Although ASUS earned their reputation for well-built products based on Intel chipsets, lately it seems as VIA-based boards are taking the spotlight. Between the K7V, K7M, and CUV4X, ASUS has garnered the title for stability on VIA’s latest chipsets, something previously missing from the product lines of other OEMs. Now, it is once again ASUS’ turn to dance with Intel, and from a feature standpoint, every move has obviously been well rehearsed.

Measuring 8.2” x 12”, the CUSL2 fit nicely into any of our mid-tower ATX test beds. As always, ASUS has done an admirable job of engineering their product to take advantage of as much PCB real estate as is available. Our board didn’t come equipped with onboard audio, but the space is available, should ASUS pick up on the demand for such an option.

The AMR that often appeared on i820 boards has conveniently disappeared, replaced by a pair of CNR slots. While the other i815 boards we’ve seen usually only sport one such expansion slot, ASUS’ inclusion of an additional Communications and Networking Riser may be a glimpse into the future. Technologies that will be available on the CNR bus include audio, USB hubs, 10/100 Ethernet cards and even DSL in the future. Whether or not CNR will be a successful option remains to be seen.

Since the i815E is designed to support the Coppermine and Celeron families, the CPU interface is strictly Socket 370. As a result, there should be no problem using an oversized heatsink or Peltier cooler for overclocking, given that component layout around the Socket is well thought out. The placement of the ATX power connector resembles traditional ASUS design, and makes working with IDE connections a bit of a hassle.

Intel’s ICH2 is the first available chipset component to natively support DMA/100 for faster IDE transfers. This bodes well for future proofing the i815E, but for the time being, our impression of DMA/100 hasn’t been one of overwhelming awe. Also incorporated into the ICH2 are dual USB controllers, for a total of four supported USB ports.

One large drawback to the i815E is a 512MB memory limit. It's likely Intel capped the maximum SDRAM limit to protect their i820 lines, making the KX/KT133’s 1.5GB limit more attractive to those who require large amount of memory.