Help! I'm nixing my BH6, is FIC VB-601 any good?

[Brian48]

I'm tired of all the problems I've been having with my BH6 (too many to list) and I'm really tired of typing "format c:" all the time. Has anyone here had any experience with the FIC and also, do you know if it'll support any processor higher than a PIII500? The website doesn't indicate that it can, but it may be out of date. I would love to get a P3B to replace it, but I mention the FIC because it's the only thing available in my local area and I need a replacement MB before the weekend. Thanks.

[smokin1]

Wait..before you toss the BH6 what bios are you running...that is a great board and maybe it just needs a tweak or 2

[Brian48]

I've tried all numerous BIOS versions already. I know the BH6 is normally a great running board (I have two), but this one was a refurbished one that I bought cheap. Believe me, I've thoroughly tested it with every trick I know and it is nowhere as reliable as my other one. It is completely unstable with the memory modules I have - all 3 of them. Considering the price of memory these days, it's cheaper to get a new motherboard.

[welsh wizard]

if you do replace board, do you want to sell unstable one, if so let me know your price. you can always email me at evansj.k@ihug.co.nz

[This message has been edited by welsh wizard (edited 10-01-99).]

[Brian48]

Thanks for the offer. I'm going to try and return it to where I got it from first. If I can't, I'll let you know.

[ENVY]

From my experience FIC sucks,3 boards failed in 14 months.
I like ASUS,and am currently using an EPOX board for my k6-2 450 that I like a lot.

[smokin1]

Drat..WW beat me to it!
/forum/smile.gif

[welsh wizard]

smokin1, it's the first time I have beaten any one on this board , the time diff always leaves me at a disavantage, as for the board if it does come my way the Osc. has to be put to it to find out if it's worth repair or raiding for the chips, which is major with these surface mounts but even dead boards can give life to others. /forum/wink.gif
WW

[Roy]

DEJA VU! I was sure I answered this thread yesterday, but I'm not here!

Oh! The same thing is over in Motherboards, where it really belongs. How confusing! /forum/frown.gif

FIC has an excellent reputation and most 440BX boards can be BIOS flashed to handles later P3s. The VB-601 doesn't offer anything more than the BH6. (actually less.)

I know it's given you a bad feeling about Abit, but a BX6-2 is a better choice. Another one you should look at is the Soyo SY-6BA+III. The Soyo has more FSB speeds but doesn't offer the Vcore boost that Abit does. It also does not give you the 2/3 option for AGP/FSB. This can smoke an AGP card when overclocking.

CORRECTION I misunderstood something in a Soyo review. The 6BA+III DOES provide the 2/3 option.

[This message has been edited by Roy (edited 10-03-99).]

[Brian48]

Thanks for the input, folks. Decided to pass on the FIC afterall as I managed to find a place that had a P3B-f. Now this is one heck of a board. Had a P2B at one time and loved it, this new Asus is even better.

[AuraEdge]

The Soyo SoftBIOS does indeed let u have 2/3 AGP/FSB clock. You can choose between 1/1 or 2/3. ANy board that supports the 100FSB (Any BXBoard) MUST have the option to use a 2/3 AGP/FSB mulitplier. While it is true that The soyo can only boost to 2.2v while the Abit BH6 can boost to 2.3v, the soyo is a MUCH more stable board than the ABIT, so you more than probably can maintain the same clock with 2.2 when it originally took you 2.3 on the ABit. Also, if you are utilizing a slotket with voltage controls, u can have the best of both worlds /forum/smile.gif.

[Roy]

I stand corrected. The Soyo SY-6BA+III indeed does provide the 2/3 AGP/FSB selection.

However, the MicroStar MS-6163Pro does not.

So NOT "ANY" BX board "MUST" have this option.