Introduction

Before the Intel E7505/7501 chipset was released, the primary dual processor chipset of choice for XEON systems was the Intel 860 chipset. This chipset provided support for AGP 4X and RAMBUS memory. Since I recently migrated to the new Supermicro X5DAL-TG2 motherboard, I thought it would good to look back at the older Supermicro P4DCE+ motherboard. This board, based on the 860 chipset, has served reliably for well over a year but we never actually had a chance to review the board. Well before this board goes on the sale block, let’s take a quick look at the board and it’s performance.

The P4DCE+ board	the board in the Cooler Master tray

Features and Specifications

The following are some of the major features of the P4DCE+. For a more comprehensive list, please refer to the Supermicro website for the P4DCE+ here:

Form Factor:
Extended ATX – 12”(W) x 13”(H)

Processor Support:
Dual Intel 603 pin XEON processors up to 2.4GHz (400MHz Front Side Bus only)

Memory:
Four 184 pin RIMMs for 600/800 MHz RDRAM up to 2GB

I/O Expansion Slots:
2 – 64 bit 66 MHz PCI slots
4 – 32 bit 33 MHz PCI slots
1 – 4X AGP Pro 1.5V slot

Integrated Devices:
Dual EIDE ports supporting ATA/100
AC ’97 Audio
Intel 82559 LAN controller
1 - Floppy Connector
2 - Serial Ports
1 - Parallel Port
1 - IrDA header
4 - USB 1.1 Ports
PS/2 Keyboard and Mouse

Features:
ACPI/APM power management
Internal/External modem ring on
One Wake On LAN Connector
One Chassis Intrusion Connector

PC Health Monitoring:
Voltage and System power supply monitoring
CPU and System temperature monitoring
CPU overheat LED header