DDR333 for P4: 16 Boards with Intel 845G - Part I

Acorp 4D845G: The Weaknesses In Detail

An interesting tote bag for buying hardware and other practical things. This is the best, most creative packaging in the entire test field - however, it is not a factor in the test itself!

The Acorp 4D845G - without the optional RAID controller for eight IDE devices.

The Acorp stands out from the test candidates because of the front panel (Smart Panel II) included in the package. This consists of a COM port, two USB 2 interfaces, Port 80 LEDs, a switch for the Dual BIOS function, and audio-in/out. The second BIOS chip is on a separate board, which is installed on a slot.

The 5.25" front panel with numerous ports.

An alternative method: Dual BIOS achieved by plugging in a small board.

The board layout has space for a Promise RAID controller, including additional IDE interfaces, although the version we tested did not come with these components. The colorful interfaces and slots, which are particularly popular in the Asian market, are striking. Another aspect that stood out: after the delete process of the CMOS chip, the USB keyboard was no longer active. This leaves the user in the lurch if there is no PS/2 keyboard available. Acorp should definitely address this problem with its next BIOS update. In the benchmark scores, Acorp doesn't cut such a bad figure: on average, the board lands in the top third of the test field, behind Asus, Gigabyte, Aopen and Jetway. This board is geared towards price-conscious customers, who also get a spiffy tote bag along with the board itself.

A bare IDE interface.