Intel i815 / i815E Motherboard Roundup - August 2000

ASUS CUSL2

ASUS CUSL2
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CPU Interface	Socket-370
Chipset	Intel i815E
Form Factor	ATX
Bus Speeds	66 / 100 / 133 / 166 / 203 / 205 / 210 / 216 67 - 97 (in 1 MHz increments) 102 - 132 (in 1 MHz increments) 135 - 200 (in 1 MHz increments)
Voltages Supported	Auto Detect (increase by up to 0.30V in 0.05V increments)
Memory Slots	3 168-pin DIMM Slots
Expansion Slots	1 AGP Pro 50 Slot 6 PCI Slots (6 Full Length) 2 CNR Slots (2 Shared) 0 ISA Slots
Onboard Audio	Cirrus Logic CrystalClearSoundFusion CS4299 AC'97 CODEC
BIOS	Award Medallion BIOS 6.00

The ASUS CUSL2 was the first i815 motherboard we reviewed on an individual basis. We liked it so much that we went ahead and awarded it an Editor's Choice Gold Award. Now this may have seemed a bit premature to many, but we already had quite a bit of experience with other i815 boards in this roundup as well as countless other non-i815 motherboards in our time at AnandTech and beyond. We knew the CUSL2 was a solid motherboard with all the crucial features and more, but after looking at the rest of the competition, would we still regard the CUSL2 so highly?

From a feature stand point, the CUSL2 is without a doubt still the head of the pack. We'll take a look at performance in a bit, but for now let's recap those features.

In terms of expansion, there is a full 6 PCI slots, all of which are full length, an AGP Pro 50 slot, 2 CNR slots, 7 USB ports, and 3 DIMM slots - unmatched in this roundup. Next we take a look at FSB settings, which go all the way up to an unheard of 216 MHz on the CUSL2. While speeds that high may not be particularly useful, the CUSL2 fills in with speeds from 66 - 97, 102 - 132, and 135 - 200 in 1 MHz increments. Throw in CPU core voltage adjustments, easy to configure FSB:SDRAM:PCI ratios and you've got an overclocking monster that is also unmatched in this roundup.

Potentially more important than any tweaking options was the stability of the CUSL2 in our tests - not only was it rock solid, but it remained so with the memory timings at their fastest settings with 3 DIMM's running at 133 MHz - a feat no other motherboard in this roundup could accomplish.

To top it all off, ASUS included the appropriate USB bracket so that you can take advantage of 5 of the 7 ports onboard straight out of the box. The available iPanel gives you front panel I/O, including audio (if included on board), infrared, and the last two USB ports. For the do it yourself market, ASUS has even made the CUSL2 available without the AC'97 Audio CODEC that we know the majority of you would just disable anyway - ASUS obviously knows their market well.

In the performance department, the CUSL2 isn't the fastest board, but it's definitely near the top. Considering that ASUS is releasing a new Beta BIOS seemingly everyday and final BIOS's almost as often, it's conceivable that a BIOS update could easily push the CUSL2 to the very top of the pack performance wise.

If you're interested in the ASUS CUSL2, you'll want to read the full review to get all the nitty gritty details about this board.