Explosive Labs has completed a write-up on the i845E Motherboard Roundup featuring the FIC VC19, Soltek SL-85DR2, and Epox 4BEAR.

It seems that the i845 line has prevailed in the Pentium 4 line up. Specifically, the i845e has become the most common, and offers one big thing. It is an Intel chipset. Who better to use a chipset from, than the maker of the processor too, right? Well, this has not always been the case. In the past, VIA and SIS have made a good effort at being a platform for Intel processors, and in many instances they have come out on top. [In many times they still do.] Their fade from this scene is due to two things. Intel marketing has done a good job of setting themselves at the “official” Pentium 4 chipset maker, using the line of thinking that the maker of the processor should be the maker of the chipset. And with all the Pentium 4 compatibility issues, the Intel chipsets offer standardized features and better optimization.

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