Asus P5Q-E (P45) Motherboard
"New features from Asus makes the P5Q-E a very attractive mainstream motherboard. If you think OCing is good on their high-end boards ... wait and see what this baby can do !"
Introduction
New features from Asus makes the P5Q-E a very attractive mainstream motherboard. If you think OCing is good on their high-end boards ... wait and see what this baby can do !
INTRODUCTION
In a recent controversial event sponsored by Gigabyte, there have been rumours of false claims by Gigabyte about the credibility of Asus's EPU. Asus responded by emailing all press and media representitive, in which they vigourously defended its position on their EPU. They emphasise the seriousness of spreading incorrect information about their EPU, and will take further action if needed. Whether these claims and counter claims can be substantiated or resolved remains to be seen. So, the battle between Gigabyte's DES and Asus's EPU rages on.
We've tested both Gigabyte's DES and Asus's EPU, and found that both technologies gave users pretty good power/energy savings. However, on some Gigabyte motherboards, their DES feature was a winner ... while on others the Asus's EPU came out on top. So, in the end there is no clear winner ... it's just a matter of choice. Are you a fan of Gigabyte or Asus?
Let's get back to this review and talk about Intel's P45 chipset. Codenamed "Eaglelake", this chipset is slated by Intel as a mainstream and performance chipset. It is paired with their new ICH10R southbridge, and supports all the latest Intel 45nm processors including Core 2 Duos, Quads and Extreme processors. Furthermore, the chipset will now support the higher 1600 FSB, as well as DDR2 ram upto 1200Mhz and DDR3 ram upto 1600Mhz.
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Asus has serveral models in the P45 series, these include the higher-end P5Q3-Deluxe/WiFi-AP (which use DDR3 ram and include WiFi), and then there are the P5Q-Deluxe, P5Q-Premium and P5Q-E (all of which use DDR2 ram). In this review we'll be taking a look at the Asus P5Q-E motherboard. This motherboard utilises Intel's latest P45 chipset along with their new ICH10R southbridge. It's aimed at the mainstream market for users of all types from gamers to high-end power users. Asus also incorporated several innovative features with this motherboard, including their new EPU with 6 engines for massive energy saving, the Asus Express Gate for quick 5 second boot online, and Drive Xpert for quick easy backup. By using 100% Japanese made solid capacitors and a 8-Phase power design ... it gives users excellent stability and longevity. All these features makes the P5Q-E a very attractive motherboard for the mainstream user.
The Asus P5Q-E supports DDR2 ram upto DDR2-1200* (by overclocking), so it's great for users who's already using DDR2 ram on their existing system. And looking at the specifications, the P5Q-E has a lot to offer than most motherboards. Take for example the internal power-on and reset switches, the wealth of connectors on the ATX I/O rear panel and all of the innovative features from Asus. As far as performance is concerned, we're expecting the P5Q-E to compete very well against both the X38 and X48 based mothebroards. Well, I've been told by one of our in-house overclockers that the P5Q-E (even though it's a mainstream board) is very good at overclocking. I can't wait to see what this motherboard can do.
We'll be testing the Asus P5Q-E with our trusted old Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ default 2.4Ghz, OCZ DDR2-1066 SLI-Ready 2Gb Kit, a Radeon HD3870 512MB DDR4, PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 860W PSU and a 19" Dell Ultrascan P990 monitor. Windows Vista with native DX10 was used as our OS.
Ok, let's not waste any more time and take a closer look at Asus P5Q-E motherboard.
