This motherboard from Asus is based on Intel’s 440BX chipset and can house either a PIII—for 100 MHz FSB, or Celeron—for 66 MHz FSB processor in its FCPGA slot. It has DIP switches that can be configured in Auto mode to automatically recognize an inserted processor. In this mode, you can also change the FSB settings through the BIOS. You could also manually make FSB adjustments using the DIP switches.

The CUBX is laid out on an ATX form factor and all the external ports are color coded for smooth installation. Expansion on this motherboard is not a problem, as it comes with five PCI slots, one ISA slot for older cards, and support for up to 1 GB of SDRAM. Another unique feature are four IDE channels (2 ATA/33, 2 ATA/66), compared to two in most motherboards. It also has an external AGP (2x) slot where you can plug in your graphics card.

We tested the motherboard for games, graphics, and productivity applications. We used PIII/700 MHz and Celeron 500 MHz processors, with 64 MB SDRAM, and a Creative GeForce AGP card with 32 MB VRAM. Scores for both processors were pretty good in all benchmarks.

In productivity applications, which we tested with Business Winstone 99, the Celeron got a score of 20.5 while the PIII scored 26. Next, we moved to graphics and gaming performance using 3D Winbench99, Quake III Arena, and Intel Game Launcher benchmarks. The overall scores and frame rates were good, even with the Celeron processor. It got a 905 in 3D Winbench 99, and frame rates ranging from 63 (at 800x600 resolution and 16-bit color depth) to 43 (at 1,024x768 resolution with 32-bit color depth) in Quake III Arena. Intel Game Launcher runs three graphics-intensive games, measures their frame rates, and gives an overall score. With the Celeron, the scores stood at 109,138, and 124 in Dispatched, Iron Strategy and Battlezone II respectively.

After switching to a PIII/700, it gave a score of 1140 in 3D Winbench 99 and frame rates of 97 (at 800x600 resolution and 16-bit color depth) to 43 (at 1,024x768 resolution with 32-bit color depth) in Quake III Arena. In IGL, it managed to scored 318, 375, 256 in Dispatched, Iron Strategy, and Battlezone II respectively.

The motherboard’s scores for both processors are quite good, compared to motherboards we’ve reviewed so far. The manual from Asus is as good as ever—everything is explained in detail with figures and diagrams. The board comes bundled with Intel LANDesk Client Manager 6, Asus PC Probe 2.11, PC-Cillin98 anti-virus software, and Adobe Acrobat Reader 4. PC Probe is a very handy utility that can tell you, among other things, your CPU’s temperature, fan speed, and voltage. Overall, a great choice for any type of user.