Not the Newest, But a Great Board
Written: Jul 14 '00 (Updated Jun 02 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: 5 PCI slots, 1 AGP, Easy to configure, BX chipset
Cons: Not the "Newest Kid on the Block"
The Bottom Line: Good BX motherboard, "CPU Soft Menu" will support up to a 1 Gigahertz processor but may require some experimentation with bus speeds.
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| RBradford's Full Review: Abit BH6 |
Thank you, Abit for the CPU Soft Menu and making jumpers obsolete. This is probably my favorite feature of the BH6 motherboard from Abit. All of the motherboard settings are configured through the setup program, including CPU clock settings. There is even a section of the setup menu that is "reserved for future use", making this motherboard software upgradeable to support most of the latest processors. I currently run a 400mhz Pentium II, but when I'm ready to move up to a higher speed unit, all I have to do is swap out the CPU and pick the new settings in the setup program. This allows me to get the most possible life out of my motherboard.
The Abit BH6 comes with 5 PCI slots, 2 ISA, and 1 AGP; plenty of space for all of the peripherals. The bios is flash upgradeable, and Abit's web site contains all of the latest software to keep the motherboard up to date. The board also has two built-in USB ports, which work flawlessly with my USB mouse (Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical, also reviewed here on Epinions.com) and my latest purchase - a Hewlett Packard 932C Inkjet printer.
After building several complete systems, I have become a fan of Abit. They seem to make sturdy, reliable motherboards, and their web site provides great information and software updates. The board is an important element, but I have come to believe that support after the purchase is equally important, and Abit scores big in both categories.
Abit also has a few newer boards, and in my opinion, you just can't go wrong with any of them. I chose the BH6 due to its number of PCI slots, making this one a breeze to add additional components. Additionally, with the CPU Soft Menu, overclocking is easy (if you are into that kind of thing). I set up my 400mhz Pentium II with the "Turbo" option turned on. This actually changes the clock from 100mhz to 103mhz, so my CPU actually runs at 412mhz. Not major overclocking, but just enough additional speed that it shows in some of my more intense games without burning up my processor.
Overall, this is a great, solid motherboard. I plan on sticking to Abit for my motherboards for quite a while.
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Update, June 2, 2001:
Today I finally upgraded my processor to a socket 370, 1 Gigahertz Pentium III (FC-PGA). How could you do that, you ask, since this board is designed for a slot 1 processor?
Easy, Abit makes an adapter called a "SlotKET" that allows a socket 370 chip to be used on a slot 1 motherboard. I purchased the adapter for about $10 dollars when I ordered my Pentium III chip. This way, should I decide to upgrade my motherboard in the near future, I have the appropriate type of chip to fit it (unless going to a Pentium 4 board, which is a whole other issue).
The SlotKET comes pre-configured with the jumpers set for automatic detection. With the Abit BH6 motherboard, this works fine, enabling one to specify the correct settings in the "CPU Soft Menu" for the processor speed. I set the bus speed to 124 MHz, with a multiplier of 8, making my processor run at 992 MHz. I tried setting the bus speed to 133 Mhz, but my system became unstable. The 124 Mhz setting seems stable so far. Although my system memory is rated at 133 Mhz, I think it's my video card and maybe a couple of other components that can't handle the higher bus speed.
Anyway, the SlotKET is a cheap alternative to buying the more expensively priced slot 1 chip rated at the same speed. I probably save about $50 dollars by using an adapter and buying the socket 370 chip, making this seem like the more cost-effective way to upgrade.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 94
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Epinions.com ID:
RBradford
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Location: Dallas, TX
Reviews written: 109
Trusted by: 32 members
About Me:
I'm a Computer Hardware, Software, and Gadget Junkie.
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