Manufacturer:AsusTek Inc.
Board Revision:1.02
Reviewed By:Erik Frechette

Motherboards are quickly becoming the superstars of the hardware world.  With processors almost universally multiplier-locked(AMD does have some unlocked CPUs still floating around) and new features popping up every other week, you need a gadget filled mainboard with numerous front side bus and voltage settings to be sure you'll get your money's worth in stability and overclockability.

Which processor brand does it support? How fast can you clock the Front Side Bus?  Which controller chipset does it use?  Are there onboard ATA100 IDE controllers?  These are just a few of the dozens of questions your serious hardware enthusiast will ask him/herself before plopping down their hard-earned cashola for a top of the line mainboard.  This review will focus on the Asus CUSL2 without AC97 Sound support.  *If you can't afford a SoundBlaster Live! PCI card, you probably shouldn't be looking at this upper level motherboard to begin with.* ::)

OK, first the specs from Asus' website:

Intel i815E controller chipset
Supports Intel Pentium III/II FC-PGA and CeleronTM processors
3x DIMM for maximum up to 512MB PC133/PC100 SDRAM
133MHz FSB and Dual UltraDMA/100 BM IDE
Support 4MB AGP AIMM 133MHz SDRAM
1 x AGP PRO/4X and 2x USB with up to 7 USB max.
6 x PCI with 2 CNR slots
CPU JumperFreeTM Mode (a DIP switch is available as well)
Chassis Intrusion Protection
Suspend-to-RAM PC Health Monitoring
Optional Onboard AC ' 97 Audio
Optional LCD/TV Output module
Note: This board review was done using BIOS version 1002. Some people have experienced adverse side-effects while flashing to this BIOS revision, but I have run into none of these and wanted to review the board with the latest features and fixes available.

First Impressions:

The Asus CUSL2 is a socket based motherboard intended for Socket370 compatible Intel Pentium!!! and Celeron processors.  It includes three 3-pin fan power connectors for those of you who are concerned about cooling your chips and comes stock with a "greenie" heatsink on the northbridge controller chip. Some boards are going to an active cooling solution on this chip, which is certainly not a bad idea, though I did not notice any problems due to overheating.

Asus is well known for making quality motherboards and the CUSL2 appears to be no exception. The RAM and socket spacing is nicely addressed, so a huge heatsink and fan combo will not give you too much trouble going in, though there is a cluster of capacitors to the socket's left that might cause problems with anything extraordinarily big. The PCI slots are well placed and the universal screw layout conformed as it should, so the board was easily tied down inside my case. With support for only 512MB of PC-100/133 SDRAM, this board is targeted for the home user, not to those needing a server solution. The IDE controller ports were fairly easy to work with and I would say that the overall layout is very good, if not excellent.

Let's Get on With it Already:

When reviewing a motherboard, I look at two things: 1)Stability versus performance 2)BIOS features and potential for overclocking.

The system as tested:

Pentium!!! 800EB
256MB Micron PC-133 SDRAM
30GB IBM Deskstar, 7200RPM UDMA100 HDD
Shuttle 10X DVD-ROM drive
Yamaha 8424EZ CDR/CDRW drive
Hercules 3D ProphetII GTS 64MB AGP4x
SB Live! Value Soundcard
3COM PCI 10/100 Network Card

The board in its stock configuration was a championship contender. I noticed not a single hiccup or hang when running all hardware at their various spec defaults. My IBM Deskstar defaulted to ATA100 functionality, the AGP bus ran in 4x mode, my DVD/CDR drives both defaulted to their maximum PIO and DMA modes, my network adapter was identified properly; the system ran like a train. This serves as testament to Asus' overall quality construction and BIOS software. I would recommend that anyone NOT using the onboard VGA adapter make sure that this feature is 'Disabled' under the Advanced >Chip Configuration menu in BIOS. There is the potential for hardware conflicts if this mobo feature is left 'Enabled' and you are using an AGP card as your display adapter.

Asus includes an install CD complete with INF file updates for the Intel i815E chipset, Intel ATA controller software, Asus' own hardware probe utility(though you'll need version 2.12.02 of AsusProbe for optimal performance and accuracy), Cyberlink Video software and Intel LDCM support drivers. Overall, the install CD is thorough, intuitive and easy to use. The manual is equally detailed and user friendly, covering the entirety of the board's functionality and feature set. Now, a brief synopsis of the board's overclockability.

READ THE ENTIRE MANUAL BEFORE ANY EXPERIMENTS WITH OVERCLOCKING!

I must say, the CUSL2 certainly does impress with its huge list of features and tweakable elements in JumperFree mode. You can adjust almost every aspect regulating CPU performance. From the Front Side Bus(FSB) stepping in 1MHz increments between 100 and 200MHz( with support for up to 216MHz!), to various core voltage settings and a means of controlling the CPU/RAM/PCI clocks; the overclocker is welcomed with open arms to this motherboard. RAM timing adjustments are also supported, meaning quality SDRAM can be set to CAS2 and the RAM input level itself can be set to 'Strong', though performance gains are not readily noticeable to the unintiated. Your AGP slot can be a touchy member when overclocking gets serious, so the AGP bus interface can be adjusted between 2x and 4x manually. A great feature to have if you'll be overclocking past 150MHz FSBs, since a 4x card will be far beyond spec at higher FSB settings unless set to operate as a 2x product. Running 4x lead to numerous crashes when clocked to 150MHz(800EB running at 900MHz), but 2x seems to have eliminated the instability and I have yet to crash since. Pushing the components attached to you board can make life miserable if things go wrong, so play with these settings at your own risk.

The Verdict:

Running the CUSL2 at stock speeds and default settings, save for the Onboard VGA chipset feature, made for a very stable environment under WIN98SE and various games, including GPL, Rally Championship 2K, SCGT and the venerable Quake3.  I would have no problems recommended this board and its latest BIOS revision to anyone looking for a stable, high powered mainboard loaded with features and overclocking capabilities.  I do feel obligated to mention that there are more than a few people who seem to be having troubles with this board and this BIOS  revision especially, so remember that your results may vary.