Albatron KX18D PROII: nForce2 Ultra with Memory Ratios

Albatron KX18D PROII: BIOS and Overclocking

Albatron uses the familiar Phoenix Award BIOS on the KX18D PROII. Our board was tested with the release v1.0 BIOS. In the short time Albatron has been making motherboards, they have developed quite a reputation for catering to the “wish-list” of computer enthusiasts. The tweaking options available on the KX18D PROII will only enhance that reputation.

Most of the tweaking options are in the Advanced Menu, which has submenus for Advanced BIOS Features, Advanced Chipset Features, PnP/PCI Configurations, and Frequency/Voltage controls.

System and Memory Timings are adjusted in the Advanced Chipset Features menu. CPU FSB is set here with a range of 100-300. The overclocking and tweaking options available are the best we have seen on any nForce2 Ultra 400 board — including the excellent options on the Epox board.

The Albatron options for memory ratio selection are unique on an nForce2 Ultra 400 board. With the available options, you can set DDR400 memory, for example, to any speed from DDR200 (1.0) to DDR800 (4.0), while the CPU remains at stock speed.

The Frequency/Voltage Control section is where CPU multipliers and voltages are set. Again, the available ranges are impressive.

vCore or CPU voltage can be set to an incredible 2.65V, which would surely destroy a CPU cooled with conventional air. However, water-cooling and phase-change advocates will welcome this range. This incredible range makes it even more disappointing that Albatron left out the 4 mounting holes around the CPU.

You will also find a vDimm range here of 2.5V to 3.0V, which is a wider range than we see on most boards. It is also a useful range since several recent dimms can be used at 3.0V without violating their warranty.

PC Health functions are included in the HW Monitor section. Monitoring functions include System, CPU, fan speed monitoring for 2 on-board fan connections, Vcore, and Power Supply readings for all rails. Albatron also provides a simple over-temperature CPU Protection feature that can be enabled/disabled with onboard jumper J4.

BIOS options for the KX18D PROII overall provide the end-user with the widest range of tweaking options that we have seen on an nForce2 Ultra 400 board. We can only suggest that some of the options provide settings that can destroy your CPU if misused, so be cautious. Overclockers will be in rapture. While Albatron has distinguished the KX18D with tweaking options, we really need to see the 4 mounting holes and an even more robust power regulation system to proclaim this as the Overclocker’s dream board. It’s close.