Review - EPoX 8KRA2+ VIA KT600 Motherboard

Techware Labs recognizes EPoX's support in making this review possible!
Review by Edward Chang, call sign: Big_E
August 8, 2003

The Motherboard

EPoX 8KRA2+

(Click on image for close-up)

The EPoX 8KRA2+ is a motherboard bustling with connectors, chips, and components. Safeguarding the electric feed to the processor are a cluster of five primary GSC 2200 uF (micro-Farad) capacitors, three secondary Sanyo 1500 uF capacitors, three inductors, and six voltage regulators situated left of the CPU socket.

EPoX made a revision to the orientation of the CPU socket. In the past, CPU cooler installation was made difficult because the nearby capacitors got in the way. This new alignment, with the HSF buckle on the CPU socket facing upward, allows it to be free of any obstruction and makes installation much more convenient and safe.

Unfortunately, there is no pleasure without pain. Whilst the CPU installation becomes hassle free, memory installation becomes complicated. In our tests, we used an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro. This video card extends to block the memory clip on slot 1. Thus, the memory must be installed before putting the video card in, and likewise, the video card must be removed to take RAM out. Although the second and third memory clips remain clear during our testing, we feel that if one uses a longer video card such as a GeForceFX 5900 Pro, memory modules in those slots will get barricaded in too.

It's a jungle on the south side. Living in this jungle is a VIA VT 8237 southbridge, a VIA VT6307 1394 controller, Highpoint HPT372 RAID controller, two ATA133 IDE connectors, a floppy drive connector, a pair of RAID connectors, a pair of Serial ATA ports, four optional USB 2.0 connectors, a CMOS battery, and EPoX's good old patent P80P "Debug" Diagnostic LED. To our surprise, the BIOS chip moved half way across the continent (left of the the PCI slots). Must have gotten awfully crowded.

The VIA KT600 Northbridge is sheltered by a large copper passive heatsink. The larger heatsink dimension of 1.5" x 1.5" x 1.25" is suppose to compensate for the lack of a heatsink cooling fan. Beneath the heatsink is the VIA KT600 northbridge. EPoX used the sticky pink thermal compound commonly found on stock AMD coolers.

Now, let's take a look at the board's features.