Aside for the slightly more inconvenient location of the ATX power connector previously mentioned, the board layout is very well done. All connectors and jumpers are positioned cleanly where they will not interfere with expansion cards. As with the KK266, there is plenty of clearance around the CPU socket, so installing larger heatsinks should pose no difficulty.
Fig 2. Iwill's 3-phase power system.
Like the KK266, the KK266Plus comes equipped with Iwill's 3-phase power delivery system, which Iwill claims can sustain delivery of up to 46 Amperes of current to the processor. Most motherboards use 2-phase systems, and may not be capable of supplying adequate current to newer, more demanding Athlons. Iwill claims the KK266Plus can happily support Athlons at up to 1.6 GHz, and likely beyond. Of course, remember that the board is only half the battle. Don't expect 1.6 GHz with your old 250W power supply. A 300W AMD-approved supply should be the bare minimum, with 350W or more necessary for serious overclocking.
Fig 3. A silk-screening where the AMI RAID controller is located on the KK266Plus-R version.
The board will also be available in two versions, the KK266Plus, and the KK266Plus-R. The only difference between the two will be the latter's inclusion of on-board IDE RAID. The RAID controller employed will be the same part seen on the KK266-R, namely AMI's MG80649 controller, which supports up to four ATA-100 drives, and RAID levels 0, 1, and 0+1. Expect the RAID-equipped board to sell for about $15-25 more than the standard issue.
