Posted: October 1st, 2001
Written by: Tuan Huynh

Analysis and Conclusion

A few years ago if you were to ask to buy a cheap motherboard that offered a lot of features and performance at a sub-$100 price, people would most likely laugh at you, and/or think you’re crazy. Nowadays, with the likes of Shuttle, Biostar and ECS, you can purchase a motherboard that offers great performance at a low cost.

If you’re building a new computer and trying to conserve costs, it is a hard decision choosing which motherboard to pick between the ECS K7S5A and Shuttle AK31 v2. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. The ECS may offer the best performance in 3D games, but for some reason or another it fails to complete Sysmark. The Shuttle AK31 v2, on the other hand, offers the best performance in Sysmark and has a full range of overclocking features.

Physically, the ECS K7S5A offers more eye candy with its black PCB, but the DIMM slots feel cheap and break easily. The Shuttle AK31 v2 isn’t pretty to look at, but it is solidly built with no cut corners.

When it comes to manuals, the K7S5A and M7VIB manuals fail when compared to the Ak31 v2. Both ECS and Biostar need to work on their manuals since they seem lackluster and don’t explain everything.

In the end it is hard to distinguish between the ECS K7S5A and the AK31 v2. They both have their pros and cons. In the end it comes to, “what do you want from the board?” If you want performance without any overclocking features, the ECS K7S5A. At a measly $62 it won’t put much of a dent in your pocket either. If overclocking is your thing, the Shuttle AK31 v2 is the right board for you. Costing only $87, give or take, the Shuttle AK31 v2 offers all the overclocking features and overclockability of costlier boards at a fraction of the cost. The performance of the AK31 v2 is no joke either, and is very competitive compared to the K7S5A. With a little overclocking the performance difference should be negligible.

Personally, I prefer the Shuttle AK31 v2 due to its stability and features. It is a solid board that is cheap, but without cutting any corners. Overall, it offers a blend of performance, features, stability, and expandability mostly found on costlier boards. The AK31 v2 shows that Shuttle has been doing their homework and trying very hard to compete against big names such as Asus and Abit. They’re progressing very well, and the AK31 v2 is a fine example of a KT266 board done right. For that, the Shuttle AK31 v2 deserves an Editors Choice award for best overall budget AMD motherboard.

Shuttle AK31

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