We it are going to say high place and skylight: the ABIT KA7 is the best badge to do overclocking of an Athlon; something logical, since it is made by a company specializing in this itself. And why? Because it includes the SoftMenu III:

• 14 bus speeds (100, 101, 103, 105, 107, 110... 133 MHz);
• possibility of increasing the bus speed MHz to MHz, up to +28 MHz (to obtain 102 MHz we would select 101 + 1, for example);
• entire control of voltages (nucleus of the mike and I/O);
• speed selection of the memory (speed of the bus or speed of the bus more - or less - the speed of the PCI).

... Every configurable from the BIOS, of course, and without need to open the casing of the mike; very clean.

Also, we have 4 connectors for fans and the space for ENORMOUS fans, like the one that we use for the test: spendthrift of 12 x 7,5 x 4,5 cm and two fans of 6 x 6 cm. Calm, a monster like that is not by no means necessary to be successful in the overclocking... but since we had it and it fits: why not?

Well, the case is that we install an Athlon to 700 MHz, 128 MB of memory PC133 and one TNT2 Ultra (certainly, a very advisable configuration nowadays) and we started doing tests. We were not disappointed with the badge by no means, realizing without problems the tests Winstone Business99 in only 10 minutes and let's give them of Quake III at full speed.

Confirmee who was working perfectly at the normal speed, we happen to overclockear:

• 750 MHz (107 x 7), stability 100 %;
• 770 MHz (110 x 7), stability 100 %;
• 784 MHz (112 x 7), the first sporadic problems in the tests.

Raising the voltage 0,05 V, putting it in 1,65 V (a little, of course, dangerous if the mike is not well refreshed) and putting the memory at the speed of the bus we come to 805 MHz with the same stability as to 700 original MHz. There stop we (an Athlon is a slightly expensive toy as to fry it), but it is not necessary the definitive limit...

Certainly, the 700 MHz Athlon has a divisor of cache memory of 1/2, while those 750 MHz or more they have it of 2/5 ó 1/3; for it, his cache memory is more rapid, being more rapid one of 700 overclockeado to 750 that that of 750 "official". As for the voltage, the 850 MHz Athlons use 1,70 V, so it is not rare to have to raise it a little as we approach this number.

The KA7 is an excellent badge with chipset KX133, but it is neither the only one of the market nor much less; we have others, of which we have chosen three:

The three are very advisable badges, each one with his peculiarities; any of them not even (the ABIT) is clearly top, this time to choose it is necessary to base in small details... and in the price, skylight. The best of these three in overclocking undoubtedly is the ASUS, others two give few intermediate bus options; nevertheless, there would not come to him badly a groove ISA or PCI instead of the AMR, to have slightly any more of space for fans or a more accessible price.

The Gigabyte is very finished, a checker of "real" sound includes, not for software, and a double BIOS if it trumps the first one (something rare, but by no means impossibly: virus, frustrated updates...). And the AOpen has the high habitual quality, but unfortunately it places the feeding connector between the memory and the mike, what prevents from installing very big fans.

The KA7 is an absolutely advisable badge, especially for those who are going to do overclocking. His design is very interesting, without groove neither for modem AMR nor checker for software since most of the users of badges ABIT do not use any of these two things... And they are right, I would say.

The fourth groove for memory is an interesting added one, which allows infinity of options of configuration or enlargement of the same one, for example re-using already acquired modules; although, of course, most of users have enough with 3 grooves.