Contents, Documentation, and Warranty & Support
Contents & Packaging
The contents of the Dragon 2 box is unique in that it is missing a few standard items. The box contains:
- 4x SATA cables
- Parallel and serial ports bracket
- 2x IDE cable
- 1x Floppy cable
- Backpanel bracket
- Thermal paste (generic white)
- User Manual and software CD
- Soyo case badge
As you can see from the above, there isn’t anything that’s special. But there are a few things notable that are absent. First is a USB bracket. There are two extra USB headers on the motherboard, but no bracket to support this. This is also true for the IEEE 1394 connections. So if you want to take advantage of these connections, you will have to buy a bracket yourself or connect your front panel to it. Soyo really should have included them standard, but perhaps this is what a future revision is for (i.e. “Ultra Editions”). SATA power adapters would have also been a nice touch and none are included in the box.
Documentation
I was particularly impressed with Soyo’s documentation included with the Dragon 2. The documentation is very easy to read and very well laid-out with good use of typesetting. The contents include installation of hardware, to BIOS settings, to troubleshooting.
The BIOS documentation I found the best of all the motherboards I’ve reviewed as it goes into detail what each setting is and what options are available to every setting including their default state (which is handy in the case you need to revert some changes to factory settings but don’t want to reset everything).
The diagrams are not like the miniature schematics we see in most booklets, instead Soyo took the time to use large easy to read diagrams that clearly show the different pins and jumpers. It’s a small detail, but one that makes looking for the right information much easier. But best of all is the Troubleshooting appendix. It is very thorough and outlines solutions to many different problems. I’m not afraid to admit to you all that I had to refer to this section to solve a Windows XP installation problem and Soyo’s documented solutions worked.
Contact information for support and general inquiries is listed at the back of the manual.
Support & Warranty
Though their knowledge base only contains two articles specific to the Dragon 2, Soyo has done a good job in supporting their motherboards with a healthy list (178 entries in total) of general issues and solutions.
Soyo has a detailed support page with lots of solutions.
The Troubleshooting Tool featured in Soyo’s support site is actually fairly good at diagnosing the problems you may have. It may be a quicker way of finding the information you need rather than going through their 178 entry Assistance Guide.
The Troubleshooting Tool on the Soyo website could be quicker than
browsing those 178 entries in the Assistance Guide.
There is no user support forum, so if you are looking for a solution that is outside of the typical domain, you will have to use a forum like ours to get what you need.
1 year warranty on the SY-KT880 Dragon 2.
Warranty on the Soyo Dragon 2 is 1 year which may be a bit short for those of you looking for a long-term investment. Your retailer may be able to provide you with a longer period. It has been reported to me after publishing this review that Soyo has been known to do warranty support beyond the stated 1 year. This is great news, but I don’t think there is any guarantee they will keep doing this when your SY-KT880 is old and decrepit. 🙂
