IT SEEMS like only yesterday that AMD's Socket 754 Athlon 64 lineup consisted of just the $400 Athlon 64 3200+, but the times they are a changin'. AMD's swanky new Athlon 64 3400+ has driven the 3200+'s price down to only $278, and a more affordable Athlon 64 3000+ is now available for only $218. The Socket 754 platform is finally sweetening for PC enthusiasts.

Long a darling of PC enthusiasts, Abit has whipped up the KV8-MAX3 for AMD's Socket 754 platform. The KV8-MAX3 is Abit's first stab at AMD's 64-bit initiative, and the board certainly has enough BIOS options, integrated peripherals, and extra features to be worthy of the MAX moniker. However, many of Abit's competitors currently offer MAX-worthy features on their own motherboards, which means that the KV8-MAX3 will have to kick things up a notch to set itself apart from the pack.

How does Abit keep the KV8-MAX3 fresh and innovative in a sea of peripheral and feature-laden competitors? Does the board have what it takes to rise above the rest of the Socket 754 competition? Read on to find out.