When future PC historians look back to the second half of 1999 and evaluate the progress of mainboards equipped with Intel's 440BX core logic AGPset, we can't help but think they'll determine that this was the "golden age" of the 440BX's life span.

Literally.

This is partly because of the newest mainboard to arrive at Sharky Extreme's office last week, the AOpen AX6BC Pro Gold.

The AX6BC Pro Gold earns its "Gold" moniker by incorporating a Mr T "I-Pity-The-Fool" style 24K gold-plated aluminum heatsink to the 440BX chipset itself. AOpen claims they chose to dip the standard heatsink in gold in order to help disperse excess heat buildup (which they claim is accomplished more effectively than with a similar non-gold plated heatsink solution).

We'll get into the discussion of whether or not the gold heatsink really helps to reduce temperatures later in this article. For now let's get started on a review of a very well made 440BX board, the AX6BC Pro Gold.

Over the past two weeks Sharky Extreme has reviewed three mainboards that stand head and shoulders above the rest of the crowded field of 440BX-based products.

The Abit BE6, the Soyo SY6BA+ III, and today's AOpen AX6BC Pro Gold,Gold are all amazing testaments to the maturity level of both the Intel 440BX mainboard chipset and the mainboard manufacturers themselves.