Gigabyte K8VT800 Pro

Thanks to its garish assortment of colours, the K8VT800 Pro is not the most attractive motherboard in the group. Its appearance isn't helped by its northbridge cooler; an actively-cooled, gold-plated heatsink.

It might not be the best choice if you're considering showing off the innards of your PC, but the K8VT800 Pro is strongly equipped. Gigabyte's dual Bios feature is a standard inclusion here, and provides peace of mind should the primary Bios chip be damaged.

Raid functionality is provided via an onboard controller supporting 0, 1 and 0+1 configurations, although there are only two Sata channels in comparison to the six seen on the Epox 8HDA3+. The inclusion of three IDE channels, one of which is Raid compatible, is some consolation, but enthusiasts may prefer the extra performance offered by a serial interface.

On the rear panel, there's the usual assortment of connectors. Integrated six-channel audio is offered by routing output through the mic and line-in sockets, but there is additional S/PDIF output provided by a coaxial interface. Six USB2 slots round things off.

The easy-to-understand manual and installation poster, along with the colour-coded motherboard connectors, are evidence of the importance Gigabyte places on usability. For those who aren't well versed in Raid configurations, there is a separate instruction booklet that explains the requirements and steps you need to get started.

Performance was generally very good all round, although the overall PCmark 2004 score of 4,417 placed it at the bottom end of the group. Despite this, the K8VT800 proves excellent value for money, has a commendable number of features and would therefore make a good foundation to an Athlon 64-based system. As a result, we have given it our Highly Commended award.

Contact: Gigabyte 01908 362 700
http://uk.giga-byte.com