440BX Motherboard Review - Summer 1999

Introduction

It's been quite a while since we at Tom's Hardware Guide have reviewed any BX based motherboards. Since our last review 440BX Motherboard Review - FALL 1998 most manufacturers are shipping newer and improved versions of their BX motherboards. In this review we will discuss each of the boards unique features, performance and overclockability. Given the maturity of the BX chipset I decided to stay away from any major compatibility testing.

As we have shown in previous reviews, the selection of a motherboard is not as easy as just picking the fastest one. Since the performance delta of the motherboards tested is so slight the user must base their purchasing decision on features and functionality. All of these boards share common features such as AGP slot, IDE & floppy controllers, 2 serial, 1 parallel and 2 USB ports. But the manufacturers also try to include their own unique differentiating traits. Some of these might help the potential buyer make their decision, while to others these unique board characteristics might not be of importance. I will list the standard options such as number of memory, PCI and ISA slots. In addition, I will cover the special functions each board has to offer with a brief description.