Readers who are going through this lengthy introduction are probably already seeing the conclusion we're gradually closing in on. Simply put, what would you get if you combined the best aspects of the Abit BX6 mainboard with the best aspects of the Abit BH6 mainboard?
You'd get the Abit BX6 2.0.
Ok, ok, we know it took awhile to convey what turned out to be so basic, but there are some folks who may have missed the drama of the Abit soap opera the last year and needed a quick education. We can now turn to the subject of this review, which is the newest Abit baby, the BX6 2.0.
The Abit BX6 2.0 really does seems as if Dr. Frankenstein threw a BX6 and a BH6 on two electrified tables and flipped the old transmogrifier switch, particularly when you analyze its size. At 12" x 8.5" it's smack dab in the middle of the monstrous BX6 and the diminutive BH6. How ironic eh? The reason for the size increase over the BH6 will become clear as we examine the BX6 2.0's features.
As far as the manual is concerned, the BX6 2.0 also offers a slight improvement over past efforts. Abit has always been one of the better vendors as far as English translations go, but the BX6 2.0 manual sets a new standard, one with few typos or mistakes to speak of.
Fitting the BX6 2.0 into a standard ATX case was easy, it offers a myriad of mounting holes and options when placing it onto the case's mounting plate. Likewise, the placement of the various peripheral connectors was well thought out with one possible exception: the ATX power cord connector. Abit is one of a few mainboard vendors that places the power cord connector in front of the CPU mounting bracket, meaning that the cord has to stretch over the CPU once it's in place. Although this doesn't affect the heat level of the CPUs that we tested with, it's still inconvenient for those with chubby fingers. (I'd insert a Binky reference here, but we're attempting to bury the hatchet. Feel free however to insert your own Binky reference if you so desire).
Abit includes three 3-pin fan headers on the BX6 2.0, in a triangular format. One header is near the ATX power connector (top), one is placed on the side of the SDRAM banks (right), and one is right where the ATX's various cables connect to on the BX6 2.0 (left). The end result is that a user with an exotic P2 or Celeron cooling solution can plug two separate fans into the two fan headers located at the top and right side of the board, while the third header will need an extension cable if it's to be used for anything besides a front mounted 8cm case fan. All three headers tested fine, and unlike some of the messages we've seen in the Abit newsgroups regarding the BH6, none of the headers on the BX6 2.0 have failed after a week of near continual usage.
