Price Guides July 2004: CPU and Motherboards

AMD VIA Motherboards

VIA is not to be forgotten in a time when NVIDIA and Intel are the most frequently heard names in motherboards (and technology, in general, it would seem.) AOpen shows that they haven't forgotten Via with their AK86-L board. Its Spartan and dark appearance shouldn't fool you as this board shows us what can be done with little more than an Athlon 64 and a hunger for performance. With the latest BIOS flash, the AK86-L can tweak nearly any and every option known to enthusiasts while giving everything it's got at stock speeds for the average consumer. After earning Editor's Choice status only a couple of months ago, we are hard-pressed to find a better board when it comes down to value, quality and performance.