Soyo SY-K7AIA AMD 750 ATX Slot-A

The Test

In recent times, choosing a motherboard cannot be completely determined by a Winstone score. Now, many boards come within one Winstone point of each other and therefore the need to benchmark boards against each other falls. Therefore you shouldn't base your decision entirely on the benchmarks you see here, but also on the technical features and advantages of this particular board, seeing as that will probably make the greatest difference in your overall experience.

Click Here to learn about AnandTech's Motherboard Testing Methodology.

There is nothing special about the Soyo K7AIA other than it is a no-frills, downright solid Athlon motherboard. Its stable nature is due in part to its close ties to the AMD Fester reference design. Unfortunately there is simply too much in terms of features that the board is lacking in for it to get the hands down recommendation. In a few weeks motherboards like the ASUS K7V that will boast stability at least on par with that of the K7AIA will be available and make use of the VIA KX133 chipset.

Had the K7AIA been released a few months ago when the only motherboard options came from FIC, Gigabyte and MSI then the Soyo board would have received a clear recommendation but for now, there is simply too much on the horizon to ignore in favor of the K7AIA. While it is true that the K7AIA is a very solid Athlon motherboard, there are and will be better options out there.

Hopefully Soyo's next Athlon will be blessed with more appropriate timing.