+++++ 1x Floppy, 4x UDMA133 GigaRAID IT82112F (RAID 0/1/0+1),
4x SATA150 SIL 3512CT128 (RAID 0/1/0+1), 2x serial (1x internal), 1x parallel, 2x PS/2,
onBoard 10/100/1000 Mbps base-T Ethernet, 8x USB 2.0/1.1 (4x internal incl. mounting bracket),
2x IEEE 1394 (incl. mounting bracket), 1x Gameport, 8-Channel AC'97 RealTek ALC850 onboard
(1x int. Aux, 1x ext. S/PDIF, ext. Line in, ext. Mic, ext. Line out, int. Rear out, int. Center)
and 3x fan connectors.

Overall

++++ The GA-K8NS pro socket 754 board has at present a price of approx. 80 euro (05/2005)
and is appropriate thereby in the middle range of all socket 754 motherboards.
But if we take look at the equipment, the features and the provided accessories,
this isn't a middle class motherboard at all.
I can only be astonished, which did lately with the motherboards, because the equipment
characteristics were really enormously extended and Gigabyte shows with the GA-K8NS pro
that the price doesn't have to be higher.
But let us begin with the accessories. this socket 754 based mobo is shipped with 2 S-ATA cables,
2 S-ATA power cables, 3 UDMA cables, an ATX screen, a SPDIF bracket, a combined Firewire
and USB bracket and beside the Tools CD also some manuals, which could be hardly exemplary.
Furthermore it's worth to see the other Addons, because beside perfectly coloured marked
sockets and connections (see picture), a new developed AGP fixing clip, which solves to laterally
is pulled (in the picture on the right of above), an active chipset radiator and a Backup BIOS chip
(in the picture right down) the board still has some more to offer.

The equipment is really praise-worth, since Gigabyte spend the GA-K8NS pro a Serial ATA RAID
Controller and an UDMA 133 RAID Controller for conventional IDE hard disk drives.
The variety in RAID combinations and the possible capacity with the handling of up to 12 HDDs
know nearly no bounds!
Besides Gigabyte gave the board also a 8-channel ALC850 sound chip and two IEEE1394 Firewire
connections beside the 8 USB connections.

As we see, the equipment is really fantastic and we are not arrived at the end with the
additional features ...
In the BIOS are various voltage and frequency settings, the possibility of fan control
with extensive temperature monitoring up to the change of the BIOS language.
BTW. all BIOS points are deposited with extensive assistance.
Solely the manual selection of the memory frequency wasn't discoverable and a strange
phenomenon during the manual input of the host frequency was to be criticized.
With the used BIOS version in the test the board was operated during manual input of
e.g. 220 MHz erroneously with 420 MHz, which is naturally not healthy and of course not running.
But I am confident that Gigabyte will repair this bug certainly soon with a new BIOS version and
in the meantime we better should change the frequency over dropdown fields in the BIOS or
with the provided Windows software.
Apropos host frequency, the BIOS permits a maximally possible frequency of 455 MHz!
Of course it's not possible to reach this maximum frequency, but it's really hard to overcome
a temptation of overlocking with the well cooled chip set :-)

Conclusion: You'll get tears of joy with the Gigabyte GA-K8NS pro socket 754 motherboard
when you see the features, accessories and even the affectionate work of the manual and BIOS.
And despite the so far best equipment the motherboard have at present a favourable price
of approx. 80 euro (05/2005) - respect !
With as much praise for this Gigabyte GA-K8NS pro motherboard with such a favourable price
does not lead a way at an honor with the OverClocking price tip 03/2005 Award of ocinside.de
which earned Gigabyte hereby fairly.

Special thanks to Gigabyte for their support.