All the features of the 8KDA3+ seem to be aimed at overclocking and gaming. Gigabit ethernet is included, as well as 8 channel sound with SPDIF out and the full set of overclocking options we have come to expect from Epox. An additional SATA RAID controller for 4 devices is optional.

The board we have for review is the "power pack" edition, which comes with a few extra goodies, such as rounded IDE cables, a software overclocking utility, optical SPDIF out, a screwdriver, and even some little heatsinks you can use as RAM sinks, or on power MOSFETs.

The layout of the 8KDA3+ is slightly disappointing. The power connectors are both located in the worst place possible for decent air flow, just where they will force both cables to cross the CPU cooler area. This is however, the best possible place to supply clean current to the VRMs. The SATA connectors are so close to the AGP slot that large RAM sinks such as those seen on Gainward graphics cards could foul the connectors.

As is the Epox tradition, the board is green, with all the connectors in the standard colours, with the north bridge cooled by a very small gold coloured passive heatsink.

The Epox manual is a well written booklet, which covers the BIOS options in some detail.

Unfortunately, at £108 the 8KDA3+ doesn't seem very good value for money. The specification is comparable with the Aopen board, which costs £20 less. The Epox however, offers many more overclocking options. If you are looking for overclocking potential, but don't need all the extra features of the Epox, consider the Abit KV8 Pro instead.

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