ABIT - breaking the rules
Written: May 02 '00 (Updated May 03 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easiest way to SMP Celeron
Cons: Not compatible with Celeron II
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| stevelarrison's Full Review: Abit BP6 Motherboard |
As an overclocker, ABIT has long been one of my favorite motherboard manufacturers. From the socket 7 days, when ABIT first started allowing bus speeds ( and back then, clock multipliers ) to be adjusted through bios settings instead of through jumpers, to the ultra-overclockable ABIT BE6 Rev 2, with bus speeds in individual 1 MHz increments, ABIT has always encouraged people to push their hardware to the limits. The ABIT BP6 is certainly no exception. Even though this board is almost 1 year old, it still has value as a new purchase. Note: Preliminary reports show that the ABIT BP6 is NOT compatible with Dual Celeron II's. For about $150, plus $100 or so for processors, it makes SMP computing affordable.
Dual Celeron's, what is the big deal?
The feature of the ABIT BP6 that immediately strikes you is that it is a dual processor socket 370 Celeron motherboard. The Intel spec for the Celeron specifies that the chip is for single processor systems only. Since the original Celeron was based on the same processor core as the .25 micron (Deuschetes) Pentium II, the chip DOES have multi-processor capability.
If you are familiar with Celeron architecture, you will know that Celerons come in both Slot 1 and Socket 370 form factors. (If you aren't familiar with Celerons, read some of my reviews). The processor core is identical for all Celerons, however the packaging is different. The Printed Circuit Board (PCB) of the Slot 1 Celeron has a connection that is broken that is necessary for SMP capability. The hack for "fixing" a Slot 1 Celeron involves drilling into the PCB and soldering some connections that are broken. Fortunately, Socket 370's are easier to run in SMP. To disable SMP in Socket 370 Celerons, Intel inactived a pin. If you get certain "Slotkets", it is possible to emulate the inactive pin, and run dual processor Socket 370 Celeron's in a dual processor Slot 1 motherboard. ABIT makes this process easier by eliminating the need for the "Slotket" converter cards. You simply plug dual Socket 370 Celeron I's into the available sockets, and you are up and running. ( My personal recommendation is to get 366's or a 400's and run at 550 or 600 MHz )
What features does the motherboard have
Well, in all honesty, if you are even considering this motherboard, the only feature that really matters is the dual Socket 370 format. There aren't any motherboards that I am aware of from other vendors that offer dual Socket 370's. But, it helps to know what it has available.
Dual Socket 370 Processor Capability
Intel 440 BX Chipset
3 DIMM Slots (768MB Max)
2 Ultra ATA 66 controllers
2 Ultra ATA 33 controllers
1 AGP Slot
5 PCI Slots
2 ISA Slots
standard ports
Again, the most striking feature is the dual Socket 370's, but this is a nice board. The Ultra ATA 66 controllers extend the usability of this system, although I would recommend that purchasers of this board consider IDE RAID instead (review coming soon). Also, 5 PCI slots are nice. The 2 ISA seem like a waste to me personally, but may allow some of you to put off purchasing new modems or sound cards.
Anyone familiar with ABIT motherboards know that a hardware list alone is not enough. The most important question everyone asks when considering an ABIT is What Front Side Bus Speeds does it support. Face it, you but an ABIT to overclock. If you weren't concerned with overclocking, instead of recommending ABIT, Soyo, Asus or Aopen motherboards, I would recommend genuine Intel motherboards, or possible Tyan motherboards. You buy an ABIT to push your machine to the limits. The BP6 certainly doesn't disappoint.
The BP6 supports the following FSB speeds: 66, 72, 75, 78, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 103, 104, 106, 108, 110, 124, 133. Although not as impressive as the BE6 Rev 2 and the BF6, this is an incredible number of bus speeds. Also of note is the wise choice of increments used. Overclockers will want to take processors that were supposed to run on a 66 MHz FSB and run it on a 100MHz FSB or higher. For the generation of processors this motherboard supports, the Celeron 366 and Celeron 400 have a good shot of making the jump from 66MHz to 100MHz. This will result in a 550 or a 600MHz processor. The jump from a 100MHz FSB to a 103MHz FSB will take a Celeron 366 from 550 MHz to 567MHz. It would be nice to have a 102 MHz speed, and possible a 105MHz FSB. It would allow people to squeeze a little extra performance out of their systems. For people who chose the "faster" Celerons ( 433MHz on up ), you are unlikely to be able to hit 100 MHz FSB on any motherboard. The BP6 is a good choice for these processors. The wide number of bus speeds around 75 through 85 MHz allows you to get the most out of your system.
Overall, this is a very innovative motherboard. It's only downfalls lie in two areas, neither of which was in ABIT's control - the lack of 1/2 AGP multiplier inherent in the Intel BX chipset, and lack of compatibility with the Celeron II's. (Note, if this changes, I will edit this review). Since the BP6 was introduced almost a year before the Celeron II, this is certainly not ABITs fault. As a matter of fact, the reason it is not compatible with the Celeron II is releated to Intel's desired to stop people from getting cheap SMP systems. While it remains to be seen what ABIT will do to get around Intels' architectual changes in the Celeron II, it is certainly clear that this motherboard is an ideal choice for someone looking at an inexpensive SMP solution for an NT or Linux box.
Recommended:
Yes
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stevelarrison
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Member: Steve Larrison
Location: Scottsdale, Az. USA
Reviews written: 171
Trusted by: 198 members
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Beer, the answer to, and the cause of all life's problems.
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