ABIT HAS BEEN A FAVORITE of enthusiasts for years. They've set the bar for what many expect in a motherboard. Constantly a leader in overclocking options, performance, and even features like on-board RAID, Abit has made quite a name for itself in the hardware community.

It used to be that Abit was one of only a few choices an enthusiast had when choosing a motherboard, but things have changed. Now, it seems everyone has caught on to BIOS tweaking, on-board IDE RAID, and overclocking options galore. Additionally, the new crop of performance motherboards is coming equipped with all sorts of integrated peripherals. Some on-board sound options even rival the venerable SoundBlaster Live! in audio quality.

Abit has chosen not to walk the integrated line with its new KR7A-RAID. Instead, the board is a foundation, based around VIA's KT266A chipset, on which enthusiasts can build their ultimate high performance PCs. Without any on-board extras, we're left to evaluate the KR7A-RAID solely on the merits of its performance and stability. How does the KR7A-RAID do with such a focused spotlight? Read on to find out.