BIOS
EPoX have historically been rather daring in the BIOS department. Their motherboards are usually geared towards those who like to practice the art of overclocking. Is the latest incarnation any different in this respect ?, let's find out.
The main configuration screen, dubbed Power BIOS in the latest BIOS, is where the majority of the action takes place. Depending on how you set the board jumper up, you get an option of FSB speeds from either 100 /133 - 255 in 1MHz increments. I like the fact that you can simply key in whichever speed you desire; some manufacturers make you cycle through each FSB individually.
Using an XP2400 CPU, we appear to have every multiplier available to us. The KT400 chipset appears to be able unlock the CPU without any modification by the user, a nice touch. The Watch-Dog timer is a nice touch in that it resets the BIOS configuration if you push your components too far and cannot boot. Whilst DDR266/333/400 speeds are shown in BIOS, the running of DDR400 memory is highly module-specific. Performance is poor, generally.
Voltage adjustment has always been an EPoX forte, that's firmly confirmed here. CPU voltage can be taken up to a very healthy 2v. DDR voltage gets an equally impressive treatment with 3.2v on tap. I'd have liked some VAGP adjustment, though.
Speaking of DDR, here's the comprehensive adjustment screen. You can set the system performance to either 'Normal', 'Fast, 'Turbo', or 'Ultra'. Each setting applies varying settings ranging from relaxed to super-strict. You're also given the option of running the performance-enhancing 1T command. Just make sure your RAM is up to the job. Incidentally, you can set the CAS latency to 1.5 clocks. I couldn't boot at this speed, however.
Various options can be toggled from within BIOS. You also receive the option of ensuring that 8x AGP support is initiated. The BIOS, as expected, is strong in most areas. I like the fact that we have a PCI/AGP divider at 166FSB. This keeps our sensitive busses in check and allows us to overclock our processors further. I'd have liked another divider at 200FSB, unfortunately this was not present. The fact that the XP2400 was unlocked gave us true flexibility in managing our speeds and settings.
