Singapore Hardware Zone

MSI MS-6163 ATX BX13 Motherboard
Reviewed by CPU-ZILLA  (12 Feb 99)

Motherboard Specifications

Processor

  • Intel Celeron® Processor 266MHz-400MHz (66Mhz).
  • Intel Pentium® II Processor 233MHz-366MHz (66Mhz).
  • Intel Pentium® II Processor 350MHz-450MHz (100Mhz).
  • Support for future Intel Pentium® III processors (Katmai).

Chipset

  • Intel 82443BX chipset 

Cache memory

  • CPU Built-in 128KB/512KB L2 cache for Celeron/Pentium II Processor 

System Memory

  • 3 x 168-pin 3.3v DIMM sockets support 
  • Supports 8/16/32/64/128/256 MB DIMM Module 
  • Supports SDRAM PC66 & 100(Supports ECC, 1-bit Error Code Correct function) 
  • Supports up to 768MB of memory size 
  • Supports 66/68/75/83/100/103/112/117/124/129/133/138/143/148/153 MHz System Clock Speed Setting
  • Supports 3.0-8.0 Multiplier Setting 

PCI IDE

  • 2 X PCI Bus Master UDMA/33 IDE ports (up to 4 ATAPI Devices) 
  • Supports for PIO Mode 0-4, UDMA/33 IDE & ATAPI CD-ROM 

I/O Interface

  • 1x floppy port (360KB-2.88MB) 
  • 2x serial ports (16550 high-speed) 
  • 1x parallel port (SPP/EPP/ECP) 
  • PS/2 Keyboard 
  • PS/2 Mouse 
  • 2x USB 
  • 1 IrDA connector for SIR
  • 1 Audio port (Line_Out, Line_In and Mic_In) and 1 MIDI/Game Port (Optional)

Expansion slot

  • 5 x PCI 32-bit slots, PCI 2.1 compliant 
  • 2 x ISA 16-bit slots 
  • 1x AGP (1x & 2x Mode,66/133MHz) slot 
  • Supports Creative PCI Sound Card SB-Link™. 

Power Management

  • Power On by LAN, Modem, Keyboard/Mouse & Soft-Power Switch 
  • Power Off by Windows® 95 Shut down & Soft-Power Switch 
  • ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) feature
  • 3 level ACPI LED

Form Factor

  • ATX Form Factor : 30cm(L) x 19.2cm(W) x 4 layers PCB
  • Fits into regular ATX Case 
  • ATX Connector on Board 

BIOS

  • 2 Mbit (256KB) FLASH memory
  • Award PCI BIOS with Green, PnP, DMI and Anti-Virus Functions 
  • LS120, ZIP, ATAPI CD-ROM, IDE #1, #2, #3, #4 bootable 

<Introduction><The Good><The Test> <The Bad><Conclusion><Rating>

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Introduction

I remembered playing "Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar" many years ago, and one of the character's main goals was to achieve this so-called "Avatarhood". In order to reach that goal, the character must pass various tests which allows him to gain all the 7 virtues required to achieve Avatarhood. You must be wondering what relationship actually exists between Ultima IV and the latest Microstar implementation of Intel's BX chipset in their MS-6163 motherboard.

To simply put it in "mortal" sense, this latest motherboard is almost a perfect example of what all overclockers dream about, an "Avatar" motherboard. It has all the basic features of a good motherboard plus advance features needed by those "tweak"-intensive-geeks.

Until now, the ABIT BH6 motherboard has been in the overclocker's limelight for a long time, but with the introduction of this new motherboard, the situation may just change. This is the second motherboard currently available in the market that allows the selection of the CPU FSB and voltage in the BIOS settings.

The package comes in a beautifully designed box with all the standard accessories which includes the FDD & HDD cables, a printed copy of the motherboard user's manual, MSI retention cap (for Celeron processors), a thermistor and a CD-ROM (containing drivers and PC health monitoring program).

 

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The Good

The board comes with the standard design configuration of 5 PCI/2 ISA/1 AGP slots. You get all the basic I/O connections ranging from the PS/2 mouse port to the IDE connectors. Built-in audio support comes as an option. The audio support utilises the Creative® Ensoniq ES1373 chipset running on the PCI bus which is capable of 64 voices and AC3. It also supports SPDIF output (wow!). It also lends support to internal voice-modems with voice connectors via the JPHONE pin-outs on the motherboard. There's also an AUX Line In connector (for DVD add-on card) and a CD-In connector on board. The built-in audio option is really neat if you want to keep your setup clean and simple. However, the board I reviewed didn't come with the audio option, so, that's as much as I can say about it.

As mentioned before, this is almost an overclocker's dream come true for a perfect motherboard. It comes with a jumper located between the Slot-1 connector and AGP slot which disables the auto detection of the CPU bus frequency. This jumper is enabled (shorted) by default. When removed, the BIOS would allow you to choose from a whole range of CPU/PCI bus setting. (e.g. 66/33, 68/34, 75/37, 83/41, 100/33, 103/34, 112/37, 117/39, 117/30, 124/31, 129/32, 133/33, 138/34, 143/36, 148/37, 153/38). As you can see, it allows you to clock your chip a little further with the introduction of other bus frequencies.

Apart from changing your FSB settings, you can also change the CPU voltage setting. I was able to change my 2.0V SL2YK Pentium-II 300MHz to a maximum of 2.2V. The BIOS would prevent you from changing the voltage further since it is not practical to do so. Unless you are planning to fry an egg on your chip heatsink, you could always cheat the motherboard into thinking that it is rated at 2.2V by taping up several pins on the chip. You can find out on how to do that in one of the older articles about how to change the voltage setting on any motherboard. However, I do not recommend that. It's silly.

PC health monitoring is almost a standard option for most motherboards nowadays. Overclockers have become increasingly concerned with the temperature and supply voltage stability. Sometimes we just wonder if all this is necessary, and how often do we really check the voltage and temperature of your PC? Do you really stop and check the CPU temperature while you're blasting creatures off your computer screen? I think not. However, I believe it does offer a sense of peace knowing that your PC is constantly monitored for any voltage/temperature anomalies. Yet, I cannot deny how important it is to every overclocker. I guess a normal user would find all these rather amusing. The CD-ROM comes with a software called PC-Alert II, which monitors the temperatures, fan speeds and voltages. There is also an option where you can turn on Soft Cooler II which is equivalent to CPU-Idle or Waterfall Pro. Most important of all, the software is free.

As with the previous motherboard (MS-6119), a temperature sensor is placed in very close proximity to the processor heat sink for a more accurate temperature reading. This is shown in the picture below. I suppose if you apply a little thermal compound on the sensor tip and then sticking it to the heatsink, you may be able to get an accurate temperature reading of the CPU heatsink. It is quite difficult to do that, but should be achievable with a tweezer. Besides this, the package comes bundled with another temperature probe which can be optionally attached to the motherboard for obtaining temperature readings from other components. It is very useful when you want to monitor the temperature of your "overclocked" video card, as shown below. The cable for the optional probe is 20cm in length, which makes it quite versatile for monitoring almost any component. You can stick it to your forehead too (if you lean very close to your motherboard).


Temperature sensor below the CPU.


Optional sensor probe used on the graphic card.

I was actually very curious about the accuracy of this temperature sensing probe (or thermistor). It is known that these things can be quite inaccurate. So I took the thermistor to an ultimate test, with my traditional mercury-filled thermometer. I guess you would think I'm crazy, but you just won't feel comfortable without knowing whether it's accurate. So, I booted up the PC, ran PC Alert II, took the probe and placed it on an ice cube. (Don't worry, I didn't short the thing. The thermistor was insulated anyway). To my astonishment, the temperature dropped to 0°C, and fluctuated between 0°C and 1°C. Next, I took some warm water and my thermometer tells me it was 60°C. I dipped part of the probe into the water and in seconds, the temperature indicator went right to 60°C. Need I say more? This baby is very accurate and if used properly, could provide very accurate readings. Next time, if you have a fever, and don't have a thermometer, you know where to look next.

Apart from that, the rest of the features are pretty standard. The manual is clear and precise. It explains how to install a boxed Pentium II CPU, a Celeron CPU, and even an OEM Pentium-II CPU, and also describes all the jumpers and connectors on the board. BIOS settings are simple and quick, no more messy jumpers.

Let's just put it to the test, shall we?

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The Test

The processor used for this test was a Pentium-II 300 SL2YK (0.25 µm.) which is well known to be very clockable. I didn't find any problem overclocking the chip to 450MHz@2.0V (at 100MHz FSB). However, I didn't manage to overclock it any further even with the extra voltage settings. Windows just restarted after booting midway at 463MHz@2.2V (103MHz FSB). Perhaps the chip I used is only clockable up to 450MHz. Anyway, with the voltage settings, there should be a higher chance in overclocking most CPUs. I compared the tests with an ECS P6BX-A+ (2Mb BIOS version).

Comparing the results of the benchmark tests, we can see that there is little difference in terms of performance, which is what we normally find for most motherboards. In terms of stability, it ran stable throughout the tests. Even when installing Windows 98 at 450MHz@2.0V, I got passed the installation without any problems.

Test Configuration

Processor(s): Pentium II - 300 Retail, batch=SL2YK, 2.0V, Malay
RAM: 2 x 64MB Hyundai PC100 SDRAM DIMM
Hard Drive(s): IBM Deskstar 8 - 6 6.4Gb
Video Card(s):  ECS Riva 128 AGP
Bus Master Drivers: Windows 98 Bus Mastering Drivers
Video Drivers: NVidia Ref. Drivers Release 2.77
Operation System(s): Windows 98 (build 4.10.1998)

Wintune 98 Result for Intel Pentium II 300 Mhz @ 4.5 x 66 Mhz

CPU  (1) Intel Pentium II with MMX@300 MHz 
Video Board  ECS Riva 128 AGP
Video Mode  1024x768@16bits/pixel
RAM  128 MB 
OS  Windows 98 4.10.1998 
Area Tested  Value (MS-6163) Value (P6BX-A+)
CPU Integer  871.9818 MIPS 870.9869 MIPS
CPU Floating Point  349.1383 MFLOPS 349.1219 MFLOPS
Video(2D)  39.11494 MPixels/s 38.46286 MPixels/s
Direct3D  90.48956 MPixels/s 89.92081 MPixels/s
OpenGL  64.68133 MPixels/s 64.56181 MPixels/s
Memory  519.7512 MB/s  522.9412 MB/s
Cached Disk  64.03638 MB/s 64.89151 MB/s
Uncached Disk  2.259023 MB/s  2.780753 MB/s

Wintune 98 Result for Intel Pentium II 300 Mhz @ 4.5 x 100 Mhz

CPU  (1) Intel Pentium II with MMX@450 MHz 
Video Board  ECS Riva 128 AGP
Video Mode  1024x768@16bits/pixel
RAM  128 MB 
OS  Windows 98 4.10.1998 
Area Tested  Value (MS-6163) Value (P6BX-A+)
CPU Integer  1309.82 MIPS 1303.563 MIPS
CPU Floating Point  523.7256 MFLOPS 523.1732 MFLOPS
Video(2D)  55.26153 MPixels/s 55.11017 MPixels/s
Direct3D  94.66859 MPixels/s 94.27676 MPixels/s
OpenGL  66.65624 MPixels/s  66.97032 MPixels/s
Memory  781.3519 MB/s  774.7418 MB/s
Cached Disk  97.26661 MB/s  93.57198 MB/s
Uncached Disk  2.426502 MB/s 2.83783 MB/s

CPU Mark 32 (Winbench 99) MS-6163 P6BX-A+
300MHz (66 x 4.5) 750 750
450MHz (100 x 4.5) 1130 1120

FPU Winmark (Winbench 99) MS-6163 P6BX-A+
300MHz (66 x 4.5) 1540 1540
450MHz (100 x 4.5) 2310 2300

 

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The Bad

I have three words that describe this motherboard, "Nothing is perfect". Although it is a good motherboard packed with great features, it does have a couple of shortcomings, which I believe most people can afford to overlook.

Firstly, the design and locations of the DIMM slots, CPU slots and the IDE/FDD connectors are somewhat cramped. There just doesn't seem to have enough room to maneuver. This is especially evident when you have a large CPU fan/heatsink (like the GlobalWin fan/heatsinks) which extends quite near to the SDRAM DIMMs. This makes it difficult to add/remove DIMMs. As space is really constrained, you might find it a little difficult to plug in the second CPU fan as the second connector is placed very close to the heat sink at the edge of the motherboard. The ATX power connector is located behind the CPU, making matters worse when you have a chunk of stiff cables dangling over the CPU. To make matters even worse, the IDE and floppy connectors are placed right beside the 3rd DIMM slot (hardly 5 millimeters away), which makes it extremely troublesome adding and removing DIMMs, especially when the ribbon cables are obstructing the way. For those who would like to attach an infra-red port, you will be in for a really tight squeeze. Guess where it is located? Yep, you are right, near the FDD connector and DIMM slot. Somehow, the phrase, "the more the merrier" doesn't apply here.

The features of this board is great but the arrangements are somewhat tight. It is not very appealing especially if you like your system to be neat and clean. One would find that the cables are obstructing air flow, and the CPU (and the BX chip) may not have sufficient air flow if you don't have a large enough suction fan. In addition, the jumper to disable auto-detection of the CPU FSB is placed right between the Slot-1 connector and AGP slot. This makes it very difficult to change the jumper setting without removing the AGP card should you want to change the jumper setting later on.

The other disadvantage is the voltage setting in the BIOS. It does not allow you to go below 2.0V (if you have a 2.0V rated CPU) since some users have reported success in overclocking their CPUs by lowering the CPU voltage (hmm?). It only allows you to increase beyond the rated voltage, and not below. In addition, users who want to "fry eggs" on their CPUs would be disappointed since they cannot go beyond 2.2V. I think this is a safety feature, and it is certainly good for most novice users. However, I suppose Microstar could make voltage settings a little more flexible in their future BIOS upgrades.

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Conclusion

As I've said before, this board contains all the virtues of an ideal overclocker's board. It is very rich in features and gadgets, and the fact that you can change the CPU voltage settings in the BIOS, makes this a real contender for the top spot of an overclocker's choice of motherboard. The range of FSB settings makes this a versatile board in terms of upgradability. The thermistor probes adds accurate temperature monitoring to the motherboard and the PC soft-cooling and health monitoring softwares are bundled free. If you are looking for a board to overclock your CPUs, this is should be the one to go for.


MOTHERBOARD RATING

Overall Rating (Out of a maximum of 5 Star)

Installation ***½
Performance *****
Price ****
Overclockability *****
Material Quality *****
Stability ****½
Overall Rating *****

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