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  • The size of the P6BXT is average, it will fit in a mini-ATX case without much difficulty, but it's larger than the newer 440BX mainboards that we've seen lately.

    Aiding in the installation process is the P6BXT's excellent ergonomic layout, as the ATX connector in the appropriate spot as well as the floppy/HD connector ports are clearly labeled and accessible.

    We particularly liked ECS' board connectors for the ATX case, including the power and reset switch prongs, which are very legible and easy to find without the need to consult the manual every time the board is disconnected.

    Wrapping up this section brings us to the P6BXT's manual, which is average compared to the best and worst manuals that are currently on the market. ECS uses a full-sized manual, which we prefer to the smaller "Quick Installation Guides" that some mainboard vendors include.

    Chevrolet trucks are marketed in the U.S. with an advertising slogan that compares them to the solidness of a rock. After testing over 30 440BX mainboards we feel Intel would be justifiably able to use that same cliché for use with their 440BX chipset.

    No matter what 440BX mainboard you pick up, you can rest assured that it will be within two to three percent of any other 440BX mainboard on the market, they're that consistent. The P6BXT lived up to this expectation, and performed in system-level benchmarks as a 440BX board should.

    Overclocking the P6BXT was fine thanks to its BIOS controllable CPU settings, but we missed the flexibility that more front side bus speeds would offer for users seeking to push the speed of their CPU to higher levels.

    Celeron overclockers particularly would be much better off with boards like the MSI-6163Pro, or the Soyo SY-6BA+ III, both of which offer settings in-between the long jump from 83 to 100MHz.

    Strangely the P6BXT does offer manual voltage control for the CPU, which can assist overclockers in achieving that next step higher as long as the front side bus speed they've selected is able to be handled by their CPU/SDRAM.

    The P6BXT performed well under duress, it's a very stable board whether overclocked or not.





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