Just for the record, this is not Tiger Woods.
Runtime in seconds (shorter is better) for creating an MPEG file from a 50 MB AVI source (MPEG file size = 40 MB) at stock settings using SDRAM or DDR and at 138 MHz bus speed using DDR. Note that the same operation takes 21 min using Adobe Premiere 6.0, with the caveat that the resolution is changed from 240 x 320 to 252 x 350
Conclusion
You get what you pay for is an unwritten doctrine even in the computer world. The ECS K7S5A may well be a precedent for the exception to the rule. Although not an overclocker's board, the K7S5A offers blazing performance under standard conditions and, we might as well say it, under overclocked conditions likewise. The pitfall in this case is that overclocking often prevented the system from booting because of HDD recognition failure. The disclaimer that needs to be made here is that the drive itself, even though SMART did not find any problems and it is working just fine in a different system right now may have some hidden problems that only surface in a given environment.
The integrated features like on-board sound and Ethernet controller will suffice for most users with again the caveat that the sound would not work in vanilla Win98. On the other hand, the integrated LAN adapter and its lack of conflicts with a second PCI Ethernet controller compensate for the issues with the onboard sound that can be remedied with a driver update.
The pro's of the board are certainly its speed at default settings and the included features. The additional SDRAM slots appear more a marketing gig than a real added value to the board and it would be desirable to add the 3rd DDR slot supported by the controller instead for a 6 bank configuration. For an upgrade solution, carrying over of SDRAM from an older system maybe desirable but this point doesn't hold up to scrutiny since most carried-over SDRAM is outdated and would not do the board justice. Deleting the SDRAM slots could further drop the price point of the K7S5A below $60 for a new record in budget pricing.
The onboard Ethernet controller is a very valuable feature, for sound, a bit more than the audio codec would be desirable. Let's not forget, though, that the K7S5A can be found for less than $65 and at that pricepoint, it is almost impossible to find any equivalent price performance ratio. This said, the final verdict is that the ECS K7S5A offers an outstanding value for performance oriented home and small business computing, combined with a limited range of overclocking features that need to be taken with a grain of salt.
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