• Intel 865PE chipset

As you can see by its name, today we're dealing with a revised P4P800 board version. So, what does SE stand for? It obviously means Second Edition, although it will hardly be a mistake to call it Speed Edition too. Generally speaking, it represents a further evolution of the popular mainboard line. In this case, the package has been enriched and according to the manufacturer, performance has improved (see tests results to check this statement in practice). We were provided with a Gold board for the testing, and it was only different from standard-series ones in a new LAN controller. The whole ASUS P4P800<…> series looked the following way at the moment this article was being written: P4P800S, P4P800S SE, P4P800 [Deluxe], P4P800 SE (this board), P4P800-E Deluxe [Wireless Edition].

The layout (including the weaks) is typical of this brand. The allocation of the left-edge row of connectors is habitually inconvenient and audio connectors are placed before the PCI slots. Besides, an installed graphic board will block the clips of the DIMM connectors while access to the latter will be hampered by closely set connectors. The jumpers briefly described on the PCB will not be easily accessed after the board is installed into the case. The +5 V Standby voltage is indicated by a green LED. The triple-channel CPU voltage regulator has 6 x 1500 µF and 3 x 1200 µF capacitors. The AGP bus and memory voltage regulators have 2 x 1000 µF and 4 less capacious x 1000 µF capacitors, respectively.

The following onboard elements are laid out but not soldered: places for a FireWire chip with connectors, for IDE RAID with connectors, for the controller and the memory chip that ensure POST Reporter functioning, and an SMBus connector. The board measures 305x245 mm (a wide ATX, nine-screw mount, firm fixation). A Winbond W83627THF-A is used to control:

• CPU voltage , +3.3, +5, and +12 V;
• RPM of 3 fans;
• CPU and board temperatures (with the help of the corresponding built-in sensors).

Onboard ports, sockets, and connectors

• CPU Socket 478;
• 4 x DDR SDRAM DIMM (coloured differently and grouped in pairs);
• 1 x AGP (with a clip);
• 5 x PCI (32 bits, 33 MHz);
• 1 x WiFi (for a proprietary extension card);
• Standard ATX and 4-pin 12 V;
• 1 x FDD;
• 2 x IDE (Parallel ATA), both in the chipset;
• 2 x SATA (Serial ATA), both in the chipset;
• 2 x USB (2.0) headers;
• 1 x COM;
• 1 x Game;
• 1 x CD/DVD Audio;
• 1 x AUX-IN Audio;
• 1 x Modem-In Audio;
• 1 x CI sensor;
• Headers for additional Audio-Outs and S/PDIF;
• 3 x fan connectors (all enable RPM control).

Back panel (left to right, blockwise)

• PS/2 mouse and keyboard;
• LPT, Coaxial-type S/PDIF, 1 x COM;
• 2 x USB;
• 2 x USB, 1 x RJ-45 (Gigabit Ethernet);
• 3 x Audio (Mic-In, Line-In, Front).

Bundle

• Standard-design package;
• Documentation: user manual in English, brief installation and setting guide in 12 languages (including Russian);
• 1 x ATA66/100/133, 1 x ATA33, 1 x FDD (all black, with the company's logo), 2 x Serial ATA;
• Back panel strap with 2 x USB and 1 x Game;
• I/O shield;
• 2 CDs with software:
  • necessary drivers;
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader;
  • PC-Cillin 2002;
  • ASUS AI Booster;
  • ASUS Live Update;
  • ASUS PCProbe;
  • ASUS Screensaver;
  • Winbond Voice Editor;
  • Intervideo WinDVD;
  • Intervideo WinDVD Creator;
  • Intervideo WinRip;
  • DirectX 8.1.

Integrated controllers

• Analog Devices AD1985 AC'97 5.1 codec based audio controller with front Audio I/O and S/PDIF connectors;
• Marvell 88E8001-LKJ based LAN controller supporting 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T.

The integrated audio quality was tested in 16 bits, 44 kHz, using the RightMark Audio Analyzer 5.2 test program and the Terratec DMX 6fire sound card:

Total: Very good (details).

Proprietary technologies

• ASUS AI Net (the LAN controller identifies cable damage, using a diagnostic utility);
• ASUS CrashFree2 BIOS (BIOS restoration from a floppy or a boot CD);
• ASUS Q-Fan Technology (fan rpm change according to the temperature);
• ASUS EZ Flash (BIOS updating without loading the OS);
• ASUS MyLogo 2 (displaying a graphic logo instead of a standard BIOS picture);
• ASUS AI Audio (the LAN controller identifies right/wrong jack connection);
• ASUS WiFi@Home (a proprietary onboard connector).

Settings

We used BIOS 1003 beta 001, the latest available version for the moment of testing. The mentioned BIOS parameters are available in the version, but the viability of non-standard settings hasn't been tested.

Test results:

• Dual-channel SiS and VIA chipsets for Pentium 4: SiS655TX and PT880
• Second wind of ASUS P4P800 boards: What Does SE Stand for?

Dmitry Mayorov (destrax@ixbt.com) 16.06.2004