The KT400 Dragon Ultra is essentially the Swiss Army Knife of KT400 boards. Look at the specs and you will find that it includes nearly every bell and whistle you can wish for: ATA133 IDE RAID (0,1,0+1), integrated 6 Channel hardware based audio, and integrated 10/100 Ethernet.
The board has 2 USB 2.0 slots, but it also comes with Soyo’s SB-K7VXBP Sigma Box, which adds an additional 2 USB 2.0 slots and CompactFlash plus SmartMedia readers. The Sigma Box, which is installed on the front of your case, comes with an adapter so that you can use it in either a 3.5” or 5.25” drive bay.
Specifications
D: DDR400/333/266 Memory
R: Optional Serial ATA / Embedded Hipoint IDE-RAID chip, providing ATA-133 IDE-RAID 0,1,and 0+1
A: 5.1 Digital Audio and 24-Bit SPDIF Audio Connector for Ultimate Audio Experience
G: Universal 8X AGP Pro With Adjustable Voltage, Enabling Computer Graphics At Its Best
O: Smart Overclocking Options Including Adjustable CPU, DIMM and AGP Pro Voltages, Higher PCI Divider and Flexible IRQ Sharing
N: Integrated 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, High-Speed Internet Ready
Ultra: On-board USB 2.0 Interface
Platinum Edition: Special PCB Finish Featuring A Unique Color to Show Off!
|
Motherboard
Specifications |
|
Chipset |
VIA
KT400
+VT8235 Southbridge |
|
Bus
Speed Options |
200/266MHz |
|
Voltages
|
100-280MHz in 1Mhz increments |
|
Memory
Support |
-
Supports six memory banks using three 184-pin PC3200/PC2700/PC2100/PC1600
DDR SDRAMs (Up to 3GB)
- DDR400/333 SDRAM Support |
|
Expansion
Slots |
-
Five 32-bit PCI bus slots (V2.2 Compliant)
- One Universal 8X AGP Pro slot (supports 8x/4x
modes) |
|
USB
Support |
6 USB 2.0 ports (4 Rear / 2
Front) |
|
Integrated
Components |
- On board CMI
8738 audio chip providing 6 channel audio solution
- Supports optical output & SPDIF
output
- Serial ATA Interface
(Optional)
- LAN
10/100/1000MBps
|
|
Bios |
Award PCI BIOS with ACPI
function |
|
Onboard
IDE |
- Optional Serial ATA support (rated at 150 MB/sec)
through the use of riser cards
- Four
independent channels for 8 IDE devices (2 for RAID)
- Supports up
to PIO mode 5 & Ultra DMA 66/100/133
- Two PCI bus mastering
ATA E-IDE ports
|
Compared to the KT4 Ultra board, the hardware audio, supplied by the C-media CMI8738 chip, is very robust. While the KT4 Ultra has only 3 onboard audio plugs, whose functionality must be controlled via software, the Soyo KT400 supplements the 3 standard onboard audio plugs with an the audio expansion bracket. The bracket supplies center and rear channel outputs, along with BOTH optical and coaxial SPDIF In/Out.
At this point in motherboard development, and knowing that the Dragon Ultra series of boards tends to cater to people with a ravenous appetite for features, I was surprised that the board didn’t have any documented Bluetooth expansion capability.
Layout/Installation
The Soyo KT400 Dragon Ultra has a very clean, very functional layout that’s got an answer to nearly every complaint a reviewer and user might have for clichéd layout problems. The board is very spacious; this is obvious after only a cursory inspection of the layout. What’s more, the RAM slots are far enough away from the AGP slot that you can add and remove RAM without having to also remove your video card. This is a major plus right there. The primary IDE slots are high on the board, placing them closer to your case’s drive bays, and the CPU has a nice clearance on 3 of the 4 sides. On the last side, there is a row of large capacitors. While the clearance between the this row of capacitors and our cooler was greater than what you’d find on other boards, I’d still say it was a little too close comfort. On the other hand, Soyo neatly sidestepped the biggest headache associated with rows of capacitors by leaving a gap right where the Ziff arm locks onto the CPU socket. Quite neat actually.
Installation of this board is made easier by the very clear labels etched onto the board for the power/reset/LED pins; I really enjoyed being able to plug everything in without having to refer to a manual diagram. For the CMOS battery jumper, Soyo also provides a jumper with an easy grip tab – a small detail, if one that makes me enormously greatful.
The only thing I could want, was to have the floppy connector and the second pair of IDE connectors higher up on the board. But this is a minor quibble in the face of the other conveniences of the board’s layout.
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