ASRock P4S55FX+A/ASR

ASRock P4S55FX+A/ASR ASRock first made its mark in the budget motherboard market during 2002 and has since been making waves in other areas of IT. The P4S55FX+ is one of several ASRock motherboards that support Intel processors with an 800MHz front-side-bus (FSB), at a low price.

Physically, the P4S55FX+ is not much to look at. It has an understated design that reeks of a budget component, but it includes most of the features you?d expect from a modern motherboard. There are five PCI slots, two IDE connectors and two Raid-compatible Sata slots supporting data throughput at up to 1.5Gbytes/sec.

There are no Firewire connectors on the rear panel, but amends are made with eight USB2 ports, which eliminates the need to install a blanking plate. The P4S55FX+ supports a relatively large 3.5GB of Ram across four 400MHz Dimm slots, although its Lan capability is restricted to 100Mbits/sec.

Performance enthusiasts should note that the ASRock?s overall PCmark 2004 score of 4,817 put it at the bottom of this group. In fairness, however, its Sis 655FX+964 chipset helped it achieve a total that was less than 400 points off the pace set by the group-leading Chaintech motherboard.

In delivering the P4S55FX+ at a low price, ASRock has skimped somewhat on extras. The accessories pack contains IDE and floppy drive cables, as well as a single Sata cable and accompanying power adapter. Some consolation can be taken from the fact that the P4S55FX+ features onboard audio, but there is no S/PDIF connection. Software is also rather sparse. All you get is Adobe Acrobat Reader and PC Cillin 2002, hardly an up-to-date anti-virus application.

On the whole, the ASRock does not provide any extra bells and whistles, but it does offer a solid foundation for building a low-cost Prescott-ready PC.

Contact: ASRock +31 24 345 4433
www.asrock.com

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