Specification
| ABIT AX8 | |
| CPU Support | All S939 processors |
| Northbridge | VIA K8T890 |
| Memory Support | 4 slots, non-ECC DDR-1 only. Optimum support at DDR400 dual-channel. Maximum 4GB system RAM |
| AGP | None |
| PEG16X | One slot |
| Southbridge | VIA VT8237 |
| Audio | Onboard 5.1-channel audio from VT8237 southbridge, run through |
| Audio Connectivity | 6-port backplane analogue speaker. Optical S/PDIF input and output |
| PCI | 2x 32-bit 33MHz PCI 2.1 slots |
| PCI Express | 3x x1 slots |
| IDE | 2 ATA133 compliant ports from VT8237 |
| IDE RAID | None |
| SATA | 2 ports from VT8237. Supports SATA RAID 0/1 |
| Additional SATA | 2 port SATA RAID from VIA VT6421 PCI-based controller. RAID 0/1/0+1 formats |
| Networking | IC+ PCI-based Gigabit Ethernet Controller |
| USB | VT8237, 4x backplane USB2.0, 2x I/O USB2.0 |
| FireWire | 3-port FireWire400 (1394a) from VIA 6306 PCI-based controller |
| Other I/O | PS/2, Parallel, COM | Other notables | ABIT µGuru monitoring/tweaking software | Board dimensions | ATX form factor - 305mm x 245mm | Street price | £79 |
Looking at the AX8 from a specifications' front and taking due note of its competitive street price of £79, it seems as if ABIT and VIA's collaboration is a sound one. Gigabit LAN, FireWire and discrete SATA RAID bump up its status from bare to semi-deluxe. The enthusiast hasn't been forgotten, either. ABIT's comprehensive µGuru software and the bus-locking nature of the K8T890 chipset should allow you to get the most out of your shiny S939 CPU. It's just a slight shame that a true PCI-E Gigabit LAN couldn't be included to take full advantage of even a x1 PCI-E lane. On the face of it, a good compromise between cost and features.
