ABIT Computer has started retail sales of its highly-anticipated ABIT KV8-MAX3 mainboard, based on information from Japanese- and US-based market tracking agencies.

The mainboard aimed at advanced end-users demanding AMD’s 64-bit desktop processor is not as expensive, as the IC7-MAX3 for Intel chips and costs only slightly above $200. At this relatively high price-point the platform based on VIA K8T800 core-logic boasts with loads of advanced functionality that in general costs the cost.

ABIT KV8-MAX3 offers loads of additional capabilities not available on other Socket 754 mainboards. The list includes 6 Serial ATA-150 ports with Silicon Image 4-port Serial ATA-150 RAID controller as well as 2-port native Serial ATA-150 controller. In addition, ABIT packs latest ABIT Engineered features: Secure IDE, uGuru system monitoring chip and a lot of exciting overclocking and tuning functions. For more information on the specifications of ABIT KV8-MAX3, see our news-story published earlier this month. 

Pricing of ABIT KV8-MAX3 is quite reasonable – about $205 in the USA and roughly $220 in Japan. It is not really a low cost, but keeping in mind that the initial value of Socket 478 IC7-MAX3 was $279 in the US, such change in ABIT’s policy is probably a positive one.