The Abit BX6 mainboard was introduced last year in conjunction with the April 15th launch of Intel's 100MHz FSB core logic set (440BX) and their P2-350 and P2-400 CPUs. Abit had been working on a new mainboard that would appeal to the widest audience possible that utilized the then-new 440BX chipset.
Towards the goal of pleasing the widest group of users possible Abit guessed that their Soft Menu II BIOS adjustable CPU routine would be highly desired by gamers seeking to push the new 100MHz FSB CPUs to higher speeds than the stock levels. Abit also made the new "BX6" one of the few boards to offer four DIMM slots of SDRAM capability, maxing out at 768MB of supported ram.
These features, along with the ability to adjust the amount of voltage that the CPU received made the BX6 the hottest board on the market, and made then-rival ASUS' new P2B mainboard practically obsolete to high performance overclocking oriented buyers. For most of April and May of 1998, the Abit BX6 out sold the ASUS P2B by a factor of 3:1, clearly gamers and performance enthusiasts were making their importance felt at that time.
Recognizing the sales impact that the gaming/overclocking audience had on the BX6's sales, Abit went even further during the summer of '97 and created the hot rod overclocking monster BH6 mainboard.
This board was built for speed, and even featured a new Soft Menu II BIOS setting which deactivated the multiplier clock locks on the P2-350 and 400 CPUs. Unlike the bulky BX6 before it, the BH6 was slimmed down dramatically in size while adding another PCI slot to the BX6's total of just four to now allow up to five PCI peripherals to be utilized.
Unfortunately the BH6 was somewhat one dimensional in its pursuit of raw speed, as its limit of just 384MB of main system ram was on the low side compared to its competition. It also came equipped with just three DIMM slots for the placement of SDRAM, which further limited it's appeal to the high-end of the market.
