One thing is a paper launch and another when something is actually available to buy.

I'd trust the reviewers as they were the first ones to get a working motherboard from the manufacturers.

Aopen AX6BC fits this description pretty well and the documentation seems to confirm it (manual says it released in 1998).

On the other hand, the board I have is dated 1999 and the bios is also from 1999.

Deksor wrote:

The question is in a title : was there a BX based motherboards with 5 PCI slots, 1 AGP and 2 isa that have been released in 1998 ?

I need this information to know what do I need for a very specific build. All reviews I can find on the Abit BX6 2 and the Asus P2B-F are from early 1999, not even late 1998, even though on archive.org, I can view Abit's website from dec 6 speaking about the BX6 2 and I've also seen in the manual of the P2B-F writings claiming that it was released in 1998.

Thanks in advance 😀

Have a look here http://www.uncreativelabs.de/th99/m/mpii_i.htm

Alas, I don't know one from top of my head. I suppose most Slot 1 boards had at least 3 ISA slots at the time?

Abit BH6 comes to mind.

I've checked the BH6 and it only has 4 PCI slots ... only the BH6 2 has 5

However the Aopen might be the one I'm looking for. The review found on the internet is only Jan 16. Knowing that a review can take a while, and that the manufacturer says that it have been released in late november, this motherboard was probably available for consumer market in december, even though the demand might have been quite high against the offer since it was christmas time and that this was a brand new product

Check these pictured on eBay.
All have 5 PCI, 2 ISA, and one AGP.

Weird, I've seen an old review saying that BH6 2 had 5 pci slots while the BH6 only had 4. Looking on google showed me motherboards having 4 and 5 pci slots. I assumed that it was only a mistake made by people between the two versions

The original factory BIOS info for my Quantex (Biostar OEM ?) P2B-NB a.k. M6TBD is
11/13/1998-i440BX-SMC67X-2A69KB0EC-00

The most recent update BIOS says
02/10/1999-i440BX-SMC67X-2A69KB0EC-00 .

It is a poorly documented OEM board, so an official availability date is difficult, but it does have 5 PCI slots, 2 ISA slots and 1AGP slot .
Date codes on the visible components seem to be from mid to latish 1998 .

download/file.php?id=27753&mode=view

CORRECTION : The first version BX6 apparently did not have 5 PCI slots . My bad.
On a related note, my first 440BX based board was an Abit BX6 (first version, not 2.0) and I am fairly certain I purchased it in the Autumn of 1998 . I acquired a Mendocino Celeron 300 at the same time . This board had the same slot configuration .

Deksor wrote:

I've checked the BH6 and it only has 4 PCI slots ... only the BH6 2 has 5

Deksor wrote:

Weird, I've seen an old review saying that BH6 2 had 5 pci slots while the BH6 only had 4. Looking on google showed me motherboards having 4 and 5 pci slots. I assumed that it was only a mistake made by people between the two versions

I think you were seeing Abit BX6 r1/r2. I'm fairly sure there was no BH6-2. I had a BH6 in 1998.

I can confirm the Abit BH6. I built my first computer with it in 1998. It has 1 AGP, 5 PCI and 2 ISA (1 ISA and 1 PCI are shared - perhaps what you saw as comments about it having only 4 PCI referred to the fact that if both ISA are used then you can use only 4 of the PCI slots, which is true; BTW this is also true of the BX6, and most if not all motherboards with 5PCI+2ISA).
You can use a maximum of 7 cards at the same time: either 1AGP+5PCI+1ISA, or 1AGP+4PCI+2ISA.

It's one of my favorite motherboards of all time.