OCWorkbench puts boot into KT266 retail boards

OCWorkbench, the hyperactive Singaporean hardware review site, is postponing reviews of mobos using VIA's new KT266 chipset, until stability improves.

"Currently there are only a few KT266 boards that started retailing, " the site says. "Most of them are plague(d) with performance and stability issues and manufacturers are ironing out the problems.

"Over at our labs here in Singapore and Taipei, we have some early retail boards. Preliminary results are VERY unacceptable for a DDR board and we have decided to postpone the reviews."

OCWorkbench speculates on the cause of the instability - design flaw, wrong bios etc. And fair play to the site for not pressing ahead with reviews (of course it has garnered more publicity by announcing its decision not to review KT266 boards yet than by issuing benchmarks a week later than the Toms and Anands).

There has been a bit of controversy over just how good the KT266, with arguments initially revolving around whether it is superior or inferior to the 760, AMD's own DDR chipset for the Athlon.

But OCWorkbench is the first to report stability issues. This may be because the mobo makers took more care with the boards they sent to Tom's Hardware Guide et al. (Or maybe not - check out Anand's
second look at the KT266, complete with revised bios and soldering iron.)

Whatever, as with all retail mobos using new chips and chipsets, it is wise to wait a wee while until the technology is bedded in before buying. ®