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The P5Q Deluxe makes one sacrifice compared to the Maximus II Formula in its controllers by putting the second Gigabit Network port on a PCI interface. PCI has a limit of one gigabit total bandwidth, rather than the bi-directional transfers of PCI Express. The saved PCI Express lane is instead routed to the x4-bandwidth third x16 slot, but that particular slot will drop to x1 mode whenever any other x1 slot is occupied.
Asus has tried to rid the back panels of its product line of legacy ports, but retains a single PS/2 port that is now color coded for use with either a keyboard or mouse. Either use had worked previously, but the company had simply failed to indicate that in its earlier color coding. Typists can keep their favorite old keyboards, and gamers can keep their favorite old mice, but you don’t get both.
Instead the focus is now on USB 2.0, with six ports supporting modern peripherals. Coaxial and optical connectors supply digital audio, while the other side of the port panel has six analog connections for full support of 8-channel (7.1 surround) output plus 4-channel (stereo microphone and line-level) input. Two Gigabit network ports (one with full bi-directional bandwidth), an IEEE-1394 FireWire port, and a single eSATA port fill the remaining space.
The Sil5723 SteelVine controller turns one port into two, while adding advance features such as drive cascading and hardware RAID 0/1 options. Everything attached to it appears as a single “SteelVine” drive to the chipset and OS, minimizing overhead.
Hiding between the P45 Express northbridge and rear panel analog audio ports, the Marvell 88E8056 gets full bi-directional bandwidth from its PCI Express x1 interface.
An ADI AD2000BX audio codec has advanced features such as support for EAX 4.0 sound effects, but only through software emulation. This is also true of lower-cost Creative products such as the X-Fi Xtreme Audio, however, and Asus feels confident enough in this codec that the company uses it in its latest audio riser card as well.
I suppose I can get some good from having read this. Did you get paid by the word? Maybe next time you could just put together a complete features chart so that we can have some convenient comparison? You know, so someone could go to a chart and see at a glance which boards had eSATA or firewire, or 8 USB.
I'd rather have the overabundance of information than a lack of information. Presentation could use a little refining (I.E. comparison charts and the likes), but having the relevant information available at least is a good thing.
the introduction and specifics are nice, the comparision isn't. so, why don't you test with an 8500 or qx9650? 6850 are outdated... and a mobo handling a c2d doesn't mean it can handle a quad too, see P5K for example (it stinks when it comes to a q6600).
procithe introduction and specifics are nice, the comparision isn't. so, why don't you test with an 8500 or qx9650? 6850 are outdated... and a mobo handling a c2d doesn't mean it can handle a quad too, see P5K for example (it stinks when it comes to a q6600).
Tom's Hardware wants the performance of current articles to reflect that of recent articles, so a "standard test platform" was chosen a while ago. It will get updated, but probably not before the new socket becomes widely available.
zenmasterI would have liked to see something such as a P35 and an X48 as controls to help analyze the P45 Performance.In otherwords, What is the P45 Gaining me over the older P35.What would I gain by going to the X48. (Or Lose)http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-p45-chipset,1961.html
The first 17 pages were filled with nothing but junk from ASUS. Do us a favor: don't even bother featuring or *MENTIONING* anything for any reason from a company that refuses to RMA 200-400 dollar brand new motherboards with anything other then used and usually broken junk. It destroyed my enthusiasm for the article.
nickchalkWhere are the lower price P45 M/B ?Asus P5Q pro is out for €110 and P5Q deluxe for €165 the price difference is about 70$ in Greece.
the p5q PRo is a p43 board, i should know i have one
