AOpen AK73-1394 Socket-A KT133 ATX

AnandTech Motherboard Rating

Performance

The AK73-1394 performs virtually the same as the AK73 Pro, which is to say very close to other recent KT133 solutions. Compared to the initial KT133 motherboards, these recent boards perform much better.

Price

AOpen products are usually a bit pricey.  However, compared to other boards with integrated Firewire, the AK73-1394 should be relatively inexpensive since it uses a single-chip solution

Stability

The AK73-1394 is even more stable than the AK73 Pro, which is to say it is rock solid.  The two crashes in 24 hours definitely puts the AK73-1394 as one of the most stable motherboards in the AnandTech Labs.

Quality

AOpen has always been associated with high quality, and the AK73 Pro is yet another example.  These are shown in the choice of capacitors, voltage regulators, as well as the effort AOpen put in the layout design.

Features

The single-chip IEEE 1394 Firewire solution make this board stand out from the crowd.  The ability to change the multiplier settings as well as Ultra ATA 100 support are big pluses also.  Little features like the Dr. Voice and Dr. LED also help make this board stand out, even if they are optional.  The inclusion of the USB and Firewire brackets gives you the ability to use these features right out of the box.

Layout

The layout of the motherboard is very good.  Components do not block each other, and the overall placement of parts is very clean.

Availability

AOpen products are relatively easy to find in online stores or local computer shops.  You probably won’t find their products in bigger stores like Best Buy or Circuit City, but you may in some large electronics / computer stores like Fry’s Electronics.

Documentation & Software Bundle

The documents for the AK73 Pro are excellent.  For beginners, they have the easy setup poster. Advanced users can also go to the manual, where they are able to find just about every piece of information they might need.

The AOpen CD includes all the drivers and utilities for the motherboard.  The addition of a more recent version of Norton AntiVirus, 6.0 in this case, is a nice touch.