The ASUS P4P800S-E Deluxe is a bit different from the other motherboards in this roundup, as it utilizes the Intel 848P chipset. This chipset supports a great many performance features, such as the 800 MHz FSB and Hyper-Treading, but it leaves out one very important one: dual-channel DDR. This means that the ASUS P4P800S-E is the only single-channel DDR motherboard in this review, but with one big payoff, a lower retail price. The onboard features aren't bad either, and ASUS has included 6-channel audio, Gigabit LAN, Firewire, Serial ATA RAID (x2), and 8 x USB 2.0. This is a pretty high-end selection of onboard hardware, and along with a 1 AGP/5 PCI layout, ASUS also includes a proprietary slot for a Wi-Fi 802.11g add-on card.
The ASUS P4P800S-E may be a value motherboard, but it doesn't scrimp on the retail bundle. The retail package includes the motherboard, one black ASUS-branded Floppy cable, one black ASUS-branded ATA-66/100/133 cable, two SATA cables, one dual-prong SATA power adapter, a USB bracket, an I/O Shield, a driver CD, a Quick Setup Guide, and a 64-page hardcopy user manual. This combines a value priced configuration, along with all the required hardware, and even a few extras like the SATA power cable. There is also a Wireless Edition available that ships with a Wi-Fi adapter, which is also available separately at around $20.
The basic layout of the ASUS P4P800S-E is pretty good, with most of the peripheral connections being well designed. The CPU socket and retention clips are free of obstructions, the DDR socket placement is nice, and the main floppy and IDE connectors are in the top-right side of the board, which is pretty well an ASUS standard. The two SATA connectors are further down the board, though potentially a bit too close for longer AGP cards.
The only real layout issue is the placement of the secondary ATX power connector. The primary ATX cord is attached right behind the floppy/IDE connectors, but like some other boards in this roundup, the P4P800S-E secondary ATX connector is below and to the right of, the CPU socket. This means snaking the ATX power cable around the CPU, which isn't the most elegant solution.
Installation of the ASUS P4P800S-E is quite easy, but there are a few caveats to keep in mind. The first we mentioned above, and this involves a bit more work getting the secondary ATX power cable attached and positioned correctly. The second thing to keep in mind, is that although the board features three DIMM sockets, only two of them are usable with standard double-sided DDR. Other than that, the physical install went off without a hitch, and the Windows XP/driver load was totally seamless. The ASUS P4P800S-E is also a full-sized ATX design, so you won't have to worry about board overhang or flexing.
The ASUS P4P800S-E may be a value-oriented motherboard, but ASUS has included a ton of overclocking features which rival even its higher-end products. The System BIOS includes 1 MHz FSB adjustment (up to 400 MHz), along with CPU core, AGP and DDR voltage selections. The maximum voltages are on-par with the i865PE and i875P ASUS motherboards, and there is even an option to increase DDR clock speeds up to 533 MHz. This is a very useful feature on a single-channel DDR motherboard like this, as upping the DDR speed will offer higher performance, theoretically up to the equivalent 800 MHz FSB. The P4P800S-E also features an AMI BIOS, which is fine for a value-oriented product like this, even though we prefer the Award format.
The ASUS P4P800S-E Deluxe is an interesting combination of features and value, as it incorporates onboard hardware similar to the higher-end Deluxe models from ASUS, but also uses the Intel 848P chipset to lower costs and come it at a more attractive price. Of course, it can't match the memory or sub-system test scores of the dual-channel DDR boards, but it does stay competitive in the game tests. The P4P800S-E Deluxe is a great choice for users who want a ton of onboard extras, but still need to bring the cost under $100.
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