Six Athlon Boards With The KT600 Chipset

Epox EP-8KRA2+, Continued

Connections on the Epox

Antiquated: Imprecise measurement of CPU temperature using the sensor under the CPU socket

The temperature sensor beneath the CPU socket, on the other hand, is more than questionable. On the one side, modern Athlon processors in any case record temperature directly by diode and, on the other, no one buys a KT600 board for use, say, with an ageing CPU that has a Thunderbird core. The benchmarks showed the Epox had the best average performance over all other test candidates. At around 3 GB/s, its memory transfer timings are almost at their physical limit-if underpinned by fast DDR400 modules with T1 command communication. Delivery includes two IDE cables, FireWire, parallel port and universal slot panels and a motley collection of handbooks. As with previous versions, the drivers for the Highpoint RAID controller are supplied on diskette. All that remains is to hope that the user's still got a suitable drive to play it. The Epox comes in an unassuming package and costs, including accessories, $114 (€104).

A glance at the items that come with the Epox

On board: Port 80 card, Serial ATA

In brief: Including accessories, the really well-equipped Epox will set you back $114 (€104). This board has the highest performance of all test candidates. With the Highpoint RAID controller and Northbridge passive cooler, no one has to lower their sights.