Conclusion

ABIT has always been at the forefront of motherboard innovation and with the ABIT BE6-II, they have proven their reputation yet again. By taking the BE6 motherboard and improving it, ABIT has created yet another excellent motherboard for numerous grateful users out there. It's full of features that would make any serious overclocker or power user swoon with sheer delight and yet remain very affordable, traits that have made ABIT motherboards very popular amongst overclockers and casual users alike.

Just like the BE6, the BE6-II comes with a free thermal probe attached to a long cable and a full-blown hardware monitoring chip. Those are certainly bonuses that many other manufacturers do not provide. Also, let's not forget the almost complete control of bus speeds supported by the BE6-II which translates into as yet unparalleled overclocking flexibility. Notable among the other new options featured in SoftMenu III is the I/O Voltage option which introduces a new avenue for improving the stability of overclocked components. Finally, the addition of the DIP switches reduces the risk of unauthorized changing of the processor settings. All these features shows ABIT's efforts in creating the ultimate motherboard for both overclockers as well as the everyday Joe.

However, in their efforts to create this improved version of the BE6, they have stumbled a little along the way. Although many mistakes made in the BE6 were corrected, they have somehow introduced a major flaw in this motherboard.

That flaw is, as you guessed it, the repositioning of the CPU slot nearer to the center of the board. That meant that the user can only use a cooler that's shorter than 4 cm. Otherwise, he/she will lose the use of one or more DIMM slots. While this isn't so important for those who use Intel-bundled coolers or small coolers, this will be a critical factor for hardcore overclockers who won't part with their megacoolers! So, if you are currently using a cooler that's taller than 4 cm, you may have to give this board a wide berth unless you are willing to lose one or two DIMM slots.

With that in mind, this is still among the best motherboards to ever come out of ABIT. It would have been the best, but for the cooler height issue. But if you are in the market for a great overclocking 440BX motherboard with UltraDMA 66 support right out of the box and all the overclocking features you ever wanted in a neat, affordable package, the ABIT BE6-II is about the best there is. Just make sure you have a cooler that fits the board!

Optimal BIOS Settings

Note : The settings posted above are what would be considered as optimal values for the motherboard's performance. Proper settings for your system may vary according to your system setup. For more information and tips on the BIOS settings, check out the BIOS Optimization Guide.