VIA KT333 Put To The Test: 18 Motherboards Compared

Gigabyte GA-7VRXP: One Of The Best

Test winner: Gigabyte GA-7VRXP.

Items included with the Gigabyte GA-7VRXP.

Without a doubt, the Gigabyte is one of the truly model candidates of this test comparison. As opposed to its archrival Asus, this motherboard proves itself through its extensive functionality, better features, higher performance and reasonable price. Included in the package are two USB panels for a total of six USB ports, four of which follow the 2.0 standard. Furthermore, the manufacturer throws in three color-coded IDE cables, as well as a floppy cable. Even a bracket for the ATX interfaces and a sticker diagramming the components are included. Integrated on the board are functions such as PCI sound (Creative CT5880), networking (Realtek RT8100BL), a Promise RAID controller (PDC 20276) and the well-known dual BIOS. Overclocking freaks can increase the CPU core voltage to 1.925 Volt and the AGP to 1.8 Volt. Even though the board is equipped with a passive heatsink for the Northbridge, no irregularities occurred during the test. With respect to performance, the Gigabyte lands third on average. A small bone to pick is that there's no overload protection for the AMD Athlon XP yet. Considering its reasonable price of about $160, the Gigabyte is a real alternative to the established competition.

A solid six USB ports are included with the Gigabyte GA-7VRXP.

Network and sound chips on the Gigabyte GA-7VRXP.

Dual BIOS function of the Gigabyte GA-7VRXP.

Passively cooled Northbridge on the VIA KT333 chipset.

View of the IDE interfaces on the Gigabyte GA-7VRXP.