Asus P4S800D-E Deluxe & Gigabyte 8S655TX Ultra: SiS 655TX Challenges Intel's Best

Final Words

There are many computer enthusiasts who would consider the SiS655-based Gigabyte SINXP one of the best motherboards ever made. It was a favorite board of many computer enthusiasts, including this reviewer, and an incredible performer for its time. This sounds like ancient history, but it was actually only earlier this year that the SINXP was dominating many benchmarks. Then it looked like SiS died. Their first effort at 800FSB Dual-Channel, the SiS655FX, was a disappointment. It was just not competitive with motherboards based on the Intel 865/875 chipset.

It looks like reports of SiS fading from the Intel market were certainly premature. Both the Asus P4S800D-E and Gigabyte 8S655TX Ultra perform as well or better than any current Intel chipset motherboard for the Pentium 4. Add to this the fact that both boards also fully support the upcoming Prescott, deliver 2 channels of Dual-Channel memory (4 64-bit dimms) running in fast 128-bit mode, offer memory ratios not even imagined on Intel boards, and fully support HyperThreading. This adds up to a formidable chipset that delivers great performance at a bargain price. In our benchmarks, both SiS655TX boards, without PAT, outperformed a top 875p board with the fastest timings and PAT enabled. That is performance worth looking at, regardless of price. The fact that SIS655TX is cheaper is just icing on the cake.

Both these boards are loaded with top-end features, but will sell for around $100 instead of the much higher prices asked for Intel-chipset boards. If you never overclock, then either of these boards will do a great job for you and represent outstanding value. On the other hand, many enthusiasts have discovered that current Intel P4 processors overclock very well — some make it to extraordinary overclocks, some 50% higher than rated speed. These potential buyers will want to know how the SiS655TX overclocks and how it compares with the best Intel boards. In the overclocking capabilities, these two boards do perform very differently.

In the case of the Asus P4S800D-E, the overclocking is excellent and only getting better. With the latest 023 BIOS, we were able to reach 267 (1068 FSB) at default voltage and reached an overclock of over 3.6GHz on air cooling with no voltage increase. The performance at these overclocks was every bit the equal of the best motherboards based on Intel chipsets. The Asus makes no apologies for performance, and its overclocking is excellent. For a 2.6GHz or faster P4, the Asus will allow you to squeeze all the performance possible form your CPU. For now, a really good 2.4 may find the highest FSB lacking, but this will likely be improved with additional BIOS updates.

The Gigabyte 8S655TX Ultra, on the other hand, is a pretty poor overclocker compared to the best Intel chipset boards. If you have a 3.0 or faster, you will likely find enough reserve to give a nice performance boost, but more than that is just not here. With the current BIOS, the Gigabyte is just nowhere near the equal of the Asus in the areas that matter most to the Computer Enthusiast. The board is very fast, and perhaps Gigabyte will make dramatic improvements with BIOS updates, but as it is now benchmarking, we have a tough time recommending the Gigabyte for anyone planning to overclock their processor.

We congratulate SiS on a job well done. The SiS755 is an impressive chipset for the Athlon64, and the 655TX brings Intel the first real competition that they have seen since the 800FSB Pentium 4 was introduced. If you are looking for a Pentium 4 board, you should take a close look at the performance and features of motherboards based on the SiS655TX. They are a great value and you give up absolutely nothing in performance to other solutions. If you're a Computer Enthusiast who plans to overclock and wants top performance, then buy the Asus P4S800D-E. There isn't a better value currently available in a full-featured motherboard that can compete with any motherboard that you can buy for your Pentium 4 or Socket 478 Prescott.