Chaintech 6AIA VIA Apollo Pro Plus microATX Socket-370

The Test

In recent times, choosing a motherboard cannot be completely determined by a Winstone score. Now, many boards come within one Winstone point of each other and therefore the need to benchmark boards against each other falls. Therefore you shouldn't base your decision entirely on the benchmarks you see here, but also on the technical features and advantages of this particular board, seeing as that will probably make the greatest difference in your overall experience.

AnandTech Motherboard Testing Methodology

The Final Decision

The 6AIA follows in traditional Chaintech tradition and is still just as overclockable and stable as past Chaintech boards. The attention to detail has not been left out either for this low cost market segment and just about every feature is accounted for and carefully planned. For just $75 with onboard sound, the 6AIA is certainly a good deal on a fairly well executed board. Unfortunately, it is hampered by performance that's low compared to other Apollo Pro Plus board, which are already lower than their Intel counterparts. For just a few dollars more, an Intel board without VIA's performance/compatibility issues can be had. Chaintech's own i440ZX based 6ZIA is such a board in that category and is identical to the 6AIA except for the chipset.

How it Rates