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BIOS

The AOpen has a good selection of BIOS options that are comparable to many other boards. Most of the advanced functionality is found beneath another level off the main submenus so the BIOS can look deceptively spartan. Because of the multiplier lock on Athlon 64's the only option with overclocking is the FSB adjustment and AOpen gives a good range of values; between 200 and 300 inclusive. No scrolling through a silly list either, just key in the number and off it goes. The AK86-L also sports a good range of voltage adjustments for both the processor and the memory but the ceiling is a bit low especially on the processor side. The default voltage on the 3400+ is already 1.5 and a 1.55 ceiling does not seem to give much headroom. DIMM voltages are on the conservative side also but since there is an option to lock the DIMM speed to a maximum frequency this is less of a concern. Memory timings are one area that the AK89 really excels in with many choices not normally found on other motherboards.

One of the strange features that on the AK86-L is the Open Jukebox Player. Basically it is a CD Player that works from your BIOS. Not sure who this is really aimed at but here's a picture of it in action. Note that a CDROM Audio cable must be used in order for this to function properly