SH6 - The Only Available Slot 1 Upgrade Path
Written: May 07 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Only slot 1 upgrade path, 815 chipset, includes many useful cables, large PCB
Cons: price, only slot 1 upgrade path, large PCB
The Bottom Line: The only Slot 1 upgrade path. So it's your only choice, GET IT!
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| cptsulu's Full Review: Abit SE6 Motherboard |
The SH6 is a cousin to the SE6, making it, feature-wise, almost identical to the SE6. One major difference is instead of using a Socket 370 to connect the processor, it uses a Slot 1 instead. Most people will favor the Socket 370 flavor, but the Slot 1 interface makes it very appealing to people with older processors. Since Intel's move to favor Socket 370 and phase out Slot 1, Slot 1 processor owners have found it very difficult to upgrade. Motherboards featuring ICH2 and ATA-100 all feature a Socket 370 interface, leaving Slot 1 processor owners to either purchase new motherboards and processors that conformed to the Socket 370 standard or forced to be stuck with old technology.
Abit decided to answer Slot 1 owner's cry for help and introduce the SH6. Owners of Slot 1 processors would finally be able to take advantages of i815's ICH2 and ATA-100. And since Slot 1 processors aren't any different, except for the interface they use, from the Socket 370, the owners be able to get the exact same performance of a similarly configured Socket 370 setup. This makes it very appealing to Slot 1 owners.
Since the SH6 is a cousin to the SE6, the performance is pretty much identical. However, the SH6 is an upgraded design, making performance slightly better than the SE6. Instead of featuring Soft Menu II like the SE6, the SH6 offers Soft Menu III. Soft Menu III allows for better tweaking. Stability has also improved dramatically. The SE6 plagued with slight stability issues. Because it is an improvement over the SE6, the SH6 is rock solid.
I'm not going to go in depth about the SH6 since it is pretty much like the SE6 or SA6R. If you really want to know how it performs, look at editorials about those motherboards. But you really don't need to know much about performance. The i815 chipset has been out for a while. The maturity on this chipset is pretty good. All motherboards featuring the i815 chipset perform reasonably the same.
One thing, however, that could be concern, and at the same time be a blessing is how large the motherboard is. Compared to typical motherboards, like the Asus CUSL2 or Abit SA6R, the SH6 is pretty big. Installing it can be a problem if you have a small case. In my experience, the SH6's size is a lovely advantage. All the connectors are spaced really well. If you need to install a large heatsink fan unit, there is a lot of space for it. I'm using the largest HSF unit available for Slot 1, the Alpha P3125s, and it has more than enough clearance room. IDE cables can be arranged really neatly as well. It's actually a pleasure to work in the case since there is more room than usual.
But since it is the only i815 Slot 1 solution, Abit charges you an arm and a leg for it. Typical Socket 370 motherboards cost a lot less. If you're happy with what you have, you might wanna keep it. But if you're craving for extra speed and features, splurge a little. So if you have an old Slot 1 motherboard and you want to get some new features, go for the SH6. It'll give you a nice performance increase, extra features, and give you more room to work in the case with.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 149
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Epinions.com ID:
cptsulu
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Member: Ryan Samiley
Location: University of California, Irvine
Reviews written: 33
Trusted by: 15 members
About Me:
Third year Information and Computer Science major at UCI.
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