Intel BX chipset in use.

The BX chipset has enjoyed an excellent reputation since its introduction of both speed and reliability. The BX chipset has powered the majority of Pentium II machines over 350 MHz and a good deal of Pentium III machines up to 600 MHz. Like the LX, the dual processor capability of the BX has lent itself very well to the server market where it has performed well.

One area where boards based upon the BX has excelled is in the DIY PC market as many board makers have added in additional bus speeds over and above the 100 MHz bus designated by Intel. This has allowed overclockers to push their processors faster and faster with a whole host of bus speeds, with some even going in excess of 133 MHz. Boards such as the Abit BH6 and BE6 have proved themselves to be very capable in this context.

Even for those who do not wish to overclock their CPU (and there are many good reasons not to), the BX chipset offered features such as excellent AGP handling (something that cannot be said for Super 7 chipsets) and fast memory transfer rates. Most boards based on the BX chipset performed at almost equal levels, showing how consistent Intel's chipset really is.

The only area where BX is now falling down on, is it's lack of native support for U/DMA 66 hard drives. This support can be added by manufacturers by adding an interpreter chip, but this is not the optimal solution, but does allow users the chance to use the latest in hard disk technology.

BX, the verdict

Overall the BX chipset rates as one of the best chipset's produced in recent years, it really is that good. It consistently provides supern performance for whatever processor it is operated with and put many Super 7 chipsets in the shade as regards AGP and memory handling.

Unfortunately even the mighty BX has been eclipsed with developments such as the 133 MHz bus and U/DMA 66, but this does not cloud the fact that the BX has been one of Intel's finest chipsets to date.

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