P67 Motherboard Roundup: Nine $150-200 Boards

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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.

The Future Of Mid-Priced Performance

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.

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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.

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Motherboard Features
Row 0 - Cell 0 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/sJMicron 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
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Motherboard Features
Row 0 - Cell 0 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
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Motherboard Features
Row 0 - Cell 0 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
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
95 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Tamz_msc
    Nice review.That ASUS came up with the highest CPU overclock wasn't surprising.
    Reply
  • reprotected
    I thought that the ECS looked pretty sick, and it did perform alright. But unfortunately, it wasn't the best.
    Reply
  • rantsky
    You guys rock! Thanks for the review!

    I'm just missing benchmarks like SATA/USB speeds etc. Please Tom's get those numbers for us!
    Reply
  • Tamz_msc
    When will we see an overclocking article on these CPUs?
    Reply
  • rmse17
    Thanks for the prompt review of the boards! I would like to see any differences in quality of audio and networking components. For example, what chipsets are used for Audio in each board, how that affects sound quality. Same thing for network, which chipset is used for networking, and bandwidth benchmarks. If you guys make part 2 to the review, it would be nice to see those features, as I think that would be one more way these boards would differentiate themselves.
    Reply
  • VVV850
    Would have been good to know the bios version for the tested motherboards. Sorry if I double posted.
    Reply
  • flabbergasted
    I'm going for the ASrock because I can use my socket 775 aftermarket cooler with it.
    Reply
  • VVV850
    I was wrong. The BIOS version is posted.
    Reply
  • stasdm
    Do not see any board worth spending money on.

    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.

    Reply
  • I was hoping that the new Asus Sabertooth P67 would be included. Its new design really is leaving people wondering if the change is as good as they claim.
    Reply