ASUS P4B266-E (i845D) Mainboard
|
The board has an excellent package of the new design. The P4B266 board
was redesigned as well.
Accessories:
- Package: a new design for this company;
- Documentation: a user manual in English; a short installation manual -
in 11 languages, a sticker with brief description of functional connectors
and switches;
- Cables: 2 ATA66/100 and 1 FDD;
- Bracket with two USB ports and a game port;
- Bracket with two USB ports;
- Bracket with gold-plated SPDIF connectors;
- Bracket for the rear panel;
- CD with software including:
- drivers;
- Adobe Acrobat Reader;
- Winbond Voice Edit;
- ASUS Update - for downloading a new BIOS version and updating it from the
Windows;
- ASUS Logo;
- PowerPlayer SE;
- PowerDVD;
- VideoLive Mail;
- ASUS Hotkey;
- Intel LDCM (LANDesk Client Manager);
- PC-Cillin 2000;
- ASUS PCProbe;
- Screensaver.
The layout is not the best. There is a great deal of elements in the
lower left-hand corner which also worsens air circulation. Audio-ins, SPDIF
connectors and a joystick port are unfortunately located in front of PCI
slots. It's also not easy to reach certain jumpers and switches.
The 3-channel switching voltage regulator incorporates 6 capacitors
of 3300 uF and 3 of 1200 uF.
The following controllers are integrated: C-Media CMI8738/PCI-6ch-MX
audio one supporting a 5.1 acoustic system; a network one based on the
chipset supporting 10 BaseT/100 BaseTX; IDE RAID one based on the Promise
PDC 20276 with ATA 33/66/100/133 and RAID 0 (striping) and 1(mirroring)
support; USB 2.0 bus one on the NEC D720100AS1 having 4 ports and back
compatible with USB 1.1 devices. The ITE I/O controller (IT8708F-A) provides
for smart card and MMC and SD card readers. Besides, there are connectors
for iPanel and front audio-outs.
The board incorporates the following ASUS technologies: MyLogo (changes
backdrops); EZ Plug (created for power units which do not comply with the
ATX 2.03 standard and allows applying additional +12 V); POST Reporter
(reports about problems occurred in course of booting; there are 9 languages
available, and it's possible load WAV files into the EEPROM).
Non-unsoldered connectors: none. This is the top model among those based
on the same PCB.
The system monitoring is supported by the ASIC ASB100 Bach chip. Processor
voltage (+/-3.3, +/-5 and +/-12 V), speed of 3 fans and temperatures
of the processor (a built-in sensor) and the board (a built-in sensor)
can be controlled. There are 3 connectors for adjustable connection of
fans.
Brief characteristics of the board: memory slots - 3 DDR SDRAM;
expansion slots - AGP/ 6 PCI/ CNR; I/O ports - 2 COM/ LPT/ 2 PS/2/ 4 USB
1.1/ 4 USB 2.0; dimensions - 305x245 mm.
Adjustment can be carried out with:
| jumpers and switches |
Jumper to choose an operating mode |
Jumper/JumperFree |
| Jumpers to change a CPU multiplier |
x8-x24 |
| Switches to change a FSB frequency |
100, 105, 111, 120, 125, 133 MHz |
| Jumper to enable/disable IDE RAID |
 |
| Jumper to make possible to start up a computer with a PS/2
keyboard |
|
| Jumper to choose memory voltage |
2.5, 2.6, 2.7 V |
| OverVoltage jumper to enlarge the range of CPU voltages |
|
| Jumper to make possible to start up a computer with USB
devices |
 |
| Jumper to choose an integrated speaker or LineOut for POST
Reporter |
|
| Jumper to enable an auto choice of audio-outs |
|
| Jumper to adjust a Bass/Center channel |
|
| Jumper to enable/disable a USB 2.0 controller |
|
| BIOS based on v6.00PG from Award |
Setup of memory timings |
+ |
CAS Latency, RAS to CAS Delay, RAS Precharge Delay, Active Precharge
Delay, Idle Timer |
| Setup of memory frequency |
+ |
DDR200/DDR266 |
| Setup of AGP bus |
+ |
|
| Setup of PCI bus |
+ |
|
| Changeable scaler of AGP and PCI buses |
- |
|
| Manual assignment of interrupts |
+ |
|
| Changeable FSB frequency |
+ |
In 1 MHz increments, 100-200 MHz |
| Changeable CPU multiplier |
+ |
x8-x50 |
| Changeable core voltage |
+ |
Normal:
Willamette 1,75-1,85 B
Northwood 1,5-1,7 B
OverVoltage:
Willamette 1,75-2,1 B
Northwood 1,5-1,75 B
Øaã 0,025 B |
| Changeable memory voltage |
- |
|
| Changeable chipset voltage |
- |
|
| Changeable AGP bus voltage |
- |
|
We used the latest available version of the BIOS - 1001.
We liked the board thanks to its good performance and a rich set of
functions. The only drawback is its price.
Test results:
Write a comment below. No registration needed!
|
|
 |
|
|
|
