Intel P35 / X38 Motherboards Roundup
ASUS P5E3 (Intel X38; DDR3)
Another ASUS' motherboard based on X38 that offers support for DDR-3 is called P5E3. This is already the fourth ASUS' boards based on X38 which offers a unique PCB design.
Its major difference from the P5E3 Deluxe version is in the layout of expansion slots. In particular, there are two PCI Express x16, two PCI Express x1, and two PCI slots.
The cooling system is somehow simpler and weaker than that in the Deluxe version.
The same applies to the expansion options. ASUS P5E3 uses one Gigabit LAN controller (two controllers on the Deluxe version), two Firewire ports, an additional SerialATA/ParallelATA/RAID controller (1 SATA + 1 PATA), as well as 12 USB2.0 ports, and integrated 8-channel audio.
Here is the configuration of the rear panel:
As regards the package bundle, it is almost identical to the Deluxe version: there is an AI Remote unit with a remote control and one additional fan (two - in the Deluxe version).
As regards the BIOS, the section that deals with tuning the memory settings is fully identical to that of the Deluxe version.
The same can be said about the system monitoring: all the settings are coincident.
Like Maximus Extreme, the P5E3 Deluxe allows for saving all the BIOS settings into memory and loading them on demand. It supports two independent profiles:
The overclocking tools have no shortcomings at all:
ASUS P5E3 allows adjusting the FSB within 200 to 800 MHz, raising the CPU voltage to 1.7V, on the memory - to 1.7V, on the memory - to 2.3V, on the north bridge - to 1.75V, on the south bridge - to 1.2V, and on the FSB bus - to 1.5V. The overclocking settings are much more modest than in the P5E3-Deluxe, the same applies to the overclocking capability - we attained a stable operation at only FSB=536MHz.
Currently, almost all the motherboards based on Intel X38 cost 300$ or higher than that. ASUS P5E3 is an exception: its price is below 250$. However, its support for DDR3 does not allow assembling an inexpensive system on its base.
Pros:
- High stability and good performance level;
- Two PCI Express x16 slots;
- Support for SerialATA II /RAID ( 7 lines; ICH7R + JMB361);
- Support for one P-ATA line (Marvell 88SE6111);
- Integrated 8-channel audio and Gigabit Ethernet LAN controller;
- Support for USB2.0 (12 ports) and IEEE-1394 (Firewire, 2 ports);
- Rich package bundle (includes AI Remote, an additional fan);
- Passive/active system for cooling the chipset and the power supply module;
- A wide selection of ASUS' proprietary technologies (PC Probe II, EZ Flash 2, CrashFree BIOS 3, MyLogo2, Q-Fan 2, etc.);
- Additional set of AI Proactive technologies (AI Overclock, OC Profile, AI Net 2, etc.);
Cons:
The board's specific features:
- Good results of overclocking the processor and memory;
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