The ECS KN1 Extreme is an excellent board in many respects. Feature-wise, the only major feature the board is missing is SLI support. From my perspective, the ECS KN1 Extreme delivers a fast, overclockable board that I can easily recommend. Performance is mostly stellar, with the strange exception of PCMark04. I can't account for the performance difference between that benchmark and the other boards I've tested. Negatives of the board include the positioning of the floppy disk drive connector and the bundle not having the maximum 80-pin IDE cables, minor issues on an otherwise excellent board. The Top Hat BIOS chip is an excellent idea that should be implemented by others. The Top Hat BIOS chip saved my bacon on the board and I believe more manufacturers should follow ECS's example as it can prevent a BIOS crash from requiring a board replacement. This board came very close to an Editor's Choice award and only missed the criteria by a few points so its no slouch. The boards price hovers at around $100.00 give or take a buck or so, making it an affordable as well as functional product.
