Introduction:
First thing, I needed a new PC as my laptop was very slow, and basically just falling apart! So I decided to build a new pc, so I went onto ebay, and started looking for a motherboard and processor bundle! I came across this motherboard with a Sempron 2800+ CPU (processor) and ... Read review
Advantages: Safe overclocking ability, onboard graphics (64mb) Onboard LAN Disadvantages: Only two Ram slots, and two PCI slots
...box. It came with the Asrock K7S41 manual (quick installation guide which is very useful and helpful), support CD (including drivers), one ultra ATA 66/100/133 IDE ribbon cable (for hard drives, CD rom drives, etc), one ribbon cable for 3.5inch floppy drive, and the I/O plate for the computer case. So I took everything out and installed it into my computer case straight away.
Specifications:
It's a very small motherboard (9.6inch ... ...computer cases. The motherboard includes several of inputs and outputs on its back panel stated below.
- Keyboard PS2 x1
- Mouse PS2 x1
- USB2 x 4 ports (able to have additional USB ports Via header)
- Serial 1COM port bracket
- Parallel 1
- Game/MIDI 1
- LAN 1 x RJ45
- Audio I/O Line In (light blue) / Line Out (lime) / Mic (pink)
- VGA (64mb onboard graphics)
Introduction: First thing, I needed a new PC as my laptop was very slow, and basically just falling apart! So I decided to build a new pc, so I went onto ebay, and started looking for a motherboard and processor bundle! I came across this motherboard with a Sempron 2800+ CPU (processor) and 256mb of ram. I snatched up this bargain for around £50 including delivery!
Installation: So once it came! I was dead excited so I opened the box. It came with the Asrock K7S41 manual (quick installation guide which is very useful and helpful), support CD (including drivers), one ultra ATA 66/100/133 IDE ribbon cable (for hard drives, CD rom drives, etc), one ribbon cable for 3.5inch floppy drive, and the I/O plate for the computer case. So I took everything out and installed it into my computer case straight away.
Specifications: It's a very small motherboard (9.6inch X 7.8inch, 24.4cm X 19.8cm) which is ideal for smaller computer cases. The motherboard includes several of inputs and outputs on its back panel stated below.
- Keyboard PS2 x1 - Mouse PS2 x1 - USB2 x 4 ports (able to have additional USB ports Via header) - Serial 1COM port bracket - Parallel 1 - Game/MIDI 1 - LAN 1 x RJ45 - Audio I/O Line In (light blue) / Line Out (lime) / Mic (pink) - VGA (64mb onboard graphics)
By using the header for the USB2 on the motherboard I was able to connect the USB ports on my computer case to the motherboard giving me an extra two USB ports, totally six USB ports (which is more than enough for anybody)
CPU - This motherboard supports socket 462 processors, AMD Sempron, Athlon, Athlon XP, Duron with FSB speeds of 400/333/266/200 Mhz
Memory (Ram) - Max 2GB DDR, DDR 400/333/266
Graphics - Onboard Real 256E 3D graphics 64Mb, with the option to use an AGP 8X/4X 1.5v graphics card
Connectors - IDE 2 x ATA 133/100/66/33 (for hard drives, CD rom drives) 1 Floppy Drive connector 20 pin ATX power connector CD/AUX/ audio in
This motherboard also has a new technology called Hybrid booster built into the motherboard, this is a feature which allows you to overclock the processor. Basically overclocking is setting your processor to run at a faster speed, but doing so puts stress on your processor and will result in your computer getting hotter, so it is ideal to add addition fans to the case. So then the Hybrid booster, it allows you to change the CPU FSB, CPU multiplier, and CPU Vcore. By altering these, the CPU will run faster, by just changing the CPU FSB I was able to overclock my Sempron 2800+ (clock speed of 2.0Ghz) to 2.3Ghz which is a noticeable difference. I am still able to overclock my CPU even more by changing the CPU multiplier but I don't have many addition fans on this case to do so, and I don't want to fry the processor by trying to get it to run a bit faster.
Advantages: As stated above the motherboard allows the user to get the most out of there processor by overclocking it safely using Hybrid booster. Also includes reasonable onboard graphics which was a big help for me as I was able to use the motherboard without having to buy a graphics card. Has 5.1 channel audio which has awesome sound quality, so there is no need to buy an additional sound card. Four USB ports, which is a big help if you want to connect multiple things at one time e.g. printer, camera, MP3 player and USB mouse.
Disadvantages: The only major disadvantage to this motherboard is its limit of ram, it only has two ram slots, so it only supports up to 2GB of ram whereas other motherboards these days have up to four ram slots. The motherboard also only has two PCI slots, but this motherboard doesn't need more, as it has built in sound and four USB ports.
Overall: Before purchasing this motherboard bundle off ebay, I checked ciao to see what other people have thought of this motherboard and from the reviews by the sounds of it people have only had problems, but I can gladly say I have had no problems with this motherboard since I have had it (since around Jan 07)
So I would recommend this motherboard for anybody who knows what there doing with it. It has a wide range of features for overclocking and general use. But out of 10 I would rate this motherboard 9… as it only has two Ram slots and two PCI slots.
I bought this board as an interim move before building something decent.I've been using it for about six months now and everything seems just as I'd expect from a budget board except the onboard graphics, which are miserable.I don't think the heat sink is up to the job.I had, eventually,to buy a low end graphics card for £30 which has made all the difference.It's a shame because this board could have been good. ...
bobiao 16.12.2008
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of ASRock K7S41 - motherboard - micro ATX - SiS741GX
Advantages: It's cheap! Disadvantages: They don't work!
...terms of price then the ASRock K7S41 is definitely the budget PC Builder's kit of choice. WRONG!! I had nothing but problems with this motherboard. The onboard graphics are really poor - in fact I never got a decent display at all. Constant flickering despite updating drivers and trying different monitors! VERY ANNOYING!!!
Flashing the BIOS also didn't work.
When powering on, the board would get stuck in a loop and not kick start the OS. Initially ... ...power but even when using a different PSU I experienced the same problems. Again, a pain in the rear and very time consuming - and still to no avail.
These boards may be cheap but they are definitely not worth it - spend the extra cash and get something more decent and something that will WORK!
AVOID! AVOID! AVOID! ...
JAYNO 25.10.2005
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of ASRock K7S41 - motherboard - micro ATX - SiS741GX
Advantages: A motherboard that work's for a month Disadvantages: Buying it in the first place!
...not for cheap and cheerful.
Asrock are based in Taiwan, and their return's procedure can take upto a month before you get the motherboard returned/replaced. If you can get the shop to replace on the spot, you will do good. My advice is stay away.
Good board's consist of the following...
Gigabyte
QDI
Sapphire
Intel (yuk not an Intel lover)
MSI to name a few, haven't had a problem with an Aopen yet, but i''m sure that won't be long before I ...
saucy77 17.02.2005
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of ASRock K7S41 - motherboard - micro ATX - SiS741GX
Speed
Ease of Installation
Stability
Value For Money
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Advantages: Fast, easy setup, good enough manual Disadvantages: Manual could be better. bios options could be more flexible
I bought this board when I upgraded my system, I paid around £30-£40 for it and have never looked back in the year since.
The graphics onboard are less than great but if you're not going to play games then the graphics would be plenty good enough, I transfered my 128Mb AGP card from the old board and it works like a dream.
The integrated graphics chip is very low performance. I noticed a little bit of slow down when I tried playing the original Unreal Tournament.
There are two RAM slots, two PCI slots, and an AGP slot. The BIOS does have some overclocking options, surprisingly enough. It appears that you can lock both AGP and PCI.
Overall, this is a great motherboard for the price. It has onboard audio and video; just add a processor, RAM, hard drive, and case/power supply, and you'll have a cheap, functional computer ...
Advantages: Cheap, Effective Disadvantages: No PCI-EXPRESS SLOT
The AsRockK7S41GX is a good and stable motherboard for a non-gamer.
Gamers need to chose a different card because this ASRock is to slow for the up to date games the processer slot doesnt allow you to put the needed up-to-date hardware in.
This is Perfect for Non-Gamers the onboard graphics and the avalible ram space a excellent for any office workers.
TheAsRock K7S41GX has a socket for a Socket A(462) processer which is sempron ready. It has an AGP X8 slot which is very good forr gamers. It is designed to work with Windows XP the RAM speed for this board is DDR333. It has a LAN connection built in. it also has a Hybrid Booster. it has a maximum of 2GB RAM and only has two slots for the RAM to go in. ...
Product Information for "ASRock K7S41 - motherboard - micro ATX - SiS741GX" »
Video
Graphics Controller
SiS Mirage Shared Video Memory (UMA)
Audio
Audio Output
Sound card
Signal Processor
SiS963L
Sound Output Mode
5.1 channel surround
Compliant Standards
AC '97
Telecom / networking
Networking
Network adapter - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet
Features
BIOS Features
ACPI support, SMBIOS 2.3.1. support
Hardware Monitoring
CPU core temperature, chassis temperature, CPU fan tachometer, chassis fan tachometer, CPU overheating protection, CPU core voltage
Sleep / Wake Up
Wake on LAN (WOL), wake on ring (WOR)
Hardware Features
ASRock Hybrid Booster, ASRock U-COP
Manufacturer's product description
ASRock is an energetic company with the support of strong R&D team and active marketing channels. ASRock's mission is to be an excellent opportunity for customers in the motherboard market who have yearned for a reliable, cost-effective motherboard brand for a long time. With its vision to provide reliable and affordable products, ASRock is confident that it can succeed in the motherboard industry and will continue to grow in other IT industry fields. PRODUCT FEATURES: ASRock U-COP; Hybrid Booster - a safe overclocking feature; FSB 400/333/266/200, DDR 400/333/266; Real 256E 3D Gfx. Max. 64MB; 1 slot for AGP 8X/4X 1.5V; ASROCK I/O - 4 ports default on rear panel + 2 ports upgrade via header; ATA 133 supported; On board default 10/100 LAN and 5.1-Ch Audio.
Related tags for ASRock K7S41 - motherboard - micro ATX - SiS741GX »
