Improved per-clock performance and higher achievable frequencies are sure to put Intel’s latest K-Series CPUs on top of many builders’ whish lists, but they’ll still need a new socket to put it in. We test nine enthusiast-oriented LGA-1155 motherboards.
Before you buy a new Sandy Bridge-based platform, check out the recent news about Intel's recall of its Cougar Point chipsets.
Right now, anyone who just bought anything with an LGA 1156 interface is probably kicking themselves. Intel’s new Core i3/i5/i7-2000-series processors have the highest per clock, per-core performance we’ve ever seen. And better yet, the unlocked K-series models support the highest air-cooled overclocks we’ve ever seen. Within “normal” cooling limits, these processors even stand a chance of outgunning Intel’s ultra-expensive six-core chips, and the performance picture isn't even a contest in games that cannot use more than four cores.
The need for a new motherboard might be a slap in the face for anyone who sank significant cash into an LGA 1156-based platform thinking it might be upgradable for a while. But those who chose to wait, holding on to an older Core 2 Quad or a slower Phenom II, did so for good reason.

Nine products will make this a long review, so rather than discuss those things already covered by Chris and Patrick, let's jump straight to a features comparison.
| Motherboard Features | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ASRock P67 Extreme4 | Asus P8P67 Pro | Biostar TP67XE | |
| PCB Revision | 1.07 | 1.01 | 5.0 |
| Chipset | Intel P67 Express | Intel P67 Express | Intel P67 Express |
| Voltage Regulator | Ten Phases | Twelve Phases | Ten Phases |
| BIOS | M1.20A (12/14/2010) | 0803 (11/23/2010) | A2 (11/12/2010) |
| 100.0 MHz BCLK | 100.4 MHz (+0.4%) | 100.0 MHz (+0.0%) | 100.1 (+0.1%) |
| Clock Generator | P67 Integrated | P67 Integrated | P67 Integrated |
| Internal Interfaces | |||
| PCIe x16 | 3 (x16/x0/x4 or x8/x8/x4) | 3 (x16/x0/x4 or x8/x8/x4) | 2 (x16/x0 or x8/x8) |
| PCIe x1/x4 | 2/0 | 2/0 (Shared with x4) | 2/0 |
| Legacy PCI | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| USB 2.0 | 3 (6-ports) | 3 (6-ports) | 3 (6-ports) |
| USB 3.0 | 1 (2-ports) | 1 (2-ports) | None |
| IEEE-1394 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Serial Port | 1 | None | 1 |
| Parallel Port | None | None | None |
| Floppy | Yes | No | No |
| Ultra-ATA 133 | None | None | None |
| SATA 3.0 Gb/s | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| SATA 6.0 Gb/s | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| 4-Pin Fan | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 3-Pin Fan | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| FP-Audio | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CD-Audio | No | No | No |
| S/PDIF I/O | Output Only | Output Only | Output Only |
| Power Button | Yes | No | Yes |
| Reset Button | Yes | No | Yes |
| CLR_CMOS Button | Jumper Only | Jumper Only | Jumper Only |
| Diagnostics Panel | Numeric | Pass/Fail LEDs | Numeric |
| I/O Panel Connectors | |||
| P/S 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| USB 2.0 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| USB 3.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| IEEE-1394 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Network | Single | Single | Single |
| eSATA | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| CLR_CMOS Button | Yes | No | No |
| Digital Audio Out | Optical + Coaxial | Optical + Coaxial | Optical + Coaxial |
| Digital Audio In | None | None | None |
| Analog Audio | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Other Devices | None | Bluetooth Transceiver | None |
| Mass Storage Controllers | |||
| Chipset SATA | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 4 x SATA 3Gb/s | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 4 x SATA 3Gb/s | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 3 x SATA 3Gb/s 1 x eSATA 3Gb/s |
| Chipset RAID Modes | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| Add-In SATA | Marvell 9120 PCIe 1 x SATA 6Gb/s 1 x SATA/eSATA shared | Marvell 9120 PCIe 2 x SATA 6Gb/s JMicron JMB362 2 x eSATA 3Gb/s | None |
| Add-In Ultra ATA | None | None | None |
| USB 3.0 | 2 x EtronTech EJ168A | 2 x NEC D720200F1 | 1 x NEC D720200F1 |
| IEEE-1394 | VT6315N PCIe 2 x 400 Mb/s | VT6308P PCI 2 x 400 Mb/s | VT6315N PCIe 2 x 400 Mb/s |
| Gigabit Ethernet | |||
| Primary LAN | RTL8111E PCIe | Intel WG82579V PHY | RTL8111DL PCIe |
| Secondary LAN | None | None | None |
| Audio | |||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC892 | ALC892 | ALC892 |
| DDL/DTS Connect | None | None | None |
| Motherboard Features | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ECS P67H2-A2 | Foxconn P67A-S | Gigabyte P67A-UD4 | |
| PCB Revision | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Chipset | Intel P67 Express | Intel P67 Express | Intel P67 Express |
| Voltage Regulator | Nine Phases | Four Phases | 14 Phases |
| BIOS | 101022BS (10/22/2010) | AF46F1016 (11/22/2010) | F2 (10/22/2010) |
| 100.0 MHz BCLK | 99.8 (-0.2%) | 99.8 (-0.2%) | 99.8 (-0.2%) |
| Clock Generator | P67 Integrated | P67 Integrated | P67 Integrated |
| Internal Interfaces | |||
| PCIe x16 | 2 (x16/x0 or x8/x8) | 2 (x16/x0 or x8/x8) | 2 (x16/x0 or x8/x8) |
| PCIe x1/x4 | 1/0 | 3/0 | 3/0 |
| Legacy PCI | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| USB 2.0 | 3 (6-ports) | 3 (6-ports) | 3 (6-ports) |
| USB 3.0 | 1 (2-ports) | None | 1 (2-ports) |
| IEEE-1394 | None | None | None |
| Serial Port | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Parallel Port | None | None | None |
| Floppy | No | No | No |
| Ultra-ATA 133 | None | 1 (2-drives) | None |
| SATA 3.0 Gb/s | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| SATA 6.0 Gb/s | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 4-Pin Fan | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 3-Pin Fan | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| FP-Audio | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CD-Audio | No | No | No |
| S/PDIF I/O | Output Only | No | Output Only |
| Power Button | Yes | Yes | No |
| Reset Button | Yes | Yes | No |
| CLR_CMOS Button | Jumper Only | Jumper Only | Jumper Only |
| Diagnostics Panel | Numeric | Numeric | None |
| I/O Panel Connectors | |||
| P/S 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| USB 2.0 | 8 | 6 | 8 |
| USB 3.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| IEEE-1394 | None | None | None |
| Network | Dual (w/Teaming) | Single | Single |
| eSATA | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| CLR_CMOS Button | Yes | No | No |
| Digital Audio Out | Optical | Optical + Coaxial | Optical + Coaxial |
| Digital Audio In | None | None | None |
| Analog Audio | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Other Devices | None | None | None |
| Mass Storage Controllers | |||
| Chipset SATA | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 4 x SATA 3Gb/s | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 4 x SATA 3Gb/s | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 4 x SATA 3Gb/s |
| Chipset RAID Modes | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| Add-In SATA | 2 x Marvell 9128 PCIe 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s 2 x RAID 0, 1 | Marvell 6121 PCIe 2 x eSATA 3Gb/s | Marvell 9128 PCIe 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s 2 x RAID 0, 1 |
| Add-In Ultra ATA | None | Marvell 6121 PCIe | None |
| USB 3.0 | 2 x EtronTech EJ168A | 1 x NEC D720200F1 | 2 x NEC D720200F1 |
| IEEE-1394 | None | None | None |
| Gigabit Ethernet | |||
| Primary LAN | RTL8111E PCIe | RTL8111E PCIe | RTL8111E PCIe |
| Secondary LAN | RTL8111E PCIe | None | None |
| Audio | |||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC892 | ALC888S | ALC892 |
| DDL/DTS Connect | None | None | Dolby Digital Live |
| Motherboard Features | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Intel DP67BG | Jetway HI08 | MSI P67A-GD65 | |
| PCB Revision | 01 | 0.1 | 2.0 |
| Northbridge | Intel P67 Express | Intel P67 Express | Intel P67 Express |
| Voltage Regulator | Eight Phases | 14 Phases | Eight Phases |
| BIOS | 1780 (11/29/2010) | T07 (11/30/2010) | 1.5B2 |
| 100.0 MHz BCLK | 99.8 MHz (-0.20%) | 99.8 MHz (-0.20%) | 99.8 MHz (-0.20%) |
| Clock Generator | P67 Integrated | P67 Integrated | P67 Integrated |
| Internal Interfaces | |||
| PCIe x16 | 2 (x16/x0 or x8/x8) | 3 (x16/x0/x4 or x8/x8/x4) | 2 (x16/x0 or x8/x8) |
| PCIe x1/x4 | 3/0 | 1/0 | 3/0 |
| Legacy PCI | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| USB 2.0 | 3 (6-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 1 (2-ports) |
| USB 3.0 | None | None | 1 (2-ports) |
| IEEE-1394 | 1 | None | 1 |
| Serial Port | None | 1 | 1 |
| Parallel Port | None | 1 | None |
| Floppy | No | No | No |
| Ultra-ATA 133 | None | None | None |
| SATA 3.0 Gb/s | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| SATA 6.0 Gb/s | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 4-Pin Fan | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 3-Pin Fan | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| FP-Audio | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CD-Audio | No | Yes | Yes |
| S/PDIF I/O | Output Only | Output Only | Output Only |
| Power Button | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reset Button | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CLR_CMOS Button | Config Mode Jumper | Jumper Only | Jumper Only |
| Diagnostics Panel | Numeric | Numeric | None |
| I/O Panel Connectors | |||
| P/S 2 | None | 1 | 1 |
| USB 2.0 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| USB 3.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| IEEE-1394 | 1 | None | 1 |
| Network | Single | Single | Single |
| eSATA | 1 | None | 2 |
| CLR_CMOS Button | Back To BIOS | Yes | Yes |
| Digital Audio Out | Optical | Optical + Coaxial | Optical + Coaxial |
| Digital Audio In | None | None | None |
| Analog Audio | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Other Devices | None | None | None |
| Mass Storage Controllers | |||
| Chipset SATA | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 4 x SATA 3Gb/s | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 4 x SATA 3Gb/s | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 4 x SATA 3Gb/s |
| Chipset RAID Modes | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| Add-In SATA | Marvell 6111 PCIe 1 x eSATA 3Gb/s | None | Marvell 9128 PCIe 2 x SATA 6Gb/s (RAID) JMicron JMB362 PCIe 2 x eSATA 3Gb/s |
| Add-In Ultra ATA | None | None | None |
| USB 3.0 | NEC D720200F1 | ASMedia ASM1042 | 2 x NEC D720200F1 |
| IEEE-1394 | TSB43AB22A PCI 2 x 400 Mb/s | None | VIA VT6308P PCI 2 x 400 Mb/s |
| Gigabit Ethernet | |||
| Primary LAN | Intel WG82579V PHY | Intel WG82579LM PHY | RTL8111E PCIe |
| Secondary LAN | None | None | None |
| Audio | |||
| HD Audio Codec | Realtek ALC892 | ALC888 | Realtek ALC892 |
| DDL/DTS Connect | Unspecified | None | None |
- The Future Of Mid-Priced Performance
- ASRock P67 Extreme4
- P67 Extreme4 UEFI
- Asus P8P67 Pro
- P8P67 Pro UEFI
- Biostar TP67XE
- TP67XE UEFI
- ECS P67H2-A2
- P67H2-A2 UEFI
- Foxconn P67A-S
- P67A-S UEFI
- Gigabyte P67A-UD4
- P67A-UD4 BIOS
- Intel DP67BG
- DP67BG UEFI
- Jetway HI08
- HI08 UEFI
- MSI P67A-GD65
- P67A-GD65 UEFI
- Test Settings
- Benchmark Results: 3DMark And PCMark
- Benchmark Results: SiSoftware Sandra
- Benchmark Results: Crysis
- Benchmark Results: F1 2010
- Benchmark Results: Just Cause 2
- Benchmark Results: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call Of Pripyat
- Benchmark Results: Audio And Video Encoding
- Benchmark Results: Productivity
- Overclocking Results
- Power, Heat, and Efficiency
- Conclusion
I'm just missing benchmarks like SATA/USB speeds etc. Please Tom's get those numbers for us!
1. SLI "support". Do not understand why end-user has to pay for mythical SLI "sertification" (all latest Intel chips support SLI by definition) and a SLI bridge coming with the board (at least 75% of end users would never need one). The bridge should come with NVIDIA cards (same as with AMD ones). Also, in x8/x8 PCIe configuration nearly all NVIDIA cards (exept for low-end ones) will loose at least 12% productivity - with top cards that is about $100 spent for nothing (AMD cards would not see that difference). So, If those cards are coming as SLI-"sertified" they have to be, in the worst case, equipped by NVIDIA NF200 chip (though, I would not recommend to by cards with this PCIe v.1.1 bridge). As even NVIDIA GF110 cards really need less than 1GB/s bandwidth (all other NVIDIA and AMD - less than 0.8GB/s)and secondary cards in SLI/CrossFire use no more than 1/4 of that, a normal PCIe v.2.0 switch (costing less than thrown away with x8/x8 SLI money) will nicely support three "Graphics only" x16 slots, fully-functional x8 slot and will provide bandwidth enough to support one PCIe v.2.0 x4 (or 4 x x1) slot(s)/device(s).
2. Do not understand the author euphoria of mass use of Marvell "SATA 6G" chips. The PCIe x1 chip might not be "SATA 6G" by definision, as it woud newer be able to provide more than 470GB/s (which is far from the standard 600GB/s) - so, I'd recommend to denote tham as 3G+ or 6G-. As it is shown in the upper section, there is enough bandwidth for real 6G solution (PCIe x8 LSISAS 2008 or x4 LSISAS 2004). Yes, will be a bit more expensive, but do not see the reason to have a palliative solutions on $200+ mobos.
Do not think they use anything better than native southbridge or Realtec controller. Adding better chip will add some cents to the board cost. And, anyway, these boards are not positioned as "Hard gaimer" ones - more like low-middle class (though, with proper design LGA1155 boards may be exellent gaming boards.
@stasdm - SLI - it's a trick nVidia pulls to make money from every mobo sold (with SLi support). Mythical or not, intel's PCHs DO NOT support SLi by default - they do not support SLi at all. It's all by means of nV's driver and BIOS-included string. Everything is supported by the fact that PCI-Express has enough bandwidth to sustain two cards - that wasn't exactly always possible with PCIe 1.0 lower bandwidth on previous-gen chipsets. About SATA 6G - most of the crowd won't utilize even half of the SATA ports at all. If they will, then probably they'll treat them only as additional sata ports with no regard to their speed. Enthusiasts will attach their SSDs to PCIe in extreme cases or at least to intel's own controller, which in turn handles SATA internally in PCH without using PCIe. External controllers are out of scope for 99% of the crowd, mind you. For example - show me PCIe based 4x SATA (or SAS, for availablity sake) controller with RAID 5 support below 300$. Any? Don't think so, save one crappy LSI. It's budget side, man. If you want top-of-the-line, get server board for storage and second, gaming, or performance rig, but that's not what's this article about.
@Author - Thank you for great comparison. Too bad it ended on counting what does not work on the boards. It seems that atm intel and ASUS have the most mature and reliable products. However, I'd still wait for second-gen P67 boards (in Q2?), before upgrading. Still wondering what to do with my 1366 rig.
1. As SLI is software only solution (BIOS string is just a trick), that is why it is by default supported by Intel (AMD too).
2. Even PCIe 1.1 bandwidth is over the head to support four-way SLI/CroaaFire. They use a few administrative tools from 2.0 now - but that's all. The difference between AMD and NVIDIA is that for at least two generations already AMD uses standard PCIe protocol, but at 1/4 of the standard speed. NVIDIA used even slower speed at pre-GF110 chips (that's why they decided not to issue 512-cores NF100 cards - they would not be faster than "abridged" version), with non-stsndard "Graphics PCIe" protocol (Basically PCIe, but w/o parity control, using parity bits for data, w/o distributed clock support and some other "speed-up" tricks. On x8 bus their cards have to return to standard PCIe protocol and automatically loose the "no parity" part of the bandwidth.
As for "budget mobos - carrent dual-core Atoms are enough for most non-heavy graphics tasks. To position LGA1155 processors along with them - to insult Intel engineers, created these chips. That's the hi-end product, improperly used.
Still not impressed with intel's locking down flexibility of their boards & CPUs. But that's intel for you. Sandy Bridge would be great for my video encoding... but it most likely not work for me... blah blah.
I'll have to look at the connections again, but can you use that same cable to plug into the board on the inside or do those case USB 3.0 ports have to be connected to the rear of the board? Personally I think the drive bay including just 2 USB ports looks kind of lame and I'd much, much rather use the ports on my case....even if that means running a cable out the back of the case, (nobody looks at the back anyway).
First introduced by ASRock in response to a request by Tom's Hardware, using an Intel design according to ASRock's engineers.