Tabula Rasa: Six Boards for the Pentium 4

Asus P4T - The Fastest Board Tested

Of all six boards tested, the Asus P4T is the fastest. Its unusual design makes it a standout. Compared to the other motherboards, its CPU base has been placed closer to the middle of the board in order to allow shorter signal paths. However, a special base plate included with the board is necessary for its assembly. The CPU mounts supplied with a hinge for the cooler just ooze ergonomic design. A feather in Asus's hat was the fact that only their board allows for setting all the clock rates using DIP switches in addition to setting them in BIOS. Memory clock and the multiplier can be adjusted to various settings.

Asus is not without weaknesses, though. Some capacitors have been placed too close to the CPU base, which makes mounting a CPU fan often a difficult affair. The BIOS setup also doesn't show the CPU temperature anywhere near precisely enough. All in all, though, as a board for the Pentium 4, the Asus P4T is well done.

The CPU cooler and the condensers are spaced very close on the Asus P4T.

Of all the boards tested, only the Asus P4T has DIPswitches for setting the system clock rates and the multiplier.