With the KX18D Pro II based on the newer C1 stepping of the nForce2-SPP/nForce2 Ultra 400, we were pretty sure the motherboard would have the potential to be a good overclocker. We were right.

Starting at 200 MHz FSB with a AMDAthlonXP 3200+, I immediately lowered the multiplier to 8x so the processor wouldn't hold me back. Slowly I began to raise the FSB, and 210 MHz soon passed as well as the 215 MHz mark.

At 217 MHz FSB we encountered some stability problems, but raising the memory voltage solved that we were able to continue. In the end, the final speed we hit while maintaining the most aggressive memory timings was 230 MHz FSB.

With SPD memory timings we were able to run at a very nice 234 MHz FSB, however performance was lower than that of 230 MHz FSB with aggressive memory timings.

Just for testing I ran the board with my best overclocking DIMM (single channel mode) and it booted WindowsXP all the way up to 242 MHz FSB. Unfortunately the system was extremely unstable, but still, that's a rather impressive number for those of you interested in this field.

The Advanced Chipset Features look almost identical to that of other nForce2 motherboards. You can go from 100-300 MHz FSB pretty much in 1 MHz increments (sometimes the board skips 1 MHz here and there). There are a whole load of memory dividers, but for best performance we ran 1:1. We have come to expect the ability to change the memory timings when dealing with Albatron motherboards.

Albatron give the end user complete multiplier control for unlocked Athlon processors. CPU voltage goes to a sky high 2.65V... however I can't see anyone ever going above 1.95V if they're using air cooling. With no mounting holes and little space around the CPU socket it's a bit of a Catch 22. AGP voltage goes as high as 1.8V, DDR can go to 3.0V, and the chipset can be feed with up to 1.9V. Perhaps Albatron can release a new revision that includes the four mounting holes or clears out the CPU socket area a bit better. I'd love to slap my Prometeia on the KX18D Pro II with all its voltage options!