HotHardware has checked out MSI's 845Ultra and DFI's NB70-SC motherboard.
The market has been waiting for this one for a long time. Intel has authorized OEMs to begin shipping Brookdale (i845) based solutions, now with DDR SDRAM support. Finally, an Intel native alternative to RDRAM, for their flagship Pentium 4 Processor has arrived. Current success in the OEM sector, for Intel's PC133 incarnation of this platform, has paved the way for a natural migration path. With PC2100 DDR SDRAM on price parity with PC133 solutions, it is the proverbial no brainer for motherboard manufacturers and system level OEMs, to shift their product offerings to this higher performance solution at very competitive price points. Frankly, why Intel didn't roll the i845 out with DDR support initially, is a bit of a mystery that most likely, only the corporate legal types at Intel and RAMBUS can completely comprehend. Regardless, we're not looking a gift horse in the mouth. We're here for the hardware and not for explaining life's mysteries such as these.Read more