In an effort to produce the most cost-efficient, space-efficient, and energy-efficient design possible, Intel decided to do away with the clock generator normally found as a separate motherboard IC and instead integrate it into the chipset. This has created a conundrum for low-cost overclocking enthusiasts because the P67’s clock generator cannot “unlock” the ratios for other devices, such as its USB 2.0 and SATA 6Gb/s controllers. As a result, adjusting the BCLK overclocks a number of other subsystems that simply don't like to be overclocked. For more on overclocking Sandy Bridge, check out Intel’s Second-Gen Core CPUs: The Sandy Bridge Review.
Anyone interested in a Sandy Bridge-based CPU is now forced to pay a premium on unlocked Extreme Edition or K-series CPUs in order to achieve anything more than the slightest clock increase. But other than the piggybacked CPU clock signal, the P67’s DMI interface is unchanged from that of its P55 predecessor.
ASRock considered the fact that the same signal was being used and went to work adding a P67 PCH to a typical P55 motherboard component set. For fans of the ASRock brand, the end result looks strikingly familiar.
When it comes to combining different generations of hardware, ASRock is usually first to show up and last to leave. The same company that beat its competitors to the punch with USB 3.0 front-panel support has finally abandoned Windows XP users by omitting the floppy header (which eases the installation of AHCI drivers with the OS). And yet keeps its legacy Ultra ATA header. I’m sure we have an LS-120 drive for that somewhere…
Most painfully missing from the P67 Transformer is support for any secondary PCIe x16 graphics card in SLI or CrossFire mode. In place of that long slot is ASMedia’s ASM1083 PCIe to legacy PCI connector because--get this--Intel finally dropped PCI support from P67 Express. These features combine with a set of mounting holes for third-party LGA 775 coolers to make upgrades easy for owners of older systems, so long as they don’t expect their legacy OS to include AHCI or RAID drivers. For Windows XP die-hards, slipstreaming the P67’s controller drivers onto a copy of the installation CD is still an option.
- Bringing LGA 1156 Up To Speed
- LGA 1156 On P67? Meet The P67 Transformer
- The “Friendly Competition”
- Test System Configuration
- Storage Performance: Transfer Diagrams
- Storage Performance: Sustained, Repetitive, And Streaming Transfers
- Storage Performance: Access Time And IOPS
- Storage Performance: PCMark Vantage
- System Performance: DX11 Games
- System Performance: DX10 Games
- Power And Efficiency
- Conclusion


Also most game engines aren't optimize yet to take advantage what I have. except for Dx11. I know frostbite engine 2.0 thats making Battlefield 3 will be optimize for multi core and Dx11.
All of my games plays well on 1680x1050 on medium settings. So I'm good. Don't need anything yet. Unless I want to game in 3D. then ill need to invest for a new complete build to play 3D comfortably; GPU (crossfire or SLI), 120Hz monitor, new CPU @ 4Ghz, Window 7, SSD (hopefully), x78 mobo, RAM, and wrap it up with a nice case with lots of air flow and wiring management. which i'm saving up money for in 2012 before the world ends
You mean like DVD/BD Combo drives? they work pretty damn well in my opinion.
Asrock has done pretty well for themselves, I'm going to keep a close eye on them as long as they provide, at the very least, AMD Bulldozer boards that support SLI.
You mean, like DVD drives, that support CDs as well???
Or DVD/CD/BD/BDXL/Litescribe as well?????
500-1k update for few measly fps, no thanks.
I know power is some concern but the new mobo+cpu will eat power too no matter how you look at it.
the "new" i5's and i7's arent revolutionary, there evolutionary - those of you with older i5's and i7's wont see much of a jump thats expected, there just newer models etc - why are you complaining?
agreed, even if it did, why bother?
asrock and MSI - i dont understand why people concider there products, MSI in perticular - there horrid rubbish, MSI should stand for "might start intermittently" and asrock at work we call assrock or ascock - bla.
Modding and unofficial support and all that isnt new, asus used to always beat everyone in those reguards, if you think about it, the socket 478 and 775 days - all those used the same GTL/FSB design, technically you can use the original 845 chipset with a Q9650 (aswell as the Intel Atom, Pentium M, Intel Core Duo, Xeon and so on) provided you have the right pin-out and vrm design (and bios obviously) and give it AGP, SDR ram, IDE etc but again WHY BOTHER?
I'm right with you on that hardware upgrade. With consoles calling the shots to how graphic intensive games are, upgrading just doesn't make sense at mid-level resolutions. The Q9550 really is an amazing chip that's going to last a good long while.
I tend to want to wait a bit to see if the quad drops in price a bit though.
I just hope Intel release some kind of bios flash to allow QS to run with a discrete card ... then I am there.
Im still chugging along with a Q6600 @ 3.5ghz :B
it might be time to upgrade.
my gaming is limited to counter strike source and half life 2