Still not all there but not bad just the same
Written: Dec 23 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Affordable motherboard for Intel Socket 478 processors from a big brand
Cons: Lacks modern features : support for SerialATA, 800Mhz frontside busspeed(FSB) and dualchannel DDR400 memory
The Bottom Line: The X-files, oops I mean X-series of Asustek motherboards compare well to their bigger brothers, the cutbacks are minimal while most of the important goodies remain.
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| isvikthere's Full Review: ASUS P4S8X-X Motherboard |
Introduction
Well there is no way I can review this motherboard for Intel Pentium4-type socket 478 processors without referring to my earlier review of the Asus P4S-533 found here : http://www.epinions.com/content_82226810500
Because in that review I regret the fact that the P4S533 lacks certain features that its successor the P4S8X-X does have.
The Board
I haven't managed to find any reference to what the last X in the model number really stands for but it's my educated guess that it's something to do with a line of value (=budget?) motherboards, where the word value has to be understood as "being a bit less equipped" than the top-of-the-range Asustek motherboards. And it is not to be misunderstood for some cheap rubbish.
Those of you familiar with motherboards know that the most important feature to be found on them is their chipset, this chipset is really the heart of the beast and controls all of the motherboard functions.
Quick Specifications Summary
In the case of the P4S8X-X it's the SiS 648 that is at the heart of the matter. It includes support for Intel's Hyper-Threading Technology, accomodates Intel P4 processors up to and over 3.06GHz, it supports AGP 8X videocards, hence the 8X in the model name, it has an S/PDIF out connector, supports USB 2.0, an up to 533MHz FSB. So alas no support for the latest of the Intel processors that support 800 Mhz busspeeds, and this is, on paper the only disadvantage this exact mainboard has compared to other Asustek offerings with different chipsets.
For the full specifications see further down.
My thoughts
I've been using the motherboard for some months now in my main system and although I really appreciate the onboard features the P4S8X-X has over the older P4S533 I do have the distinct impression that the P4S533 is the stabler of the two. Is it because the onboard sound, network and USB 2.0 garble up resources ? I don't know, but I did run the Sisoft Sandra 2003 benchmark on both boards with same processor and memory modules installed and the older board came out on top, even when its SiS 645DX chipset internal transfer is supposed to be only half that of the SiS 648.
Apart from this the two boards are quite similar with similar strengths, especially in the very elaborate BIOS settings.
One strange thing did happen, with the Asusprob hardware monitor programme the readings for Processor and Motherboard temperature get reversed on the P4S8X-X, it took me a while to realise that my motherboard temperature could never be that high, while in fact it was the processor temperature that was indicated and vice versa.
The P4S8X-X also lacks the connector for Asus'Ipanel which the P4S533 does have. I don't know whether this was done to save money or if Asus has stopped adding it to their boards.
Also the onboard sound chipsets on the two motherboards are not the same although both claim six channel audio support. Why Asus changed from the CMI8738 C-Media chip on the P4S533 to the SoundMAX chip (made by Sensaura) on the P4S8X-X, I do not know, and I'm afraid having to give here again the advantage to the older motherboard.
P4S8X-X specifications details
For which processors was this board designed ? Well for Socket 478 for Intel Pentium 4 / Celeron CPUs up to and above 3.06GHz and it supports Intel Hyper-Threading Technology
Chipset specifications : the Northbridge is the SiS 648 and the southbridge is the SiS 963L for a frontside bus of 533 or 400 MHz. One of the main features of this chipset is the MuTIOL Technology. The P4S8X-X supports high-bandwidth DDR333 and unique MuTIOL technology that increases the bus speed between the northbridge and southbridge to 1GB/sec.
You can insert up to three 184-pin DDR DIMM modules. The board has a support for maximum 3GB of PC2700/PC2100/PC1600 non-ECC DDR SDRAM memory. The motherboard has one AGP8X slot. AGP8X (AGP 3.0) is the last generation of the AGP VGA interface specification before the much awaited PCI-express (due to be launched in 2004) will arrive. AGP 8X enables enhanced graphics performance with high bandwidth speeds up to 2.12GB/s. With a bus of 533MHz, AGP8X is theoretically twice as fast as AGP 4X. Don't expect your games to run twice as fast though.
Available Expansion Slots
6 x PCI IDE Note : with all the on-board stuff (Lan/Sound/USB2.0) I really wouldn't know what other 6 PCI cards you would want to install, but it's always nice to keep your options open.
2 x UltraDMA 133/100/ 66/33 supporting four devices: so no serial ATA support here !
There is on-board Audio AC㥩 compliant (3D) audio with 6-channel audio support and S/PDIF-out interface and also an Integrated network controller by LAN SiS 963 integrated 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet with external Realtek RTL8201BL
Like most latest generation Asustek motherboards the P4S8X-X has advanced motherboard health monitoring features through PHY HardWare Monitoring with 2 fanspeed sensors, and monitoring 4 Voltages and 2 Temperatures (CPU and motherboard). All these settings are read out both in the BIOS as in the Asus PC probe software running under the latest Windows operating systems. In Asusprobe you can customise the alert levels.
The board also has these special Asus features :
- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 with BIOS Auto-Recovery Tool,
which means that if you get your settings wrong e.g. by pushing your processor or memory over their physical limits the system reverts automatically to the default settings on the next reboot.
- ASUS BIOS EZ Flash (simplifies the tedious flashing of the bios)
- Wake on Ring, Lan, USB, Keyboard & Mouse
- STR (Suspend-to-RAM)
- STD (Suspend-to-Disk)
- Overclock Features CPU & Memory & AGP voltage
- adjustable FSB frequency per 1MHz step (SFS)
- AGP/PCI Asynchronous Mode with FSB
- ASUS C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall)
On the backpanel you find following in and out (I/O) Ports :
1 x Parallel
1 x Serial
1 x PS/2 Keyboard
1 x PS/2 Mouse
1 x Audio I/O
1 x RJ45 LAN
1 x S/PDIF -out
4 x USB 2.0
There are some additional internal I/O Connectors for
1 x USB 2.0 connector support additional 2 USB 2.0 ports
1 x Game Port
CD / AUX audio in
CPU / Chassis FAN connectors
20 pin ATX Power connector
4 pin ATX 12V Power connector
20 Pin Panel connector (for speaker, HD LED, reset switch, soft power on/off, Power LED, etc.)
4-1 pin chassis intrusion connector
Intel Front Panel Audio Connector
BIOS Feature :
2Mb Flash ROM, Award BIOS, TCAV, PnP, DMI2.3.1, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.3
The board supports followoing Industry Standards
PCI 2.2, USB 1.1, USB 2.0, WfM 2.0, DMI 2.3.1
Software on the included CD :
ASUS PC Probe
Trend Micro PC-cillin 2002 anti-virus software with Windows® XP support (OEM version)
ASUS LiveUpdate Utility
Also in the box are :
- a thin User's manual
- 1 (one) UltraDMA 133 / 100 / 66 cable, obviously it is better than none but two would have been better still as we all have at least a primary harddrive and a CD-player/burner we both like to run as master
- a Floppy DiskDrive cable
The motherboard has an ATX Form Factor of 12"x 9.6" (30.5cm x 24.5cm) dimensions
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 70
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Epinions.com ID:
isvikthere
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Reviews written: 46
Trusted by: 14 members
About Me:
Amongst other things, a computer hardware enthusiast who writes only about things I know/own.
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