A flexible BIOS
| Item | Specifications |
|---|---|
| CPU FSB | 66MHz-500MHz (1MHz increments) (based on reference clock) |
| CPU multiplier | CPU Min. (x6 to x12 in 1x increments) - depends upon CPU |
| Memory bus multiplier | x6 (800MHz), x8 (1,066MHz), x10 (1,333MHz), x12
(1,600MHz), x14 (1,867MHz), x16 (2,133MHz) |
| CPU voltage | +10mV to +1260mW in 10mW increments (~1.25V - 2.5V) |
| CPU VTT |
+10mV to +1260mW in 10mW increments (~1.25V - 2.5V) |
| Memory voltage | 1.5V to 2.86V (>1.60V in 0.01V increments) |
| X58 IOH voltage | 1.1V-2.36V |
| ICH10 voltage | 1.4V- 1.80V |
Discussion
The voltage adjustments are ludicrous, but we don't mean that in a pejorative sense, because enthusiasts will just love the up-to 2.5V for the CPU - a sure-fire way of killing it if you don't have access to some supercooling - and 2.86V for the DDR3 RAM, What's cool is that you can adjust it from 1.60V-2.86V in super-granular fashion, right down to 0.01V.Other voltage adjustments and overall speed manipulations are just as impressive, and we like the fact that six memory-bus multipliers can offer up to 2,133MHz when running a CPU base clock of 133MHz.
Gallery
A plain-looking intro box belies the level of tweaking that's on offer. Phoenix AwardBIOSes are usually easy to navigate, even for novice users.
We updated the board to the P03 BIOS which should ship with full-production models that go on sale next month.
Jumping on over to the Quantum BIOS section where all the fine-tuning shenanigans take place, the intuitive interface makes it easy to see what's going on.
There are enough options, as usual, to require sub-sections for various parameters.
The range of options are listed in the above table, but Foxconn, sensibly, has enthusiast-orientated options in red, meaning that it's somewhat dangerous to input those if a) you don't know what they do, or b) there isn't sufficient cooling to negate the noisome affects of high voltage.
Each DIMM can be further fine-tuned in the section below.
And you're free to manually input timings. We kept a 6GB Crucial DDR3-1,066MHz CL7 pack at the default timings, however.
Intel's XMP profile option becomes visible once XMP-compatible memory is installed in the slots, and we had no problem in running a 6GB Corsair DDR3-1,600MHz kit with XMP activated.
With so many parameters to choose from, losing them should a clearing of the BIOS be required, would be an almighty inconvenience. That's why Foxconn offers eight backup slots in which you can save various settings.
With names such as Max CPU and 24/7 overclock, it's not hard to put a certain set of BIOS inputs into a category.
Summary
A bewildering array of options with a method of saving settings, the Foxconn Bloodrage's BIOS is above average, even for super-high-end boards.