Review: A7V133 and A7V Shootout (Page 2/10) Posted: February 18, 2001
Written by: Tuan "Solace" Nguyen Board Specifications A7V Specifics
Thunderbird/Duron Support up to 1.2GHz
1.5GB PC100/133 SDRAM/VC SDRAM
Native UltraATA 66 support
UltraATA 100 Promise controller
1 2X/4X AGP Pro, 5 PCI, 1 AMR
Onboard sound codec (optional)
7 USB ports (5 available via expansion)

A7V133 Specifics
Thunderbird/Duron Support up to 1.2GHz and beyond
200MHz and 266MHz DDR FSB adjustable to 333MHz
1.5GB PC100/133 SDRAM/VC SDRAM
Native UltraATA 100 support
UltraATA 100 Promise controller with FastTrak 100 RAID 0
1 2X/4X AGP Pro, 5 PCI, 1 AMR
4 USB ports (2 available via expansion)
Processor multiplier adjustment in BIOS
Onboard sound codec
Active cooling on VIA North Bridge

There isn’t a great deal of change between the two boards but nevertheless, the changes that were made, are significant changes. I’m talking about native 266MHz DDR FSB support, native UltraATA 100, and onboard UltraATA 100 RAID 0 support. All these features target the A7V133 as the performance seeker’s board. I wish Asus would get rid of the virtually useless AMR slot and replace it with an ISA or PCI slot. The Boards The physical differences between the A7V and the new A7V133 are few and far between. You won’t find many physical changes in size or in design. Let’s take a look at the boards.

   
Left: A7V133 Right: A7V
Click to see larger image.
From first glance you can almost swear that both boards are the same. The only noticeable difference is the little fan on the north bridge chip. The CPU fan on the A7V doesn’t count because that doesn’t come with the board. :)

   
The Other Sides. Click to see larger image.
On the new A7V133, Asus has integrated onboard sound as a standard feature. There are versions of the board you can purchase that doesn’t come with the onboard sound, but those are even more rare than the onboard sound version. Besides, I noticed only a $20 premium that the A7V133 had above the A7V and considering what you get with the 133, you’re better of getting that than the A7V. Next Page