AK76-SN

DFI AK76-SN Scoring
Feature set	B
Performance	A+
Stability	A
Board Layout	B

While DFI is traditionally considered a motherboard company that traditionally sells in the OEM space, the AK76-SN offers quite a few features for the enthusiast community. Both bus speed and clock multiplier adjustment are available, although the latter is only available via dipswitches, just like the FIC AD11. In a similar fashion, the AK76-SN is priced affordably, prices right around the $100 mark can be found online. Considering its extra PCI slot and fan headers, the AK76-SN offers a little more bang for your buck.

The AK76-SN is a slim design in comparison to most of the other Socket A DDR motherboards we tested, only the AD11 is similar in size. This will make the AK76-SN easier to install, especially if you're dealing with a cramped computer case, but costs in the location of the floppy and IDE connectors. All three are located across from PCI slots. As you can see, DFI also eliminated the AMR slot, this helps to save space on the printed circuit board. Unfortunately the ATX power connector is located below the CPU interface, inhibiting airflow around the CPU. Thankfully DFI leaves lots of empty space around the CPU interface, most heatsinks should work with little or no hassles.

Although it was released in the same timeframe as the second generation of AMD-760 motherboards, the AK76-SN only contains two DIMM sockets. This is a bit of a disappointment but considering the market the AK76-SN caters to, the third DIMM socket isn't a necessity. The majority of users in this market will likely only need two DIMM sockets. Dipswitches for adjusting the CPU multiplier and core voltage are located above the AMD-761 North Bridge, nestled between the CPU interface and DIMM sockets. A bank of three jumpers must be used to toggle between 200MHz and 266MHz front-side bus operation, with bus speed settings available inside the BIOS of the AK76-SN.

For system tweaking, bus speeds can be adjusted from 100-166MHz in 1MHz increments, giving the AK76-SN more versatility than the other budget AMD-760 motherboard, the FIC AD11, but not quite as many options as some of the enthusiast boards like the 8K7A+ and KG7. In a similar fashion, voltage adjustment for other components such as the memory and AGP can't be adjusted via BIOS or even with jumpers, leaving CPU parameters as the only options for overclocking your system. While this is plenty for less experienced users, enthusiasts want to adjust every aspect of their system and may possibly miss those features.

Overall the AK76-SN is a good offering from DFI. Stability was very good and the board did everything we asked of it. On top of this, the AK76-SN offers clock multiplier adjustment and a nice selection of bus speeds to choose from when overclocking. With its inexpensive price we recommend the AK76-SN to the gamer on a budget, or anyone who is looking to build their first system and doesn't want to deal with all the hassles that can be involved in setting up a system. The AK76-SN offers just enough overclocking features to get your feet wet without getting into any trouble and does so at an incredibly attractive price.