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Enthusiast P55: Eight LGA 1156 Boards Between $150 And $200
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1. Similar Bang For Fewer Bucks?

The great news for enthusiasts who chose to wait for LGA 1156 before taking the plunge into Intel’s Nehalem architecture is that these boards cost around $100 less than similarly-equipped LGA 1366 platforms. Buyers can forget what they knew about former high-end build prices and instead refer back to the glory days of high-end LGA 775 price structures. And while this kind of pricing competitiveness isn’t doing any favors for manufacturers, even the slimmest profit margins should look great in light of anticipated sales volumes.

That means our so-called “budget” P55 motherboard round-up of a month ago, in fact, was loaded with mainstream products similar in added features to $200+ X58-based models, while this month’s $150+ round-up of P55 boards compares added features to X58 products that cost roughly $250-$300.

Yet one feature missing from all P55-based products is the second 16-lane PCI Express (PCIe) 2.0 slot, which has been available to Intel buyers exclusively through X58 and earlier X48/X38 chipsets. Some die-hard technology extremists might say that this disqualifies any P55 product from being considered enthusiast-class, but we won’t go that far. Just as the budgets of some auto enthusiasts compel them to buy custom-tuned economy cars, the budgets of many PC enthusiasts will lead them to explore their P55 options.

We consider a few of those options beginning with page two's feature comparison list.

2. Features Overview

Sub-$200 Core i5/i7 Motherboard Features

 

ASRock
P55 Deluxe

Asus
P7P55D EVO

Biostar
TPower I55

EVGA
P55 SLI

PCB Revision

1.06

1.06G

5.1

1.0

Chipset

Intel P55 Express

Intel P55 Express

Intel P55 Express

Intel P55 Express

Voltage Regulator

18 Phases (16+2)

14 Phases (12+2)

12 Phases (8+4)

10 Phases (8+2)

BIOS

1.70 (09/15/2009)

0711 (09/24/2009)

080015 (09/05/2009)

080016 (10/02/2009)

133.3 MHz BCLK

139.6 MHz (+4.7%)

133.7 MHz (+0.28%)

133.3 MHz (+0.0%)

133.2 MHz (-0.10%)

Clock Generator

ICS 9LPRS140CKLF

ICS 9LPRS140CKLF

RTM85N-914

ICS 9LPRS139AKLF

Internal Interfaces

PCIe 2.0 x16

3 (x16/x1/x4, x8/x8/x4)

3 (x16/x1/x4, x8/x8/x4)

2 (1 x x16 or 2 x x8)

3 (x16/x1/x4, x8/x8/x4)

PCIe x1/x4

1/0

2/0

1/1

1/0

Legacy PCI

3

2

2

2

USB 2.0

3 (6 ports)

3 (6 ports)

3 (6 ports)

3 (6 ports)

IEEE-1394

1

1

1

1

SerialPort

1

1

None

None

ParallelPort

None

None

No

No

Floppy

Yes

No

Yes

No

Ultra-ATA 133

1 (2-drives)

1 (2 drives)

1 (2 drives)

None

SATA 3.0Gb/s

6

8

6

6

4-Pin Fan

2

2

1

1

3-Pin Fan

3

2

2

5

FP Audio

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

CD Audio

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

S/PDIF I/O

Output Only

Output Only

Output Only

Both

Power Button

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Reset Button

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

CLR_CMOS Button

Jumper Only

Jumper Only

Jumper Only

Yes

Diagnostics Panel

Numeric

Pass/Fail LEDs

Numeric

Numeric

I/O Panel Connectors

P/S 2

2

2

1

1

USB 2.0

8 (1 Shared w/eSATA)

8

8

6

IEEE-1394

1

1

1

1

Network

Dual (with teaming)

Dual (with teaming)

Dual

Dual

eSATA

1 (Shared with USB)

1

2

2

CLR_CMOS Button

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Digital Audio Out

Optical+Coaxial

Optical+Coaxial

Optical+Coaxial

Optical+Coaxial

Digital Audio In

None

None

None

None

Analog Audio

6

6

6

6

Mass Storage Controllers

Chipset SATA

6 x SATA 3.0Gb/s

6 x SATA 3.0Gb/s

6 x SATA 3.0Gb/s

6 x SATA 3.0Gb/s

Chipset RAID Modes

0, 1, 5, 10

0, 1, 5, 10

0, 1, 5, 10

0, 1, 5, 10

Add-In SATA

JMB363 PCIe
1 x eSATA 3.0Gb/s

JMB363 PCIe
1 x eSATA 3.0Gb/s
1 x SATA to JMB322
JMB322 to 2x SATA

JMB363 PCIe
2 x eSATA 3.0Gb/s

88SE6121 PCIe
2 x eSATA 3.0Gb/s

Add-In Ultra ATA

JMB363 PCIe

JMB363 PCIe

JMB363 PCIe

None

IEEE-1394

VT6308S PCI
2 x 400Mb/s

VT6308P PCI
2 x 400Mb/s

LSI L-FW3227-100 PCI
2 x 400Mb/s

TSB43AB22A
2 x 400Mb/s

Gigabit Ethernet

Primary LAN

RTL8111DL PCIe

RTL8112L PCIe

Intel WG82578DC PHY

88E8057 PCIe

Secondary LAN

RTL8111DL PCIe

RTL810SC PCI

RTL8111DL PCIe

88E8057 PCIe

Audio

HD Audio Codec

ALC890B

VIA VT1828S

ALC888S

ALC889


Setting a 133 MHz base clock on the ASRock P55 Deluxe enables the firm's Intelligent Overclocking Technology function, even when that function has been disabled. Instead choosing a 134 MHz base clock disables I.O.T., but gives ASRock a slight speed advantage in the benchmarks. We’ll keep that slight advantage in mind when discussing result charts.

Sub-$200 Core i5/i7 Motherboard Features

 

Foxconn Inferno
Katana GTI

Jetway
HI05

Gigabyte
P55-UD4P

MSI
P55-GD65

PCB Revision

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.0

Northbridge

Intel P55 Express

Intel P55 Express

Intel P55 Express

Intel P55 Express

Voltage Regulator

10 Phases (8+2)

8 Phases (7+1)

10 Phases (6+4)

7 Phases (6+1)

BIOS

080015 (09/17/2009)

080015 (09/04/2009)

F4r (09/18/2009)

1.3 (09/03/2009)

133.3 MHz BCLK

133.7 MHz (+0.28%)

133.3 MHz (+0.0%)

132.9 MHz (-0.32%)

133.7 MHz (+0.28%)

Clock Generator

ICS RS4105BL

ICS 9LPRS919HKL

ICS 9LPRS914EKLF

MSI LRS4116AL

Internal Interfaces

PCIe 2.0 x16

3 (x16/x1/x4, x8/x8/x4)

2 (1 x x16 or 2 x x8)

2 (1 x x16 or 2 x x8)

2 (1 x x16 or 2 x x8)

PCIe x1/x4

2/0

2/0

3/0

2/1

Legacy PCI

1

3

2

2

USB 2.0

3 (6 ports)

3 (6 ports)

2 (4 ports)

3 (6 ports)

IEEE-1394

None

0

1

1

SerialPort

None

1

1

1

ParallelPort

None

1

1

None

Floppy

No

No

Yes

Yes

Ultra-ATA 133

1 (2 drives)

1 (2 drives)

1 (2 drives)

1 (2 drives)

SATA 3.0Gb/s

6

6

8

7

4-Pin Fan

1

1

2

1

3-Pin Fan

5

2

3

3

FP Audio

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

CD Audio

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

S/PDIF I/O

Output Only

Output Only

Both

Output Only

Power Button

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Reset Button

Yes

Yes

No

No

CLR_CMOS Button

Jumper Only

Yes

Jumper Only

Jumper Only

Diagnostics Panel

Numeric

Numeric

No

No

I/O Panel Connectors

P/S 2

1

1

1

2

USB 2.0

8

8

10

8 (1 Shared w/eSATA)

IEEE-1394

None

None

2

1

Network

Single

Dual

Dual (with teaming)

Dual

eSATA

None

1

2

1 (Shared with USB)

CLR_CMOS Button

Yes

Yes

No

No

Digital Audio Out

Optical+Coaxial

Optical+Coaxial

Optical+Coaxial

Optical+Coaxial

Digital Audio In

None

None

None

None

Analog Audio

6

6

6

6

Mass Storage Controllers

Chipset SATA

6 x SATA3.0Gb/s

6 x SATA3.0Gb/s

6 x SATA3.0Gb/s

6 x SATA3.0Gb/s

Chipset RAID Modes

0, 1, 5, 10

0, 1, 5, 10

0, 1, 5, 10

0, 1, 5, 10

Add-In SATA

None

JMB363 PCIe
1 x eSATA3.0Gb/s

JMB363 PCIe
2 x SATA3.0Gb/s
JMB362 PCIe
2 x eSATA3.0Gb/s

JMB363 PCIe
1 x SATA3.0Gb/s
1 x eSATA3.0Gb/s

Add-In Ultra ATA

88SE6111 PCIe

JMB363 PCIe

JMB363 PCIe

JMB363 PCIe

IEEE-1394

None

None

TSB43AB23 PCI
3 x 400Mb/s

VT6315N PCIe
2 x 400Mb/s

Gigabit Ethernet

Primary LAN

RTL8111DL PCIe

WG82578DC PHY

RTL8111D PCIe

RTL8111DL PCIe

Secondary LAN

None

RTL8111DL PCIe

None

None

Audio

HD Audio Codec

ALC888S

ALC888

ALC889A

ALC889

3. ASRock P55 Deluxe

The only motherboard in today’s roundup to provide SATA 6.0 Gb/s capability, ASRock’s P55 Deluxe is also the least-expensive board to include every high-end feature of its competitors.

A modest $160 gets buyers an extensive collection of two Gigabit Ethernet controllers, eSATA, active PCIe pathway switching (x16/x1 or x8/x8 transfer modes) for the top-two PCIe x16-length slots, a third x16-length slot with x4 transfer rates, dual-format digital audio outputs, internal power and reset switches, I/O panel CLR_CMOS for easy recovery of failed overclock attempts, and a two-digit Port 80 display for diagnosing boot failures.

ASRock places its shared PCIe x16 slots three spaces apart to help cool double-thick VGA cards and even makes things easier for legacy OS and hardware users with a floppy and an Ultra ATA interface.

This combination of features and layout is almost perfect, so let’s take a minute to examine what isn’t so fresh. Windows XP users who need to load AHCI or RAID drivers will be inconvenienced by the floppy connector’s lower rear-corner placement, while the vast majority of mid-tower system builders will be inconvenienced to a much greater degree by the front-panel audio connector shoved even farther into that same corner. Also, though forward-facing SATA connectors are ideal for many modern case designs, a few legacy or otherwise smaller cases have a drive cage blocking access to the board’s front edge. Having noticed all those concerns, our biggest difficulty was adding memory to an already-assembled system, since the slot latches are extremely close to the back of any long graphics card.

But most of those problems are nothing more than a minor nuisance to an experienced builder, and the fact that we didn’t find any significant problems should be enough to convince most readers to jump straight to our performance and overclocking results. However, there is one detail no buyer should overlook.

ASRock’s included 6.0 Gb/s capability comes by way of a dual-port PCIe expansion card. Using the same Marvell 88SE9128 controller found in our previous performance preview, ASRock strategically places its corresponding slot two spaces beneath the top graphics card. Short enough not to block the intake fan of most oversized graphics cards, the only problem we perceive for this two-port solution is the 2.5 GT/s bandwidth limit of its single PCIe link.

BIOS

ASRock puts its frequency, ratio, and voltage settings on a single menu for easier configuration. Less aggressive overclockers are even welcome to try one of the board’s pre-defined overclocking profiles.

ASRock provides DRAM reference voltage in addition to the essentials. We found that while the Without VDrop setting had some voltage-stabilization effect, CPU-core voltage still fluctuated by around 50mV between full and idle CPU load.

ASRock provides Auto configuration for individual memory timings, thus easing manual configuration of high-performance RAM.

Accessories

In addition to the already-discussed SATA 6.0 Gb/s expansion card, ASRock provide buyers with four SATA cables, two SATA power adapters, an internal S/P-DIF cable for the pass-through function of current Nvidia graphics cards, 80-conductor Ultra ATA and floppy cables, and an SLI bridge.

4. Asus P7P55D EVO

Though in many ways similar to the less-expensive P7P55D we reviewed a month ago, the P7P55D EVO offers a few extremely valuable features to attract gamers and power users. Chief among these are electronic switches that allow the second graphics card slot to function in x8 mode and dual-gigabit LAN with teaming support.

The EVO version also adds a coaxial connector for its digital audio output, a CLR_CMOS button on the I/O panel, a JMB322 multiplier for the internal port of its eSATA controller, and internal power/reset buttons. SATA headers are repositioned for easier installation of long graphics cards in the second x16-length slot, and the x16-length x4 slot of the budget version has been retained as a third slot on the P7P55D EVO.

Asus makes full use of seven slot positions by adding two PCIe x1 slots and two legacy PCI slots, placing its two high-bandwidth x16-length slots three spaces apart for improved cooling to the top graphics card. Found between the top two x16-length slots, four electronic switches instantly convert those slots from x16/x1 to x8/x8 modes whenever a long card is installed in that second slot. As with all P55 motherboards that have three long slots, interested 3-way SLI and CrossFire parties need to be aware that the third slot is suitable only for medium-bandwidth applications such as RAID cards, additional displays, or Nvidia graphics cards that have been re-purposed as PhysX processors.

Asus saw no need to upgrade the P7P55D EVO voltage regulator from the less-expensive version’s 14-phase design, and it also retains the cheaper board’s other exceptional features such as MemOK and Q-LED. MemOK eases booting with problematic RAM, while Q-LED indicates which component has become unresponsive during a failed boot attempt.

Asus also retains one of the nuisances from the less-expensive part--the bottom rear-corner FPA front-panel audio connector. We have to wish the best of luck to anyone who installs this motherboard into a case that has top-panel or upper-bay audio jacks.

Asus leaves out Windows XP RAID users by omitting any floppy connector, even though the feature is likely supported by the P7P55D EVO’s multi-I/O controller. Yet, the EVO panders to the legacy-storage crowd with an Ultra ATA connection.

BIOS

Asus' Ai Tweaker menu offers a wide range of voltage and frequency settings across two pages. In addition to required overclocking parameters, advanced overclockers will welcome signal amplitude, clock skew, and DRAM-reference voltage settings.

Asus' OC Tuner utility allows the system to automatically tune its own overclock. The highest Turbo profile pushed our CPU base clock to 161 MHz, but fortunately kept the processor’s Turbo mode operational.

DRAM timings consume almost two pages in a separate submenu. Asus allows users to configure only those settings with which they are familiar and to leave others in automatic mode.

Asus OC Profile stores up to eight custom settings onboard or exports these profiles to an external drive.

Accessories

The P7P55D EVO includes four SATA cables, though it tops the basic P7P55D by adding an SLI bridge and an eSATA/USB breakout plate.

5. Biostar TPower I55

Biostar has been making waves in the overclocking community for a few years now, with several somewhat-dubious world record claims backed by hundreds of completely believable testimonials. Its TPower I55 certainly looks the part of a world-class overclocking motherboard, with the most open surface area of any motherboard heatpipe cooler we’ve recently seen.

Yet, this is no stripped-down overclocking demo board. At $184, the TPower I55 includes all the upper-range features we’d expect from a product in the upper-half of today’s budget range, such as dual eSATA ports, dual Gigabit Ethernet controllers, dual PCIe x16 slots with automatic x16/x1 to x8/x8 mode switching, a diagnostics display, and IEEE-1394 FireWire.

Unlike many of its competitors, Biostar uses an actual x4 connector for its x4 slot. But while the length of the connector doesn’t bother us, we wish the company would have at least used an open-ended version so that x8 RAID cards and other medium-bandwidth, longer-slot devices would fit. There’s certainly enough room between components for a longer card, if only the slot end were open.

A row of voltmeter pick-up points between the power connector and DIMM slots could prove handy for competitive overclockers, though they may be impossible to reach in some fully-assembled systems. Internal power and reset switches in the lower corner also serve the same community, but we noticed that the CLR_CMOS button was intentionally omitted, while its solder points are still present.

Biostar caters to the legacy software community with a floppy header needed by so many Windows XP RAID or AHCI users, and also caters to the legacy hardware community with an Ultra ATA connector and PCI slots.

We could complain about the position of the floppy connector, but so few people now require it that we’d rather concentrate on the front-panel audio header located even farther into the TPower I55’s bottom-rear corner. Cases with top-panel or upper-bay audio jacks have been common for several years, and running a cable the entire length of the board is rarely practical and occasionally impossible.

Yet, there are so many tradeoffs in any design that simply labeling a design as adequate begins to appear as a stamp of approval. However, Biostar doesn’t quite get there, and it’s not because of its front-panel audio connector. A more serious problem we encountered was that its CPU socket was so close to the DIMM slots that we couldn’t install four memory modules with our moderately-thin Thermalright MUX-120 cooler in its standard orientation. We had to reverse our CPU fan to compensate, placing it on the back of the cooler (blowing forward) in order to complete our four-DIMM stability test.

BIOS

Biostar’s O.N.E. menu is a little convoluted, but readers will find additional screen shots in the photo album of today’s article. Its main menu features BCLK and QPI frequency plus CPU- and DRAM-ratio controls.

Users who would like to set only a few memory timings manually will find that enabling the manual-control option forces all timings to be set manually.

PCIe clock and skew controls are found under the Clock Gen Configuration submenu.

In addition to the basics, the TPower I55 Voltage Control submenu adds advanced settings such as power-phase frequency, DRAM-reference voltage, and clock-generator voltage.

Up to 10 BIOS configurations can be stored as user profiles.

New overclockers afraid of the BIOS graphical user interface (GUI) can instead change key values using Biostar’s O.M.G. interface. We didn’t find it any more convenient or less scary.

Accessories

In a further attempt to shed the budget-brand image it established several years ago, Biostar packs its TPower I55 installation kit with a full set of six latching SATA cables and graphics card bridges for both CrossFire and SLI.

6. EVGA P55 SLI

Listed on the manufacturer’s Web site as the EVGA P55, part number 132-LF-E655-KR targets enthusiasts who prefer the clean look of a “legacy-free” motherboard, with only a single PS/2 port left behind to support the older mice occasionally preferred by seasoned gamers.

Other “enthusiast-friendly” features include a Port 80 diagnostics display, power, and reset buttons along the bottom edge, and CLR_CMOS buttons both internally and externally. Like most similarly-priced P55 products, the P55 SLI is also capable of splitting the processor’s 16 PCIe 2.0 lanes across two slots for proper SLI support, but x4 pathways on the third x16-length slot make it suitable only for added displays, RAID controllers, or low-performance graphics cards that have been repurposed for use as PhysX processors.

EVGA spreads its six slots across all seven positions with a design that offers as much practical expansion room as seven slots, since the “missing” slot below the first graphics card is normally blocked by any oversized GPU sink.

EVGA is one of very few companies that designed its LGA 1156 motherboard with simultaneous support for LGA 775 coolers. Many owners of liquid-cooled Core 2 systems will be grateful that they don’t have to replace their water blocks, though making an LGA 775 cooler support plate fit under the LGA 1156’s integrated brace will require some ingenuity.

Two more enthusiast-friendly features that top off EVGA’s $199 offering are a jumper to switch between primary and backup BIOS, and a row of contacts above the DIMM slots that make it easy to check voltage using a meter.

BIOS

A well-designed BIOS is a huge credit to EVGA’s resourcefulness, revealing nothing of the company’s short life as the manufacturer of the motherboards it sells.

The Frequency/Voltage menu spreads the most significant overclock settings across two pages. EVGA adds DIMM reference voltage and PWM controller frequency to the basic ratio, clock, and voltage controls.

DRAM settings require a little more than a single page in the Memory Configure submenu, and EVGA’s engineers are wise enough to include “automatic” values for individual settings that many users won’t change.

EVGA adds floppy drive emulation for thumb drives, a feature this tester hadn’t seen since the days of Socket 370 motherboards. A potential boon to XP users who want to add RAID or AHCI drivers during installation, this feature would have been good enough to exclude EVGA from all criticism concerning the board’s lack of floppy support. We tested the feature and found that Windows XP does search the emulated drive and load drivers following the proper user response to its F6 prompt.

Windows XP unfortunately “loses” the emulated floppy after reassigning its drive letter from "A:” to “D:” during its drive-detection phase, wiping out the usefulness of emulation. We’ll follow this article’s comments in search for a solution that doesn’t require buying additional hardware.

Accessories

EVGA gets a little cheap in its accessory kit, providing only two SATA cables for a motherboard that supports six internal drives. Because most builders will use internal USB and FireWire connections for front-panel devices, we’d have preferred more SATA cables rather than the FireWire/USB breakout plate.

7. Foxconn Inferno Katana GTI

The first thing that struck us about the GTI version of Foxconn’s upper-mainstream Inferno Katana was the sheer number of features the company left out. For a savings of around $30, buyers lose eSATA, FireWire, the overclock-friendly “Force Reset” button, DTS Connect, Dolby Digital Live audio functions, and even the “Fuzzy Equalizer” voltage-regulator status indicator.

Then again, remaining features such as automatic-mode switching from x16/x1 to x8/x8 lane when adding a second graphics card, dual BIOS, and a two-digit diagnostics display seem almost a bargain for a low $154 price. Bench testers will also appreciate power and reset buttons at the bottom edge; end users who overclock will value the CLR_CMOS button on the back panel; hardcore overclockers will prize the convenient front-edge voltage reading points.

Some Windows XP users will be sad to lose the “freebie” floppy header that’s handy for adding AHCI or RAID drivers during OS installation, while many new system builders will be upset to pay for the rarely-used Ultra ATA header. Yet neither of these design decisions excite us.

Instead, we were troubled by a CPU socket that sits just a little too close to the memory slots to allow our CPU cooler to fit in “normal” orientation with four modules installed. Performing our four-module stability tests required removing the fan from our slim 120mm tower cooler and putting it on the other side of the sink, blowing back-to-front rather than the correct direction.

Another thing that surprised us was the x16-length slot spacing, with only two spaces between the top-two slots, but three between the second and third. Because the third x16-length slot suffers x4 lane width, high-end CrossFire and SLI users will pick the top-two slots, where the narrower spacing will reduce airflow to the top graphics card.

Yet, the layout of the Inferno Katana GTI screams “overclocking,” and any superiority there could allow us to put other concerns aside as we seek “bang-for-the-buck” performance gains.

BIOS

The “Quantum BIOS” menu unfortunately doesn’t reveal much of the Inferno Katana GTI’s overclocking potential, having only BCLK and PCIe clocks, plus CPU and DRAM ratios.

The voltage-control sub-menu isn’t much more detailed, though it does add reference voltage settings to the bare essentials. We further found the VDroop control problematic in that enabling it allowed the voltage to drop by over 80mV and caused a similar voltage increase under full load. The settings above resulted in the voltage output climbing to 1.45V under full CPU load at CPU frequencies over 4.1 GHz.

Memory timings must all be set manually unless all are left to automatic configuration, since the Inferno Katana GTI does not offer automatic mode for individual timings.

The Inferno Katana can store up to eight custom-BIOS configurations onboard.

Accessories

The Inferno Katana GTI installation kit is even more basic than the board itself, though Foxconn is at least kind enough to include an SLI bridge.

8. Gigabyte P55-UD4P

Gigabyte’s P55-UD4P tops its class-leading UD3R with added features so dearly missed in the cheaper part, such as PCIe 2.0 x8 bandwidth for the board’s second x16-length slot, FireWire, and a second Gigabit Ethernet port that supports high-bandwidth teaming mode.

Gigabyte even upgrades its P55-UD4P to Realtek’s ALC889A audio codec, compared to the UD3R’s ALC888. Yet, we were a little surprised to see the same voltage regulator on both models, a finding that points to the high-value overclocking capability of the cheaper part. And while buyers of the UD4P might appreciate an extra sink designed to aid VRM cooling, that extra sink limits the upper PCIe x1 slot to cards no more than 3” long.

Unlike its less-expensive sibling, the well-equipped P55-UD4P points all of its internal SATA ports forward to ease installation under extra-long graphics cards. This design often requires a larger or more modern case for added connector clearance near its internal drive bays, but buyers in the enthusiast market don’t typically use old, cheap cases anyway. Both models use the same combination of JMB363 and JMB362 controllers for Ultra ATA, SATA, and eSATA support.

A row of legacy connectors along the bottom edge includes serial, parallel, and floppy interfaces. These “freebies” are functions of the Multi I/O controller present on most boards, but Gigabyte is one of the few companies not afraid to include the physical connections in spite of calls by a very vocal few to “clean up” boards by leaving off parts that other builders may still need. Most important of the connections is the floppy interface often required for adding AHCI or RAID drivers during a Windows XP installation, though those who need it still face the daunting task of tracking down an extra-long floppy cable to reach an external drive bay that’s likely over a foot away.

BIOS

Gigabyte’s overclock settings are all found in sub-menus of its MB Intelligent Tweaker main menu. The main menu also shows several key readings such as base clock and CPU temperature.

The Advanced Frequency sub-menu contains base clock and PCIe frequencies, plus CPU, chipset, and DRAM ratios. Gigabyte adds drive strength and clock skew controls for advanced overclockers.

The P55-UD4P’s Advanced Memory sub-menu repeats the memory-multiplier setting and includes a few custom memory profiles that work in addition to XMP. Setting “DRAM Timing Selectable” to “Quick” allows both channels to be configured from the timing menu of a single channel.

“Auto” mode for individual timings allows tuners to adjust only the most familiar settings.

Another sub-menu provides all the basic voltage controls, including the important Uncore setting (labeled QPI/Vtt Voltage below), and adds advanced controls such as DRAM termination and reference voltage.

The P55-UD4P has enough room to store up to eight overclocking profiles onboard, and also allows profiles to be exported to attached drives.

Accessories

PCIe pathway switching makes the P55-UD4P a viable choice for SLI and CrossFire, so Gigabyte adds an SLI bridge. CrossFire bridges are typically included with compatible graphics cards, though a few Gigabyte-branded Radeon cards lack this important accessory.

9. Jetway HI05

Jetway’s HI05 came late to the P55 party and has yet to pick up any major sellers outside of Asia. Yet, the company does have a fairly good reputation for value among in-the-know buyers, and this well-featured board might have everything it takes to become a success at its $150 target price.

Such a low price puts the HI05 in direct competition with Foxconn’s entry from today’s roundup, but Jetway sweetens the pot with eSATA and dual-Gigabit Ethernet networking while also providing the extra space between its two x16-length PCIe slots we so often prefer for improved graphics card cooling.

Missing is any four-lane x16-length slot. Even though those aren’t practical for performance graphics cards, many users still like the flexibility of adding such items as a third graphics card dedicated to PhysX processing. Jetway instead provides an extra legacy PCI slot that could potentially hold a traditional PhysX processor card.

The HI05 provides electronic-lane switching to reconfigure its two long PCIe slots from x16/x1 to x8/x8 mode when a second graphics card is installed, making it just as practical for high-end CrossFire configurations as any other LGA 1156 product. Jetway even moves its SATA connectors out of the way from longer cards while retaining the perpendicular-style connector required to fit the board into tighter, legacy-design cases.

The HI05 is the only board in today’s roundup to include an internal CLR_CMOS button for quicker recovery from failed overclocking attempts. Another button on the I/O panel serves the same function in an assembled system. Other internal buttons include power and reset, and all three are found at the front edge for easy access in an open platform such as the Danger Den Torture Rack.

One of the few HI05 design details that doesn’t make sense to us is that the company serves legacy hardware users with parallel and serial port break-out connectors, while neglecting Windows XP RAID and AHCI users by leaving out a floppy interface. It’s almost like Martin Chang couldn’t make up his mind whether or not to pay tribute to the past. But one blast from the past we wish he’d forgotten is the bottom rear-corner placement of the HI05’s front-panel-audio connector, a spot that’s very hard to reach with the cables of top-panel and upper-bay headset jacks.

BIOS

Jetway spreads its HI05 performance controls across several BIOS main menus, rather than group them as sub-menus. For example, the CPU Feature sub-menu is found under the Advanced BIOS main menu, while memory timings are found under the Advanced Chipset main menu.

Jetway doesn’t provide automatic values for individual memory timings, but users won’t necessarily be forced to “set everything manually” when choosing to change only a few values. That’s because the automatic configuration values remain as the default manual value when switching from enable to disable "Timing by SPD."

The Miscellaneous Control main menu provides all the prerequisite voltage and timing settings, plus advanced features such as amplitude, clock skew, phase shift, and DRAM reference voltage. However, the HI05's BIOS does not provide any CPU-voltage droop control, and we found that choosing +0.325V provided our highly-overclocked Core i7-870 processor with 1.456V at no load and 1.368V at full load.

The HI05 can store up to three BIOS configurations as custom-user profiles.

Accessories

With a plethora of onboard features and an ultra-low price, we weren’t surprised to see that Jetway cut expenses by providing no graphics card bridges and only two SATA cables with its HI05.

10. MSI P55-GD65

With a Web price of around $160, MSI’s P55-GD65 lacks little in the way of features compared to its more expensive competitors. Automatic PCIe pathway switching for CrossFire and SLI configurations, dual-Gigabit Ethernet network controllers, dual-format digital audio out, FireWire, and eSATA are all found onboard.

We’re sure that many readers will ask about the missing third graphics card slot included on competing Asus and EVGA models, but it’s still there. It’s harder to find, since MSI opted for an open-ended x4 connector rather than a full-length x16 slot, but it still provides the four chipset-supported pathways its competitors use. The open end still allows x8 and x16 cards to fit and, as with higher-priced Asus and EVGA models, its four PCIe lanes are still suitable only for medium-bandwidth applications like added displays or RAID controllers. The only drawback to MSI’s design is that by positioning the slot only a single space above its eight-lane x16 slot, the firm made its use practical only for single-slot cards.

A few better-planned layout decisions include Ultra ATA and floppy connectors at the P55-GD65’s front edge, just below and above the board's center line. This location makes cable installation easy, especially for those poor souls who need a floppy to add AHCI or RAID drivers during a Windows XP installation.

Not so convenient is the bottom-rear corner’s front-panel audio connector, which is most often connected to jacks at the front-top corner of a case. We’ve seen many cases with cables that won’t reach this location, yet many motherboard manufacturers continue to believe that this is where the connector belongs.

All six SATA ports point forward, and this design lends itself to extremely good cable management in most modern enthusiast-level cases. Unfortunately, the hard drive cage of some classic case designs blocks access to the motherboard’s front edge. Most builders won’t face any issues, but the potential problem is something to keep in mind when selecting components.

Several manufacturers now offer voltage rail measuring points, but MSI goes a step further by adding a convenient bracket to its CPU Core, VTT, DIMM, and PCH read points. The bracket appears to be designed to hold the probe points of typical pocket multi-meters, and it worked well for our GB unit when tested.

BIOS

MSI P55-GD65 BIOS spreads frequency and voltage settings across 2.5 pages of its Cell Menu.

We’re happy to note that, unlike the P55-CD53 reviewed last month, the P55-GD65 allows voltage to be keyed in as expected results, rather than amounts added, and that the GD65 also has the UnCore voltage setting (CPU VTT, above) missing from the cheaper CD53.

Note that Load-Line Calibration is disabled in the above screen shot. We found that enabling it has the opposite-of-expected effect, allowing CPU core-voltage droop under full load. The 1.370V setting above, with Load-Line Calibration disabled, resulted in a voltage increase to 1.45V under full load. Unload and load voltages remained stable, in spite of the difference between the two, so we had no concerns about accidental voltage changes once the two results were determined.

DRAM timings are spread across nearly three pages of the Advanced DRAM sub-menu. MSI appears not to have learned from its competitors' mistakes here, as there are no individual “auto” options for each setting. In fact, memory tuners must configure both channels independently, as MSI doesn’t have an option to group these.

P55-GD65 BIOS supports storing up to six different BIOS configurations as user profiles.

Accessories

MSI outpaces most of its competitors in its P55-GD65 installation kit by including a CrossFire bridge, in addition to SLI. The floppy cable is also a fairly rare item among modern motherboards, but could prove useful for people who still game on Windows XP and use RAID or AHCI mode for their drives. MSI even includes a compact Linux-based OS that can be run from a CD or installed to a hard drive, which the firm calls Winki.

11. Test Configuration

Test System Configuration

CPU

Intel Core i7-870 (2.93 GHz, 8MB Cache)

CPU Cooler

Thermalright MUX-120

RAM

Kingston KHX2133C9D3T1K2/4GX (4GB)
DDR3-2133 at DDR3-1600 CAS 8-8-8-24

Graphics

XFX GeForce GTX 285 XXX Edition
670 MHz GPU, GDDR3-2500

Hard Drive

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS, 300GB
10,000 RPM, SATA 3Gb/s, 16MB cache

Sound

Integrated HD Audio

Network

Integrated Gigabit Networking

Power

Corsair CMPSU-850HX 850W Modular
ATX12V v2.2, EPS12V, 80-Plus Gold

Software

OS

Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64

Graphics

Nvidia GeForce 190.62 WHQL

Chipset

Intel INF 9.1.1.1014


We continue to use Intel’s eminently-overclockable Core i7-870 to test the true capabilities of each LGA 1156 motherboard.

Intel Turbo Boost is a primary feature of this processor, allowing it to clock up to 3.60 GHz depending on how many cores are loaded. Because the highest Turbo multipliers require unused cores to power down completely, we enable EIST and the highest available C-states during our benchmark runs.

High overclocking requires excellent cooling, and the Thermalright MUX-120 is barely enough to handle the heat output at 1.45V core during our overclocking tests.

Kingston’s HyperX DDR3-2133 overclocks well enough to outpace every board we’ve tested in our memory stability comparison.

Benchmark Configuration

3D Games

Crysis

Patch 1.2.1, DirectX 10, 64-bit executable, benchmark tool
Test Set 1: High Quality, No AA
Test Set 2: Very High Quality, 8x AA

Far Cry 2

Patch 1.03, DirectX 10, in-game benchmark
Test Set 1: High Quality, No AA
Test Set 2: Ultra High Quality, 8x AA

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky

Clear Sky Benchmark version
Test Set 1: High Preset, DX10 EFDL, No AA
Test Set 2: Ultra Preset, DX10 EFDL, 4x MSAA

World in Conflict

Patch 1009, DirectX 10, timedemo
Test 1: High Details, No AA / No AF
Test 2: Very High Details 4x AA / 16x AF

Audio/Video Encoding

iTunes

Version: 8.2.1.6 x64
Audio CD ("Terminator II" SE), 53 min
Default format AAC

Lame MP3

Version: 3.98.2, wave to MP3
Audio CD "Terminator II" SE, 53 min

TMPEGEnc 4.0 Express

Version: 4.7.3.292
Import File: Terminator 2 SE DVD (5 Minutes)
Resolution: 720x576 (PAL) 16:9

DivX 6.8.5

Encoding mode: Insane Quality
Enhanced multithreading enabled using SSE4
Quarter-pixel search

XviD 1.2.2

Display encoding status = off

MainConcept Reference 1.6.1
Reference H.264 Plugin Pro 1.5.1

MPEG2 to MPEG2 (H.264), MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec, 28 sec HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG2), Audio: MPEG2 (44.1 kHz, 2 Channel, 16-Bit, 224Kbp/s), Mode: PAL (25 FPS)

Productivity

Adobe Photoshop CS4

Version: 11.0 x64, Filter 15.7MB TIF Image
Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Median, Polar Coordinates

Autodesk 3ds Max 2009

Version: 11.0 x64, Rendering Dragon Image at 1920x1080 (HDTV)

Grisoft AVG Anti-Virus 8.5

Version: 8.5.287, Virus base: 270.12.16/2094, Benchmark: Scan 334 MB Folder of ZIP/RAR compressed files

WinRAR 3.90

Version x64 3.90, Dictionary = 4,096 KB, Benchmark: THG-Workload (334 MB)

WinZip 12

Version 12.1, WinZip Command Line Version 3.0, Compression = Best, Benchmark: THG-Workload (334 MB)

Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings

3DMark Vantage

Version: 1.0.1, GPU and CPU scores

PCMark Vantage

Version: 1.00 x64, System, Memory, Hard Disk Drive benchmarks, Windows Media Player 10.00.00.3646

SiSoftware Sandra 2009 SP4a

Version 2009.9.15.130, CPU Test = CPU Arithmetic / MultiMedia, Memory Test = Bandwidth Benchmark

12. Benchmark Results: Crysis And Far Cry 2

Crysis may no longer be a cutting-edge game, but its cutting-edge hardware requirements make a great benchmark.

When sorted by average performance, the system order between our lower and higher Crysis settings are nearly reversed. Still, the difference between motherboards is academic at this point.

Far Cry 2 shows similar inconsistency in order of performance while continuing to show similar overall performance between all motherboard models.

13. Benchmark Results: Clear Sky And World In Conflict

Stalker reveals slightly larger performance differences between various motherboard models, but only at its lowest settings.

World in Conflict takes a small performance hit when power-savings features are enabled, in spite of Intel Turbo Boost requirements. Biostar’s TPower I55 takes a small lead across all World in Conflict settings because the board doesn’t properly enable the Core i7-870’s highest C-States, a problem that’s likely to hurt the board’s performance in some of our application benchmarks.

14. Benchmark Results: Audio And Video Encoding

Biostar’s slight win in World in Conflict turns into a much larger loss in Apple’s iTunes benchmark, since the lack of support for the processor’s highest C-States prevents it from reaching the highest CPU multiplier in this single-threaded application.

Lame likewise sheds light on Biostar’s minor BIOS inadequacy.

Jetway falls behind in both DivX and H.264 encoding, which are both multi-threaded. A power-management bug is the most likely reason for this difference.

15. Benchmark Results: Productivity

Jetway also falls behind in both image editing and rendering.

Performance differences in AVG virus scan are minimal.

Foxconn’s Inferno Katana GTI takes a big win in our WinZip benchmark. Unlike previous differences noted for Jetway and Biostar, this particular win is baffling, as it’s not found in any other program benchmark. We retested the board several times, even checking it with CPU-Z, and the only thing we found that was peculiar was that the CPU appeared to dwell at its 26x Turbo Boost multiplier a little more often when using the Foxconn motherboard.

16. Benchmark Results: Synthetic

3DMark likes Biostar, which makes some sense given its slight lead in one of our games.

PCMark favors the TPower I55 with a higher HDD performance score. We’ve never fully investigated the effect of EIST and high C-states on HDD performance, but a win this large is unexpected.

As with WinZip, Foxconn also takes a marked lead in Sandra’s Whestone bench.

Rounding issues make Biostar’s numbers look larger than those of the leading ASRock motherboard in Sandra Memory Bandwidth--19.84 plus 19.84 is larger than 19.75 plus 19.85. Because this is the only benchmark ASRock truly won (it also had some first-place ties), now would be a great time to remind readers that we had to test the board at 134.3 MHz, as opposed to the 132.9 MHz-133.7 MHz competing models used.

17. Overclocking

Every product in today’s comparison provides wide enough frequency and timing selections to push our big air cooler to the limit, even with an ambient temperature below 22 degrees Celsius.

BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for overclocking)

 

ASRock
P55 Deluxe

Asus
P7P55D EVO

Biostar
TPower I55

EVGA
P55 SLI

CPU Base Clock

100-300 MHz (1 MHz)

80-500 MHz (1 MHz)

100-800 MHz (1 MHz)

133-600 MHz (1 MHz)

CPU Multiplier

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

DRAM Data Rates

BCLK x6 - x12 (x2)

BCLK x6 - x12 (x2)

BCLK x6 - x12 (x2)

BCLK x6 - x12 (x2)

PCIe Clock

50-150 MHz (1 MHz)

100-200 MHz (1 MHz)

100-150 MHz (1 MHz)

100-200 MHz (1 MHz)

CPU Vcore

0.84-2.00V (6.25mV)

1.10-1.70V (6.25mV)

+7875mV (6.25mV)

+630mV (10mV)

Uncore Voltage

1.11-2.04V (14.5mV)

1.10-1.70V (6.25mV)

1.10-2.03V (15mV)

+630mV (10mV)

PCH Core

1.07-1.49V (6.5mV)

1.05V, 1.15V

1.10-2.03V (15mV)

+300mV (10mV)

DRAM Voltage

1.56-2.01V (14mV)

1.20-2.50V (12.5mV)

1.60-2.53V (15mV)

+630mV (10mV)

CAS Latency

6-11 Cycles

3-11 Cycles

3-15 Cycles

3-15 Cycles

tRCD

3-15 Cycles

3-15 Cycles

3-15 Cycles

3-15 Cycles

tRP

3-15 Cycles

3-15 Cycles

3-15 Cycles

3-15 Cycles

tRAS

9-31 Cycles

3-31 Cycles

9-63 Cycles

9-63 Cycles

BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for overclocking)

 

Foxconn Inferno
Katana GTI

Jetway
HI05

Gigabyte
P55-UD4P

MSI
P55-GD65

CPU Base Clock

66-255 MHz (1 MHz)

133-500 MHz (1 MHz)

100-1200 MHz (1 MHz)

100-600 MHz (1 MHz)

CPU Multiplier

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

DRAM Data Rates

BCLK x6 - x12 (x2)

BCLK x6 - x12 (x2)

BCLK x6 - x12 (x2)

BCLK x6 - x12 (x2)

PCIe Clock

100-120 MHz (1 MHz)

100-200 MHz (1 MHz)

90-150 MHz (1 MHz)

90-190 MHz (1 MHz)

CPU Vcore

-0.40-+1.26V (10mV)

-0.88-+8.00V (25mV)

0.50-1.90V (6.25mV)

0.87-2.70 (6.25mV)

Uncore Voltage

0.95-1.50V (10mV)

1.12-2.23V (17.5mV)

1.05-1.99V (20mV)

0.45-2.02V (5.38mV)

PCH Core

0.95-1.50V (10mV)

1.08-2.14V (17mV)

0.95-2.00V (20mV)

1.00-2.40V (10mV)

DRAM Voltage

1.40-2.71V (10mV)

1.54-3.26V (25.5mV)

1.30-2.60V (20mV)

0.91-2.40V (6.25mV)

CAS Latency

3-15 Cycles

3-15 Cycles

6-15 Cycles

4-15 Cycles

tRCD

3-15 Cycles

3-15 Cycles

1-15 Cycles

3-15 Cycles

tRP

3-15 Cycles

3-15 Cycles

1-15 Cycles

3-15 Cycles

tRAS

9-63 Cycles

9-63 Cycles

1-31 Cycles

9-31 Cycles


However, not every setting is completely useful. Surely, most overclockers understand that base clock limits beyond 300 MHz are completely meaningless with the LGA 1156 platform, and not every board could fully support even our moderate 1.45V CPU core setting.

Biostar has put a lot of effort into its overclocking campaign, and that has paid off with a CPU overclocking win. Also notice the asterisk next to ASRock’s entry--this particular model wasn’t stable at 1.45V CPU core when maximum overclocks and eight Prime95 threads were applied. We found the highest practical setting for the P55 Deluxe was 1.40V, as anything higher would cause the motherboard’s over-current protection to reset the system under full load. We’re sure someone will try to prove us wrong by testing higher voltage levels with lower loads or clock speeds, but the only practical way we know to honestly increase the board’s amperage capacity is to increase VRM cooling.

Gigabyte takes a big lead over rival Asus and overclock-leader Biostar for maximum base clock, a setting that should be extremely important to multiplier-limited Core i5 owners.

Foxconn has the highest average memory overclock, while EVGA leads with two modules and Gigabyte leads when four are installed.

18. Power, Heat, And Efficiency

Foxconn’s Inferno Katana GTI has the lowest average power consumption, but having the fewest onboard features could be a big part of that efficiency.

Gigabyte’s 2 oz. copper PCB could be the reason behind its lower VRM temperatures, while Biostar’s big open sinks put it in second place for motherboard cooling. Foxconn’s Inferno lives up to its name by comparison, but it’s hard to classify temperatures this low as fiery.

The most miserly of today’s motherboards, the Inferno Katana GTI’s performance is good enough to push it to first place in efficiency. Biostar, with its inability to support the highest power-saving C-states and thus the highest Intel Turbo Boost multipliers, unfortunately suffers a sizeable efficiency defeat.

19. Does Biostar Win?

If CPU overclocking were the sole qualification for today’s comparison, the TPower I55 could be our top pick. But narrowing our focus to that extent would render useless those ugly performance and power tests. Moreover, the point of so large a comparison is to find the best overall motherboard and hopefully, the best value within a narrow price range.

We can start with the least expensive of today’s roundup, the Jetway HI05. Packed with features, a few unfortunate circumstances prevent this model from taking the checkered flag. First, its $150 price is only an estimate, since the HI05 isn’t available yet in the United States. Second, the inability to compensate for core voltage fluctuation put it near the bottom of our list in overclocking. Buyers who aren’t concerned about class-leading overclocking might find this to be their best value, but only if they can find it.

The next cheapest board, Foxconn’s Inferno Katana GTI is almost completely devoid of high-end features. Designed to appear as a stripped-down overclocking model, it didn’t even fill that role well and unfortunately breaks from the company’s recent history of high-value performance boards.

The true value gem of today could be ASRock’s P55 Deluxe. Packed with more features than any other board in today’s comparison, our only reservation in recommending this $160 part is that its voltage regulator isn’t powerful enough to cope with the moderate settings we normally use to overclock. However, buyers who expect less in the way of overclocking will find huge value in this particular model and that’s almost enough to earn the board an award.

The greatest problem in recommending a board with even the slightest shortcoming in power output is that this price range represents the lower rungs of enthusiast-level parts. We’ve already seen perfect stability in the top-two boards of our mainstream P55 comparison and expected these higher-priced models to increase features without sacrificing other capabilities. After all, it’s not like our stability tests were particularly strenuous, as our settings were chosen to fall within the capabilities of air-cooled overclocking and represent a target for the average system tuner.

The four boards that remained 100% stable are Gigabyte’s $170 P55-UD4P, Biostar’s $185 TPower I55, Asus’ $195 P7P55D EVO, and EVGA’s $200 P55-SLI. Of these, Gigabyte’s P55-UD4P has the second-highest CPU overclock, highest base clock, highest memory clock for high-end four-module configurations, lowest power consumption, and lowest VRM temperature. Gigabyte’s P55-UD4P also has the lowest price of the four top-quality boards and is thus the best value in its class.

Yet the one thing missing from the Gigabyte P55-UD4P is any PCIe x4 slot, an interface that enthusiasts might use for an x8 RAID card or “spare” x16 graphics card dedicated to additional displays or PhysX processing. For that we look to Asus and EVGA, since Biostar’s x4 slot has a closed end that prevents longer cards from being installed. Of the two motherboards that support a third x16-length card at x4 bandwidth, Asus provides 1.2% better performance, 0.2% higher CPU overclocking, 1% higher BCLK capability, and 5.3% higher average efficiency. None of those miniscule leads are capable of giving the P7P55D EVO a clear advantage over EVGA’s P55 SLI, but combining them with a 2.5% lower price gives Asus the edge it needs to take honorable mention behind value-leader Gigabyte.