October 2003 High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 3

Pentium 4 Motherboard: ASUS P4P800 Deluxe

Current Cost: $129
Months on list: 4
Price Change: -$6

The Intel 865PE chipset is still our chipset of choice for 800MHz FSB-based Intel processors, as it fits perfectly into our price-performance matrix. The chipset is built upon the 875P, and is geared for mid to high-end users who want the performance of the 875P, but at a lower price. The 865PE chipset supports dual-channel memory in addition to the new 800MHz FSB Pentium 4 processors.

We have grown very fond of the ASUS P4P800 motherboard. Based on the 865PE chipset the board has 800MHz FSB support, dual-channel DDR memory and Serial ATA support. The board's overclocking and tweaking options (especially the fine Vcore and FSB controls) allow us to push our Pentium 4 chips further than other boards. The motherboard also experienced a slight price drop this month, bringing it down to about $129.

Athlon XP Motherboard: ASUS K8V Deluxe

Current Cost: $142
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

While we made the move to the Athlon 64 3200+ this month, we needed to upgrade our A7N8X to make room for a newer board and chipset that supports the 754-pin configuration of the chip. ASUS' new K8V Deluxe motherboard fit the bill perfectly, especially in terms of retail price, features and performance.

The K8V Deluxe uses VIA's recently introduced K8T800 chipset, has an incredible wealth of onboard features, and supports AMD's high-speed point-to-point HyperTransport link between integrated circuits. In addition to the usual ASUS BIOS features and tweaks, the board also supports of number of integrated components. Dual SATA RAID, Firewire, 6-channel audio, USB 2.0, and a built-in 3COM Gigabit LAN are among the extra features on the Deluxe version of the board.