Warp Speed with Rambus: Six Boards for PC1066

Asus P4T533: The Only Board With 32 Bit RDRAM Support

The Asus P4T533 packaging.

View of the Asus P4T533.

A comparison with the P4T533-C shows that the P4T533 variant is significantly more advanced, especially considering the fact that it has a 32 bit Rambus interface. Because the memory module is not yet available on the market in the 32 bit form factor, Asus generally delivers the board with memory modules. A 256 MB module is bundled with the package, and that's it. The manufacturer offers the motherboard in two versions. The first version is bundled with PC4200 memory that runs at 533 MHz. The cost for this package is $375.

The accessories that come with the Asus P4T533.

The absolute highlight: the innovative fan controller "Q Fan" enables almost noiseless operation, provided that you have the appropriate cooler.

The second version comes with PC3200 memory with a 400 MHz clock, thereby reducing the cost by about $20. A factory upgrade to 512 MB RDRAM is not possible. The rest of the board's features make a positive impression: a Promise RAID controller; six PCI slots; an AGP Pro slot; USB 2 functionality; and a six-channel sound chip. In the performance benchmarks, the Asus P4T533 lands just behind its brother, the P4T533-C with 16 bit memory technology. However, you do have to pay a pretty high price for it.