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:

ASUS P4B at one glance

The P4B certainly ranks among the best equipped boards in the retail market. Shipping contents include the 2-port USB module, the ASUS SPDIF module, separate cables for UATA and UDMA as well as the floppy disk connector cable (they finally ran out of those with the 5 ¼ drive connectors), some extra jumpers, the printed manual as well as the quick setup reference card as well as the installation CD. In typical ASUS fashion, the collaterals are flawless, including the description of the BIOS settings.

ASUS P4B. Brookdale (SDRAM) - based mainboard for the 478 pin P4. Note the EZ-Plug for auxiliary power next to the ATX power connector which allows use of an older power supply without the 4-prong connector

As usual, ASUS has released a high quality board, sporting 6 PCI expansion slots in addition to the CNR and AGP interfaces. ASUS relies entirely on the AC97 onboard sound with no additional sound chip to enhance sound quality. The P4B can be run entirely in jumper-free mode, however, for the unbelievers in softBIOS technology, a dip switch battery (10 switches) allows hard setting of both multiplier (8x-24x) and external CPU frequency at 100, 105, 111, 120 MHz (1/3 PCI divider) and 120, 125, 133 MHz (1/4 PCI divider). If jumperfree mode is selected, the Front Side Bus can be configured in the BIOS from 66 to 200 MHz, the same goes for the CPU multiplier, which, of course, only works with any of the unlocked Confidential engineering samples.

The core of the power supply circuitry is an old acquaintance, the Intersil HIP 6301CB. A programmable multiphase (2-4 phases) controller which, in this case, uses 3 phases for smooth current supply to the CPU.

A very spacious layout and a pre-mounted bracket for the CPU heat sink make installation of the CPU and HSF right out of the box a child's play. As usual, ASUS wasn't content with just throwing yet another Brookdale-based board on the market and has added a few nifty features.

next page:    => ASUS P4B continued =>