ABIT IT7-MAX2 V2.0 - ABIT IT7-MAX2 V2.0
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BIOS
When it comes to BIOS options and tweaking, ABIT has no match. SoftMenu™ Technology has remained the best thing to happen to a BIOS since it's introduction several years back. Initially there was simply SoftMenu™, then SoftMenu II, then SoftMenu III, and now ABIT has SoftMenu™ Technology incorporated into their choice boards. Lets take a look at some shots in the BIOS.
Above is what you'll see when dumped into the BIOS for the first time. All default settings for the Intel P4 2.4B/533 chip. We can do quite a bit of tweaking in this screen alone. We can change the PCI Bus Freq tab to show Ext. Clock/3 or 4 as well as Fixed 33MHz, 37MHz and 44MHz. Very nice options when trying to find your "sweet spot" for overclocking. The Multiplier is adjustable even though all Intel CPU's are factory locked. DRAM Ratio H/W Strap is where you can really tweak your memory. With the IT7 MAX and 845E chipset, you had to use Low 3:4 to run your memory at a higher bus than your CPU. But now with the IT7-MAX2 V2, we can run High 4:5 and get true DDR333 support. And if your daring, you can tweak it even higher. Lets take a look at some of the BIOS screenshots that will get you a bit more familiarized.
BIOS - PCI Bus Frequency
PCI Bus Frequencies play an important role when trying to overclock your system. If your running say 133MHz CPU clock, running the Ext. Clock/4 option will keep your AGP and PCI frequencies in spec. And if your running 100MHz CPU Clock, Ext. Clock/3 will keep them in spec. However, for the overclocker, we need something a bit more drastic when we are attempting to run our systems higher. ABIT's SoftMenu™ Technology affords us the option of running any CPU frequency we desire and still gives us the comfort of keeping our AGP and PCI bus in spec. Some video cards and PCI cards such as NIC's can get really sensitive when pushed too far above their rated specification, but being able to run them fixed at 33MHz will keep those type of failures to a minimum. In addition, we also have the option of running over spec with 37MHz or 44MHz fixed if you so choose. Looking for the official DDR333 Intel support? Here it is in all it's glory.
You'll want to run the LOW 3:4 option if you have some top notch memory. Why you say? This will give your memory a higher overclock as opposed to running 4:5 and this is something I hope to cover in the IT7-MAX BIOS Optimization Guide I need to get working on here soon.
BIOS - Voltage Settings
The first thing I did when I got the board running was download and install the latest BIOS ID, CF. ABIT makes it fairly easy to do with instructions in both the manual and on the website. You'll certainly want BIOS Rev it7pd6.exe if you want to get serious about overclocking. Why? Because it changes the default voltage from 1.725V to a whopping 1.85V! Who says you need to volt-mod your CPU? Not if you have the IT7-MAX2 V2 you don't. Here's a shot of that.
For DRAM Voltage we have a max of 2.8V which certainly isn't too shabby, but may be a little light for some of the more daring overclockers. Personally, I don't like burning up my expensive memory so I cringe at the thought of running it higher than 2.8V.
BIOS - Advanced Chipset Features
In the Advanced Chipset Features section you will have the option of tweaking your memory timing settings, as well as system and video BIOS cache, AGP aperture size and AGP Data Transfer Rate, ie. AGP 2X, 4X etc. One thing that threw me off a bit is the missing option "Enhance DRAM Performance". This option was available with the IT7 MAX but is not available with this motherboard, even though the instruction manual shows it's there. Instead, we have an option called "Differential Current".
BIOS - Advanced BIOS Features
Below is a quick shot of the Advanced BIOS Features section. This is where you set your Boot Devices, Floppy Seek, Quick Power On Self Test, etc. Anything that is not being used I usually disable.
Advanced BIOS Features
BIOS - Integrated Peripherals
Onboard PCI PCI Devices
On Chip PCI Devices
BIOS - Power Management Setup
In the Power Management Setup, you'll find such features as ACPI Suspend type, Power Button Function, Power On Function and Restore on AC Power Loss options. Another nice addition to this section is the CPU THRM-Throttling. In essence, what you have is the ability to control how much of your CPU's clock speed will be throttled down should the CPU start to overheat. My question is, at what temperature does it start to do this? Well, I'm not sure, but I am looking in to this and will hopefully be able to update the article accordingly, we are guessing about 70 degrees Fahrenheit or so. Default setting is 62.5% Here's a shot.
Power Management Setup Menu
BIOS - PC Health Status
The last section of the BIOS I will be covering today is the PC Health Status Menu. Here you have the options of controlling the Fan Failure Alarm, Shutdown When CPU Fan Fails, CPU Shutdown Temp and CPU Warning Temps. In addition, you will also get real-time monitoring of all your connected fan RPM's as well as current System and CPU temps and PSU Voltages. When overclocking you'll definitely want to pay a visit to this screen to make sure all of your fans are running and also to keep a close eye on those temps while tweaking the BIOS.
Benchmarks anyone? ->
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