Partnership
  • MSI is the official motherboard sponsor for Overdrive, providing Nehalem and P45 platforms for the Championship.
  • HyperX DDR3 modules are specifically engineered and designed to meet the rigorous requirements of PC enthusiasts.HyperX modules rated at DDR3-2000+are used in the Overdrive Championship
  • Samsung Hard Drives and Optical Drives - The Center of Innovation
  • 1,000 W modular 80plus high-efficiency EVEREST 1010 power supplies used for the Overdrive Championship.
  • Logitech's G11 gaming keyboard offers illuminated keys and 18 configurable multi-purpose keys plus a USB hub. The G5 Laser Mouse allows adjustable weight and up to 2000 dpi sensitivity for maximum precision.
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Asus P5K Deluxe WiFi-AP

The P5K Deluxe WiFi-AP is the first of several boards in this review to feature an identical layout to its DDR3 counterpart reviewed on Page 3 of our previous comparison. A complete layout description is therefore superfluous, so the following description will recap a few highlights while focusing on differences in packaging and BIOS.

Features Overview

The P5K Deluxe WiFi-AP features the same 7-slot layout and WiFi Access Point card previously praised on its DDR3 counterpart. The most noticeable layout differences are the use of four DDR2-compatible memory slots and a different heat pipe.

The simplified heat-pipe chipset and VRM cooler design improves access to CPU cooler mounting hardware when used with an oversized air cooler. It doesn't include Asus' add-on cooling fan, though, which is meant to supplement chipset cooling when CPU liquid cooling is used.

Like the DDR3-equiped P5K3 version, the P5K Deluxe WiFi-AP's has two layout weaknesses. The first is that two of its Serial ATA connectors could potentially be blocked by longer graphics cards; the second is that its Ultra ATA connector is placed at the bottom edge of the board. This will force users of said optical drives to stretch their wide cables past the entire length of the board to reach an upper case bay, a distance that may exceed the length of standard cables (depending on case design).

Asus P5K Deluxe WiFi-AP Edition (Revision 1.01G)
Northbridge Intel P35 GMCH
Southbridge Intel ICH9R
Voltage Regulator Eight Phases
BIOS 0311 (05/28/2007)
266.6 MHz (FSB1066) 267.3 MHz (+0.24%)
Connectors and Interfaces
Onboard 2x PCIe x16 (1x x16, 1x x4 pathways)
2x PCIe x1
3x PCI
2x USB 2.0 (2 ports per connector)
1x IEEE-1394 FireWire
1x Serial Port Header
1x Floppy
1x Ultra ATA (2 drives)
6x Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s
1x Front Panel Audio
1x CD-Audio In
1x S/P-DIF Out
1x Fan 4 pins (CPU)
4x Fan 3 pins (System)
IO panel 1x PS2 (keyboard)
2x RJ-45 Network
6x USB 2.0
1x IEEE-1394 FireWire
2x Digital Audio Out (S/P-DIF optical + coaxial)
6x Analog Audio (7.1 Channel + Mic-In + Line-In)
2x eSATA (External Serial ATA) interface
Mass Storage Controllers
Intel ICH9R 6x SATA 3.0 Gb/s (RAID 0,1,5,10)
JMicron JMB363 1x Ultra ATA-100 (2-drives)
2x SATA 3.0 Gb/s (RAID 0,1, JBOD)
Network
Marvell 88E8056 PCI-E Controller 1x Gigabit LAN Connection
Realtek RTL8110SC PCI Controller 1x Gigabit LAN Connection
Audio
HDA (Azalia) Controller Interface ADI AD1988B 8 + 2 Channel Codec
FireWire
Agere FW322 2x IEEE-1394a (400 Mbit/s)

The P5K Deluxe WiFi-AP offers the exact feature set previously found in its DDR3 sibling, highlighted by its 8+2 channel multi-streaming audio codec, and a triple network controller set of dual Gigabit plus 802.11g wireless connections.

Like the P5K3 version, the P5K Deluxe WiFi-AP does away with the PS/2 mouse port in the assumption that "everyone" who buys such leading-edge technology will be using a USB mouse.


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