PC beginners: Don't buy VIA hardware!

megamaced

megamaced

Geek Geek Geek!
I feel like ranting about the terrible hardware that VIA technology drags off its shelves!

Rule 1: Never buy a motherboard with a VIA chipset
Guaranteed to cause incompatibilty problems with other hardware/software. Guaranteed to cause latency issues. Guaranteed to be crap

Rule 2: Never buy a VIA processor
Can you believe they make processors! They have always lagged behind Intel and AMD

Rule 3: Never buy an expansion card with a VIA chipset (especially a USB 2.0 PCI card)
The drivers are terrible, the software is incompatible, causes all sorts of problems. Drives you mad


Rant over..;)
 
Might be a rant but its no reason to misinform people of a problem that only you may have faced.

Btw via CPUs aren't meant to compete with AMD and Intel, they work well with their tiny motherboards and can be passively cooled.
 
so this is the old "I'm grumpy, I got sand in my 'gina" thread?

Via has a good reputation and I've had pleasant experiences with their chipsets and other pci expansion cards with Via's chip in it. I've never had an incompatibility issue and if you had one it's your own fault for not checking up on any product that you bought.
 
Rebuttal: My main desktop and my wife's desktop both have VIA chipsets, KT600's to be exact. I have never had a single stability problem, not once. The performance is excellent, they overclock well, and I never have to jump through any hoops. In fact, VIA's chipsets are so good AMD stopped making mainstream chipsets of their own a long time ago (AMD's words, not mine). Plus, VIA has excellent Linux support. Since I only run Linux, VIA is always my first choice. And as for VIA's CPUs, I'd like to see you run Quake3 for 24 hours straight without a heatsync on an Athlon or P4. I'm not using any VIA CPUs currently, but I think they'd be ideal for thin form-factor and embedded systems, which is really what they are designed for. I wouldn't mind having one of those babies in my firewall.

-AT
 
Well, I can't comment on the proccessors, however: I have only ever ran PC's with VIA chipsets and I have yet to experience incompatibility issues. In fact, everything I have plugged in not only works fine with eachother, but works fine with linux as well. Same thing with USB. Never had a single problem. So it sounds to me like a personal problem.
 
Hmm...I've run quite a few Via-based motherboards without trouble. I know the 686B southbridge ran into some trouble with some of Creative's SoundBlaster Live! cards, but Crapative was at least partially to blame for not following PCI specifications on the SB Live! design (let's ignore their bloatware).

Via's main issue right now, is with the DIY/Enthusiast segment where they've been eclipsed by the better-equipped nForce 3/4 chipsets, but they seem to be gearing up for a comback with the K8T890.

Other than stating you think VIA sucks, you've given no proof---besides you're pissed off at them.
 
jonbenge said:
I feel like ranting about the terrible hardware that VIA technology drags off its shelves!
Click to expand...

Then do it in the War Zone.....

I only ever had two mobos which I have used, both ASRock and both use the VIA chipset.
Never had any problems, compatability or otherwise. From the rest of the replies I would say you are ranting up the wrong chipset.
How many motherboards using VIA chipsets have you tried?
Is this rant based on one experience or have you had a long line of VIA hardware which failed you? I am absolutely serious,
bigb said:
Other than stating you think VIA sucks, you've given no proof---besides you're pissed off at them
Click to expand...
Have you ever been in touch with VIA? If you think that the PC building community out there should know how bad VIA are, don't you think VIA should know as well?

jonbenge said:
Rant over..
Click to expand...

Well done!
 
I've used Via chipsets and have had nothing but good experiences from them. Go get a punching bag from your local retailer and hit it hard for lets say...20 minutes. Feel better now?
 
Moved to The War Zone, as suggested. It actually fits better here anyway.

I can name several motherboards with a VIA chipset in them that have worked quite well and in long-term use based on personal, long-term experience:

Asus A7V (KT133)
AOpen AK47 (KT266)
MSI K7T (KT266A)
Tyan Trinity 133 (ApolloPro 133A)
SuperMicro P3TDDE (ApolloPro 266T)
Gigabyte GA7VAXP Ultra (KT400)
Soyo KT600 Dragon + (KT600)

And let's not for get that my DFI NF4 Ultra-D has the Firewire powered by a VIA chipset...

No, I have no inkling of experience with a VIA-based product. :rolleyes:
 
I totally agree with every one's comments here.
I myself have never had any problems with VIA either!
jonbenge - Maybe you should care to elaborate on your reasons for hating VIA?
Don't forget, VIA were the market leader in AMD compatible chipset sales before the nForce 2!
 
haha I love it when they get owned and don't reply again :D

I'm using a VIA Chipset on one of my rigs, no problems whatsoever.

Not even a very good rant to be honest..there's no justification or anything.
 
Looks like i've struck a nerve with a few of you! Calm down, it's only an opinion!

Let me explain..

Take yourself back to the early 90s. You have a socket 7 system and a choice of an Intel P1, an AMD k6 and a VIA Cyrix MII (or whatever it was called). Via chips under-performed and therefore, they lost market share, hence why they only cover a 'specialised market' these days. I'm sure VIA chips of today are great, but given the choice, i'd take an AMD or Intel any day

As for expansion cards, VIA DO have a bad reputation. Take their USB 2.0 PCI cards for example, they have all sorts of problems (www.usbman.com for more info). They are especially incompatible with VIA motherboard chipsets. It is fair to say that VIA are new to USB upgrade cards, but thats not really an excuse. I challenge anyone to tell me different.
 
Via CPUs are not meant to challenge AMD or Intel CPUs in normal usage. They may have fell behind, but they're still going and they have uses, which is the important thing.

An excuse for what? The only thing that they are obligated to do is refund your money if it doesn't work.

Thing is ranting about Via because their CPUs have different uses than mainstream ones and you had a problem with a USB card doesn't mean that Via is now completely rubbish and shouldn't be bothered with.
 
Here are a few quotes i've picked up from other boards:


"I've bought two VIA-based boards, and both have had significant problems. For me, the association of the VIA trademark with a board is not-so-subtle hint that it should be passed on."

"I keep reading reports of incompatibilities, instabilities, BSOD's and other issues.
Every other day there is a beta patch being released to fix problems with soundcards, corrupted HD data, videocards and so on. Anybody else think that mainboards built with Via chipsets (north and/or south bridges) are a total waste?"

I rest my case...
 
jonbenge said:
Here is proof that VIA hardware is terrible:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/01/08/flaws_in_via_chipsets_hit/

;)
Click to expand...

That article is three years old for starters. Secondly, drivers can have progression that makes them more suitable throughout the years, and VIA has done so. The drivers have significantly improved the hard drive throughput.
Third, the Cyrix was developed by IBM. Via later took over and created the C3. At first, it wasn't very good, but they've managed to create their little niche market with the C3. Again, IT IS NOT MEANT to compete with the Pentium or Athlons, nor the Celeron or Duron/Semprons. It has never been designed to take on Intel or AMD. It's a low-power, low-heat chip. For a no-frills silent PC, this is amazing. Intel and AMD do not have a CPU that can run passively cooled, and their low-power chips still require some decent cooling.
Fourth, the Register is a geek tabloid, so I really wouldn't advise using it as a reliable resource. Same with the Inquirer. They're not always wrong, but they tend to have some hype to them, and some misiformation sometimes.
Fifth, given some very minor quotes from unknown people on the internet isn't the best. For all I know, they could've used a bad motherboard that happened to have a Via chipset in them. Yes, it's true: Via has has performance problems with ATA and USB controllers, but are you willing to believe that a company as big as VIA is not going to try a remedy something if they can. A large part of their problem was due to poorly optimized drivers...something which other products go through as well.
 
jonbenge said:
Here are a few quotes i've picked up from other boards:


"I've bought two VIA-based boards, and both have had significant problems. For me, the association of the VIA trademark with a board is not-so-subtle hint that it should be passed on."
Click to expand...
What problems specifically? And when?

"I keep reading reports of incompatibilities, instabilities, BSOD's and other issues.
Every other day there is a beta patch being released to fix problems with soundcards, corrupted HD data, videocards and so on. Anybody else think that mainboards built with Via chipsets (north and/or south bridges) are a total waste?"

I rest my case...
Click to expand...

So, you're willing to believe what someone has READ is bad is the gold truth.

The 686B, IN A LIMITED number of cases, had BSOD issues with SoundBlaster Live! cards. This was a small number, but a lot of people bitched about it. While, yes, VIA worked to fix their end of it, Creative ignored things, despite that Via followed the PCI spec, but Creative did not. Most of the Via issues were related to a 686B southbridge/SBLive! combo. Also, while less frequent, the SBLive cause issues on motherboards with Intel 440BX and 800-series chipsets. In many of the above cases, much of the problems happened while running Windows 2000, with some issues due to Creative being lazy about Win2k support.
 
I actually had a 686B and a Live, and I honestly believe it was the drivers supplied with the live at the time. When I ran Linux on the same rig, I had zero stability problems.
 
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