When will Asus P4T533 be available in USA stores?

[LoverBoyJ]

Originally posted by: computer
Homework?? Geeeze, what is that? I haven't had homework in 20+ yrs.

Starting about 4 weeks or so ago, the 1.6a and 1.8a RETAIL P4's started going up. I monitored them closely @newegg and pricewatch. Now they may have gone down for OTHER P4's, and like I said for the 256k units, but not for the 1.6a and 1.8a RETAIL BOXED units (the "a" suffix indicates 512k cache units AKA "Northwood"). I almost got the 1.6a when it was 129, and like a fool waited, and all it did was climb about $5 per week, as did the 1.8a. You may have been monitoring a specific vendor, but I was monitoring the CHEAPEST places that had them by checking pricewatch every day or so, and newegg & GoogleGear since they had the lowest prices on them. I can *assure* you they did not go lower in price, I would have ordered if they would have, and $129 is indeed less than (current newegg price) of $152.

The reason why the prices of 1.6A have risen up is that Intel decide to abruply stop producing 1.6A's processor to make way for faster processor that will be out in a few weeks. I've read it on a site few weeks ago (sorry I forgot the site name, trying to look for it) that chipzilla had stopped mass production of the 1.6a's abruptly and are now trying to deplete all the remaining inventory. BIG BUMMER!!!! :|

UPDATE: Heres the site --> Overclockers.com site & straight from intel Intel

 

[jilliew]

Well, I talked to ASUS today. A manager, a sales person and a tech. To make a long story short there seems to be mass confusion over there also. From what I could find out, yes, the board will be shipping with the RIMM 4200 module and one C-RIMM within the next two weeks. Nobody could tell me the size. I forgot to ask them about the LAN option that several sites have listed. If people think they are getting LAN and find out they are not, there are going to be a lot of pissed off people. When I asked where we could get the RIMM 4200 512meg module he pulled out his data sheet and said "lets see, there are 4 rimm with this mb" and I said "no, only two, you must be looking at P4T533C" and he said no he wasn't. So he calls someone else over. The guy I was talking to had a southern accent, the guy he called over was Chinese. Listening to the conversation I heard him ask the Chinese guy if this is how they counted in Chinese. Geez. It's kind of scarey when you know more than an ASUS tech. They say they will have the MB shipped out before the end of the month.

I asked ASUS about new memory releases and sales told me that it would be out the end of the month also and they thought it would be Corsair memory. Corsair makes good (and expensive memory) Aren't they tied up somehow with Samsung? I've seen Samsung/Corsair ads on pricewatch.

I also inquired about the new 8420 Geforce4 TD 4200 128 meg video card that is being advertised on sites but doesn't show up on the ASUS site. The tech told me he showed there was a page for it but it hadn't been put up on the website yet. ???

They gave me the number of a distributor in the Silicon Valley who told me they expect the board by 7/17. They referred me to two resellers. CDW and Insight.

CDW said they had an ETA of 2 weeks on the MB. Price $210. Must not be the one with options. I asked about the Geforce 4200 and they said the same ETA, so I ordered and paid for it. $209 with overnight shipping. It's supposed to be a kickass card and comes packaged with 3D glasses also. There are so many new video cards coming out in the next few months that I decided not to get the Ti 4600 and just use this and wait. If I decided on another I can always sell the 4200 on ebay and get all or most of my $$$ back. Due to the fact that I'm not an extreme gamer, just middle of the road, I think this card will be fine.

Insight says they expect the mb before the month is over and the price is $308, including LAN and all other options...hmmmmm

I called Update Source, the store that has mb for $288 and has sold over 1000. They said that wasn't correct, that they didn't have it yet, they are just taking orders and they do have several hundred on their order list. He says that it shows up that way because it's run through Yahoo. Anybody that orders and/or cancels shows up as a sale.

That was enough telephoning for me. Tomorrow I may call some more reseller and see what they say.

While the left shoe might not know what the right shoe is doing over at ASUS, I still trust their product and their reputation. Considering what the loaded P4T533 comes with, not to mention its the fastest and best quality P4 board there is, I have no qualms about paying $288 if I have to.

 

[computer]

.......So he calls someone else over. The guy I was talking to had a southern accent, the guy he called over was Chinese. Listening to the conversation I heard him ask the Chinese guy if this is how they counted in Chinese.

*Laughs* Ho boy, just gets more and more confusing.........

Loverboy, your overclockers.com link is bad. I guess after the 1.6a remains in 'discontinued status' long enough, it will go down in price (the way of the slot 1 Celeron, PPGA Celeron 366, PII 300, etc), those things can be had for only a few bucks.

 

[LoverBoyJ]

fixed linked on the previous message

 

[computer]

Thanks....interesting.

 

[Bozo Galora]

well, if you go here and D/L the manual, and go to page 20, you will see the "optional" things greyed out - Intel LAN, SPDIF connects, ATA133Raid. But the manual is far from clear as to whats included by any board version - the mention of the "audio board" for instance, and they grey out more than they mention in text.

 

[computer]

Well, that's nothing new. In all my years and countless mobo's I've had and sold, NONE, NOT ONE has EVER had an accurate manual, regardless of brand. Pathetic. I find multiple errors in them (manuals) all the time; both print and pdf download. You'd think these morons could afford a proof-reader. :disgust: We are all relegated to get each and every mobo made & test them ourselves, in order find out what is correct in a manual. Someone needs to start a webpage here that members can add mobo's to that will list the DEFINITIVE LIST OF FEATURES, AND WHAT IS AND WHAT IS NOT SUPPORTED by specific boards. I think that would be a great asset to us all. Instead of trying in an exhaustive effort to get correct info from mobo manufacturers, and *wondering* if what we're reading in manuals is correct or not, we could just refer to a (hopefully ever expanding) list of boards for DEFINITE information.

 

[GC88]

Atacom.com is selling P4T533 now! Check it out.

 

[Dug]

Atacom.com is selling P4T533 now! Check it out.

$270 with no memory. I think I'll pass on that one.
$360 with 256MB. Um, I'll wait for some other vendors.

 

[computer]

Actually, it's $282 and $382 shipped. Ridiculous. I was curious how much 512mb of memory would be, thought maybe twice the 256mb (which would be $200). NOPE, $331 for 512mb for JUST the memory!! YEEOW!! Cheaper to get 2x256mb. Now I'm leaning back towards the P4TE or P4T533-C.

 

[Dug]

Actually, it's $282 and $382 shipped. Ridiculous. I was curious how much 512mb of memory would be, thought maybe twice the 256mb (which would be $200). NOPE, $331 for 512mb for JUST the memory!! YEEOW!! Cheaper to get 2x256mb. Now I'm leaning back towards the P4TE or P4T533-C

Don't go for the p4t533-c. You can't raise the fsb high enough.

I think the prices will become resonable once everyone get some stock in.
I'm suprised that Atacom claims to have them when no one else does. The ETA from Asus isn't until the last week of July or 1st week of August.

 

[computer]

Yeah, I really don't want the C version, that price on the non C version is just outrageous. I don't recall right off hand what the difference was, but I do think it DID support up to 533mhz bus, hence the name "533-C". I think it had slower memory, in fact I know that is at least one of the differences.

 

[Bingo13]

The board is in stock here- ExpensiveLink

 

[Dug]

Yeah, I really don't want the C version, that price on the non C version is just outrageous. I don't recall right off hand what the difference was, but I do think it DID support up to 533mhz bus, hence the name "533-C". I think it had slower memory, in fact I know that is at least one of the differences.

The non c version allows fsb increments up to 200, supports the new 4200rimms so you don't have to run the memory in pairs, supports manual adjustment of the agp and pci dividers, + more

 

[mpu]

Why not consider GigaByte GA-8IHXP? Cheaper with more features.

 

[Dug]

Cheaper with more features

How's that? As in have you read the reviews of the P4T533 yet?

 

[mpu]

Have you read this review by THG? It did a comparison between 6 PC1066 based MBs.
Warp Speed with Rambus: Six Boards for PC1066

 

[Dug]

Have you read this review by THG? It did a comparison between 6 PC1066 based MBs

Actually I have read that. I would hardly call it a review.

I don't see one feature that the Gigabyte board has that the P4T533 doesn't.

The Gigabyte board does not support RIMM4200, it does not overclock very well, and I don't know if you can manually adjust AGP/PCI seperate from the FSB.

 

[jilliew]

$350 isn't really that expensive when you consider the ram is about $145, give or take a little. Then you have a loaded board, which is the fastest P4 board around. Either way you have to buy some memory. If you are going with the 256meg PC 1066 RIMM 4200 you have 3 more slots to fill up. If you want to wait for Samsung to release the 512 1066, then just buy the board without the memory. You can also mix the sizes but it all has to be PC 1066 RIMM. At least that's what ASUS tech support told me when I called today. He also told me that they were shipping with 2 256meg modules of 4200, but I sure haven't seen any resellers advertising that and I wonder if he knows what he is talking about. So unless you are going to fill up 4 slots with 512 modules, no big deal getting it with the memory. You just have to make sure you buy the right memory. Samsung is supposed to release the 4200 512 memory by the end of the month also, per ASUS. I wouldn't bet the farm on it. The main thing is to buy the right memory. And not from Kingston.

From the ASUS site:

Note: * Use only the tested and qualified 32-bit 1066MHz RIMM listed below.
Other RIMM manufactured by other vendors may not be suitable for this motherboard.

Vendor Type Size Type Model
Samsung 4200 128MB 4d MD-18R1624AF0-CN9
Samsung 4200 256MB 8d MD-18R1628AF0-CN9
Samsung 4200 512MB 16d MD-18R162GAF0-CN9

Samsung 3200 128MB 4d MD-18R1624AF0-CM8
Samsung 3200 256MB 8d MD-18R1628AF0-CM8
Samsung 3200 512MB 16d MD-18R162GAF0-CM8

Elpida 3200 128MB 4d MC-4R128FKK8K-840
Elpida 3200 256MB 8d MC-4R256FKK8K-840

As far as the ASUS info goes this board has only 3 options. USB 2.0, RAID, and C-Media. Almost all the vendors are listing it as coming with LAN and I wonder where they got that info from. Hopefully all this confusion will clear up in the next couple of weeks as more resellers get the board.

I would be careful dealing with Atacom. Several weeks ago I ordered the P4T533-C board from them with the 2.4 processor. Right after I ordered I went on the ASUS site to check a couple specs on the board. I saw the brand new P4T533 being advertised. I signed off and called Atacom right back and asked if my order had been shipped and they said no, not until the next day. I asked them to please cancel it, that I wanted to wait for the P4T533 and that I would order it from them when it came out. The guy told me okay, but didn't cancel it. When it came UPS I refused it and sent it back and called them and told them to credit my card. They did, but kept out over $100 for a restocking fee. I called my credit card company and they said to call them back and ask them to remove it. I did and they refused so now I have to dispute the charge. I have no doubt that my cc company will get it back, because things like this have happened before. There are always those that try to get away with stuff like this and think people won't follow up. And they are right, some don't. IMHO, Atacom are a bunch of *(^(+)^ crooks. I would hate to have to return a defective product to them. I had never dealt with them before and never will again. I'm glad I used a credit card and got that protection.

 

[PowerEngineer]

Originally posted by: jilliewSo unless you are going to fill up 4 slots with 512 modules, no big deal getting it with the memory.

If the P4T533 did have four RIMM slots, then I'd agree with you. However, I just rechecked the spec sheet to confirm that the board has only two RIMM slots. You can only get to 512 Mb total if the best we can get are 256 Mb modules. I think I'd prefer to get a 512 Mb module with the board, so that I can add an additional 512 Mb later.

 

[jilliew]

I was only posting what I was told by a genuine asus tech support person. So don't kill the messenger. LOL!! When I called them today (hmmm actually yesterday) I asked how in the hell are we supposed to max out the ram when there are only 2 4200 RIMMs and the highest memory was 512. He tells me there are two RIMMs but 4 memory slots. I asked "well isn't the RIMM the slot" and he said you have 4 memory slots, 1a 1b 2a 2b. He said if you used only 2 memory slots, you had to use 2 C-Rimms. I told him it sounded like he was talking about the P4T533C and he said no he wasn't, he was looking at the P4T533 and assurred me he was right. I am getting so pissed off I am about to buy one just so I can axe murder it. This is the second time they read me the wrong specs, but at least the first guy admitted he was wrong. He also told me that it was being shipped with 2 sticks of 256 4200 and two C-Rimm. He also said people used 1024meg modules. I guess those are hiding those where the sun doesn't shine?? I am calling them again in the morning and this time if I get someone as dumb as I have been getting I will ask if I can please speak to a smart person. So, can it be deemed that this MB is ahead of it's time and that all we are going to get out of it is 1024 with a bandwidth of 2.4 until 1024 memory comes out?????

I found 2 more reviews. One is Here and is just a so so.

There is another one Here and it's a pretty good one. Be sure to scroll down the pictures they show of what comes in the package and see what you think of that. It only gets more confusing.

 

[cobrasvt]

Jilliew -

The guy you spoke to at Asus is a DWEEB! He doesn't know his butt from a hole in the ground! He obvisously doesn't know the products that they carry, nor should he call himself a "tech!"

The board ships with 2 memory slots and 1 CRIMM. Thats it, nothing more, nothing less.... What he is talking about is memory banks. Totally different than memory slots (ie - dual sided, single sided RIMMs). Unlike PC1066 which are single sided, RIMM4200 is double sided. So 2 memory slots equal 4 banks of memory. I do believe that the biggest 4200 module out right now is the 256mb version, with the 512 expected later... I also do not think Asus is going to be offering a 1GB model (2 512 sticks)....

Dug -

Have you tried an 8IHXP? RIMM4200 is NO faster that PC1066. Both PC1066 and RIMM4200 can effectively move 4.2 mb/sec of data. The only + for RIMM4200 is the fact that you do not need to buy RDRAM in pairs. Thats it! Ah, well, besides the high price of RIMM4200 right at the moment. As far as the board not overclocking well, well, there are plenty of happy users running their boards at 156fsb as I type this (my 1.8A doesn't do much over 2.4). At 2.4, my memory benches in the 3400+ range in SiSoft 2002. I wouldn't call this a slow setup at all! True, I do wish Gigabyte would have allowed higher FSB settings, but this board is rock solid!


There are a couple of users over at HardOCP who received there P4T533's and are testing them now... You may want to check up over there to see if they have ran into any problems yet...

 

[cobrasvt]

Actually, spoke to soon, as there does seem to be a problem with this board... Read it here and go to page 3 and then onto 4. It seems that the board does have the "cold boot problem" which is were you set the voltage to 1.7, turn the board competely off, then fire it back up and go right into the bios. The bios shows 1.5 volts. This is a known issue and many boards experience this same problem. Pin tricking is required to fix it. The 2nd problem seems as if it doesn't like 2.26 processors, as bmg isn't able to get it to overclock worth a **** compared to his TH7II and P4T-E.... It also seems GamePC isn't really a "good" place to buy from...

 

[bmg]

Cooled down so deleted.

 

[Dug]

#1 That's the ONLY time I've heard of a problem with that board

#2 Problem is

The board seems to have shipped to gamepc with no ram and then they added a 256mb rimm. The box had a hand written sticker applied saying ram inside.

Doesn't sound like a retail board to me. In fact it sounds like those P4B266-c's that Asus sent out that didn't o/c as well as the regular retail one's, with retailers claiming they were retail boards when they weren't. At that price I would demand a retail board. Not an oem with a stick of oem memory.

The full retail board is suppose to come with ethernet built in. The others, including the one's that only come with the slower memory, or no memory don't

I'd take it with a grain of salt.

cobrasvt - The whole idea is to take chips well over 155fsb. I'm not saying the Gigabyte board is bad, but it doesn't have the flexibility. Especially as the higher end chips come down in price, such as the 2.26 with a 17x multiplier and the 2.4 with an 18 multiplier.
From early reports the 4200RIMM's are hitting 160fsb at 4x.
That's a reason to get the board right there, you won't be stuck at 1066. What's 160fsb at 4x anyway, PC1280 speeds? That's fast!