Has everything you need for less
Written: Jul 25 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good overclocking abilities; DDR333 support; lots of cool extras; low price!
Cons: No PCI divider; USB issues; only 4 banks of memory supported; 166Mhz FSB limit
The Bottom Line: Cost effective, very good for overclocking, universally fits most user's needs, but watch out for the 4 bank memory limitation.
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| dragoon101's Full Review: ASUS P4S533 Intel Socket 478 |
This review will focus primarily upon the extra features the m/b has in comparison to others. Other motherboard manufacturers and models provide additional features which this m/b does NOT include such as USB 2.0 support. However, Asus has put together a great little motherbaord that suits all of my current needs. Who needs USB 2.0 anyways? I sure don't.. at least not until I buy a USB 2.0 compliant component.
This board supports the Intel Pentium 4 socket 478 line of CPUs. Notably, the board uses SiS's 645DX northbridge chipset which provides true 533Mhz functionality. The Asus P4S333 m/b did not run at 533Mhz. This new spec brings things into line with Intel's line of 533Mhz FSB CPUs. As you'll notice, Intel's CPUs used to be 400Mhz FSB. The 533Mhz (increase of 133Mhz) may not seem like much but it's a actually a lot faster. I won't get into the technical details here but just know that if you are intending to overclock your CPU, an Intel 2.26Ghz CPU is ideal for this board. Many overclockers have claimed to get over 3Ghz out of this exact same chip and motherboard combination.
So, what's so great about this board?
- DDR333 Support
DDR memory is cheaper than Rambus memory and pretty close in performance. Plus you don't have to deal with all that business about filling up all the memory sockets to complete the circuit. While DDR333 officially translates to PC2700, note that this board does indeed take higher speeds such as PC3000 and PC3200. The only thing you must keep in mind is that the board just may not utilize the full potential of those chips unless you overclock it. I purchased Mushkin PC3000 sticks and they work great with this board. The board has 3 sockets for DDR sticks.
One big problem here is that the SiS 645DX chipset limits the total memory to 4 banks (electronically). So if you have one stick of PC2700 which has 4 banks on it, you have maxed out the amount of memory you can install in this board. For example, 1st generation Samsung PC2700 512MB sticks have 4 banks. If you use this stick, you'll be maxed out at 512MB.
- Asus MyLOGO
You can change your boot up logo. Gimmicky but cool.
- Asus Q-Fan
Adjusts CPU fan speed from low (low temp) to high (high temp). Kind of useless for the hardcore overclockers though. This is likely useless as well for people who purchase thermal-sensing power supplies.
- POST-Reporter
Gives you VOICE signals on what's going on with your system! And.. you can even customize those voices with your own. So instead of listening to 4 short beeps, 1 long beep, etc... and then deciphering those, you hear it in plain english.
- EZ Plug
If you are upgrading from an old system which uses the old power supplies, this plug will be your friend. New generation P4 systems all require new power supplies. However, this port on the board allows you to use your old power supply and just plug one your existing molex +5v connectors (same one you would plug into a cd-rom drive) into the board! Saves you cash... but you should probably buy a new power supply anyways (i'll bet you've only got a 250W which is pretty low and unstable compared to today's higher quality power supplies).
- Memory Card reader jacks
You can purchase an optional socket/jack which plugs straight into the motherboard for reading all your flash memory cards (CF, etc.)
- Includes 2 USB ports on a backplate adaptor in addition to the USB headers built into the board. Great!! Just make sure you download SiS' USB patch from their website. There have been problems with some of the ports not working and/or the secondary ide port not functioning in conjunction with the USB headers.
- Optional Asus IPANEL - I wrote a review on this sucker myself. Basically you can add a 5.25" panel to your computer which interfaces with the m/b to give you fan speeds, FSB/mem frequencies, temperatures, voltages, system status indicators, ports, etc. Great options which no other board manufacturer offers.
- Overclocking!!
The board isn't entirely "jumperless" as the Abit boards are known for. You can choose to select FSB frequencies using the dip switches, or ideally, don't touch the dip switches and you can adjust the FSB in the BIOS. However, note that upping the VCORE past 1.7 or upping the DDR voltages require you to set physical jumpers on the board. This is probably a safety precaution to make sure you don't fry anything by getting greedy. Why are those jumpers even necessary? When you overclock, your CPU/memory requires greater voltage to get that extra oomph out of it. The drawback is that your CPU/mem get hotter than it would at stock speeds.
The FSB is adjustable in 1Mhz increments. Great! Only problem is the range of adjustments are from 100Mhz-166Mhz. I've heard of people using other motherboards to get higher than 166Mhz on FSB but it's not a very successful thing for most people. By the way, 133=stock speed for 533Mhz FSB chips like the 2.26Ghz (133Mhz X 4) - this is what they call "quad-pumped). However, the drawback here is that as you increaase the FSB of the board, the PCI goes up as well! While your CPU might be able to crank out a few more at those speeds, your PCI cards are less forgiving. Ideally, a PCI divider would be selectable so you could lower the PCI speed via a ratio. Unfortunately, this board does not have it. Instead, the board automatically sets the ratios with the 133Mhz mark being the borderline between lowering the PCI speed.
The memory speed can be adjusted as well. Ratios are provided for you. Using these ratios, you can set the memory frequency to match the speed of your chips. 1:1 is a great setting for when you overclock.
As I said before, this board is great for what it gives you. Asus also sells a board using Intel's comparable chipset but that uses Rambus memory. This board is definitely for the price conscious. Why buy a board with tons of gizmos when you're never going to use them???
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 100.00
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Epinions.com ID:
dragoon101
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: California, USA
Reviews written: 54
Trusted by: 7 members
About Me:
I am musician, audiophile and an attorney who enjoys fine quality electronics.
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