Navigate: Advice Beginners BIOS Guide CPUs Links Mainboards Memory Network Storage Video/Sound Cards Contact Forum SiteMap Sponsors WebNews Home	.	.
Prices: CPU Intel P4 2.4C-800 P4 2.6C-800 P4 2.8C-800 P4 3.0-800 P4 3.2-800 AMD AthlonXP XP 1700+ XP 2000+ XP 2400+ XP 2500+ XP 2700+ XP 3000+ XP 3200+ Athlon64 Athlon64 3200+ Athlon64 FX-51 Opteron Opteron 240 Opteron 242 Opteron 244 Opteron 246 Memory Corsair Crucial Kingston Mushkin OCZ Search Prices:

After the launch of the 533 MHz FSB Pentium4 processors, SIS like any other core logic manufacturer revamped their North Bridge to accomodate the new speed grades by introducing the DX version of their established SIS 645 chipset. In addition to new FSB to memory ratios, the higher CPU clock speeds require faster switching power controllers. Moreover, while the market appears to be turning its back on the advanced communication riser (ACR), integrated high-quality audio solutions and on-board LAN are pushing their way into mainstream solutions and offer affordable, yet upgradeable highly integrated platforms. The ASUS implementation of the SIS 645DX chipset appears to follow this recipe to the letter. How much can one expect from a $100 mainboard, even if, or particularly when it is from ASUS? Where are the shortcomings of the P4S533 and what has really changed under the hood from the P4S333?

The major event in the CPU menagerie this year has been the comeback of Intel's Pentium4 which, by means of the Northwood core, finally has shed its juvenile inadequacies and grown into a serious processor with respect to both performance and clock speed. Simultaneous or rather causally connected to the maturation of the Pentium4, another main event has happened on the mainboard level, and that is the overwhelming chipset support for the P4 platform.

In fact, it appears as if we have never before seen a platform embraced to the same extent as the P4, either on the basis of licensing or else, without license, that is with the VIAP4X266-333 chipsets. To stick with the licensees, the probably most popular third party chipsets for the P4 are made by SIS, that is, we are looking at the 645 series and further, at the SIS 650 with its integrated SIS 315 graphics controller, to be followed soon by the SIS 648 ..... That, however, is an entirely different story we will have in the near future.

The SIS 645 chipset is certainly nothing that needs much more in-depth coverage. Neither is the migration from the 100 MHz quad-pumped FSB to a 133 MHz quad-pumped bus for the P4 any news and if we take both non-news together, we end up with some double-old news. Enter the SIS 645DX chipset featuring support for the 533 mbps (megabit /pin and second) transfer bandwidth. Under the hood, there aren't any deep changes, mostly what has happened is that some tuning has been performed to adjust the hardware to the faster speed and those adjustments are implemented on the board level rather than on the chipset. There may be the one or the other small revision within the chipset but we are not too concerned with those.

One of the questions that has bugged me personally has been, why even bother, with the original SIS 645 chipset and as implemented e.g. on the ASUS P4S333 there were no problems at all running any of the new B-series P4s at 133 / 533 MHz FSB. In other words, if we compare for example the P4S333 (SIS 645) with the P4S533 (SIS 645DX), what else has changed besides the name? Or, is it just a different name with a few relabeled parts to make the product look like it got a face-lift? For now, there are only a few hints, like higher clock speeds and power management but we will cover all these aspects in the following pages.

next page:    => At One Glance =>