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Roundup tests of motherboards aimed at Intel Core 2 Duo processorsAuthor: Aleksandr MitrofanovDate: 09/07/2007
Today, we are updating the roundup tests of motherboards aimed at Intel Core 2 Duo processors which were fist published half a year ago. What has changed since then? Fist, Intel has released its 3rd series of chipsets which now includes 7 new products (integrated G31, G33, G35, mainstream P35, high-end X38, and the business chipsets Q33 and Q35). The most interesting of them are P35 and X38, but first products based on X38 will appear only by the end of this year, and P35 in combination with ICH9(R) is more likely a stage in evolution, rather than revolution. See for yourselves: first performance tests of P35 with DDR-3 memory demonstrate no performance boost as compared to P965 + DDR-2, and the price of DDR-3 memory is prohibitive. Regarding the support for 1333 MHz system bus, we can say that it is small step forward. Some reviewers have already questioned the performance boost of these processors. For now, we can't tell anything specific, since we haven't yet run respective tests. But in any case, processors with the 1333 MHz bus offer support for most of high-end motherboards aimed at P965! A few words on NVIDIA chipsets. The release of nForce 6xx series has made it possible for manufacturers to produce respective motherboards which by their specifications are on par with those based on Intel chipsets. Before the release of this series, NVIDIA chipsets were anyway popular but they hardly overclocked. The nForce 6xx series has no issue like that - most boards equipped with both high-end (680i SLI) and low-end (650i SLI) chipsets can easily cope with the FSB speed as high as 500 MHz. Besides, NVIDIA chipsets offer the two advantages: they normally support 1 ParallelATA line more than competitor products do. Secondly, they support the SLI technology. Unless NVIDIA enables support for the SLI in the Intel X38 chipset, the nForce 6xx series will be beyond any competition at that! A couple of hints as to how to read this review. The text is long enough (30 motherboards), so the most important information is presented in the table of specifications and in the conclusions. Note that the newest motherboards are highlighted in bold type in the table, with the description of each at the end of the pages, and a reference to a complete and detailed review of the motherboard. As we already stated, almost every new review starts with a mention of Intel Core 2 Duo processors. That is understandable because the release of Intel's new architecture is a mini revolution that brings CPU over to a new level of performance and power consumption. It's just these specifications that resulted in that almost all the PC enthusiasts somehow or other are planning for migration to a new platform (or have already migrated to it). Therefore, an important issue of choosing the right motherboard aimed at Core 2 Duo comes up. It should be noted that all the motherboards of the previous generation are incompatible to new processors (although they are of LGA775 Socket). And it is neither the developers nor chipsets that are to blame for this situation, but it is a result of the fact that the motherboards were developed before receiving the Core 2 Duo specifications. Therefore, the power supply module of these chipsets does not allow using Conroe processors (a module meeting the VRM 11 specification requirements is required). In other words, all the previous motherboards based on i975X and NVIDIA nForce4 SLI Intel Edition chipsets, however good they are, are being sent to the garbage heap of computer history. And we (users) start choosing new motherboards. For now, there exist motherboards with support for Core 2 Duo based on Intel 975X and P965 chipsets, as well as NVIDIA nForce4 SLI IE, nForce 570/590 SLI IE, and nForce 680i SLI/650i SLI. Besides, it should be noted that part of the manufacturers have released motherboards based on outdated chipsets of the i945P series with the VRM11 power supply module. However, these boards are aimed solely at the value sector of the market, that is, where AMD Athlon64 CPUs still rule. From the viewpoint of PC enthusiasts, they are of little appeal. On the other hand, with the release of cheap Intel E2160 and E2140 based on the Core architecture, we can no longer assert AMD's domination in the value sector.
ChipsetsLet's talk in a bit more detail about the chipsets P965, 975X, and NVIDIA nForce4 Intel Edition, nForce 570/590 SLI, as well as the new nForce 6xx series. To start with, look at the comparative specifications table.
As we can see from the table, the expansion options of the 680i SLI chipset are on par with 590 SLI. The same can be said about the functionality: the kit of NVIDIA proprietary technologies is the same as before. In particular, all the chipsets of the nForce 6xx series support the MediaShield (including RAID Morphing and Cross-Controller RAID), FirstPacket, LinkBoost, and SLI-Ready Memory, as well as the nTune Utility. Besides, the nForce 680i SLI chipset supports the DualNet (+ TCP/IP Acceleration) technology. For details of these technologies, read the review on nForce 5xx series chipsets.
This table requires some comments to accentuate some fundamental distinctions of the chipsets. First, despite the official specifications of memory frequencies, motherboard manufacturers have implemented a complete set of memory frequency multipliers in their products (using some technical tricks). In the end, motherboards based on i975X/P965 offer a really wide selection of multipliers (including support for DDR2-1066 memory):
Available memory frequencies on ASUS P5W-DH Deluxe (i975X)
While we are talking about memory, let's outline a very important point: the chipset i975X offers support for the reducing multiplier (DDR2-400) for FSB = 266 MHz, i.e. the memory frequency = 3:4 of the FSB speed, which allows for a substantial overclocking of Core 2 Duo processors while keeping the memory frequency within the reasonable limits. Example: at FSB = 533 MHz the memory frequency will be 400 MHz, which is equivalent to DDR2-800. It is not by accident that I specified such a high frequency. The thing is, Core 2 Duo runs at relatively low frequencies (the clock speed of E6300 = 1.86 GHz), and the system bus speed is as high as 266 MHz (1066QPB). Therefore, the multipliers of Conroe and Allendale processors are within 7 to 10. In view of the technology limit of the 65-nm process of Core 2 Duo = 3.5 GHz, the operating frequencies of the overclocked system will be within 400 to 500 MHz (E6300: 500 MHz x 7 = 3500 MHz). The chipset P965 does not have a reducing multiplier for the memory frequency. That is, it loses to i975X at that. However, the differences in the design and process technology (P965 is made following the "finer" process technology) resulted in higher overclocking capability of P965! We also note here that to attain high results the user would have to raise voltage on the north bridge (both for P965 and 975X). However, the chipsets P965 and 975X are not direct competitors and are aimed at different market sectors. P965 is used to manufacture middle-end and high-end motherboards, and i975X - only for high-end products. The key distinction between these chipsets is support for the ATI Crossfire (or AMD/ATI Crossfire) technology. In particular, 975X-based motherboards do support it, and with two PCI Express x16 slots they allocate 8 bus lanes to each. The chipset P965 lacks such functionality, however, some motherboards do have 2 PCI Express x16 slots each onboard. At the same time, for the first slot 16 lanes are allocated, whereas for the second slot - 2 or 4. In autumn 2006, the situation radically changed: ATI was acquired by AMD, and the latter enabled support for the Crossfire on P965. Respective amendments were introduced to Catalyst 6.9 (and further) drivers. In the end, users of P965-based motherboards with two PCI Express x16 slots will leverage the advantages of two ATI video cards running in the Crossfire mode. At the same time, it should be noted that performance boost will be lower than in the same video cards installed on an i975X-based motherboard. In fact, if we disregard the Crossfire technology, the presence of two PCI Express x16 slots allows plugging in four monitors to a single system. As regards the SLI technology, Intel's chipsets do not support it (although that is quite possible using unofficial modified drivers). Therefore, if the user is up to merging two video cards into an SLI, he would need a motherboard based on any nForce chipset with support for SLI. By the way, overclocking of motherboards based on nForce 6xx series chipsets is very simple and is not accompanied by a synchronous rise in the memory frequency. The user simply fixes the memory frequency and then builds up the FSB speed. The next radical distinction between 975X- and P965-based motherboards is in different south bridges. Motherboards based on 975? use ICH7(R), whereas those based on P965 user newer ICH8(R). Nevertheless, the new is not always the best. Although the number of USB 2.0 ports has been increased (to 10) in the south bridge ICH8(R), with the number of Serial ATA channels increased to 6, the support for Parallel ATA has gone, unfortunately. Therefore, users of such hard disks will not be able easily upgrading the motherboard. Most users are using PATA CD and DVD drives. Anyway, motherboard manufacturers have found a way out of the trouble and started installing cheap additional controllers (even Intel does that on its boards). Therefore, all who are after the direct support for Parallel ATA should forget about P965 and choose between motherboards based on 975X and nForce4 chipsets. A few words on the integrated G965 chipset. That is a modification of the chipset P965 with integrated graphic core X3000 (Intel GMA X3000). Let's dissuade you from buying motherboards based on this chipset: the raw graphic drivers are the cause of low performance in 3D applications (somewhere as the level between i915G and i945G), and the middling 2D quality is simply tiring to the eyes.
Roundup table
In this table, the asterisk * stands for some specific feature or a record value.
abit AW9D-MAXThis motherboard is another high-end product of the MAX series. Originally, the MAX concept implied giving up all outdated standards, but the first products were not accepted by users. A couple of years afterwards, the lack of LPT and COM ports on the rear panel is no longer a shock to the buyers.
In general, AW9D-MAX is a typical high-end motherboard based on the i975X chipset. In particular, it supports the Crossfire (two PCI Express x16 slots), has two PCI Express x1 slots onboard, and one "regular" PCI.
It should be noted that the audio subsystem of the board is implemented as a separate smaller board which is inserted into a dedicated slot.
To plug in hard disks, there is one Parallel ATA connector and 8 Serial ATA II connectors (one of which is external). To support additional SATA channels, there are two RAID controllers Silicon Image Sil3132 onboard. Besides, there are two Gigabit LAN controllers Realtek RTL8111B, as well as a Firewire controller - TSB43AB22A - made by Texas Instruments (both ports being external). The motherboard also supports 8 USB 2.0 ports.
On the board's rear panel, there are 4 USB 2.0 ports, a couple of RJ-45 network connectors, and one Serial ATA II port. The remaining ports are plugged in with brackets. The empty space and the "bare" radiator suggest the thought that something was forgotten during installation. In our view, over here there will be one or two fans, but this modification of the OTES technology will relate to the Fatal1ty series.
The board's package bundle looks vague: we received an almost "bare" engineering sample, and the information from the official web site does not disclose any details. Anyway, all the standard components can be made available at any retail store and we are much more interested in the functional capabilities of the motherboards. Here we have to point to some shortcomings. First, the motherboard does not operate with Core 2 Quad processors based on the Kentsfield core. Secondly, the board does not support the reducing DDRII-400 memory multiplier for processors of 266 MHz FSB speed (QPB 1066 MHz). Because it just offers the major advantage of i975X over P965. The memory settings section itself is not abundant with the number of timings - there are only the most generic:
On the other hand, the system monitoring section is the most powerful among all the motherboards with support for Core 2 Duo processors:
The motherboard monitors the temperature of the CPU, system and that from the four(!) sensors of the power supply module. Besides, the board allows detecting the rotational speed of all the eight(!) fans which can be plugged in to the system. Moreover, you can assign signals of deceleration or stoppage to every fan, as well as enable the function of system power-off in case the fan has stopped. At the same time, the rotational speed of all the eight fans can be made dependent on various temperatures using the FanEQ utility (there is a respective Windows utility). Now on to the overclocking tools. The respective BIOS menu item is called "OC Guru" (formerly named "SoftMenu").
Therefore, abit AW9D-MAX allows the user to adjust the FSB speed within 200 to 600 MHz, raising voltages on the CPU - up to 1.65 V, on the memory - up to 2.65 V, and on the chipset - up to 2.0 V . As regards the practical overclocking, the motherboard showed high results - 450 MHz (with a CPU E6400). Among the additional features, we should mention a 7-stage POST indicator, OTES - a cooler for the power supply module, and a few additional LEDs on the reverse side of the board:
And of course we note an additional mGuru chip. Owing to that, the board acquired advanced capabilities like maintaining profiles of BIOS settings, monitoring the rotational speeds of the fans, and a very powerful section to do with system monitoring.
An interim conclusion - the motherboard abit AW9D-MAX is a good product based on i975X, but far not the best. Chasing for additional features and increase of expansion capabilities have not left any time for polishing overclocking features. The shortcomings are about the lack of a reducing multiplier of the memory frequency, as well as some issues of compatibility to memory modules. It's just for the powerful overclocking that abit motherboards have been popular among enthusiasts. However, if engineers at Abit succeed in overcoming the overclocking issues and release a new BIOS with better results at that, the board will rightfully take its place of dignity among the best motherboards for PC enthusiasts. But for now we can ascertain that abit AW9D-MAX is strong "middling" in the good sense, and the traits like support for 5" mGuru Panel, mGuru chip and additional OTES cooling system cannot change this conclusion. Among the advantages of the board, we should note the superb exterior (owing to a lot of additional LEDs), a very powerful section of system monitoring. Among the shortcomings to note, there are flaws in the software.
Pros:
.
abit AB9 ProAnother motherboard by abit, this time based on the P965 chipset. Note that the expansion options are well over the chipset's specifications. In particular, engineers of the company have expanded the functionality through installation of additional Serial ATA/RAID controllers, one of which supports one Parallel ATA controller. 
The PCB design is convenient enough from the viewpoint of the assembly operator, except the inconvenient positioning of the Parallel ATA connector.
Let's list the expansion options: one PCI Express x16, two PCI Express x1, and two regular PCI slots. Besides, the board has two Gigabit LAN controllers, integrated 8-channel audio based on the ALC882D codec, 10 (!) SerialATA II channels, and 10 USB2.0 ports. Besides, the board uses the Firewire controller.
The rear panel is of nonstandard configuration: missing are COM ports, as well as an LPT port. 
The board offers a couple of traits. First, it supports connection of a special 5" mGuru panel.
There is also an additional mGuru chip with which the feature of BIOS settings profile is implemented, and control over the fans' rotational speed, as well as very powerful system monitoring section.
Finally, the board uses a 7-stage POST indicator.
As regards the overclocking tools, they are powerful enough: the board allows adjusting the FSB speed within 133 to 600 MHz, raising voltage on the CPU up to 1.65 V, and up to 2.3 V on the memory, up to 1.45 V on the chipset, and up to 1.7 V on the south bridge.
 As regards the actual overclocking, we note that with one of the first BIOS versions the board was able to attain 346 MHz (for a CPU E6700 based on the Conroe core, this can't be called a good result). With the latest BIOS version (1.5 of 19 Oct 2006), the overclocking was not possible at all (the board was hardly running at the nominal frequencies). Having rolled back to BIOS version 1.4, we reinstated the stable operation and attained the maximum FSB = 406 MHz. However, we can't praise programmers at abit: it is not possible to adjust the CPU multiplier, the voltage on the CPU is adjustable in a too large increment (which is unacceptable for overclocking Core 2 Duo). And if we set the memory voltage (Vmem) above 2.0 V, the board itself resets the value back to 2.0 V. I wonder how I should use Corsair Dominator modules (or similar) which require 2.4 V?? Within this roundup, we updated the BIOS to version 1.8 dated 18/05/2007 and unfortunately found no improvements. The board still runs stably at 400-410 MHz, and if the frequency goes beyond that the frequencies automatically reset the FSB speed to 410 MHz. The ranges of voltage adjustment and the increment have not changed. Setting the random access memory on abit AB9 Pro has been implemented at the level of a middling motherboard for the average common user.
On the other hand, the system monitoring section is impressive for the abundance of features, and at that this motherboard is among the best.
Interim conclusion: abit AB9 Pro is a regular motherboard based on the P965 chipset, whose major advantage is the powerful expansion options and advanced system monitoring tools. But the overclocking let us down - the board can be hardly recommended to PC enthusiasts.
Pros:
For a detailed review, read abit AB9 Pro
ASUS P5W-DH DeluxeThe management of ASUS have proved far-sighted and concentrated substantial resources for the development of a series of motherboards based on the chipset i975X. Some models built on this chipset are aimed at professional workstations, and some of them - at home users. P5W-DH Deluxe is aimed just at the home users. In particular, it uses a system for PC remote control, which makes the ease of using the PC closer to the ease of controlling the household appliances. Besides, we should note the powerful expansion options which include a WiFi module. We should also mention the rich package bundle and quite interesting proprietary technologies (like Music Alarm, CrashFree BIOS 3, etc.). 
We start with listing the expansion options at which ASUS P5W-DH Deluxe is among the leaders: two Gigabit LAN controllers, two Firewire ports, a WiFi module, and two Serial ATA/RAID controllers.
The remaining parameters are close to standard: 8 USB2.0 ports, 8-channel audio, two PCI Express x16 slots, two PCI Express x1, and three PCI slots.
Note that support for two PCI Express x16 slots allows using AMD/ATI Crossfire, and additional RAID controllers allow plugging in up to 11 hard disks (9 over SATA II and 2 over PATA). Besides, the WiFi module allows setting up a home-based network:
The board is specific in that it lacks LPT and one of COM ports on the rear panel. Besides, on the panel there is one SATA and a Firewire ports (as a single block).
 At the functional specifications, the board also has no bottlenecks either. In particular, the board can boast excellent compatibility to memory modules (although the list of accessible latency timings is not vast). However, it should be noted that some users have come up against the problem of starting up the system in the synchronous mode.
The system monitoring is powerful enough: the board displays the current temperatures for the CPU and the system, rotational speeds of all the five fans, as well as voltage levels. Besides, all the coolers are able adjusting the rotational speed depending on the CPU and system temperatures. For the CPU cooler there is a separate pack of settings for Q-FAN 2, and for coolers connected to PWR_FAN1, PWR_FAN2, CHA_FAN1 and CHA_FAN2 there are two common packs of settings.
The overclocking tools have no shortcomings at all:
ASUS P5W-DH Deluxe allows adjusting the FSB within 200 to 450 MHz, raising voltage on the CPU to 1.7 V, on the memory - to 2.4 V, on the north bridge - to 1.65 V and on the south bridge - to 1.2 V. It should be noted here that there is a new revision of the board which allows raising voltage on the north bridge to 1.85 V. No doubt, for a serious overclocking it is just this revision which is more preferable, but with our motherboard (of the older revision) we were able to attain a stable operation at the maximum possible FSB=450 MHz! Also, in view of the increased load (in the overclocking mode) upon the power supply module and the north bridge, the engineers at ASUS have implemented a rather powerful cooling system which allows for installation of an additional fan: 
The price of the motherboard is rather high ($260-270), but the great number of the board's advantages let us safely recommend it for buying. There is one point, though: for a serious overclocking, you would have to look for a motherboard of new revision. Pros:
For a detailed review, see ASUS P5W-DH Deluxe
ASUS P5W64-WS ProWhile P5W-DH Deluxe is one of the best motherboards for home-based users, the model ASUS P5W64-WS Pro is aimed at professionals. The board is also based on the i975X chipset, and its major feature is four PCI Express x16 slots. Installation of four video cards to the system allows plugging in up to 8 monitors, and PC enthusiasts can make use of the CrossFire technology, the ATI Physics technology (accelerator of physics computations), as well as one more video card for two additional monitors.
Let's list the expansion options: two Gigabit LAN controllers, two Firewire ports, an additional 4-channel Serial ATAII/RAID controller, 8 USB 2.0 ports, 8-channel audio, four PCI Express x16, and two PCI slots.
Coming back to the PCI Express slots, we note that the first and third slots are served by the i975X chipset, and in the Crossfire mode 8 PCI Express bus lines are allocated per each. Support for the second and fourth slots is provided by the additional IDT89HA0324 chip (PCI-Express hub). This chip is fitted between the north and south bridges of the chipset and is closed by a copper radiator with the "Quartet: logo.
The design of the rear panel is more or less traditional, except the missing COM ports (only one is supported - via a bracket).
ASUS P5W64-WS Pro uses a great number of proprietary functions and technologies, such as Q-Fan 2, MyLogo 2, EZ-Flash, CrashFree BIOS 3, MultiLanguages BIOS, C.P.R, AI Net, and AI Audio. We have already covered them in detail - it makes sense dwelling only on the CrashFree BIOS 3. The third version of the feature allows restoring the damaged BIOS not only from a diskette and a CD, but also from a flash disk. Besides, we note the OC Profile technology which allows saving all the BIOS settings into memory and loading them on demand. ASUS P5W64-WS Pro supports two independent profiles:
As for the board's BIOS, it is based on the AMI BIOS version.
The selection of memory settings is a bit wider than that for the P5W-DH Deluxe. But the system monitoring section is a bit weaker:
The board displays the current CPU temperatures (which are evidently overstated) and that of the system, rotational speeds of all the four fans, as well as voltage levels. Besides, the coolers plugged in to CPU_FAN and CHA_FAN1 can vary the rotational speeds depending on the CPU temperature with the Q-Fan 2 feature. The powerful overclocking tools will certainly appeal to overclockers:
The board allows adjusting the FSB speed within 200 to 550 MHz, raising voltage on the CPU to 1.7 V, on the memory - to 2.4 V, on the north bridge - to 1.8 V, on the south bridge - to 1.2 V, and on the FSB bus - to 1.5 V. Through practical overclocking we were able to attain stable operation at FSB = 470 MHz. Let me bring in a photo of noiseless system for cooling the chipset and the power supply module:
Heat from the chipset is sent to the main radiator (on the power supply module) using a heat pipe. Note that the system is noiseless only because an additional fan is missing in the package bundle. Therefore, ASUS P5W64-WS Pro is mainly aimed at professionals and users having 4 video cards in their systems. The overall set of expansion options, proprietary technologies and overclocking tools allows using it also for regular computers. But anyway this motherboard is a niche product, so the price >=$300 is quite adequate. Pros:
For a detailed review, see ASUS P5W64-WS Pro
ASUS CommandoOn the moment of initial tests, this motherboard left some dubious impressions. On the one hand, we had no claims to the technical part: engineers at ASUS have created a very good motherboard based on P965. On the other hand, positioning of this motherboard seemed somehow strange to us: it falls within the "Republic of Gamers" series which is aimed solely at overclockers and computer enthusiasts. But the number of bonus items is too small, unfortunately. On the board there is an amusing highlight, three buttons, a LED screen, and that is all to boast. In the end, it loses to ASUS P5B Deluxe Wi-Fi at a number of parameters: there are fewer SerialATA links, no support for Wi-Fi, with no SoundMAX microphone in the box. At the same time, the Commando board costs about $40 as expensive. In any case, we already talked about that in a detailed review of this motherboard, but now we concentrate on only the technical aspects. First, the motherboard uses a massive cooling system based on heat pipes:
It offers support for two high-speed LAN controllers, has an additional Serial ATA II/Parallel ATA RAID controller JMB363 (only one Parallel ATA link is implemented), two Firewire ports, 10 USB 2.0 ports, and 8-channel integrated audio.
The board also uses two PCI Express x16, four PCI, and one PCI Express x1 slots.
The trait of the rear panel is in the complete lack of LPT and COM ports. Instead of them, there is a diagnostic LCD screen, optical and coaxial SP-DIF outputs, as well as a Firewire port.
The board demonstrated a perfect compatibility to various memory modules and quite a wide selection of available memory latency timings.
The system monitoring settings are superb:
The board displays the current temperatures for the CPU and the system, rotational speeds of all the eight fans, as well as voltage levels. The board also determines three temperatures from additional thermal sensors (unfortunately, missing in the package bundle). Depending on their readings, the board is able controlling the rotational speed of the fans plugged in to the OPT_FAN1-3 connectors. Implemented is also the OC Profile technology which allows saving all the BIOS settings into memory and loading them on demand. ASUS Commando supports two independent profiles:
Nor there are any claims to the overclocking tools.
In particular, the board allows adjusting the FSB speed within 100 to 650 MHz, raising the CPU voltage to 1.85 V , on the memory - to 3.375 V, as well as raising voltage on the north bridge to 2.025 V, on the south bridge - to 1.215 V, and on the FSB - to 1.55 V. In real overclocking, the motherboard showed the best results - a stable operation at FSB=520 MHz. Interim conclusion: although ASUS Commando costs more, it loses to its brethren at some specifications, but it offers a very important advantage - the overclocking tools are the most powerful among ASUS motherboards based on the P965 chipsets. Pros:
For a detailed review, see ASUS Commando ASUS P5B Premium Vista EditionIf you need the most "wired" motherboard and if you are not planning to use the SLI, then look at ASUS P5B Premium Vista Edition.
One of the major advantages of this product is the package bundle which includes:
We spent a lot of time exploring additional devices, and on the whole we liked them (see the review New technologies in ASUS motherboards).
So, as in the case with Commando, we concentrate on the technical aspects only. First, we should note that in developing the motherboard there was used the PCB design of P5B Deluxe, which in many ways determined the similarity of specifications.
In particular, it offers support for two high-speed LAN controllers onboard, has an additional Serial ATA II/Parallel ATA RAID controller JMB363, two Firewire ports, 8 USB 2.0 ports, and 8-channel integrated audio.
Like on P5B Deluxe Wi-Fi, this motherboard supports only 8 USB 2.0 ports (whereas the south bridge ICH8R supports 10 ports). But on the Deluxe Wi-Fi version two ports have been sacrificed for the sake of installation of a Wi-Fi module, and on the Premium version - for installation of a flash memory module (ASAP technology).
The board also uses two PCI Express x16, three PCI, and one PCI Express x1 slots.
The trait of the rear panel is in the optical and coaxial SP-DIF outputs, one COM port, as well as a Firewire and SerialATA ports.
The board demonstrated a perfect compatibility to various memory modules and quite a wide selection of available memory latency timings.
The system monitoring settings are superb:
The board displays the current temperatures for the CPU and the system, rotational speeds of all the eight fans, as well as voltage levels. Both the motherboards display the current temperatures of the CPU and the system, and both offer the feature for adjusting the rotational speed of the CPU cooler depending on the CPU temperature. At other parameters, the ASUS boards takes a lead. The motherboard also monitors the rotational speed of 5 fans and is able dynamically adjusting the speed of three additional fans (using the Q-Fan 2 feature).
Besides, the board offers the OC Profile technology which allows saving all the BIOS settings into memory and loading them on demand (supports 2 profiles).
The overclocking tools have been implemented at a high level.
In particular, the board allows adjusting the FSB speed within 100 to 650 MHz, raising the CPU voltage to 1.7 V , on the memory - to 2.45 V, as well as raising voltage on the north bridge to 1.65 V, on the south bridge - to 1.8 V, and on the FSB - to 1.45 V. In real overclocking, the motherboard showed quite decent results (with the latest BIOS version) - a stable operation at FSB=500 MHz. Interim conclusion: due to the rich package bundle, this board will certainly appeal to many PC enthusiasts. Pros:
For a detailed review, see ASUS P5B Premium Vista Edition
ASUS P5B Deluxe Wi-FiThe specifications of ASUS P5B Deluxe allow it to compete almost on par with the best high-end motherboards based on i975P. However, the differences of P965 and i975X make these boards fall within different market sectors. Therefore, we can say that this board is aimed at a powerful average computer. ASUS P5B Deluxe looks more prestigiously due to the massive cooling system based on heat pipes:
At the expansion options, this motherboard is among the best products based on P965. It offers support for two high-speed LAN controllers, has an additional Serial ATA II/Parallel ATA RAID controller JMB363, two Firewire ports, 8 USB 2.0 ports, and 8-channel integrated audio.
Note that the number of USB 2.0 ports has been reduced from 10 to 8 at the expense of a WiFi module.
 The board also uses two PCI Express x16, three PCI, and one PCI Express x1 slots.
The board's package bundle is rich enough and includes an additional fan for the power supply module, a dual microphone with the noise-suppression feature, as well as a Quick Connection Kit.
 The rear panel features in that a Serial ATA II and a Firewire port have been brought over to it, with a LPT and one of the COM ports missing. The configuration of the panel is fully identical to that on ASUS P5W-DH Deluxe. 
In terms of functionality, the board is rather powerful. Despite that the set of memory latency timings is practically standard, this motherboard demonstrated the best compatibility to memory modules. In particular, with Corsair Dominator modules the board was running absolutely stably at DDR2-1200 MHz memory frequency!
The system monitoring settings are standard:
The same can be said about overclocking tools.
In particular, the board allows adjusting the FSB speed within 200 to 650 MHz, raising the CPU voltage to 1.7 V , on the memory - to 2.45 V, as well as raising voltage on the north bridge to 1.65 V, on the south bridge - to 1.215 V, and on the FSB - to 1.45 V. In real overclocking, the motherboard showed the best results - a stable operation at FSB=520 MHz.
Interim conclusion: to date, ASUS P5B Deluxe is the most balanced product for Intel Core 2 Duo processors. We place a special emphasis on that at overclocking the motherboard has demonstrated the highest results! Pros:
For a detailed review, see ASUS P5B Deluxe ASUS P5B-EASUS P5B-E is a product of the middle pricing category (~$150). At the same time, the board offers a complete set of expansion options, supports powerful overclocking tools and offers an impressive list of ASUS' proprietary technologies. Let's dwell on the overclocking: after publication of a detailed review on this motherboard we received a lot of letters from readers who got interested in some features which lacked on the retail products. In particular: "... for instance, you can raise voltage on the memory to only 2.1 V, on the north and south bridges - you can't raise voltage at all", " On my 1.01G you can adjust voltage only on the memory, CPU, and the bus. No way to adjust voltage on the chipset! I used different BIOS but updated to version 0306 the way it was shown on your screenshot - didn't work, no voltage adjustment appeared.", "In the BIOS of my motherboard, there aren't the items NB Vcore, SB Vcore (SATA,PCIE), and ICH Chipset Voltage. But the maximum voltage on the memory is only 2.1 V." As was promised in the conference, we came back to this motherboard, tampered with various BIOS versions, tortured ASUS support service. The final conclusion: more powerful overclocking tools are supported only by the motherboard of revision 1.02G (which we had) and higher.
I'd like to note that for the past six months this has not been the first case when motherboards of the same model strongly differ in specifications depending on the BIOS version. Most Gigabyte motherboards even include the the revision number in the names.
Unlike ASUS' high-end motherboards, this one is made on yellow textolite, has only aluminum radiators (without heat pipes), as well as have only PCI Express x16 slot.
However, at the expansion options this motherboard is far not the last. This is how all the basic features of the chipset are implemented: 6 Serial ATA links, high-speed Gigabit LAN connection, 8 USB 2.0 ports, and integrated 8-channel audio. Besides, the board uses the additional Firewire controller (2 ports), as well as the additional SerialATA II/ParallelATA RAID controller JMB363. The latter has added support for 2 SerialATA II links (one of which brought over to the rear panel), as well as one ParallelATA link.
The board uses one PCI Express x16, three PCI , and three regular PCI Express x1 slots.
The rear panel features in that a Serial ATA II and a Firewire port have been brought over to it, with an optical and coaxial SP-DIF outputs positioned instead of one of the COM ports.
In terms of functionality, the board is rather powerful. Despite that the set of memory latency timings is practically standard, this motherboard demonstrated a superb compatibility to memory modules.
The system monitoring settings are standard:
But the overclocking tools are really powerful (which holds true for revision 1.02G).
In particular, the board allows adjusting the FSB speed within 100 to 650 MHz, raising the CPU voltage to 1.7 V , on the memory - to 2.45 V, as well as raising voltage on the north bridge to 1.7 V, on the south bridge - to 1.215 V, and on the FSB - to 1.45 V. In real overclocking, the motherboard showed superb results - a stable operation at FSB=520 MHz. Experiments with overclocking are much facilitated by the OC Profile technology which allows saving two independent kits (profiles) of BIOS settings.
Interim conclusion: to date, ASUS P5B-E is a well-balanced product of the middle pricing category.
Pros:
For a detailed review, see ASUS P5B-E
ASUS P5N32-SLI SE DeluxeThis is another ASUS' high-end motherboard, this time based on nForce4 SLI Intel Edition. It features in wide expansion options and, most importantly, support for the SLI and 2 Parallel ATA links.
First, let's list the expansion options: the board supports 10 USB 2.0 ports, 6 SerialATA II links, two Gigabit LAN controllers, and 8-channel integrated audio (with ALC850 used as the codec). Besides, there is an additional chip to support the Firewire (2 ports).
The configuration of expansion slots: two PCI Express x16 slots, two PCI Express x1, one PCI Express x4, and two regular PCI slots.
The rear panel is of practically standard configuration, except the missing COM ports, where the SP-DIF input and output are positioned instead, as well as a Serial ATA II port. One of the COM ports is anyway implemented with a bracket.
The BIOS of Asus P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe is built on the Award BIOS Phoenix version.
We found no special issues of compatibility to memory modules. However, in terms of memory overclocking the board is evidently weaker than products based on Intel chipsets. As regards the system monitoring, the board keeps track of the CPU's and system's current temperatures, and the rotational speed of only three (of six) fans. Besides, the speed of the CPU cooler (as well as the cooler plugged in to the CHA_FAN1) can be set dependent on the CPU temperature using the Q-FAN 2 feature. 
Let's list the overclocking tools: the FSB is adjustable within 200 to 400 MHz, CPU voltage can be raised to 1.7 V, on the memory - to 2.4 V, on the chipset - to 1.6 V (both to the north and south bridges), as well as on the FSB to 1.415 V. The results of real overclocking are middling: stable FSB speed = 300 MHz.
We note a rather powerful system for cooling the board, which includes radiators on the power components of the power supply module which are linked to the radiators on the chipset with heat pipes. If needed, the user can install additional fans (which are available in the bundle):
Interim conclusion: ASUS P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe is one of the few motherboards which offer simultaneous support for Intel Core 2 Duo and the SLI. The board also supports 2 Parallel ATA links, which will be interesting for owners of respective devices. Pros:
For a detailed review, see ASUS P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe
ASUS Striker, ASUS P5N32-E SLI, and ASUS P5N32-E SLI PLUSWe'll be reviewing these three motherboards at a time - they are based on the same PCB design. All have the Striker label, but on the models ASUS P5N32-E SLI and ASUS P5N32-E SLI PLUS it is glued with a piece of paper. The final difference among the listed products are insignificant. In particular, ASUS Striker falls within the "Republic of Gamers" series and features in a richer package bundle (Ghost Recon, licensed version of 3DMark 06 Advanced Edition, external thermal sensors, clamps, an additional fan, a leather keychain, and a SoundMAX microphone), a massive cooling system, additional SerialATAII Sil3132 controller, a diagnostic LCD screen, Power, Reset buttons, and a button to clear the BIOS settings. In the end, ASUS is positioning this motherboard as an exclusive product aimed at overclockers and computer enthusiasts. In this case, the exclusive character costs a lot: ASUS Striker is offered at prices within $300 to $380, whereas its light version ASUS P5N32-E SLI sells at prices within $220 to $240. Once we are talking about the price, we note that ASUS P5N32-E SLI PLUS is also offered at prices within $220 to $240, but unlike ASUS P5N32-E SLI it is based on the combination of nForce 650i SLI and nForce 570 SLI chipsets. ASUS has dubbed this combination as NVIDIA Dual X16 SLI, and in terms of functionality it makes no difference from the nForce 680i SLI (i.e., it supports the full-featured SLI 16 + 16).
ASUS Striker
ASUS P5N32-E SLI
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