One of the most interesting questions is the fantastic yield to 450 MHz. To obtain this speed with the BM6 or the ZM6 is a seconds question: the computer is started, one enters the BIOS, a multiplier is selected 6x and a speed of 75 MHz bus and voilá: a Celeron to 450 MHz for the price from one to 400.

It be born in mind that, on having increased the bus speed to 75 MHz, we will be overcloqueando not only the mike, but also the graphic card (if it is AGP, it will go to 75 MHz instead of 66) and the memory (equal, to 75 MHz instead of to 66). This increases the yield of these components, but also the possible problems that we are.

The majority of graphic cards will support the bus to 75 MHz without problems, although it would not come badly to place a spendthrift of heat and/or a small fan on the graphic chip of the same one, especially if we are going to play laaargas games to games 3D modern (that is for what we want the computer: truth?). Thanks to the double overclocking (mike and video) the yield increase in the graphic paragraph is brutal, up to 14 % in the test Speedy (in games it will be something less, of course).

As for the memory, although many modules of normal SDRAM (that 66 MHz) are capable of reaching 75 MHz without be affecting, it is preferable to buy memory PC100 100 MHz (SDRAM), especially because nowadays it costs little or nothing more that that 66 MHz.

If we bear in mind that the Celeron have the fixed multiplier, we will see that with the 400 MHz model (multiplier 6x) MHz would be the following step 83x6=500: no? Since NOT. It is not that it is impossible to reach, but several problems arise:

• We would need to raise the voltage of the mike of 2 V face-values to 2,10 ó 2,15 V to obtain a more or less stable yield (if not, the system starts, but it is hung before stopping loading Windows). This implies an excessive warming of the mike, or at least excessively while we do not put a quality fan.
• 83 MHz are usually too much for the graphic cards AGP (the PCI it is possible that MHz were bearing them 83/2=41,5, but nowadays there are few good cards in PCI). Would have to say the BIOS to that it should use a factor 2/3 for the bus AGP, with what it would work to 83x2/3=55,5 MHz, getting lost big part of the potency of the card.
• And of course, the memory should be obligatorily of 100 MHz.

Solutions? Well, we might use a Celeron to 366 MHz (multiplier 5,5x) or even to 333 ó 300 MHz (multipliers 5x and 4,5x respectively). Three deberín to support 75 MHz without scarcely problems (coming to 412,5, 375 and 337,5 MHz respectively) and without need to increase the voltage. The most common combinations turn out to be summed up in the following table:

It turns out to be significant to observe that even the very economic Celeron can come to 300 MHz sometimes up to 450 MHz if we increase the voltage of the mike and put a good fan. But of any form, 500 MHz seem too much for a current Celeron.

While it does the overclocking, remember to verify the temperature of the mike and of the interior of the casing. In this respect, one is grateful for the program to do it from Windows in addition to from the BIOS and the possibility (something essential for an overclocker) of programming an alarm on having come to temperatures of risk (more of 55ºC in a continued way, for example).

And do not forget that, even without doing overclocking, to refresh the system is vital. Buy a big box and if possible with additional fans to expel the heat it was, install one in his videocard if it goes to overcloquearla and try that the fan of the mike does good contact with this one; one of the worst things that can happen is that a sticker exists (or several!!) on the mike; only that can raise the temperature some 5ºC, so much how to spend from 400 to 450 MHz. The bad thing is that to remove these stickers usually invalidates the guarantee (something ridiculous, in my opinion), so I negotiated with the seller the nakedness of the mike...

Very well, come to this point, the fatal phrase: but are there good badges or not? So, to me modest to understand (modest I...: ja!!), there are no best basic badges of the market, but there are the best for Celeron PPGA. They have everything essential and enough extra cost, but they lack professional aspects as 4 sockets DIMM or checker SCSI.

The most important thing is that they are trustworthy and support bus speeds over 66 MHz, and even come to 100 MHz (in fact even: 133 MHz!!), thanks to the chipsets BX and ZX. According to the same Intel, these are chipsets for the Performance Desktop (the powerful team) with mikes Pentium II or III, not like LXth, ZX66 and EX-that they are considered for the Basic PC to be valid. For something it will be...

Of the two, the most intelligent buy is the ZM6. The BM6 is slightly top, undoubtedly... but I coincide with Intel with that to use the chipset BX in this class of badges is a certain exaggeration. In fact, when Abit announced the BM6 (in November in the Comdex 98 of Las Vegas), they had gone out neither for the market nor the Celeron PPGA nor the chipset ZX (the model up to 100 MHz, not the ZX66), so they could not have chosen the better one.

But if we bear in mind that there are no badges multiprocessor, that almost nobody needs that 5 slots PCI is a master's degree and that an enormous memory quantity is 256 MB even for semiprofessional applications, it us is worth going to the ZM6 and saving little money. In fact, unofficially I think that the BM6 will end up by disappearing, because it is not significantly better that the ZM6 (in yield they are identical) but yes more expensive.

Also they are especially suitable to do overclocking, as it is of waiting in a few Abit badges. On this, and although many people prefer to go away straight to the Celeron 300 and to put it to 450 MHz (100x4,5), I am more partial of taking one 366 ó 400 MHz and of putting a 75 MHz bus to come to 412,5 ó 450 MHz respectively. Even it is not necessary that we do it from the first day; we can work at the nominal speed and the day that we need a little more of yield, enter the BIOS and in a pair of seconds we have a top mike... free.

We go, that are quite superior to the basic badges with other chipsets (LX, EX-or ZX66) that are coming in mass to Spain. At least you insure yourself the power to update the mike in the future, thanks to his voltages from 1,30 to 3,00 V, his multipliers up to 8x, buses even of 133 MHz... and to a politics of update of BIOS that without being perfect, is quite good.

So he knows already: if he wants a badge for Celeron PPGA, an Abit BM6 or ZM6 is one of the best elections that can do. And if it does not find it in Spain (or in Mexico, Argentina... I do not forget myself of my readership of there), do not worry; perhaps soon come... or be able to do something to obtain one one. (We will see already, let's not move forward events...)