Still the choice for overclockers
Written: Mar 23 '01 (Updated Mar 23 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast, stable, very overclockable
Cons: No 1/2 AGP multiplier limits top speed you will achieve
The Bottom Line: Even though it is based on an aging chipset, this motherboard is a class act and can still suit overclockers today.
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| stevelarrison's Full Review: Abit BF6 |
ABIT has always had a reputation for being an overclocker friendly company. This is the company that introduced software controlled bus speeds and CPU voltages. (As opposed to dip switches or jumpers). Innovations such as the dual Celeron processor motherboard (not technically possible if you believe Intels spec on the Celeron), and clock speeds that are selectable in individual MHz increments make ABIT's reputation well earned.
It should come as no surprise then that the ABIT BF6 is an overclocker friendly motherboard, but it may surprise some that this inexpensive motherboard, based on a 3 year old motherboard chipset (Intel BX Chipset) is still the preferred choice in many overclocking situations.
Tell me more about it
Well, the first thing you should know is that this motherboard is based on the Intel BX chipset. According to Intel spec, this motherboard is capable of support 2 Front Side Bus speeds, 66MHz and 100MHz. But as can be expected from any ABIT product, there are a few more choices for owners of this motherboard. By a few, I mean this motherboard supports 66MHz, 75MHz, and 83-200MHz in 1MHz increments. A mind blowing total of 120 Front Side Bus speeds are supported by this motherboard. (Note, because it is a BX motherboard, the 2/3 AGP multiplier limits top speed you will hit if you are using an AGP video card. Since the only modern alternative to any decent AGP card is the PCI based Voodoo 5 5500, most people will probably not be able to use this motherboard above about 144MHz Front Side Bus speed because of AGP limitations.)
In addition to a wealth of Front Side Bus speeds, this motherboard also supports CPU voltage control from 1.3v to 2.1v in .5v increments. This can help stabilize CPUs at highly overclocked speeds.
The CPU interface is the older Slot 1 format. If you are buying a processor and deside to get this motherboard, I recommend getting a FC-PGA chip and a slotket so you can move to another motherboard later on.
Expansion capabilities are decent. This motherboard comes with 5 PCI slots, 1 ISA slot, and 1 shared PCI/ISA slot. This motherboard supports 3 sticks of RAM up to 256MB in each slot. (768MB max). Unlike its predecessor the ABIT BE6 II Rev 2, the BF6 does not include an integrated Hi Point ATA 66 IDE controller. Therefore, the maximum number of IDE devices supported without an add-in card is 4 devices as opposed to the 8 that the BE6 II Rev 2 will support.
While this may seem like a bad thing, for the overclockers among you, it is actually good. The spec of the BF6 is identical to the BE6 II Rev 2 except for the missing ATA-66 controller. However, all evidence shows that a given processor will be stable at a higher overclocked speed on an ABIT BF6 then a BE6 II Rev 2 motherboard. Not only can you save a few dollars, but you can get better preformance. If you really need the extra IDE connections, I would recomment getting an IDE RAID controller instead of just an ATA-66 controller, your disk preformance will be remarkably better.
Enough of the techno mumbo jumbo, is this the right motherboard for me?
It all depends on your situation. If you are building a platform from scratch, I would recommend you look at something like an ABIT KT7A or Asus AV7133 and an AMD Duron or Thunderbird. The price/performance is simply better.
However, if you are set on an Intel product, or already have a processor, but need a new motherboard, it all depends on the processor you have.
Celeron and Celeron II owners will be hard pressed to find a better choice. The age of the motherboard makes the prices attractive. The number of bus speeds supported mean you will be able to get the maximum performance possible out of your processor.
Likewise, Pentium II and Katmai Pentium III owners have an easy choice. This motherboard will get the most out of your processor.
Coppermine Pentium III owners have a more difficult process, but it is simplified by just knowing your processor speed. If at all possible, you want to run your Pentium III in a BX chipset board. Even though it is an older design, the CPU to memory transfer rate of the BX chipset still beats anything else for the Pentium III processor. If your Coppermine is a 133MHz FSB model, or 650MHz or slower, this probably isn't the best choice. An i815 based chipset motherboard such as the Asus CUSL is a much better choice because of the AGP multiplier issue. However, owners of 100MHz Front Side Bus Coppermines at 700MHz and faster will be able to get the most out of their machines without running into AGP problems.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 95
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stevelarrison
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Member: Steve Larrison
Location: Scottsdale, Az. USA
Reviews written: 171
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Beer, the answer to, and the cause of all life's problems.
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