The Bad
AOpen failed to include the multiplier settings in the BIOS, which could have made overclocking a much easier job than it is now.
As mentioned previously, the motherboard is not particularly stable. Compared to other KT133A motherboards we have reviewed, the AK73 ProA has a much higher crash rate.
The AK73 ProA did not perform the overclocking test well, achieving just 140MHz FSB, whereas other KT133A solutions were able to hit 150MHz and higher.
USB Compatibility
- Number of Front Universal Serial Bus Root Ports: 2
- Number of Rear Universal Serial Bus Root Ports: 2
- USB IRQ Enable/Disable in BIOS: Yes
- USB Keyboard Support in BIOS: Yes
Recommended SDRAM
Recommended SDRAM: 1 x 128MB Corsair PC133 SDRAM; 1 x 128MB Mushkin PC133 SDRAM
SDRAM Tested: 1 x 128MB Mushkin PC133 SDRAM
Manufacturer: Corsair
Purchase Website: http://www.corsairmicro.com
Manufacturer: Mushkin
Purchase Website: http://www.mushkin.com
The Test
In recent times, choosing a motherboard cannot be completely determined by a Winstone score. Now, many boards come within one Winstone point of each other and therefore the need to benchmark boards against each other falls. Therefore you should not base your decision entirely on the benchmarks you see here, but also on the technical features and advantages of this particular board, seeing as that will probably make the greatest difference in your overall experience.
Click Here to learn about AnandTech's Motherboard Testing Methodology.
|
Test Configuration |
|
| Processor(s): |
AMD
Athlon (Thunderbird) 1GHz
|
| RAM: |
1 x 128MB Mushkin PC133 SDRAM
|
| Hard Drive(s): |
Western Digital 153BA Ultra
ATA 66 7200 RPM
|
| Bus Master Drivers: |
VIA 4-in-1 v4.24 Service Pack
|
| Video Card(s): |
NVIDIA
GeForce 2 GTS 32MB DDR
|
| Video Drivers: |
NVIDIA
Detonator 5.22
|
| Operation System(s): |
Windows
98 SE
|
| Motherboard Revision: |
AOpen
AK73 ProA Revision 1.04
|
Results
|
Windows 98 Performance |
|||
|
Athlon
1GHz OEM
|
Sysmark
2000
|
Content
Creation
Winstone 2000 |
Quake
III Arena
640 x 480 x 16 |
|
AOpen
AK73 ProA (KT133A / 133MHz)
|
199
|
37.3
|
152.4
|
|
Iwill
KK266 (KT133A / 133MHz)
|
197
|
37.0
|
152.7
|
|
ASUS
A7V133 (KT133A / 133MHz)
|
197
|
37.6
|
153.4
|
|
MSI
K7T Turbo (KT133A / 133MHz)
|
194
|
37.5
|
145.7
|
|
EPoX
EP-8KTA3 (KT133A / 133MHz)
|
196
|
36.7
|
146.3
|
|
ABIT
KT7A-RAID (KT133A / 133MHz)
|
197
|
37.4
|
149.6
|
|
MSI
K7T Pro2 (KT133 / 100MHz)
|
189
|
35.8
|
135.1
|
The AK73 ProA performed quite well in our benchmark tests. It remains very competitive with other KT133A motherboards on the Content Creation Winstone 2000 and the Quake III Arena test, and outperformed the ASUS A7V133 and the Iwill KK266 in SYSMark 2000. Once again, it should be noted that among these tests all motherboards are within 5% of each other, so performance should not be a major factor in your purchase decision.
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