ABIT'S MAX CONCEPT, at least on first inspection, appears contradictory. Here you have a PCB jam packed with all manner of integrated peripherals and brimming with expansion ports of all shapes and sizes, but it's missing PS/2, serial, and parallel ports. MAX motherboards almost resemble a concept platform for future PCs. Yet they still have a floppy drive port. It can be confusing.

We cut through the confusion surrounding the MAX concept with our AT7 MAX review back in May. The AT7 was fast, equipped with a decadent array of integrated peripherals, and a courageous step towards a truly legacy-free PC platform. We were mighty impressed.

Today we're looking at the AT7's partner in crime, the IT7 MAX. Based on Intel's 845E chipset for the Pentium 4 processor, the IT7 brings all the MAX goodies to the Socket 478 platform. It even manages to squeeze in a few extras along the way.

What does Abit bring to the table with the IT7 MAX, and why is that floppy port still there? Should other motherboard manufacturers be afraid? Read on to find out.