Shuttle's AK31 Ver.3.1-vs- Epox's 8KHA+
 Dueling KT266A Motherboard Action!

By, Jeff Bouton
November 26, 2001

Layout and Quality
Looks Can Be Deceiving...

THE SHUTTLE AK31 Ver.3.1:

When it comes to the layout of the Shuttle AK31 Ver.3.1, everything seemed to be in the right place.  With an ample 4 DIMM slots, 6 - PCI and a CNR slot, the board is laid out in a manner that places each component in a way that they do not intrude on other surrounding items.  The locking tab of the first DIMM, for example, did not encroach on the AGP slot, a common issue that often requires the removal of the videocard when the DIMM module needs replacing on other motherboards.  The AGP slot comes standard with a retention clip to secure the videocard in place.  The North bridge comes equipped with active cooling, keeping the underlying chip cool during operation.   Three additional fan headers are provided not counting the one used by the chipset cooler. 

       

      

Shuttle has provided an additional USB header expanding the total USB ports to 4.  The power supply connector is placed all the way to the rear of the board, however the wires did not lie in a way that would affect proper airflow over the CPU.  This version of the AK31 Ver.3.1 has over 30 capacitors placed throughout the board to ensure that proper current is provided to each critical component.  Although we counted over a dozen in proximity to the CPU Socket, there was no shortage of room for a larger cooling package to be mounted to the CPU.  We had plenty of room to comfortably mount our Global-Win FOP38 without having to worry about bending or damaging a closely mounted capacitor.

Next, we'll take a look at the Epox board...

THE EPOX 8KHA+:

Fresh out of the box, the 8KHA+ make an awesome first impression.  Upon initial inspection, the placement of the board components closely resemble those of the Shuttle AK31 Ver.3.1, although once we took a closer look, the differences became more evident.  A couple of things that immediately caught my attention was the placement of the power connector.  The connector is placed right behind the ATX connections, centered with the North bridge.  This positioning of the power connector encourages the power supply wires to drape over the chipset and CPU coolers, which may affect good airflow.  The North bridge comes equipped with active cooling from a fan provided by Cool Masters.  This model included 3 - DIMM slots, 6 - PCI and 1 - AGP slot.  As seen in the lower left-hand picture, the AGP slot comes with an innovative DIMM-like retention clip that allows for easy securing and releasing of the AGP videocard.

       

         

Epox has added what they call an "On-board Debug Card" that will display any of the POST-codes that could be encountered during boot-up.  With most other motherboard, these post codes are usually represented by a series of beeps that can be cross referenced with a guide that alerts the user to the type of errors that exists with the system.  Epox has taken it a step further by making the codes "visible" rather than audible.  Although this feature appears impressive at first, I think the novelty will wear off quickly once the board is installed and the case cover has been put into place.  Like the AK31, the 8KHA+ offers a total of 4 fan headers, 2 of which are promptly used for the CPU and Chipset cooling, leaving the capacity for two additional chassis fans.

Now, let's see just how well these two boards handled it when we started pushing them to their limit...

Overclocking and Sandra...