More features/layout

Memory Expansion

While the P4S Dragon supports up to 3GB of memory via its three DIMM sockets, one caveat you’ll have to keep in mind is that only two of those sockets can be used when the board is running with PC2700 (DDR333) memory. In PC1600 or 2100 mode, all three DIMM sockets can be used. This is a limitation of the SiS 645 chipset itself and is something you’ll have to keep in mind on any SiS 645 motherboard.

Board Layout

The layout and design of the board itself is fairly average. For instance, the aesthetics of the board are exemplary. With the P4S Dragon, Soyo has implemented a distinctive black printed circuit board with purple PCI slots, a unique color combination that we find very appealing. Soyo has integrated a Power LED on the bottom of the motherboard so you’ll instantly know the moment the P4S Dragon receives power, making motherboard troubleshooting easier. In addition, Soyo has done an excellent job labeling the components on the motherboard itself, the pins for all of the external headers are clearly labeled, as are the pins for other system components. As a result, an experienced system builder could easily get the P4S Dragon up and running without ever opening the motherboard manual.

Soyo uses active cooling on the North Bridge

The test system we used

Soyo provides four fan headers on the P4S Dragon. This allows end users more than enough flexibility when it comes to cooling components installed on the motherboard. Also included in the overkill department is the heatsink/fan combo on the North Bridge of the SiS 645 chipset itself. In our experience, we’ve found that the North Bridge hardly gets warm to the touch during operation. In fact, the SiS reference design doesn’t even include a heatsink on the North Bridge of the chipset.

So what knocks the P4S Dragon’s board design down to “average” status? First of all, the board itself is rather large. While the P4S Dragon is by no means the largest board we’ve tested, it is slightly larger than the samples we’ve received from the previous king of manufacturing large motherboards, ASUS. This shouldn’t be a huge issue to the P4S Dragon’s target market, but it is something to keep in mind if you have a small case.

Our biggest gripe however is with the location of the IDE and floppy connectors. Despite being such a large motherboard all four IDE connectors obstruct PCI slots. We were beginning to overlook this limitation as an increasing number of motherboard manufacturers are beginning to do this, but with the GeForce4’s release, this is something end users must keep in mind. With its 128MB of memory onboard, the GeForce4 is one long board. Our reference GeForce4 board was able to fit on the P4S Dragon, but the IDE cables had to be slightly bent to get the board to sit in the AGP slot properly.

The GeForce4 is a tight fit

AGP Pro slot