11-Way P45 Motherboard Shootout

HI04 Onboard Devices

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NorthbridgeIntel P45 Express
SouthbridgeIntel ICH10
Voltage RegulatorSix Phases
BIOS04/28/2008
333.3 MHz (FSB1333)332.9 MHz (-0.13%)
Clock GeneratorICS 9LPRS926EGLF
Connectors and InterfacesRow 6 - Cell 1
Onboard2x PCIe x16 (Modes : Two x16 : One x4/x1)
Row 8 - Cell 0 2x PCIe x1
Row 9 - Cell 0 2x PCI
Row 10 - Cell 0 3x USB 2.0 (2 ports per connector)
Row 11 - Cell 0 1x Serial Port header
Row 12 - Cell 0 1x Parallel Port header
Row 13 - Cell 0 1x Floppy
Row 14 - Cell 0 1x Ultra ATA (2 drives)
Row 15 - Cell 0 6x Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s
Row 16 - Cell 0 1x Front Panel Audio
Row 17 - Cell 0 1x CD-Audio In
Row 18 - Cell 0 1x Fan 4 pins (CPU)
Row 19 - Cell 0 1x Fan 3 pins (Chassis)
Row 20 - Cell 0 1x Internal Power Button
Row 21 - Cell 0 1x Internal Reset Button
Row 22 - Cell 0 1x Internal CLR_CMOS Button
Row 23 - Cell 0 1x Two-Digit Post Code Display
IO panel2x PS2 (keyboard + mouse )
Row 25 - Cell 0 2x Digital Audio Out (S/P-DIF Coaxial, Optical)
Row 26 - Cell 0 1x Clear CMOS Button
Row 27 - Cell 0 2x External SATA
Row 28 - Cell 0 6x USB 2.0
Row 29 - Cell 0 1x RJ-45 Network
Row 30 - Cell 0 6x Analog Audio Jacks (8-ch out, Mic+Line In)
Mass Storage ControllersRow 31 - Cell 1
Intel ICH106x SATA 3.0Gb/s
JMicron JMB363 PCI-E1x Ultra ATA-133 (2-drives)
Row 34 - Cell 0 2x External SATA 3.0Gb/s
NetworkRow 35 - Cell 1
Realtek RTL8111C PCI-EGigabit LAN Connection
AudioRow 37 - Cell 1
Realtek ALC888 HD Audio Codec7.1 + 2 channel Multi-Streaming Output

Jetway uses only four of the six PCI Express pathways supplied by Intel’s ICH10 southbridge, connecting two onboard controllers and two PCI Express x1 slots. Also notice that the southbridge itself is the non-RAID version.

Dual eSATA ports and a CLR_CMOS button separate the HI04 port panel from other sub-$150 motherboards. Rear panel digital audio connectors are matched only by ASRock.

JMicron’s JMB363 provides the single Ultra ATA and dual eSATA ports, using PCI Express for optimal bandwidth.

A Realtek RTL8111C PCI Express-to-Gigabit Ethernet controller provides the HI04 with modern network speeds.

Realtek’s ALC888 audio codec is rated at 97db signal-to-noise ratio, and provides eight analog outputs (7.1 surround) for speakers plus a separate 2-channel sound stream for headphones.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
  • nickchalk
    Where 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.
    Reply
  • nihility
    51 pages... You won't be upset if I read just the last 3 pages right?
    Reply
  • Proximon
    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.

    Reply
  • JPForums
    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.
    Reply
  • 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).
    Reply
  • Crashman
    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.
    Reply
  • zenmaster
    I 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)
    Reply
  • Crashman
    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
    Reply
  • johnbilicki
    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.
    Reply
  • dobby
    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
    Reply