The BIOS
Back when Abit built the BH6, the qualifying bar for an enthusiast-oriented motherboard wasn't very high, and the overclocking capabilities of your average retail motherboard—if any existed—were utterly laughable compared to the wealth of options that end users have today. Abit was one of the early leaders when it came to building enthusiast boards that included BIOS-level overclocking options and voltage control. Such features have now become common enough that their omission is more surprising than their inclusion. Even in today's option-happy environment, however, the Fatal1ty AN8 SLI's BIOS stands out like a beacon. Simply put, the Fatal1ty offers more configuration options, more control, and more hardware monitoring than any motherboard I've seen before, including Abit's own products. Whether you're a hard-core overclocker or looking to utterly minimize computer noise, the Fatal1ty AN8 SLI is designed to cater to your needs.

Abit's OCGuru adjustment page provides users with access to CPU multipliers, external frequencies, and HyperTransport multipliers. Voltage settings are also handled here, and both CPU and memory voltages can be adjusted directly by specifying a target voltage or indirectly by changing either the DDR or CPU reference voltage. Target and reference voltages can be used together to achieve extremely high voltages.

A number of motherboards have a basic hardware monitoring page that lists voltage information, but the Fatal1ty AN8 SLI offers a broader scope of information than most. It's even possible to configure an auto-shutdown or beep warning if any of these values leave the specified safe ranges. Such options, while rarely needed, can potentially prevent a dying power supply or MOSFET from damaging the motherboard or the rest of the system.

In addition to monitoring voltages, the BIOS also tracks CPU, system, and MOSFET temperatures (labeled PWM in the photo above). MOSFETs typically sit near the CPU socket and can contribute substantially to overall heat production in that area of the motherboard. Abit's inclusion of an independent temperature sensor allows users to monitor a potential hotspot whose temperature is often ignored.

The Fatal1ty's six fans are monitored separately. Again, users can set warning or shutdown conditions for each monitored variable.

The last two photos are of the individual control screens for what Abit refers to as "Fan EQ". These customizable BIOS tables provide a tremendous array of options that allow users to control fan voltages, reference temperatures, and the specific temperature at which fan RPM levels change. Raising or lowering the voltage being supplied to a fan spins it faster or slower than normal, though over-volting a fan motor could potentially cause problems or early burnout.