Chipset Comparison Table
Header Cell - Column 0 | 925XE | 925X | 915P |
---|---|---|---|
Processors | Pentium 4 | Pentium 4 | Pentium 4, Celeron D |
FSB Speed | 200 MHz QDR266 MHz QDR | 200 MHz QDR | 200, 133 MHz QDR |
Hyper Threading | Supported | Supported | Supported |
Max. Memory | 4 GB (non-ECC only) | 4 GB | 4 GB |
Memory Type | DDR2-400, DDR2-533 | DDR2-400, DDR2-533 | DDR400, DDR2-400, DDR2-533 |
Memory Modes | Single Or Dual Channel | Single Or Dual Channel | Single Or Dual Channel |
Graphics | PCI Express x16 | PCI Express x16 | PCI Express x16 |
PCI Express | 4 Slots PCIe x11 Slot PCIe x16 | 4 Slots PCIe x11 Slot PCIe x16 | 4 Slots PCIe x11 Slot PCIe x16 |
PCI Slots | 6 PCI 2.3 Bus Masters, 32 Bit | 6 PCI 2.3 Bus Masters, 32 Bit | 6 PCI 2.3 Bus Masters, 32 Bit |
Storage Controller | 1 UltraATA/1004 SATA-150 | 1 UltraATA/1004 SATA-150 | 1 UltraATA/1004 SATA-150 |
USB Ports | 8 USB 2.0 Ports | 8 USB 2.0 Ports | 8 USB 2.0 Ports |
Network Interface | 100 MBit MACGbE via PCIe | 100 MBit MACGbE via PCIe | 100 MBit MACGbE via PCIe |
Audio Support | HD Audio 24 Bit192 kHzAC97 2.3 | HD Audio 24 Bit192 kHzAC97 2.3 | HD Audio 24 Bit192 kHzAC97 2.3 |
Click to enlarge !Memory Setups
FSB | Ratio | Memory |
---|---|---|
FSB800 | 1:1 | DDRII-400 |
FSB800 | 1:1.33 | DDRII-533 |
FSB800 | 1:1.5 | DDRII-600 |
FSB1066 | 1:0.75 | DDRII-400 |
FSB1066 | 1:1 | DDRII-533 |
FSB1066 | 1:1.33 | DDRII-711 |
While many people expected the 925XE to support DDR2-667 memory, Intel has stuck to DDR2-533. Faster memory would clearly have sped up the whole system - please see the benchmark section for details - but two reasons speak against early deployment of this technology. First, DDR2-667 is still much more expensive than DDR2-533. Second, running a 333 MHz memory interface clock for DDR2-667 would require operating the RAM asynchronously, something that Intel has always tried to avoid.
Despite Intel’s decision, there is in fact a way to operate DDR2 memory far beyond DDR2-533 specs. By simply selecting the memory ratio that is required to match DDR2-533 when running FSB800, the memory will automatically run at DDR2-711 when the FSB is increased to FSB1066. In other words, when selecting the 1 to 1.33 ratio you would use to run DDR2-533 on FSB800, when you move to the 266 MHz FSB of FSB1066, you will be running the memory bus at 266 * 1.33 = 355.6 MHz, which means DDR2-711.
While you won’t be able to operate DDR2-533 modules highly overclocked at DDR2-711, any branded DDR2-667 should be able to reach that speed easily. So far, we’ve tried modules from Corsair, Crucial and GeIL and easily hit the desired speeds with tolerant timings.