The world’s largest mainboard maker ASUSTeK Computer has initiated commercial shipments of its P5RD1-V mainboard powered by ATI’s recently announced latest-generation chipset that supports Intel Pentium 4 processors as well as PCI Express bus.

ATI’s RADEON XPRESS 200 graphics and memory controller hub (GMCH) for Intel processors supports Intel Pentium 4 and Intel Celeron D central processing units with 533MHz and 800MHz processor system bus, dual-channel DDR or DDR2 memory controller at 400MHz and 667MHz respectively, PCI Express x16 slot for graphics cards and built-in RADEON X300-like graphics core supporting DirectX 9.0 capabilities. The RADEON XPRESS 200 can be paired using PCI Express x4 bus with I/O controller from ATI Technologies or ULi Electronics.

ASUSTeK’s P5RD1-V mainboard is the first commercial platform to use ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 for Intel processors that users ATI’s GMCH and ULi’s M1573 I/O controller. The mainboard is currently available in Japan for $132 - $142, according to Akiba PC Hotline, and in the USA for $130, according to PriceWatch.

ASUS P5RD1-V mainboard is a typical cost-effective platform with relatively rich set of capabilities. The mainboard is  equipped with everything that may be required by modern computer user, including Socket 775, 4 DDR SDRAM DIMM slots, PCI Express x16 slot for graphics cards, 3 PCI x1 slots, 3 PCI slots, 4 Serial ATA-150 with RAID support, 2 Parallel ATA-33/66/100/133, Gigabit Ethernet connector, USB 2.0 ports, 8-channel audio and so on. Additionally, the mainboards feature all the latest technologies from ASUS, including AI NOS, AI NET2 as well as of overclocking enhancements.

Technology partners for the launch of ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 for Intel include, Acer, Samsung, Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, Tul, Sapphire, ECS, FIC, Shuttle and Jetway.

Earlier ATI introduced RADEON XPRESS 200-series for AMD64 processors.