rev. 3.1, the AK35GTR offers an extra IDE RAID controller and upgraded audio. The board performs very well and it offers some reasonable overclocking. If anything, the 4 DIMM slots on the AK35GTR helps Shuttle to edge the third runner up, the Soyo Dragon Plus!.
It has been a very long road for EPoX, but they have also gone a long way. Their former products didn't catch many eyes, but their recent products stand out. The EPoX EP-8KHA+, our AnandTech Editors Choice Silver Award winner, is yet another example. When it first came out, there was no doubt it was one of the best KT266A boards yet. Even with the challenged posted by the ABIT KR7-RAID, EPoX was able to keep up with a new BIOS release that enables a lot of people to reach FSB speeds of well over 200MHz. While we weren't able to reach that milestone, what EPoX has done with the EP-8KHA+ definitely earns them the title.
Time after time, ABIT surprises us. They used to be one of the pioneers in releasing new motherboards using a new chipset, but that hasn't been the case lately. They take their time to find out what's truly needed by users and design the best solution. The ABIT KR7-RAID didn't come out until the end of November 2001, but without a doubt, it's the best KT266A board out there. The most important thing ABIT did was the implementation of 4 DIMM slots, something hardly any other manufacturers have attempted. The board also overclocks very well, and the new Highpoint RAID controller definitely helps to make the KR7-RAID the recipient of AnandTech Editors Choice Gold Award.
However, we should never forget about the Iwill XP333-R. The board offers a lot of room for overclocking, and its performance is on par with the KR7-RAID. It does not have the same level of flexibility with the KR7-RAID in terms of memory configuration, but it does overclock better and it has a very nice integrated audio device. Both boards offer the Highpoint HPT372 RAID controller, which is a plus, but keep in mind that the XP333-R runs at around $40 cheaper than the KR7-RAID.
Again, it ultimately comes down to what you need. Do you need the four DIMM slots for more memory? If so the KR7-RAID is definitely the way to go. But if you are only planning on installing 256MB PC2100 DDR <javascript:WinOpen('shkey.html?i=4','300','200');> SDRAM, it could be more beneficial to go after the XP333-R, which is cheaper, has better overclocking, and nice integrated audio.

I consider that X-bit article to be uninformed and unintelligent. Why? Simply due to the fact that they don't know what they're talking about. Raising the FSB isn't overclocking because the Iwill XP333 is designed for the 166MHz and 200MHz.

Apparently, these (excuse my expession) backward thinking people who wrote the article think that DDR333 support is running the RAM at 333Mhz and asyncronously from the bus (at 266MHz). Obviously, any person with any knowledge of memory/FSB performance and some common sense would know that running RAM asyncrounously is practically useless (the FSB will almost always be the bottleneck!). If you have an unlocked processor or you unlock your processor, you are literally overclocking NOTHING and getting better performance for FREE (that is if you don't look at the slight price premium that has to be paid for the PC2700 over PC2100), as you can lower the multiplier and run the AGP/PCI bus at the correct specs.


AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

This post is dropping fast. bump

I wouldn't say that if I were you when you realize you have incompatible hardware or an un-stable WinXP setup. Trust me, I have experience with the same board. My friend has one! It's still nearly as buggy as the KT133A (Which was the worst board). And it's not a misconfiguration or a user-error, I assure you that. I'm sorry, but experience with various boards has showed me the exact opposite of what you claim.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

I'm sorry but those are not my words, but words from reviews. (s) more then one saying the KR7A board is very stable, second to none.
I also seen a review where the guy said he over clock the board to 180MHZ.
My win98 was acting up from the start the last time I formatted it. I'm not one to leave well enough alone. I even had problems with my Win2000, because people going around crying wolf, so I quickly update my 4-1 drivers, and fix something that wasn't broke.
I got my drivers off my last mobo and put them on both my KR7A Win98 and my KT7A-R KT133A win2000 and they are running sweet. It's to no help on hear though, were I here this driver is no good and this one is no good. Not to offend anybody, especially if they tried to help me, but I think you know what I mean.

As for XP don't blame it on VIA, I'm sure you will though. I'm also sure the other chips have problems with XP too. I don't really care. What I don't like is the VIA bashing, there are fixes and drivers if needed, but if it's broken don't fix it. I wish you would give VIA a brake like you do your ATi card.
You choice what you want and I choice what I want. Everybody should be respected in their own choice. And to clam one over the other as the best is personal opinion and not fact. Unless you have proof. But things change so fast what's new news is soon old news.

Sorry no edit to mispelled words

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by jiffy on 01/22/02 06:05 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

Well, admittedly I don't know enough about it to decide what's bunk and what's not. I have to rely on what I can find on the web. Then I have to figure out who really knows what they are talking about. X-bit seems questionable. AMD_Man, you sound like you know what your talking about, but can I bet my wallet on it?

Quality, stability, compatibility, speed, being able to jam in a thoroughbred down the road! Maybe IWILL can do all that for me.

-me-

Hehe, the VIA bugs are proof. The stability tests test Anandtech are artifical but they do incidiate perceivable stability. Notice the word PERCEIVABLE. The problem with VIA is that their bugs aren't perceivable. But when you get bitten by them you'll cry. I have a KT7A too! It's perceivably stable. No crashes, nothing.

VIA problems are FACTS not opinion. Show me FACTS that say otherwise and I'll agree with you.

I'll give you the one that the VIA/nVidia/XP bug may or not be completely VIA's fault. But VIA makes buggy chipsets. There is no question about it! It's a FACT!

Overclocking to 180MHz on the KR7A maybe possible but it won't be stable or safe. In fact, it may destroy the hard drive. The IWill XP333 supports the 166MHz and 200MHz with guaranteed stability, assuming you have the proper RAM and your CPU is unlocked.

The IWill XP333 is the best in the things I listed (performance at 166MHz, stability (anything non-VIA is stable), and overclockablity (anything in between 133 and 200MHz will probably be stable). While, most boards definitely have some of these advantages, none of the other boards I know have all. These are the top 3 things enthusiasts look for. I'm not saying the IWill XP333 is the best for everybody, I'm saying it's the best for most people here.

In any case, I strongly recommend against anything made by VIA. Do yourself a favour and get an nForce, Sis735/745 or ALi Magik1 motherboard and you'll save yourself a lot of headaches in the future.


AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

I have to go to school. I all ready know ther is know winning with you.
Beside I don't care. I'll soon have 3 speedy computers, if I wanted the Iwill or anything els I would buy it. It sure wouldn't be my last upgrade. So hehe to yourself, grow up dood

Please show me examples of m