Asrock K7VT4A+ Motherboard

PROS: Inexpensive, stable, well-supported components, good layout, useful bundled software, quick to install, Very stable, Excellent Value For Money

CONS: Non-standard power LED connector, CPU speed settings use jumpers, full manual not printed (CD only)

NOTE: The Video Card is AGP X8 only, this board has no PCI Express slots and NO ON-BOARD VIDEO!!

The ASRock K7VT4A-Pro is a Socket "A" motherboard (used by the original Athlon CPUs, but not the current "Athlon 64" CPUs) with the features most people want, and not a lot of extras.
A good Seller will include, the "back plate" that goes around the connectors on the back, a "quick setup" manual, a SATA (Serial ATA) hard drive cable, a power cable adapter for SATA hard drives, a floppy cable, and a "classic" IDE hard drive cable as mine did. There is also a CD with drivers for the chipset, for the sound system, and the network interface. The CD also contains the complete manual in PDF format, an installer for Adobe Acrobat 5, and a copy of Norton Internet Security 2005 with a 90-day trial subscription to updates.

The motherboard itself is fairly small. At 12.0" x 9.6", it is larger than a MicroATX motherboard, but smaller than many ATX motherboards. The best way to describe it is TALL and SLIM! The layout is good, with everything where you'd expect it to be. There are SIX USB connectors on the back of the motherboard. The VIA KT400 Pro motherboard chipset does not have a fan, but the heat sink installed works just fine.

Installation is relatively straightforward, but there are two things to note:
1: Power LED connector. A standard Power LED connector spans three pins. However, the ASRock uses two pins. Most people will have to physically clip their Power LED connector in the then connect the two now-independent leads to the appropriate pins. The printed manual is clear on which pins to use.

2: Jumpers for CPU Front-Side Bus Speed The motherboard comes with two sets of jumpers: one for front-side bus speed (default is 200MHz) and the other for CPU multiplier (default is "automatic", which makes the motherboard ask the CPU for the correct multiplier). The annoying thing is that the info for the jumper settings is not in the printed manual; it's in the PDF manual on the CD so if you don’t have another PC to view it on you’re a bit stuck!

The motherboard is very well laid-out. All the headers for cables are in good places. The cable headers are clearly labelled. The large chipset heat sink does not interfere with the installation of a good-sized aftermarket CPU cooler. Physical installation, aside from the power LED issue mentioned above, is straightforward.

The motherboard uses components (like the KT400A chipset) that are widely-supported. It's not "weird" hardware that software developers would not have seen before, so no real compatibility issues. The included drivers and utilities work just fine, right out of the box. No patching nightmares just to get Windows XP running properly.

Don’t pay much more than £25.00 for one with ALL ACCESSORIES as above- Remember this is OLD Hardware. True, it's not "leading edge" technology, but you can make a modest gaming system or a first-rate business system around this board. Again because stable, well-laid-out & with well-supported components.
Overall A true bargain for PC system builders. First-time builders may have minor (but solvable) issues. Recommended to good builders who know what they are doing.