Introduction

Tough times for Pentium 4

When Intel originally launched the Pentium 4 processor, the market was slow to embrace the new platform. Not only were processor prices relatively high, but also the new processor required an entirely new platform -- components all the way down to the power supply had to be replaced. Compounding the situation was the limited selection of motherboards; only a handful of manufacturers had products available upon launch, resulting in limited distribution and high prices. Ultimately from the end user's perspective the Pentium 4 initially just didn't make sense, performance was only slightly faster than Pentium III in some application while the aforementioned availability and prices issues made the Pentium 4 platform even less attractive.

The ASUS P4B266

Breaking into the mainstream

Ultimately Intel was compelled to slash prices on the Pentium 4 and launched an initiative with its partners to reduce manufacturing costs on system components. However, it was the arrival of the PC133-based 845 chipset that got the Pentium 4 in the value and business segments last summer. With its rapid adoption among motherboard manufacturers board prices were modest and coupled with memory prices at an all-time low, the 845 platform with SDRAM became a viable solution for the business and value segments; two markets the Pentium 4 was having a tough time breaking into. With the 845 chipset with SDRAM fulfilling the need at the low end of the spectrum and the 850 chipset with RDRAM at the top, Intel's 845 chipset with DDR SDRAM support is left to fill out the all-important mainstream market that is left in the middle. That's where ASUS comes in with the P4B266.

As the world's largest motherboard manufacturer, it's only natural that ASUS would release a product built off of Intel's latest chipset. Since the DDR variant of the 845 chipset has been complete for several months, ASUS has spent a considerable amount of time finalizing their board design. Building largely off their original 845 motherboard - the P4B - the P4B266 adds a few new additions to the table:

The Board

ASUS P4B266
Chipset	Intel 845(D)
Memory	3 184-pin DIMM sockets
Drive Connectors	1 FDD, 2 ATA100 Channels
Slots	1 AGP, 6 PCI slots
Bus Speeds	100-200MHz in 1MHz increments
USB	1 USB 1.1 Controller, 1 USB 2.0 controller - up to 8 USB ports