11-Way P45 Motherboard Shootout

P45TS-R BIOS And Overclocking

Swipe to scroll horizontally
FSB Frequency100 to 800 MHz (1 MHz)
Clock Multiplier AdjustmentYes
DRAM Ratios1.0, 1.2, 1.25, 1.5, 1.60, 1.67, 2.0
PCIe Clock50 to 150MHz (1 MHz)
CPU Vcore0.81875 to 1.60 Volts (0.00625 Volts)
CPU FSB VoltageLow, Middle, High, Highest
Northbridge (MCH)Low, Middle, High, Highest
Southbridge (ICH)Low, Middle, High, Highest
DDR2 Voltage1.79 - 2.72Volts (0.06 Volts)
DDR3 Voltage1.47 - 2.40Volts ( 0.06 Volts)
DDR2 Latency SettingstCAS:3-7 ; tRCD : 3-10 ; tRP : 3-10 ; tRAS : 9-24
DDR3 Latency SettingstCAS:5-10 ; tRCD : 3-10 ; tRP : 3-10 ; tRAS : 9-24

The P45TS-R has all the BIOS settings we liked about the P45R2000-WiFi, along with the vague FSB, MCH, and ICH settings we didn’t. Once again, extreme overclockers won’t appreciate the 1.60V core limit, but this motherboard isn’t designed for the “at any cost” crowd.

The P45TS-R BIOS Overclocking menu has most of the features found in the CPU menu of ASRock’s other model, plus memory timings.

Scrolling down reveals voltage settings as well, which can be increased to enhance overclocking stability or decreased to reduce power and heat in an under-clocked system.

The Chipset menu looks like that of ASRock’s other entry, with memory speed and redundant timing settings.

Further down the Chipset menu are onboard device controls.

At the bottom of the Chipset menu are voltage controls, which are again redundant to those found in the Overclocking menu.

Do any end users actually adjust RCOMP Strength ? The settings were probably put here to bolster the motherboard’s overclocking aspirations.

DRAM Skew controls are also probably just here for show, though anyone who really understands them might be able to get a slightly higher memory speed, or added performance, using these.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.