In most of the computer industry sectors the markets are constantly being flooded with new technologies every day, but the motherboard market hasn't really introduced new technologies save for chipsets. DDR, PCI, AGP, onboard IDE, LAN, RAID, sound, you name it, it has been integrated at one time or another. There are quite a few arguments that can be made about other technologies, but the truth is that if it can be thrown onto a PCI card, it's not motherboard innovation. I feel the true innovation has been the chipsets. Northbridges and Southbridges have been developing rapidly lately, and have a lot of credit to take for all of the new motherboards coming out, and with each new chipset has come another motherboard from today's leading companies - we've seen nForce2, Canterwood, Springdale, KT400A, and KT600 motherboards spring up as quick as ever in this market, and I won't be surprised to see the same rush to output new motherboards when the next big chipset comes to the plate. However, today I will be reviewing a motherboard that tries to defy my theory - it tries to innovate not only with the chipset, but also outside of the chipset.

With the release of the VIA KT600 and the plethora of nForce2 (Ultra and non-Ultra) 400 motherboards, why VIA released the KT400A is a question that almost boggles the mind. Regardless, VIA did release the chipset and DFI has released it's debut line of motherboards dubbed "LanParty," which utilizes the Intel 875P, nForce2, and KT400A chipsets. I will be reviewing the KT400A chipset version of this motherboard, let's see if it can stack up to the competition, or if DFI's KT400A is just too little too late.

DFI's LanParty KT400A motherboard can best be described as "unconventional," many of the features and idiosyncrasies of the board separate it from other boards in and outside of its class. But first, I must go into a spiel about the KT400A chipset itself, as this is Viper's Lair's first look at this VIA chipset.

KT400A	KT400

Here we see the VIA VT8377A (KT400A Northbridge) coupled with the VT8237 Southbridge (Please note that the LanParty KT400A does not use this Southbridge.) Next to it's predecessor is the KT8337 (KT400 Northbridge) coupled with its Southbridge, the VT8235.

Visually, it is easy to see the differences between the KT400A and the KT400. The KT400 only supports 6 USB 2.0 ports natively, while the KT400A supports 8 (on the VT8237 Southbridge.) The added SATA support is also something to take note of. Other than that, the pictures seem pretty similar.

What I find pretty deceiving is that (according to VIA specifications,) the - Memory Type is defined as DDR200/266/333 SDRAM.

The VIA Apollo KT400A Chip (Northbridge)

The only real difference (in the Northbridge) that I can make out between the KT400 and the KT400A is a new memory controller that supports DDR400 memory. Both have the same FSB, AGP, Memory Capacity, and Northbridge to Southbridge link.

The Southbridge is where we'll find most of the changes that VIA made. Unfortunately I could not find a block-diagram picture of the VT8237, the VT835 block diagrams are the same for the KT400 and KT400A, as they are almost the same (the VT835 Southbridge used in conjunction with the KT400A chipset is dubbed C(D/E) to distinguish it from its predecessor.) VIA has a new audio driver, the sound chipset is still 6 channel AC'97 based sound, but now VIA has a partnership with Vinyl Audio that is aimed to produce rich, high quality sound from an AC'97 solution.

In addition to the Audio improvements, the KT400A VT8237 Southbridge supports SATA, and 2 more USB 2.0 ports. Other than that, the Southbridges are pretty much identical. Both have a built-in NIC, Sound, Modem, PATA, and the same PCI configuration.

Key Features

· Supports AMD Athlon™ XP processors
· 200/266/333MHz FSB settings
· 200/266/333/400MHz System bus settings
· Support for AGP 2X/4X/8X
· Supports up to 4.0GB DDR200/266/333/400 SDRAM
· 8X V-Link 533MB/s high bandwidth North/South Bridge interconnect
· Integrated 6 channel Surround Sound AC-97 Audio
· Integrated MC-97 Modem
· Integrated 10/100 Ethernet MAC
· Support for Serial ATA (up to 4 devices)
· Support for ATA 33/66/100/133 (up to 4 devices)
· Support for USB 2.0, 8 USB ports, UHCI compliant
· Advanced power management capabilities including ACPI/OnNow
· 664-pin BGA VT8377A North Bridge
· 539-pin BGA VT8237 or VT8235CE (pin to pin compatible) South Bridge

The 539-pin BGA Southbridge is something to note, it means that the VT8237 and VT8235C(E/D) can be pretty much manufactured on the same PCB, during manufacture the SATA header is simply removed, and the extra USB 2.0 connector is also removed, the Southbridge is connected to the motherboard, and it should work flawlessly.

VT8235CD Chip (Southbridge)

"Okay", you're saying, "what about the motherboard?" Fine, fine, I'll get to the motherboard.

	LanParty
Chipset	KT400A / 8235
CPU Socket	Socket A
Processor	AMD AthlonXP
Overclock and Overvoltage	CPU Vcore / North Bridge / FSB / DDR / AGP
System Bus (MHz)	266/333/max. 400
Memory	DDR400
PCI Slots	5
LAN	Dual Ethernet LAN (10/100)
AGP 8X	x
6 Channel Audio	x
SATA	1SATA
RAID 0/10+1/1.5	x
Gigabit LAN	-
Dual LAN	x (10/100)
IEEE 1394	x
USB 2.0	6 USB 2.0
Fluorescent Appearance	x (Green)
Black PCB and round corner	x
Ultra Red Dignostic LED	x
Easy On/ Easy Touch	x
Genie BIOS	x
Overclock AP	x
BIOS Live Update	x
S/PDIF Bracket	x
FRONTX	x (1394/mic in/audio out/USB)
WinDVD & WinRipBundle	x
Round Cable	x (Green)
PC Transpo	x
Case Badge	x
Thermal Paste	x

As you can see, DFI didn't skimp with features on the LanParty. Despite not using the VIA 8237 Southbridge, DFI has put SATA on the motherboard, as well as a RAID controller, Firewire, and dual LAN controllers among other things.

DFI LanParty KT400A

I must admit that I like the box art. I like the fact that it's not just some random 3D image that many vendors throw onto their boxes to make their stuff look intimidating and exciting - I have never seen art on a motherboard packaging before.

The LanParty is filled with a ton of extras and just about everything you need to run your box short of a case, RAM, CPU, HSF, Hard Drive, and Video Card. Starting from the quick user guide, clockwise: Quick User Guide, Driver CD, HighPoint RAID Drivers, LanParty case badge, LanParty sticker, LanParty Features, LanParty Manual, Two UV-Reactive IDE connectors, One UV-Reactive Floppy Connector, SATA Power Connector, SATA Data Connector (Not Shown), ATX I/O Backplate, FrontX and Components, SPIDIF and Gameport connectors, PCTranspo, and finally the KT400A motherboard itself.

The included FrontX connectors include Firewire, USB 2.0, as well as a headphone and microphone port. It is plane to see that the box is modular, but not completely so. There is nowhere other than the far right slot to put the USB 2.0 connectors, and the audio and Firewire ports cannot be moved to the rightmost slot. However, it is modular in that you can choose where you want the connectors to be (first, second, or third slot, top or bottom.) I just would have liked to see an adaptor of some sorts that allowed for the FrontX to be completely modular.

The PCTranspo is another "goodie" that DFI includes with their motherboard that can easily cost you 30 USD or more. I tested it on both my Cooler Master and Fong Kai cases, and the PCTranspo had no problems holding on to either of them. The pouch is also a nice touch.

The layout of the board overall has benefits and drawbacks. Relating to placement, I feel the placement of the power connectors is kind of awkward as the PSU's wires will have to snake past the HSF and stay on top of the CPU's neighboring capacitors. However, if the connector were to be placed next to the CPU, both the CPU socket, Northbridge, and possibly the RAM slots would have to be moved down. The RAM sockets are placed perfectly where they are, you won't find any interference from them, however it is possible that there might be some interference with the capacitors surrounding the AGP slot if a card with a bulky cooling solution is used. Also, DFI used a rather interesting trick to fit some leads where they weren't supposed to go - more on that a bit later. Other than those minor squabbles, the board layout seems quite fine to me.

The IDE and floppy connectors were towards the top of the board (CPU at the top, PCI at the bottom) and the RAID and SATA connectors were towards the bottom, which is quite understandable, as that's where most RAID solutions would be kept. There also should be little trouble reaching the SATA cable from bottom of the board to a hard drive towards the top.

Next is the CPU socket. To be quite honest, the positioning of the actual socket threw me off at first. I was surprised to see that the socket "faced" the I/O connectors. By "faced" I mean that the CPU lock-in lever is depressed towards the I/O connectors. This gave me much grief as there are several capacitors surrounding the CPU socket, and a whole row of them were about 4 cm away from the HSF retention teeth on the socket. This caused HSF application a bit tricky, and I definitely would have preferred to have those capacitors farther back.

The LanParty sports the four holes that surround the CPU for larger heatsinks, which many KT400 and nForce2 motherboards lacked. Remember however that the socket is placed in a "non-traditional" direction, so the holes are not where one might expect them.

The Northbridge utilizes a passive heatsink, bringing the total sound output for the board to 0 dB.

The I/O back panel too struck a weird chord within me. This was the first Athlon motherboard I had seen with dual LAN controllers, and I honestly did not expect it from the motherboard. To keep the I/O connectors compact, two combination LAN/USB 2.0 housings were used for a total of two LAN ports and four USB 2.0 ports. Accompanying were the standard PS/2 ports, printer port, two serial ports, and audio input and output.

Something that I did not appreciate are the DIP switches on the motherboard. I guess even today DIP switches are being used as a method for setting things, but I don't really see the purpose for it - I'm sure that DFI could have come up with a better solution. This will also cause problems when people want to unlock their processor or use DDR400 memory speeds and forget about the DIP switches.

The Realtek RTL8101L is used to provide a second LAN port. The chip is located directly to the left of the AGP slot.

I mentioned before that this motherboard is "unconventional," here is more proof of that. The AGP slot and PCI slots are all colored bright neon green and are UV reactive. The retention clip on the AGP slot is also one I have never seen before - the plastic acts as its own spring, and you simply push it away from the PCI slots to release the video card.

The Southbridge just kind of hangs out there, lonely and uncovered. It doesn't generate too much heat, and doesn't even require a heatsink.

DFI also put a SATA controller on the motherboard. However the VT8235 does not support SATA - I believe that DFI went with a third party SATA controller because they wanted to have PATA available to the user also.

The RAID controller that comes with the motherboard is a Highpoint controller that proclaims it has support for RAID 1.5. This is not the appropriate place to discuss the origins and meanings of RAID levels, but through deduction I've figured that RAID 1.5 is a two-drive array that consists of read-striping through mirroring. The RAID controller will stripe read off of each drive, while keeping both drives mirrored.

The VIA VT6306 is a PCI 1394a Integrated Host Controller, that is, the Firewire controller. At the bottom of the board we see the Firewire headers on the motherboard.

It Glows!

One thing that I found really cool about the LanParty is it's UV-Reactive slots. While the board is black, the neon green contrasts greatly, and gives the board a great look. In blacklighting, the board looks phenomenal. Unfortuantely the Diagnostic LEDs kill most of that effect when the motherboard is on.

The RAM slots as well as the IDE and Floppy cables are UV-Reactive too, which gives the whole board a uniform clean look.

Another thing that sets this motherboard apart is the built-in power on and reset switches.

Something I found curious was the fact that to fit in some audio headers where the PCI slots were to be placed, and to stop the cards from interfering with the header, the pins were bent at a 90 degree angle.

The DFI motherboards all have rounded edges - DFI claims it helps stability, I think it's just for looks, and it sure doesn't hurt stability either way.

The BIOS

The BIOS is an Award Pheonix BIOS with a Genie BIOS built in. The Genie BIOS basically handles all of the memory and CPU functions, as well as many of the built-in devices.

There are a myriad of combinations that can be made by keying in a FSB, and selecting the multiplier and voltage of your choice. Make sure to set the proper FSB on the DIP switches if you're overclocking!

Although the DIMM Voltage does not give too many choices, the DRAM settings leave nothing to be desired, and put the user in full control of the RAM timings. I was surprised not to see a spread spectrum option here, later I found a spread spectrum "enable/disable" without a percentage reading in the Genie BIOS.

The Genie BIOS is where things like Spread Spectrum Modulation, FSB, Multiplier, DDR clockspeed, voltage, and many of the onboard features are all accessable from. We can see that both LAN devices have boot ROMs, and can be enabled or disabled easily. CPU Voltage Control left nothing to be desired, and I was quite happy with the ease of use of the while BIOS.

Here we can see the AGP settings for the motherboard. The aperture ranges from less than 128 Megabytes to over 1 Gigabyte, and the voltage control should be enough for most users.

The advanced bios features allow the user to tweak the motherboard to their specifications.

Test Setup

The benchmarks taken for this review were taken with the following system specs:

AthlonXP 1800+
Radeon 9700 Pro video card
Seagate Barracuda Hard Drive

The differences were in the memory used between the systems. Since I wanted to compare this against an nForce2 board, I used the Corsair XMS3200 512 MB Module @ 2-3-3-6 Timings for the LanParty and 1 GB of XMS3700 @ 3-4-4-8 Timings on the nForce2 board.

The nForce2 board that is going up against the LanParty is the NF7-M, which we're giving away here.

SiSoftware Sandra 2003

Although a synthetic benchmark, it's a popular one, freely available if you wish to make comparison benchmarks. We will be testing the CPU, MMX, and memory speeds.

SiSoft CPU Arithmetic Benchmark

We see that the nForce2 has a higher ALU score, but a lower FPU score, but they are almost even (FPU within 3 MFLOPS.) The differences in ALU performance can be attributed to the different memory types.

SiSoft CPU Multimedia Benchmark

Here we find the two motherboards neck-to-neck once again. The nForce2 has a better integer score, but a worse floating point score.

Memory Benchmark

In this benchmark we see the raw power of the nForce2 chipset as it outperforms the KT400A by a smidge. There's a difference of 50 MB/s or less between the two memory bandwidths.

PiFast

A good indicator of CPU/Motherboard performance is PiFast version 4.2, by Xavier Gourdon. We used a computation of 10000000 digits of Pi, Chudnovsky method, 1024 K FFT, and no disk memory. Note that lower scores are better, and times are in seconds.

PiFast is a great application for testing real-life floating point operations. The scores here threw me off as all of the synthetic benchmarks showed that the nForce2 was slower than the KT400A when it came to floating point operations.

TMPGEnc MPEG Encoding

Video editing is a taxing chore, and we'll be testing the LanParty KT400A using TMPGEnc 2.512 to encode a 7.78MB, 1:30 movie trailer to a 23FPS MPG file. Note that lower scores are better, and times are in seconds.

The KT400A pulls ahead here by two whole seconds - which is a lot considering that it's 1/11 of the total time taken to render our video.

PC Mark 2002

Once again we get mixed messages, the CPU score is in favor of the nForce2, but the memory is in favor of the LanParty…

Unreal Tournament 2003, 800x600

UT2K3 s a real system killer, and can bring many systems to its knees. We used the , which are excellent tools in testing various resolutions and detail levels. We selected the CPU test, which uses the dm-inferno map.

In case you missed it, we used the [H]ard|OCP UT2K3 benchmarking tool's CPU benchmark at 800x600 to bench the CPU. We find that once again the KT400A beats the nForce2 when it comes to raw speed.

Quake 3 Arena, 640x480

It's getting old, we know, but Quake 3 is still a decent benchmark for almost anything. For motherboards and CPUs, we run at the lowest settings and fire away.

Here we see the CPU's ability to produce FPS in the good old Quake III engine. The LanParty pulls ahead by almost 7 FPS.

Jedi Knight 2, 640x480

Finally, we use Jedi Knight II to test with an updated Quake III version. The scores here are a bit confusing - the nForce2 beats out the KT400A in its first gaming benchmark by almost 15 frames per second.

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