Abit BE6-2 Review by Tim "Flyboy" Henderson
	The new interface looks similar to SoftMenu II. A help menu on the right side of the screen offers explanations for each setting, in some cases offering a recommendation for the appropriate value. When adjusting settings like the bus speed, SoftMenu III automatically adjusts the settings for the PCI and AGP clock ratios to optimum. The BE6-II supports PCI clock ratios of 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4, with the 1/2 setting only available at speeds at or below 83MHz. The AGP clock may be set to 2/3. Overclocking on the BE6-II If you run your PC at the higher FSB settings like 133 - 150MHz bus the BX chipset would get hot. With this in mind, ABIT didn't hesitate to include a large heatsink on the BX chipset, about twice the height that what you will find on other BX mainboards. ABIT has also included a thermistor together with the BE6-II, making temperature monitoring a snap. When it comes to overclocking options, the BE6-II is fantastic. With bus speeds of 66, 75, and 83-200MHz in 1MHz increments the BE6-II offers 120 different settings for the bus speed. The only improvement possible here is to allow the same 1 MHz increments between 75 and 83MHz. The reality is that some CPUs can be reliably clocked to 81MHz, but not to 83MHz. For example, I tried the Celeron 500 on the 75MHz bus, and it was perfectly stable. But once the bus was raised to 83MHz the system would not boot WIN98. However, testing on another system at 81MHz enabled complete stability under WIN98. The difference in speed is a whopping 45MHz. Click to continue		Schematic for Connectors For reference I borrowed a Pentium III 600 from a friend, and ran it at at 110MHz bus. Next I clocked the bus to 112MHz, running the PIII perfectly at 672MHz. The CPU also ran fine at 114MHz, but required voltage adjustment to 2.2. At 115MHz the system would no longer boot WIN98. SUMMARY In my opinion, this is the motherboard for gamers. If you're in the market for a mainboard that will take you well into the millennium, the BE-6 II is for you. With the BE6-II, Abit actually offers bus speeds up an incredible 200MHz. This means you can pop in a Coppermine, using one of the recent adapters, and clock your PIII as high as it will go! A hearty recommendation for all gamers. If Abit allows adjustment of bus speeds between 75 and 83 MHz, this motherboard will want for nothing. For overall excellence, we award the BE-6 our "top pick!" Join a discussion forum on this article by clicking HERE.
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