Introduction

Just a few months ago, we reviewed the excellent KA1 MVP motherboard from ECS, one of the few enthusiast-classed Radeon Xpress 200 CrossFire Edition motherboards available back then for the AMD Socket 939 platform. While most manufacturers were awaiting ATI's new CrossFire Xpress 3200 (RD580) chipset, the KA1 MVP filled the role very well. ECS was slated to follow up with the KA2 MVP that would feature the CrossFire Xpress 3200, but the board never materialized. Instead, ECS went back to the drawing board to make further improvements. AMD was also on the verge of revamping their processors and socket configuration, so it seems ECS decided that the successor of the KA1 MVP should be Socket AM2 based instead of releasing another Socket 939 board that would have been bound to be short lived.

Now that Socket AM2 has arrived, ECS finally releases the KA3 MVP. That's right, they've skipped a number. The KA3 MVP is still based on the CrossFire Xpress 3200 chipset, but besides being a Socket AM2 motherboard, ECS has also incorporated ATI's spanking new SB600 Southbridge. With this new addition, the KA3 MVP is positioned to better compete at the enthusiast level with the range of new nForce 590 SLI motherboards out in the market.

The ECS KA3 MVP Socket AM2 motherboard.

Full technical specifications of the ECS KA3 MVP as well as product bundle listed below:-

4 x SATA data cables

1 x SATA power converter cable (dual plugs)

1 x 80-conductor Ultra ATA data cable

1 x 40-conductor Ultra ATA data cable

1 x floppy drive data cable

1 x RJ-45 cable

Top-Hat Flash Module

FireWire (1 port) and USB 2.0 (2 ports) bracket

External SATA (1 port) bracket

Parallel port bracket

USB and IEEE 1394 connector front panel face plate

I/O shield

Driver CDs

User's guide

ECS KA3 MVP Technical Specifications.

CPU Support	Supports AMD Socket AM2 CPUs Supports AMD Cool 'n' Quiet Technology
Chipset	Northbridge: ATI CrossFire Xpress 3200 (RD580) Bi-directional 1GHz (2000MT/s) HyperTransport interface to processor 40 lanes total PCI Express configuration Supports dual PCIe x16 CrossFire graphics Southbridge: ATI SB600 ATI A-Link Xpress II interface to Northbridge Intel High Definition Audio Supports up to six PCI  v2.3 slots Supports up to ten USB 2.0 ports Supports four SATA 3.0Gbps ports Single-channel Ultra ATA-100 IDE port
Memory	Dual channel memory architecture integrated into processor Four 240-pin DDR2 DIMM sockets Supports 1.8v DDR2 SDRAM DIMM modules Supports up to 8GB using DDR2 533/667/800
Storage	ATI SB600 Southbridge  2 x Ultra ATA 33/66/100/133 (data transfer rate up to 133MB/sec.)  4 x SATA 3.0GBps interface  Supports SATA RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 10 AHCI controller with NCQ JMicron JMB363 controller   2 x Ultra ATA 33/66/100/133 (data transfer rate up to 133MB/sec.) 2 x SATA 3.0Gbps interface Supports RAID 0, RAID 1
Audio	Intel High Definition Audio (Azalia) Realtek ALC883 HD Audio CODEC Coaxial/Optical S/PDIF Output
Networking	Agere ET1310 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet controller Realtek RTL8100C PCI 10/100 Ethernet controller
IEEE 1394 (FireWire)	VIA VT6308P FireWire controller 2 x 1394a ports @ 400 Mbps speed
I/O Interface	1 x Floppy connector 2 x Ultra ATA IDE connectors 6 x SATA connectors 10 x USB 2.0 ports (4 x rear, 6 x header) 2 x FireWire ports (2 x header) 2 x RJ45 LAN port 8-Channel Audio I/O ports 1 x Optical S/PDIF Output  1 x Coaxial S/PDIF Output 1 x CD-IN 1 x 9-pin serial port 1 x parallel port (bracket) 1 x mini-DIN-6 PS/2 mouse port 1 x mini-DIN-6 PS/2 keyboard port
Expansion Slots	2 x PCIe x16 slots, PCI Express Bus specification v1.0a compliant 1 x PCIe x1 slots, PCI Express Bus specification v1.0a compliant 2 x 32-bit PCI slots, PCI 2.3 compliant
Special Features	Top-Hat Flash Dr. LED
PCB	ATX Form Factor, 12"x 9.6"(30.5cm x 24.4cm)

Excellent range of connectors on the rear I/O panel. Four USB 2.0 ports, two RJ45s, coaxial and optical S/PDIF outputs, full analog 8-channel audio and a few legacy ports. FireWire is only accessible through the included bracket though.