ASUS P4P800S-E: Standing Out in the Crowd

Final Words

After taking a long, hard look at the ASUS P4P800S-E, we’ve come to the conclusion that it is, without a doubt, one of the best value Pentium 4 motherboards on the market. ASUS says that once the P4P800S-E hits the retail channel, it’ll sell for about $100 a pop. Not bad at all considering the onboard GbE Ethernet, IEEE 1394 FireWire, and WiFi capability right out of the box. Even the ABIT IS7, which won our Editors Choice Gold Award last June, can’t offer the value that the ASUS P4P800S-E brings to the table.

At the same time, however, the ASUS P4P800S-E shouldn’t be considered from a hardcore enthusiasts’ perspective. That is, enthusiasts looking to squeeze every last drop of performance from their motherboard, whether in stock or overclocked mode, will want to consider other options than the P4P800S-E. This could be any of ABIT’s latest P4 motherboards (their IS7, IS7-G, IC7, or IC7-G) or any of ASUS’ latest P4 boards (their P4C800/E Deluxe/non-Deluxe models or P4P800 Deluxe/non-Deluxe models). Gamers and workstation users will also feel the same way as hardcore overclockers do, because the ASUS P4P800S-E does lag noticeably behind its dual channel DDR counterparts (865PE and 875P chipsets) in these applications.

It is worth reiterating, however, that the ASUS P4P800S-E offers tremendous value at approximately $100. If you would like your P4P800S-E and other wireless devices (such as a laptop) to connect wirelessly to the Internet, and you have some need for IEEE 1394 FireWire and GbE (Gigabit) Ethernet, the ASUS P4P800S-E is without a doubt your perfect motherboard. The P4P800S-E’s office, content creation, and DivX performance is virtually on par with other, more expensive dual channel DDR motherboards, adding further value to this motherboard.

We look forward to reviewing other 848P boards like the P4P800S-E in hopes of finding another price/performance gem.