Introduction

Intel's successful attempt to divide the CPU market into 2 main branches - Celeron and PentiumII/III - forced Intel to introduce a new processor Socket370 slot. But hardly Intel took its breath,when the necessity of making it possible to use both CPUs on one single mainboard arose. The matteris that within the second quarter 1999 Intel will cease producing Celeron processors for Slot1, andwe will have to decide between the two platforms - Slot1 and Socket370 (or, maybe, Super7 butthis will be a totally different question). No doubt, all of us always hope for the better and if wehaven't yet managed to install a new Pentium III in our dear PC, we will definitely strive for it inthe future. However, from day to day it will become more and more difficult to find a Slot1 Celeron,that is why the only way out will be to turn to the already existing solution - a Slot-to-Socketconverter. This small card is usually plugged into the CPU slot and allows to use any Socket370processor. But I think you will agree with me, that getting any additional hardware means a farewellto your money. Besides, including another device into the scheme won't contribute to your system'sstability.

Taiwan Elitegroup Company engineers seem to have followed the same reasoning. After launchingtheir converter they started developing the possibility of placing both slots (Slot1 and Socket370)on one mainboard simultaneously. Really, why not integrate this converter on the mainboard from thevery beginning since both slots are electrically compatible? And they decided to try. As a resultof this try on 1 March, 1999 Elitegroup announced a new P6BXT-A+ motherboard with the so-called"twins"-architecture, which could support Celeron, Celeron PPGA, Pentium II and PentiumIII. In other words, they simply placed both - Slot1 and Socket370 - on their mainboard. No wonder,this unusual hybrid couldn't slip our attention!

Specifications

Here is what we've got:

• CPU
  • Pentium III, Pentium II, Celeron Slot1-processors
  • Celeron Socket370 processors
  • 66/100MHz system bus
• Chipset
  • Intel 82443BX/PIIX4E
• BIOS
  • Award BIOS with Plug&Play, DMI and ACPI support
• System memory
  • 3 168 contact DIMM slots
  • 768MB SDRAM maximal capacity
  • ECC (Error Code Correct) support
• Integrated sound
  • Elite PCI Audio CMI8338 sound chip
  • A full audio port set: Line-in, Line-out, Mic-in, CD-in and game port
• Slots
  • 2 ISA slots
  • 4 PCI slots
  • 1 ISA/PCI shared slot
  • 1 AGP slot
• Form-factor
  • Full-size ATX, 305x220 mm
  • 4-layer PCB
• Integrated peripheral devices
  • 1 EPP/ECP parallel port
  • 2 serial ports
  • Floppy drive controller supporting two devices 360KB-2.88MB, as well as 3 Mode FDD or LS120
  • Two-channel IDE-controller (PIO mode 4, DMA mode 2, Ultra DMA 33)
  • PS/2 mouse and keyboard connectors
  • 2 USB connectors
  • IrDA-connector
  • SBLink-connector
• Other
  • Wake on keyboard
  • Wake on LAN
  • Wake on modem
  • System monitoring

Elitegroup P6BXT-A+ mainboard is supplied in a standard-size box together with the user's manual,a set of cables and a CD-ROM containing different drivers and software for all Elitegroup products.

Closer Look

The first thing that catches your eye when you take this exotic P6BXT-A+ mainboard is a reallystrange combination of two different slots - Slot1 and Socket370. And no matter what CPU youinstall (a SECC, or a PPGA), the mainboard will detect your processor type automatically. If youare a curious and risky person and install 2 CPUs in both slots simultaneously, the system won'teven start. No wonder, since it is not a dual processor mainboard but is simply intended rather forCPU up- or downgrade. :)

If we take a closer look at PCB it becomes clear according to the connection that Slot1 playsthe main role and Socket370 is located just to provide compatibility and hence its connection issecondary. Actually, the effect is practically the same as if you had an integrated Slot-to-Socketconverter. So, you have to regard Elitegroup P6BXT-A+ rather as a single unit consisting of amainboard and a converter.

Despite the fact that this mainboard has twice as many processor slots as a usual one does, thedesign strikes as very progressive - all component parts feel free and do not press close to eachother. However, there is a very unpleasant disadvantage: the number of PCI-slots. There are onlyfour of them on this mainboard while the amount of PCI-devices in the market is constantlyincreasing. Moreover, all PCI-slots cannot boast the most convenient location that's why you won'tmanage to install a full-size card in any of them. As for the ISA-slots, the situation also leavesmuch to be desired though you can plug one full-size card in one of them without much trouble. Butthe largest and most unpardonable drawback is the location of capacitors: they are too close toATX-power connector. This leads to complete blocking of the connector latch and thus prevents youfrom disconnecting the power supply cord without any extra efforts.

And now let's pass over to some pleasing details. The first thing that will definitely make anunforgettable impression and be a sight for sore eyes is a vivid multicolored design of portconnectors on the exterior side of the case. The second thing we'd like to mention is a popularCPU clasp-lock which is already fastened on the mainboard, and a green light-emitting diode, whichserves to signal power presence in the system.

Besides, both IDE and FDD cables are furnished with special latches, which guarantee theirreliable and secure connection to corresponding mainboard connectors. We have never seen anythinglike that before and suppose that plenty of users will be really grateful to Elitegroup for thiscool innovation. So, now if you have a P6BXT-A+ you may be sure that all cables are tightly fastenedto the mainboard and if a contact rupture occurs it is either the connection to your harddisk or toyour floppy drive which are to blame.

Elitegroup P6BXT-A+ system monitoring is made on GL520SM chip, which is not so widely spread,because its features leave much to be desired. In particular, it has only 4 ports for voltagemeasuring (compare to 9 ones of a standard Winbond!) and only 2 ports for temperature sensors.However, GL520SM can signal various events with 4 different types of beeping sounds, which allowusers to identify the type of monitoring problem by hearing. As for temperature sensors, the CPUsensor is located in a very awkward place - right between Slot1 and Socket370, so that it couldmeasure the temperature of the processor disregarding its location (remember that the CPU can beplugged either in Slot1 or Socket370). In fact, the sensor turns out to be too far from the CPUand fails to get the exact temperature. The second temperature sensor can be found in the lowerright corner of the mainboard. There are also 2 cooling fan connectors on the board.

The BIOS installed on the mainboard doesn't represent anything special. It is the usual Award.The changing of your CPU clock multiplier factor and CPU bus frequency is carried out through Setupand a special jumper, which sets FSB frequency equal to 66/100MHz. The exterior frequencies, whichmay be assigned for this mainboard, are 66, 75, 83, 100, 103, 112, and 133MHz. Actually, nothinginteresting. Besides, no special solutions for PCI-devices IRQ conflicts are offered - it isimpossible to assign IRQ manually. The only way out is to disable the USB controller, which letsyou get an additional IRQ. However, Elitegroup P6BXT-A+ is reach in means for memory configuring.Besides memory timing settings like EDO, for example, (though now it is not that easy to find itin DIMM modules), it is possible to operate all three delays, which determine SDRAM performance:CAS latency Time, RAS to CAS Delay, RAS Precharge Time. So, summing up all the facts we can saythat Elitegroup P6BXT-A+ has very promising prospects concerning memory compatibility and itspossible overclocking.

Another interesting thing that drew our attention was an integrated sound chip. We arrived atthe conclusion that Elitegroup engineers try to seem highly original and to show off. And what wouldyou think if you saw a fishy Elite PCI Audio CMI 8338, which turned out to be another offspring ofsome small C-Media company? Yes. I had the same face expression. Compared to other cheap integratedchipsets it has (at least it stands in its specs) a couple of interesting features: a digital SPDIFinput-output port and allegedly supports four speakers. However, we laid ourselves out trying toget at least something like a 3D-sound: all in vain. It can be the result of drivers imperfectionbecause for its CMI 8338 chip C-Media has licensed the use of two 3D-sound technologies - A3D andSensaura - and theoretically there shouldn't be any problems with getting 3D-sounding. The qualityof CMI 8338 MIDI hasn't gone too far from the one of its 3D that is why we don't feel like talkingabout it. In other words, Elite PCI Audio CMI 8338 is of practically no interest and looks verymuch like ESS Solo-1.

Overclocking

Elitegroup P6BXT-A+ doesn't differ much from a number of other mainboards as far as CPUoverclocking is concerned. According to the testing results its CPU overclocking capacity issimilar to that of many other mainboards with the same set of exterior frequencies: 66, 75, 83,100, 103, 112, and 133MHz. The only thing that may distinguish it somehow is SDRAM timing settings,which allow you to get a 3% performance gain if you change them properly.

Performance

Since Elitegroup P6BXT-A+ mainboard can be regarded as both: Slot1- and Socket370-mainboard, wewill test its performance first with a Slot1 CPU - Pentium II, and then with a PPGA-processorCeleron. In the second case we checked the performance with two different systems - when it wasinstalled directly into Socket370 and when it was installed into Slot1 through converter.

The testing system was configured as follows:

• Intel Pentium II 450 and Celeron 3000A CPU
• ABIT Slotket converter
• ASUS V3400TNT AGP 16MB SDRAM graphics board
• IBM Titan DTTA 371010 harddisk
• 128MB SEC PC-100 SDRAM

The following applications were utilized:

• Windows98
• WinStone99
• Quake2 massive1 working through OpenGL with the resolution 800x600

First take a look at the results obtained with Pentium II CPU:

The diagrams clearly show that Elitegroup P6BXT-A+ fails to catch up with our leaders since theresults are rather average.

Now let's discuss the performance achieved with Celeron CPU:

Actually, the results are rather interesting. The Winstone 99 test proved that Celeron pluggedthrough the converter into Slot1 showed better performance than if plugged directly into Socket370.It means that on P6BXT-A+ mainboard Socket370 is none other than an "integrated converter",and even not the best one. In Quake2 we can observe an absolutely opposite phenomenon - Celeronperforms much better on the mainboard and that implies its better interaction with AGP. This evidentdifference is caused by various additional inductances and capacities placed on the mainboard andconverter, which influence system bus functioning. There is a very popular statement that if a CPUis installed through a converter it is less stable and has a worse overclocking potential. In fact,it proved to be absolutely wrong. We do not deny that the described dependence can exist but thenit should be very insignificant because we failed to detect it in all performed tests.

In general, the performance of Elitegroup P6BXT-A+ mainboard didn't impress us that much.

Conclusions

The main question that arises after you have got acquainted with Elitegroup P6BXT-A+ is almostrhetorical: what do we need "this" for? We have to admit that the mainboard is a work ofart in terms of its picturesque design. It is probably meant to help users to shift from CeleronPPGA to Pentium III, for instance, when they manage to save up enough money to afford it or ifIntel suddenly reduces the prices. Now Intel is still offering Slot1 Celeron processors and thereare no reasons to worry, but within the second quarter the situation will definitely change.

However, even if the changes finally occur there is always a very simple and convenient way out -a standard mainboard with a converter. Of course, if you buy an Elitegroup "two-in-one"mainboard you can perhaps save a few bucks since you won't need a converter any more but, franklyspeaking, we doubt that this argument will turn the scale. So, we think that Elitegroup P6BXT-A+mainboard is meant mostly for hardware retailers, who want to avoid cluttering up their warehouseswith two types of mainboards. :)

So, Elitegroup P6BXT-A+ highs:

• Original design, which allows to use PPGA and SECC-processors on the same mainboard
• Possibility of very fine system memory configuration
• Special latches guaranteeing secure connection of IDE and FDD cables
• Reasonable price

Elitegroup P6BXT-A+ lows:

• Inconvenient location of ATX power supply connector
• Inconvenient location of CPU temperature sensors
• No ways to assign IRQ for PCI-slots
• Not optimal electrical scheme for Socket370 connection