How to Install the
Abit KX7-333/KX7-333R Motherboard
Last updated: 1/18/2004
 INTRODUCTION.
This article provides detailed instructions for installing the
Abit
KX7-333 and KX-333R motherboards in a typical computer. The KX7-333 is high-performance motherboard featuring
the VIA KT333 chipset. The KX-333R is
the RAID version of the KX-333 and has the Highpoint HPT 372 IDE controller,
which can support four additional ATA/133 hard disk drives in various RAID
configurations. For those wanting to build a new computer with this
motherboard, the steps in this article are designed to dovetail with those
in
How to Build a Computer with an AMD Socket A Athlon or Duron Processor
by replacing the motherboard installation steps in that article with
detailed steps specific to the KX7-333 in this article. We used an
Athlon XP 1900+ (1.6 GHz) processor, Crucial 256
MByte DDR memory module, Thermaltake Volcano
6Cu heatsink-fan ("cooler"), and an
Antec SX840 case
with a 400-Watt power supply for the computer we built with the KX7-333R
while writing this article. For the sake of brevity we will refer to
both motherboards as the KX7-333R and point-out any differences as we
proceed.
Inspect and Prepare and the Motherboard.
1. Inspect the motherboard, top and bottom, for
any defects or signs that it is other than new... It should not be
warped. Any bent or broken corners? Look for components that have
been broken or are partially broken off. Does the anti-static bag look
like the board has been in out of it several times? Look at the donuts
around the holes used to fasten the board to the chassis. Do you see
any signs (screw marks) that it has been in a chassis before? Is the
box in good condition? Did you get everything? Did you receive
the correct User Manual? Is it the latest version of the motherboard?
Look for that info on the side of the furthest left PCI socket and on
Abit's web site.
Why am I so cautious? Some unscrupulous
vendors will take a motherboard that has been returned because there was
something wrong with it and ship it right back out again to the next
sucker that comes along. I might also add that many so called
defective motherboards that are returned have nothing wrong them.
And there are boards with defects/problems that are difficult to
detect/duplicate. New is better.
2. Most motherboards come in an anti-static bag
and/or are packed with an anti-static pads. As a precaution, it is
advisable to place the motherboard on whatever anti-static material
comes with it as shown above.
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