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Albatron KX400-8XV Pro KT400 Motherboard Review
Albatron KX400-8XV Pro KT400 Motherboard Review - PCSTATS
There was a lot of anticipation in the lab as we set out with a fresh pair of Corsair XMS3500 DDR in hand to see how the KX400-8XV would perform.
 76% Rating:   
Filed under: Motherboards Published:  Author: 
External Mfg. Website: Albatron Apr 01 2003   C. Sun  
Home > Reviews > Motherboards > Albatron KX400-8XV Pro

Benchmarks: QIII Arena, UT2003

Quake III Arena

Source: ID Software

Quake III Arena is a First Person Shooter (FPS) that revolutionized gaming as we know it. Using multiple light sources and having graphics textures that can fill videocards, even after 3 years it's still able to bring a cutting edge system to its knees.

Quake III Arena Fastest demo001 (SYSTEM)
Processor FPS Ranking
1. 8RDA+ - 166/333 375.2
2. KX400-8XV Pro - 166/333

333.9

3. KX400-8XV Pro - 177/354 351.3

Quake III Arena Fastest nv15demo (CPU STRESS)
Processor FPS Ranking
1. 8RDA+ - 166/333 107.3
2. KX400-8XV Pro - 166/333 95
3. KX400-8XV Pro - 177/354 100.4

Like we saw with the DFI AD77 Infinity, the KX400-8XV Pro does quite poorly in Quake III Arena. It seems like VIA has yet to address the 3D performance issues with the KT400 chipset.

Unreal Tournament 2003 Demo

Source: Epic

Unreal Tournament 2003 is the sequel to 1999's multiple 'Game of the Year' award winner. It uses the very latest Unreal Engine technology - where graphics, sound and game play are taken beyond the bleeding edge. Unreal Tournament 2003 employs the use of Vertex as well as Pixel Shaders and it's recommended that you use a DirectX 8 videocard to get the most out of the game.

UT2003 Demo 640x480 Flyby
Video Card FPS Ranking
1.

8RDA+ - 166/333

235.16
2. KX400-8XV Pro - 166/333 217.28
3. KX400-8XV Pro - 177/354 230.32

UT2003 Demo 640x460 Botmatch
Video Card FPS Ranking
1.

8RDA+ - 166/333

76.36
2. KX400-8XV Pro - 166/333 71.28
3. KX400-8XV Pro - 177/354 75.42

UT2003 goes easier on the Albatron KX400-8XV Pro, the frame rate difference is much closer here. Still even when overclocked the KX400-8XV Pro is not able to match the power of the Epox 8RDA+ at stock speeds.

With a retail price of $115 CDN ($75 US), Albatron are clearly targeting the KX400-8XV Pro at mainstream users with moderate computing requirements. The board comes with on board 10/100 Ethernet, a slew of USB2.0 ports and 5.1 audio, but that's about it. Five PCI slots leave lots of room to spare, say for a more powerful audio card. Upgrade paths are good for individuals who already have a lot invested in expansion cards.

When comparing the KT400 chipset to the Nforce2 we can see that the performance difference between the two is about 8% in UT2003, 11% in QIII and virtually nil in the office based benchmarks.

The KT400 is a capable gaming platform, but not the fastest solution out there when compared against the Nforce2 which nets as much as an 11% lead in gaming benchmarks.

Differentiating between the KX400-8XV Pro and an nForce2 based motherboard when running office applications is difficult considering the almost identical performance illustrated in the benchmarks.

If you're looking for a new budget Athlon motherboard you should definitely take a look at the Albatron KX400-8XV Pro, it's one of the least expensive motherboards on the market and comes with 8X AGP. If you burn the midnight oil playing games, one of Albatron's other motherboards may be a better option, but for budget minded folks who aren't obsessed with FPS games, the KX400-8XV Pro could be a good compromise.

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Here are a few other articles that you might enjoy as well...

1. MSI KT4 Ultra-FISR KT400 Motherboard Review
2. DFI AD77 Infinity KT400 AMD Motherboard
3. Epox 8RDA+ nForce2 Motherboard Review
4. FIC AU11 nForce2 Motherboard Review
5. Asus A7N8X nForce2-SPP Motherboard Review

< Previous Page © 2023 PCSTATS.com Motherboards Reviews...»

 

Contents of Article: Albatron KX400-8XV Pro
 Pg 1.  Albatron KX400-8XV Pro KT400 Motherboard Review
 Pg 2.  Heatsink Clearances and Overclocking
 Pg 3.  Look into the BIOS
 Pg 4.  Benchmarks: SysMark2002, Winstone 2002
 Pg 5.  Benchmarks: Winbench 99, SiSoft Sandra 2003 Pro
 Pg 6.  Benchmarks: PCMark2002, 3DMark2001SE
 Pg 7.  — Benchmarks: QIII Arena, UT2003

 
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