Abit BP6 Specs

Features

Intel 440 BX AGPset chipset

ACPI compliant

AGP 1x/2x devices

3 DIMM slots, up to 768MB

SoftMenu II

Ultra ATA-66 controller, up to 4 Ultra ATA-66 devices

Ultra ATA-33 support, up to 4 Ultra ATA-33 devices

One AGP slot, 5 PCI, and 2 ISA

Keyboard and mouse power on

2 serial ports, 1 parallel port

2 USB ports

First impression

At first glance, you might miss the fact that the BP6 is in fact a dual processor motherboard. This is due to the relatively small size of the motherboard. The BP6 is actually only about 1 inch wider than the original BX6, and the same length. Of course, the dual processor motherboards that we're used to dealing with have been slot-1 or slot-2 motherboards, which are inherently larger due to the size of the CPU interface. At least you don't need a monster case to be able to handle the BP6.

The BP6 comes equipped with many of the features that we are used to seeing on Abit boards.It has 1 AGP slot, and the same 5/2 PCI and ISA (1 shared PCI/ISA) combination that we are used to. This is very useful for the PCI-hungry system setups that we are seeing these days. Additionally, the BP6 has 3 DIMM slots which can support up to 784MB of RAM. The BP6 can accept up to 256MB DIMMs, which was a problem for some of Abit's earlier motherboards, but not their later ones.

Monitoring your temperature

If you're worried about the temperature of your system, the BP6 has no less than 3 temperature monitoring thermistors. Many motherboards are including these onboard due to the heat concerns that are more widespread than before. There is one located in each of the 2 sockets, which would be right under the center of the Celeron. These, of course, monitor abnormal temperature fluctuations that may occur for a CPU, perhaps caused by a faulty CPU fan or something. The third thermistor is on the motherboard itself, located strategically near the AGP slot. This may be useful in keeping an eye out on the heat of not only the system, but the ambient temperature in the direct vicinity of the video card. Even though the new video chipsets are running pretty cool, you can never be too sure.

Heat-sensing thermistor