3DVelocity would like to
thank Intel Corp
and especially Mathias Raeck and Graham Palmer for their help
and courtesy in providing this motherboard for review.
The chipsets -
The Pentium 4 hit the
shelves with support from only one chipset, that being Intel's
proprietary i850. Like the i840, it paired up with the 82801BA
(ICH2) using Intel's hub architecture technology. Because
i850 was designed specifically with P4's huge bandwidth in
mind, it could use only RDRAM capable of coping with the 3.2GB/S
data flow.
The chipsets, i845
-
Intel knew that if the
Pentium 4 was to become their mainstream desktop processor,
they somehow had to find a cheaper alternative to the i850/Rambus
boards, and the i845 was born.
Known internally as "Brookdale",
the i845 lowers the entry price to the world of the Pentium
4, but at what cost to performance? I say that because rather
than use RDRAM, the i845 chipset allows the use of regular
PC133 SDRAM, in fact it doesn't just allow the use of PC133,
it positively insists on it. Despite claims that the i845
is already able to support the superior DDR SDRAM, Intel won't
be allowing boards to use this combination until Q1 next year
(2002). If this seems rather strange, then we need to understand
the reasoning behind this decision. Some sources claim that
a licensing agreement signed by Intel with memory manufacturer
Rambus prohibits the use of any alternative memory technology
whose bandwidth exceeds 1.2 GB/Second until at least 2002.
Intel's official stance however is that internal testing is
ongoing, and that they refuse to release a board to market
that may not be 110% stable. We already know from VIA's controversial
P4X266 chipset that DDR is far better suited to the P4 than
humble SDR, but despite the benchmarks we don't know how i845
will perform using the same memory. The P4X266 chipset may
be the fastest non RDRAM performer at present, but I think
it's far too early to crown it just yet.
Let's set the record straight
here, the engineers at Intel aren't stupid. You don't design
a complex architecture like NetBurst without knowing a thing
or two about processor design, and on that basis I'm pretty
damned sure they don't need me or anybody else to tell them
that running a P4 with a memory technology that can't even
offer a third of the required transfer speeds is going to
effectively Kneecap that processor. So why risk it? Part of
the answer to that could be that SDRAM has incredibly low
latency, and in applications where the full bandwidth requirements
aren't utilised, SDRAM could theoretically offer fairly decent
performance. And just who are the people most likely to be
running software that places only moderate demands on memory
bandwidth? You guessed it, the mainstream desktop user, the
average Joe who swears by Intel for its stability and compatibility.
This isn't a chipset aimed at the hardcore gamer or the local
nuclear research centre, this is a first rung on the ladder
to P4 ownership for people who want the benefits of a Pentium
4 based system but without the costs associated with the i850
chipset, or business users who want the warm, fuzzy feeling
that comes from having "Intel Inside". Now whether
it was the right move is something I'll let you decide after
we've looked at the board and the benchmarks. First off though
let's look at i845's vital statistics.
i845, the specs
-
| FEATURES |
BENEFITS |
| 400 MHz system
bus |
Increased system
bandwidth for greater system responsiveness and
seamless user interaction |
| 256 bit Internal
data paths |
4x the internal
data transfer capability over previous generations |
| Intel® Hub Architecture |
Dedicated data
paths to deliver maximum bandwidth for I/O intensive
applications |
| PC133 SDRAM |
High-volume and
cost-effective memory technology |
| AGP4X interface |
High-bandwidth
interface for high-quality 2D, 3D, and video streams |
| LAN connect interface |
Multiple networking
options taking advantage of Intel® SingleDriver™
technology |
| Alert on LAN*
1.0 |
Emits an alert
in case of software failures or system intrusion,
even when the O/S is not present or the system is
suspended |
| Dual USB controllers |
Two controllers
for four ports, delivering a total USB bandwidth
of 24 Mbps |
| Ultra ATA/100 |
Takes advantage
of the latest industry innovations in HDD features
and performance |
| Intel®
Application Accelerator |
Software that
helps accelerate boot time and application launch
times |
| AC'97
Controller |
Excellent audio
quality, with up to six channels for full surround
sound capability including a simultaneous modem
connection |
| Communications
and Network Riser (CNR) card |
Allows flexibility
for multiple configurations on a single card to
extend USB, LAN, and audio |
| Low-power sleep
mode |
Energy savings |
|
A points worth noting
with regards the system bus. Unlike the PIII which ran off
133MHz, the P4 uses a 100MHz system bus to enable the quad
pumped 400MHz internal bus speed.
Page
4 - Intel's D845HV Desktop Board
