P55 Motherboard Round-up: Asus, EVGA, GB, Intel, MSI
Asus P7P55D Deluxe
The first motherboard in our round up hails from the Asus camp. With one glance, its obvious the P7P55D Deluxe offers a number of interesting additions to compliment the P55 chipset. This product targets the enthusiast crowd by offering cutting edge looks, overclocking features and high end components. Like most Asus boards, this model makes use of a black PCB with large, aggressively designed heat sinks on the VRM and chipset. The P7P55D is an attractive board and the southbridge heatsink even lights up during normal operation.
;)
Asus P7P55D Deluxe Motherboard
 |
|
| Processor LGA-1156 i5 / i7 Processors Memory Four 240-pin DDR3 SDRAM DIMM sockets Supports DDR3 2133 / 2000 / 1600 / 1333 / 1066 MHz Up to 16 GB max Expansion Slots 2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slot (x16 single or x8 dual mode) 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode) 2 x PCIe 2.0 x1 slot 2 x PCI slots RAID SATA 1-6 support Intel Matrix Storage Technology SATA RAID 0/1/5/10 Audio VIA VT2020 10-channel HD audio codec Absolute Pitch BD192/24 feat. EVNY HD DTS Surround Sensation Ultra PC Supports jack detection, multi-streaming, and front panel jack retasking Asus Noise Filter Networking Dual LAN (10/100/1000) Realtek 8112L/8110SC |
Back Panel I/O 8 x USB 2.0 ports 2 x RJ45 LAN jacks 1 x IEEE1394a port 1 x Coaxial S/PDIF out port 1 x Optical S/PDIF out port 1 x PS/2 keyboard port 1 x PS/2 mouse port 1 x Clear CMOS switch 6 audio ports Accessories Asus Q-Shield (Rear I/O panel) 1 x Asus SLI bridge 6 x SATA data cables TurboV Remote 2 port USB / 1 port eSATA expansion bracket IDE/PATA cable Asus Q-Connector kit User guide Drivers and utilities disk Form Factor ATX 12 x 9.6 inches ( 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm ) Warranty 3 years based on serial number Price $220 |
;)
;)
Its worth noting that the VRM on the P7P55D Deluxe makes use of a hybrid 16+3 phase configuration, where 16 phases are dedicated to the processor cores and three to the CPUs integrated memory controller. Additionally, the VRM contains low Rds MOSFETs, ferrite core chokes, and Japanese capacitors. Heat spreaders are even placed beneath the board in order to promote heat dissipation.
The P7P55D Deluxe features an integrated Asus T.Probe chip, which detects and balances power phase loads and temperatures on the fly. In other words, T.Probe helps the VRM components run cooler by leveling power distribution across active phases, which should extend the board's life span while offering reliable power output. Furthermore, the board sports the TurboV Evo chip which provides real time overclocking and tweaking assistance. This chip works directly with the TurboV remote, which connects directly to the board and allows users the ability to modify BCLK, voltages, and power settings within an OS environment.
Along the edge of the board, we find eight SATA 3Gbps connections. Thankfully, Asus made use of right angled ports to avoid compatibility issues with extended graphics cards. They even included onboard reset and power switches for any enthusiast that might use an open air enclosure or no case at all.
;)
The rear I/O panel is home to PS/2 connections for both a keyboard and mouse, an optical S/PDIF out, a coaxial S/PDIF out, clear CMOS button, one Firewire port, eight USB 2.0 ports, a couple of RJ-45 LAN jacks, and 6 audio connections.
