Introduction

The new DDR333 memory technology has just begun flooding the market with new DIMM modules boasting to give up to 2.7GB/s of memory bandwidth. Running at 333MHz, the DDR333 technology is suited for high-speed processors requiring speedy memory access. Those who intend to use AMD Duron or Intel Celeron processors need not consider the DDR333 as it is currently priced even higher than most RDRAM modules. However, if performance is what you like, then there's no reason why you should not become an early adopter of this exciting new memory technology.

The DDR333 first made its debut with SiS releasing its chipset for the Intel Pentium 4 processor. A low cost yet powerful DDR solution for the Intel Pentium 4 processor, the SiS 645 comes with support for all the standard technologies. However, its attractive pricing has paved the way for affordable DDR motherboards for the Pentium 4 platform.

MSI, once again, was one of the first to release an SiS 645 based motherboard. The 645 Ultra, is a full featured ATX motherboard that comes with the standard five PCI slots, an AGP 4x port, three DDR DIMM sockets and integrated AC'97 audio. Unlike most of MSI's offerings, the 645 Ultra does not feature any on-board LAN, IDE RAID or USB 2.0.

If you've been following the news, SiS has since relased an update to their SiS 645 chipset. The newer SiS 645DX chipset is validated for high bus speeds, above 400MHz. But as you will see later in the review, the SiS 645 is already more or less ready for overclocking above the standard 400MHz system bus.

The Realtek ALC201A AC'97 codec is a slightly more advanced software audio solution that supports 3D audio and boasting SNR (signal-to-noise) ratios exceeding 95dB.

The MSI 645 Ultra comes with two additional USB headers for another four USB ports.