Abit VH-6; A Great big Bang for your Performance buck!
Written: Aug 22 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Serious perfornace at a great price...
Cons: None at this time...
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| vemartin's Full Review: Abit VA6 |
Disclaimer 1: I know this is the Abit VA-6 section but since there is no section for this Motherboard I thought it appropriate to place it here. The only difference between the VA-6 and VH-6 are the expansion slots and USB ports; i.e. the VA-6 comes equipped with two ISA, and the VH-6 with one ISA expansion slot and the VA-6 is equipped with headers for two extra USB ports for a total of four. Other than that the boards are virtually identical.
Disclaimer 2: this review is intended for computer layman who have a very good understanding of the terms used throughout this review, and a broad understanding of Motherboard technology.
Chug, chug, chug, puff, puff, puff, crash! Chug, chug, chug, puff, puff, puff, crash! Like the little engine that could, my dear spouse’ computer went sputtering on. A Pentium133Mhz CPU running Windows 95 with 32Mb of Ram, my beloved’ computer needed to be put of it’s misery and ours if the truth be told. The Windows 95 operating system was dying a slow agonizing death and took to crashing several times a day on average. AOL took forever to load, and surfing the web was torture despite our DSL connection because her throughput via our home network was abysmal!
So we decided it was time for a new computer, and shot the works; new case, new Processor (Intel Celeron 533Mhz, which I reviewed yesterday), new motherboard (Abit VH-6, which is the subject of this review), more Ram, and a new video graphics card (ATI Rage, which I will review later this week).
We ordered the parts from my favorite on-line computer e-teller, Mwave.com (www.mwavecom), and received them three days later on Thursday of last week. Two hours later I had the new PC up and running, having transferred some necessary parts (HHD, network card, and modem) from the old computer into the new mid-tower case.
The Abit VH-6 (cost $90.00) is an ATX based motherboard, which can be used with the Intel Socket 370, P.P.G.A. Celeron & Pentium II/III CPU’s. This AGP motherboard supports up to 133MHz FSB & Ultra DMA 66 With CPU SoftMenu II Technology. The VH-6 was amazingly simple to install and configure.
The Celeron CPU installation could not have been easier, and snapped into place and locked onto the board in less than 5 seconds. The heat sink/cooling fan assembly fit perfectly into place, and the Ram fit perfectly into their respective expansion slots. Getting the board into the case was simple, but not without a little drama. It took a little extra pushing and prodding on my part to get the motherboard positioned correctly, and even then some of the screws did not line up properly. However, I managed to secure the motherboard to the case tightly enough.
Once all was in place, I fired up the new computer and quickly configured the CPU, which is made all the more easier with Abit’s innovative SoftMenu II Processor configuration utility. This handy software package, which a part of the BIOS, allows me to configure and over-clock the processor without manually setting dipswitches! What a blessing! All of the other regular bells and whistles are present in the BIOS, which allow you to tweak almost every imaginable parameter on the motherboard.
Add-on software and additional drivers for the VIA Chipset are provided by a CD, and include software that allows me to monitor the vital system stats such as CPU & system temperature, CPU & system fan speeds and CPU & system voltages. In addition, the software allows me to set an alarm level to warn me when the CPU a get too hot.
The manual that comes with the Abit VH-6.is quite extensive and special attention should be paid to the details contained therein. If you are new to Abit motherboards, I suggest a through once-over before you install the board. It contains valuable information on dip-switch location, led connector placement, in-depth BIOS setting, and step-by-step instructions for installing Windows 95/98, and Windows NT 4.0 drivers for the VIA chipset. This is the best motherboard manual I ever seen!
The new system is up and running and nary a problem to report. If you are looking for an excellent, low cost, reliable motherboard, you need look no further than the Abit VH-6.
Please check out my other review in this series:
*Celeron 533Mhz Processor: http://www.epinions.com/cmd-review-4C10-2E335D1B-39A13679-prod5
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 90.00
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vemartin
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Member: Vincent
Location: Aurora, IL
Reviews written: 1355
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...A Great Empire cannot be Conquered from Without until it first Destroys itself From Within...
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