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From some experimentation that I've done - the 8KHA is found to be the most stable DDR board that there is - what are your opinions ?
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8KHA - anyone up for it
- Thread starter wild_andy_c
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What's the advantage of the 8KHA over the 8K7A? The 8K7A is DDR with IDE RAID. Does the 8KHA do both as well?
The long and short of it is: 'SPLAIN YOURSELF, ANDY! More stable how? How did you come to this conclusion? Share your knowledge with us! Uncork the vessel of wisdom, and let its golden light shower upon us!
The long and short of it is: 'SPLAIN YOURSELF, ANDY! More stable how? How did you come to this conclusion? Share your knowledge with us! Uncork the vessel of wisdom, and let its golden light shower upon us!
[Oc]Wa11y said:
I think the only big differ between those board's are the BIOS and the chipset.
The 8KHA uses the KT266 and the 8K7A uses the AMD 761.
So maybe Andy is trying to tell us that the KT266 is better than the AMD 761 Is that what you are saying Andy?
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So, a different BIOS, different chipset, and one more DDR SDRAM slot? I can see how the DDR ram slot would be good, but what's the advantage of one chipset and BIOS over the other? Andy? You got us started on this. Don't abandon us now!
OP
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The 8KHA has more stability running chips at 1.85v at very high FSB's than any other board I've tried. Running 166Mhz FSB I've managed to do 2 weeks of uptime under win2k.
My 8K7A and A7A266 have not managed to do the same.
Good points are that it has great memory bandwidth for a KT266 (less than 1% slower than AMD760) and also has every setting in the BIOS - no jumpers for multipliers or voltage.
I know the 8K7A has better PCI handling at the moment at higher FSB's, and can do some ballsout voltages, but hey this thing is cheap and cheerful.
Regards IDE and RAID - 8KHA does not have RAID. 8K7A does not have RAID. 8K7A+ does have RAID.
I think that too many people are perhaps buying 8K7A just because it's a trendy thing to do at thre moment and because people were scared of the initial KT266 offerings.
My 8K7A and A7A266 have not managed to do the same.
Good points are that it has great memory bandwidth for a KT266 (less than 1% slower than AMD760) and also has every setting in the BIOS - no jumpers for multipliers or voltage.
I know the 8K7A has better PCI handling at the moment at higher FSB's, and can do some ballsout voltages, but hey this thing is cheap and cheerful.
Regards IDE and RAID - 8KHA does not have RAID. 8K7A does not have RAID. 8K7A+ does have RAID.
I think that too many people are perhaps buying 8K7A just because it's a trendy thing to do at thre moment and because people were scared of the initial KT266 offerings.
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I think the 8kha also uses 3 phase power vs. 2 phase on the 8k7a.
The memory voltage does not go as high and I dont think it has a 1/5 pci divider.
The memory voltage does not go as high and I dont think it has a 1/5 pci divider.
OP
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Placid said:
Both boards use 3 phase power.
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wild_andy_c said:
Is that 2 weeks, and then you had to reboot it, or 2 weeks and still running strong up to this point?
I'm liking that. I've got my PC case on right now, so I can reap the benefits of the fans I've installed. I'm all about the soft switches.
Yeah, I knew that. I was just, uh, making sure you knew that, too. Is there a "+" offering of the 8KHA that has RAID? Not that it matters, since I really don't think I'll reap the benefits or RAID, but I'd like to play with it to learn more about it. If it doesn't do RAID, a PCI RAID card isn't that expensive.
I was looking into the 8K7A becuase I didn't know about the 8KHA, and had heard that the 8K7A was a stable board, and good to overclock with. I really wasn't scared about the "stability issues" since they all seemed to be related to not having a manly enough power supply, which is easily rectified. Honestly, I'm kinda not all up on new hardware and what does what. Usually, by the time I find something out about hardware, I'm two months behind. But that's why I like these forums.
Thank you very much for this info, Andy. It'd be helpful if you posted the system you tested this with (processor, power supply, memory, etc.) so we can all see what you did, and duplicate these tests if we want to (not I. I trust you), but also so we can see what it takes to get it up to that and stable. And what you got everything to stable.
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I can tell you why I'm buying an 8K7A+. 
It's the most cost-effective AMD 761 chipset motherboard with RAID, and as a bonus it overclocks well.
I was heavily considering the 8KHA, but after adding in the cost of an add on board for RAID configuration it didn't seem like such a value. Not to mention that the 8K7A has pretty much made a good name for itself.
If 100 people jumped off of a bridge would I jump? Probably not.
Now. If there was a swimming pool filled with bikini clad hotties. Would I be the first in? You betcha.
It's the most cost-effective AMD 761 chipset motherboard with RAID, and as a bonus it overclocks well.
I was heavily considering the 8KHA, but after adding in the cost of an add on board for RAID configuration it didn't seem like such a value. Not to mention that the 8K7A has pretty much made a good name for itself.
If 100 people jumped off of a bridge would I jump? Probably not.
Now. If there was a swimming pool filled with bikini clad hotties. Would I be the first in? You betcha.
wild_andy_c said:
OP
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- 2 weeks and still running fine
- Running 2 x 128Mb Crucial PC2100 CAS 2.5 at 166Mhz FSB CAS2 on "FAST" settings, with just a Duron at 1Ghz at 1.85v, Akasa Silver Mountain, GF2MX, I extra 80mm exhaust fan, 'lil fuji 8gb HD, SB Live, Creative DTT2200's, NO CASE MODS!!!
[/list=1]
OP
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Richard999 said:I can tell you why I'm buying an 8K7A+.
If 100 people jumped off of a bridge would I jump? Probably not.
Now. If there was a swimming pool filled with bikini clad hotties. Would I be the first in? You betcha.
Now I'm more into fat bikini clad sweaties who are willing to make my day - you can actually jump on them to break your fall !!
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wild_andy_c said:
More cushion for the pushin'.
Thanks for that additional information, Andy. Other than this post, I've heard nothing about the 8KHA.
Richard mentioned "cost-effective" (which is to say cheap) but when I buy hardware, I try to have enough in the bank that money is no longer an issue. I tend to wait a bit so I can get really good parts, rather than buy impulsivly and get poop on a PCB. Except for my current mobo which was an emergency forced upgrade. But I'll look around for price on the 8KHA.
Richard999 said:
Not again!
(The word "again" can make almost any sentence or response funny!)
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Cheap isn't a bad thing. I think it only makes good economic sense to try and find the best bang for your buck. Otherwise, you're just throwing money away.
There are motherboards that cost less than the 8K7A+, but I glossed over them for one reason or another. Biostar, makes an AMD761 mobo with RAID that costs less. It doesn't allow multiplier adjustments; so it was cast aside.
Then of course, there are boards that cost more, but offer less in return. The Asus A7M comes to mind. No multiplier adjustment, no onboard RAID, same # of DIMM slots, less PCI slots, and it costs more. OK. Where do I sign up?
Finally, there are boards that seem competitive in features, but still cost more. Once again. Why pay more?
If stability or performance was an issue I'd gladly pony up the extra ducats for a quality product. However, since it doesn't appear that those factors are an issue...
I'd like to finish up by asking this. Can you find a better motherboard regardless of cost? The only requirement is that it overclocks well and has onboard RAID. Extra features are gravy, but not necessary.
There are motherboards that cost less than the 8K7A+, but I glossed over them for one reason or another. Biostar, makes an AMD761 mobo with RAID that costs less. It doesn't allow multiplier adjustments; so it was cast aside.
Then of course, there are boards that cost more, but offer less in return. The Asus A7M comes to mind. No multiplier adjustment, no onboard RAID, same # of DIMM slots, less PCI slots, and it costs more. OK. Where do I sign up?
Finally, there are boards that seem competitive in features, but still cost more. Once again. Why pay more?
If stability or performance was an issue I'd gladly pony up the extra ducats for a quality product. However, since it doesn't appear that those factors are an issue...
I'd like to finish up by asking this. Can you find a better motherboard regardless of cost? The only requirement is that it overclocks well and has onboard RAID. Extra features are gravy, but not necessary.
OP
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Richard - you buy boards based on the same criteria as me. I don't bother with RAID (although I have just got my hands on the new KK266Plus R), but do buy boards based on their exact capabilities, strengths, weaknesses and PRICE !!
It's all about balance I guess.
It's all about balance I guess.
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"Better" is a relative term, Richard. What's better than you isn't necessicerily better for me.
I agree, the 8K7A is a good board. I wouldn't mind having it. But from what Andy says, the 8KHA is more stable. You're right, that the extra features are just gravy, but I like gravy. And I haven't seen prices on either of them yet. So I don't know what the comparitive prices are. I'll look into that and reply.
In essence, you have to balance finding the board you want with the price you're willing to pay. And as long as a board fits your criteria, price AND features, then it's the perfect board for you. Typically, I also look a price. I'm not going to pay an extra thousand dollars for a few features. Hence I like AMD processors. But if the 8KHA gives me more features and stability over the 8K7A, and the price isn't THAT much different, I'll naturally pay the few extra bones for the better board. But if it only gets me a few features and asks for my firstborn child, I'll go with the cheaper board.
I agree, the 8K7A is a good board. I wouldn't mind having it. But from what Andy says, the 8KHA is more stable. You're right, that the extra features are just gravy, but I like gravy. And I haven't seen prices on either of them yet. So I don't know what the comparitive prices are. I'll look into that and reply.
In essence, you have to balance finding the board you want with the price you're willing to pay. And as long as a board fits your criteria, price AND features, then it's the perfect board for you. Typically, I also look a price. I'm not going to pay an extra thousand dollars for a few features. Hence I like AMD processors. But if the 8KHA gives me more features and stability over the 8K7A, and the price isn't THAT much different, I'll naturally pay the few extra bones for the better board. But if it only gets me a few features and asks for my firstborn child, I'll go with the cheaper board.
Last edited:
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Okay, Pricewatch has the price range for the 8KHA at $102-$157, and the price range of the 8K7A as $119-$145. Adding a "+" to the seach didn't make any changes. So I'm thinking they're both in the same price range. But it's looking like the 8KHA does NOT have RAID. So if you're dead set on getting a mobo with RAID, get the 8K7A. If not, go with the 8KHA.
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Hey Andy, do you know of anywhere in the UK stocking the 8KHA? The only places I know of selling the 8K7A and 8K7A+ are overclocking retailers like overclockers.co.uk and tekheads.
OP
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Rob Cork said:
I will find out for you. I'll call a few EPoX distributors and see who's selling them retail for you Rob.
