September '98 BX Motherboard Comparison

In spite of the chipset's support for EDO DRAM, don't expect to see many (if any at all) BX boards with SIMM slots, DIMMs are the current fad and expect them to stay that way for at least a little while longer.   You'll find boards with either 3 or 4 DIMM slots on them, and unless you plan on using more than 3 DIMMs there is no real advantage to going with a board that has 4 DIMM slots versus one that has 3 slots.  There is no performance increase or decrease related to using many smaller DIMMs in comparison to one larger DIMM (i.e. 2 - 32MB vs 1 - 64MB).  It is best to purchase one larger DIMM so you don't have to worry about running out of space for memory expansion just in case you feel the need to purchase more memory when the price drops. 

Memory is a tricky issue on BX boards, AnandTech recommends the use of high quality PC100 SDRAM with any BX motherboard.  The only modules AnandTech recommends and uses in every test are those from Corsair Microsystems, Megatrends Technologies, Mushkin Memory, The Memory Man, and The Ram Warehouse.  All of their PC100 Modules worked fine on the boards AnandTech reviewed at the 100 and 112MHz Front Side Bus Frequencies (the frequency at which the System Memory operates at).  The Ram Warehouse and Megatrends Technologies both manufacture higher quality PC100 SDRAM that is capable of running at the 133MHz FSB Frequency, while the other modules will not work at this speed. 

Motherboards with 4 DIMM slots may feature a 6-chip External DRAM Buffer designed to improve stability and prevent overloading of the Bus when all 4 DIMM slots are occupied.  While making use of all 4 DIMM slots on a motherboard increases your chances of having an unstable system, don't expect the addition of a DRAM Buffer between the Chipset and the DRAM to "crash-proof" your system.   It will help, and it does provide added security, however that is all.  The only two motherboards reviewed with this 6-chip DRAM Buffer were the ABIT BX6 and the Soyo SY-6BA.  There is no difference between a board using the DRAM Buffer and one that doesn't feature it if you are only using 1, 2 or even 3 DIMM slots.  It cannot be stressed enough that this feature shouldn't be the deciding factor in whether or not you're going to buy a specific motherboard, there are many other factors you must consider before this even comes into play.

Unlike the older Socket-7 motherboards you may be familiar with, Slot-1 Pentium II boards don't have a Cacheable Memory Limit set directly as a function of the motherboard.  Instead, it is the processor's duty (courtesy of the on-card L2 cache of the Pentium II) to cache all DRAM.  Older Pentium II's with 512KB of L2 cache can cache up to 512MB of RAM, while the newer Pentium II chips (350/400) can cache up to 4GB of system memory...try maxing that limit out with 4 DIMM slots. 

The cacheable memory area on the original Celeron processors is, naturally, 0MB.  Yes, you read right, that is zero megabytes, this is because the original Celeron's don't have any L2 cache, and if you don't have any L2 cache it is impossible to use the L2 cache to cache a certain range of system memory to speed up access to it.  The newer Celeron processors, with 128KB of integrated L2 cache, allow for a cacheable memory area of 4GB of system memory like the newer Pentium II processors, so once again, you won't experience any problems caching the RAM you decide to stick into your new BX motherboard.

BIOS Setup and other Features

The majority of BX boards out today feature Award's popular PnP BIOS Setup, however there are a few that are sporting the more advanced AMI WinBIOS.  You may want to pay attention to which boards support the features you're looking for as far as system configuration goes.  Many BX boards feature Jumperless CPU Configuration Utilities that can be found in the BIOS Setup, some boards will allow you to make all CPU selection related settings in the BIOS while others will only allow you to select the FSB Frequency from the BIOS Setup, and then there are others that use the 'old fashioned' jumper setup.  If Jumpers are too intimidating for you, or if you are aiming for some serious overclocking you may want to eliminate some potential candidates now by searching for only those boards that offer a Jumperless CPU Setup. 

As far as other unique features go, some boards offer the Trend ChipAway Boot Virus Protection on the Firmware itself.  This offers a greater amount of security for users who are highly susceptible to Boot Sector Viruses, the ChipAway Protection allows you to boot into Windows safely and securely not allowing the Virus to do its damage before you have a chance to eradicate it. 

It used to be considered a major benefit to have an on-board SB-Link to allow for true backwards compatibility between Creative Labs PCI Sound Blaster sound cards, however as time went on it became quite evident that this SB-Link was pretty much going to waste.  Even Creative Labs seems to agree with this as their newest PCI sound card, the SB Live! does not use the SB-Link connector to achieve its incredible DOS legacy compatibility.  The SB-Link also fails to work with cards other than Creative Labs sound cards, therefore making the feature virtually useless and not really a benefit unless you happen to have an AWE64D.  

A well written User's Manual is also the key to making a motherboard truly complete.  Without proper documentation and visible support from the manufacturer you will be left in the dark with just a candle to light your way.  If this will be your first real experience with a custom built or custom upgraded system then you definitely want a motherboard that comes accompanied with nothing but an outstanding manual.  A Quick Installation Guide also helps, but shouldn't be the only written documentation that comes with a motherboard.