The Abit NF7 series of boards is not the end all be all best board for the socket A platform. There are many other boards that are very decent boards that can overclock just as well if not better than the NF7's. Personally, here is my list of best boards.
Budget
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Shuttle AN35N Ultra
Abit NF7
The Shuttle has got to be the best budget NF2 board on the market today. For what you pay ($61.99 @ Newegg), you get a board that overclocks just as well as some of the higer priced boards. I have built a few systems for friends around this board, and they have been very easy to work with. The NF7 is basically a stripped down version of the NF7-S, but performs just as well.
Higher End
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Abit NF7-S
DFI NFII Ultra Infinity
Up to this point, the Abit has been the standard for high performance NF2 boards. It has the ability to reach higher overclocks than most boards, has more robust overclocking option, and offers the best onboard sound currently available on the market. The DFI Infinity is starting to come on strong though. The options it gives you for overclocking even tops the NF7-S. At a price that is a bit lower than the NF7-S, this makes the Infinity a very good board to look for.
(I didnt include any Asus or Epox boards because I'm just not as confident in their performance/quality)