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Chaintech CT-6OJV Review

Another ATX mainboard on i815 chipset designed for Socket 370 processors. It is not very cool foroverclocking, however, it features a couple of unique things, such 3BIOS and built-in HDD Instant Recovery Utility.

The announcement of the so long awaited i815 chipset couldn't remain unnoticed, even though this product isn't deprived of a couple of upsetting drawbacks. Despite all gloomy forecasts saying that the mainboards on this chipset would appear in retail by autumn at the earliest, today we have already got the chance to see some of them on the shop shelves. One of the first companies to introduce their mainboard on this chipset was Chaintech. Nothing surprising. This company is included into the top ten mainboard manufacturers not for nothing.<%BANNER[article]%>

We have already reviewed Chaintech mainboards on our website that's why we can say right away that their major trump is the whole bunch of all sorts of pleasant trifles, which you won't be able to see on any other manufacturers' products. Having taken a closer look at i815 based CT-6OJV, we found another bunch of interesting newly introduced details worth considering in our review. If you remember, in our Chaintech 6ATA4 Review we mentioned the BIOS peculiarities, such as TwinBIOS technology and built-in flash utility. This time Chaintech has made another step forward and integrated into the board BIOS a new HDD Instant Recovery Utility. But let's start from the very beginning. As usual, first comes the specification.

Specification

Like its predecessors, CT-6OJV mainboard is supplied in a conventional box of a very familiar design. Inside this box, you will find the mainboard, of course, a FDD cable and 80-pin ATA/66 cable, user's manual and a CD-disk. As far as the manual is concerned, it is traditionally detailed, which has become typical of Chaintech already. However, we were pretty disappointed to find out that this time the authors decided to save time and trouble writing about BIOS settings, so that the entire thing fits onto one single page. The situation with the CD has also changed for the worse, unfortunately. If you remember, Chaintech used to provide its products with a set of software including Norton Ghost and Norton Antivirus. This time we didn't find anything like that with CT-6OJV. That's why the only nice thing included into the package is a small sticker describing the jumpers and connectors, which can be stuck inside the PC case, for instance, so that to help you with system configuring.

Closer Look

Although Intel keeps manufacturing Slot 1 CPUs, they are mostly aimed at older systems upgrades. That is why all new mainboards are equipped with processor sockets. Chaintech CT-6OJV is certainly not an exception. Moreover, i815, the board is based on, supports officially only Socket 370. So, the owners of slot CPUs will be unable to enjoy i815. At least, we haven't yet come across any slot mainboards on this chipset in the companies' roadmaps for now.

Though i815 chipset is aimed at mainstream systems, it was developed on the basis of the Low-End i810E, which acquired an external AGP slot support and a PC133 SDRAM controller. So, no wonder that the inheritor of the aging i440BX, which suffered some problems when working with the 133MHz FSB, i815, received quite a lot from i810E. Nevertheless, new core logic doesn't stumble when running with the 133MHz FSB and the AGP gets the required 66MHz in this case instead of 89MHz in case of i440BX.

There are 3 DIMM slots on Chaintech CT-6OJV. The maximum supported memory makes 512MB SDRAM altogether. Compared to other mainstream chipsets, this is not that much at all, and unfortunately, this deadly gift of i815 predecessor cannot be eliminated. However, mainboard manufacturers managed to cope with another problem of i815 quite successfully. Although this chipset supports only 4 PC133 SDRAM banks officially and should theoretically drop the working frequency down to 100MHz in case more banks are involved, CT-6OJV doesn't fulfil this obligation. Even if there are 3 dual-bank DIMM modules, they keep working at 133MHz. i815 SDRAM controller is partly asynchronous and allows using both: 133MHz PC133 SDRAM and 100MHz PC100 SDRAM if the FSB frequency is 133MHz all the time. The memory frequency is set via BIOS Setup. But if the FSB frequency is equal to 66MHz or 100MHz, then you get no choice and the memory will work at 100MHz only. So, poor 100MHz CPU owners will have to put up and to be happy with the 100MHz memory. Of course, the mainboards built on VIA Apollo Pro133A chipset look much more attractive in this case, because you can always make the memory work at FSB+33MHz.

To set the CPU frequency CT-6OJV uses the so called "semi-jumperless" SeePU technology, i.e. you shift between the basic 66/100/133MHz with the jumpers and then if you need to get any other frequency value, you have to resort to BIOS Setup. The clock frequency multiplier of Intel processors is as usual locked in the CPU that's why there are no means for changing it in any way on Chaintech CT-6OJV.

Since i815 has an integrated graphics core based on i752, CT-6OJV can use either its integrated graphics or an external graphics card, which is installed into the AGP slot supporting 3.3V as well as 5V AGP 1x/2x/4x graphics cards. If you prefer to use the integrated graphics core, all you have to do is to plug the monitor cable into the corresponding out on the rear panel, which replaced the second COM-port. However, you should always bear in mind that the 3D performance of i752 is relatively low that's why this solution can suit for office needs only, in our opinion.

In order to use the integrated graphics more effectively, CT-6OJV, like other i815 based boards, allows installing AIMM-cards into the AGP slot. These cards are none other but a 4MB graphics cache, like the one used by i810E mainboards. However, unlike other mainboards of the kind, Chaintech CT-6OJV also has a special connector for a riser-card with LCD Out, TV-Out or second monitor Out, supported by i815 graphics core. The card can be supplied with CT-6OJV optionally.

Chaintech CT-6OJV is fully compliant with PC99 spec and doesn't have any ISA slots. The mainboard has 6 PCI and 1 AMR (Audio Modem Riser) slot instead. Actually, i815 isn't equipped with a PCI-to-ISA bridge that is why you will need an extra chip soldered to the mainboard in order to implement an ISA slot. Of course, this will increase the end-product cost. So, it seems to be the reason for ISA slot drying out little by little, which aroused a certain reproach among the antique lovers. However, full-size PCI cards have already become a pretty rare thing (the only exception here is probably 3dfx Voodoo5 5000) and can be installed into any slot except the last one.

Chaintech CT-6OJV is based on i815, which means that it uses the old ICH1 I/O controller. ICH2 with a broader range of features will be implemented on another Chaintech mainboard - 6OJV2. Therefore our today's hero doesn't support ATA/100 HDD interface and is provided with only 2 USB ports. Nevertheless, ICH1 supports dual-channel software AC'97 sound. This feature is utilized on Chaintech CT-6OJV for the integrated sound implementation. However, if you belong to those users, who don't want to put up with the loss of 5-10% of the performance spent on integrated sound playback, you may get a mainboard with the integrated PCI sound controller - Creative 5880.

Chaintech has always stuck to ATX specification when developing mainboards. CT-6-OJV is very close to ideal here. IDE-connectors and ATX power supply connector are situated in front of the DIMM slots as recommended by the guideline. As for the FDD connector, it is not so impeccable. It is located to the left of the DIMM slots, which is not the best place in terms of proper cooling and prevents you from using cables of minimal length. Another grave drawback of CT-6OJV is the absence of the second COM-port. We have already mentioned that there is a monitor out on the rear panel, which now occupies the COM2 port place. So, Chaintech didn't equip the board with any special connectors for this purpose and decided to give up the second COM-port at all.

GMCH, the main hub of i815, is provided with an aluminum pin heatsink, which cools much better than the conventional heatsinks. Between DIMM and Socket 370 you can see a tiny LED indicating if the DIMM slots are powered at the moment. The main aim of this LED is to warn the user against installing/removing the devices with the power on. However, we are very unhappy to tell you that it doesn't fulfill its destiny to the full extent. The thing is that according to PCI 2.2 specification, PCI slots can be powered even when the DIMMs are de-energized. That is why it would be more correct connecting this LED to the PCI bus, like on ASUS CUSL2.

As we have already said, Chaintech has always been famous for inventing various convenient trifles for its products. For instance, Chaintech was among the first companies, which started providing their mainboards with a preinstalled retention mechanism for Slot 1. This time they suggested using jumper caps with a very convenient "holder", which should make the process of jumper switching much easier and faster. We can't regard this thing as a total innovation, because some other mainboard manufacturers are already using something of the kind, however, the fact that Chaintech once again took care of its customers should be rewarded with our attention.

The BIOS of Chaintech CT-6OJV is based on Award Medallion BIOS v. 6.0 and its interface is very similar to BIOS from Phoenix. At the same time, the amount and functional peculiarities of the available settings make it similar to the classical Award 4.51PG. However, featuring a 4Mbit FWH, Chaintech couldn't be satisfied with a simple BIOS copy. The flash memory of the latest Chaintech mainboards, starting from 6ATA4, contains a couple of other useful utilities.

The first utility stored in CT-6OJV ROM is not a wonder, we have already seen it on other mainboards. It is AwardFlash reflashing utility, which can be started during the system booting. In other words, if you want to update your BIOS version on CT-6OJV you need just a diskette with a new BIOS, and that's it. The main advantage of this approach is the protection against spoiling the flash memory contents it provides as well as the simplification of BIOS update procedure. Besides, there is one more advantage of this utility: no need in DOS command prompt, which is, moreover, absent in Windows2000, for instance.

The second utility stored in the flash memory is HDD Instant Recovery Utility from Lenten Technology, which can be enabled and disabled via BIOS Setup. The starting screen of the HDD Instant Recovery Utility, if the latter is enabled, opens automatically after POST.

The main task, this utility is destined to carry out is to let the user create the system backup on the same HDD without the OS loading. For this purpose HDD Instant Recovery Utility creates an invisible sector on your hard disk and copies the system and the disk itself over there.

In other words, we sacrifice half the disk space for the sake of our HDD backup stored on the same drive. Of course, this method won't help you if the entire HDD suddenly breaks down, however, it is still better than nothing. Moreover, HDD Instant Recovery Utility is capable of doing a couple of other useful things. First, it can transfer the contents of one hard disk to another and second, it can defragment the hard disk drive. The developers of this utility claim that it understands all major file systems.

As you see, Chaintech spent the whole lot of time and effort to improve its BIOS. That is why the utilities stored in the flash memory are far not the end of interesting discoveries. Like all the previous Chaintech mainboards, CT-6OJV can have (optionally) two FWH microchips. The second microchip is a reserve in this case and allows starting the system if the content of the first chip is spoilt and restoring its contents. So, all the mentioned innovations serve to protect Flash BIOS on Chaintech CT-6OJV from being destroyed. And the hard-n-soft complex, we have just described was called 3BIOS.

Chaintech CT-6OJV also features hardware monitoring. It is implemented by means of WinBond W83627 chip, which measures 2 temperatures (that of the CPU and of the mainboard), rotation speed of 2 fans (there are 3 cooler connectors) and 3 voltages. The mainboard is also equipped with a chassis intrusion detector. Unfortunately, Chaintech chose a really outdated method for CPU temperature measuring: instead of the sensor built into the core of all Socket 370 processors, the temperature is taken from the thermal diode located in the middle of Socket 370.

Overclocking

Chaintech mainboards have always been not very cool for overclocking. The only exception made the last mainboards on VIA chipsets, which allowed increasing Vcore and setting the FSB frequencies with 1MHz step. The mainboard we are considering this time, Chaintech CT-6OJV, is built on Intel chipset that is why it can't boast any peculiar overclocking options.

As for the range of supported FSB frequencies, it is not as large as you could wish. It makes only 20 values. The frequency setting is carried out in two stages. First you set the basic frequency with the jumpers: 66, 100 or 133MHz, which defines the AGP and PCI bus frequency dividers. And then you increase the basic frequency up to the value you like via BIOS Setup. The memory frequency also set via BIOS Setup influences the available range of FSB frequencies as well.

So, if you set the jumper so that to choose 66MHz, BIOS Setup will let you set one of the following 5 values: 66, 68, 75, 78 and 80MHz. If the jumpers are arranged for the value of 100MHz FSB, then your choice rises to 6 values you can choose from: 100, 105, 110, 113, 117 and 121MHz. And if you set 133MHz FSB with the jumpers and set the memory frequency to 133MHz as well, then BIOS will offer you another 4 values: 133, 138, 140 and 150MHz. But the richest choice you'll get only if you set the FSB to 100MHz with the jumpers and the memory to 133MHz, then you can set the FSB equal to 133, 140, 144, 147, 150, 157, 160 and 165MHz.

As for practical overclocking, we took a 100MHz Intel Pentium III 600E with new core stepping cB0, which we managed to overclock to 163MHz FSB frequency on ASUS CUSL2 mainboard. However, on Chaintech CT-6OJV it worked at the maximum of 160MHz FSB, which makes 960MHz working frequency. This result appeared lower than on ASUS CUSL2 because of the poorer range of the available FSB frequencies. In this respect, ASUS CUSL 2, which allows setting the frequencies with the step of 1MHz looks nicer, really.

Performance

We have already considered the performance of Intel 815 chipset (see Intel 815 Chipset Review). And now let's take a look at the results shown by some mainboards based on this chipset:

Chaintech CT-6OJV shows average performance among the mainboards of the same class. However, speed characteristics aren't the main argument when you choose a mainboard from a range of products based on the same chipset. The performances of different products differ so much, that you can't rely only on the benchmarks when selecting the right board. It's much more important to pay attention to the special features of a product.

Conclusions

Well, we could call Chaintech CT-6OJV an average product if it were not for the BIOS of this mainboard. 3BIOS technology and an integrated HDD Instant Recovery Utility make this board really unique in terms of HDD failure and BIOS protection.