Seven 650i SLI Motherboards Compared

BIOS And Overclocking

As the P5N32-E SLI Plus approaches the high end in other features it also includes high end overclocking options. Nearly every voltage and clock speed is adjustable to 15%-50% beyond "safe and sane" levels.

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BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for overclocking)
FSB Frequency100 - 750 MHz (1 MHz)
Clock Multiplier AdjustmentYes
DRAM Frequency400-2600 MHz Data Rate
PCIe Clock100-200 MHz (1 MHz)
SPP-MCP HT Link Clock200 - 210 - 230 - 500 MHz (0.5, 1, 2 MHz)
CPU Vcore0.83125 - 1.90000 Volts (0.00625 Volts)
CPU FSB Voltage1.20 - 1.55 Volts (0.05 Volts)
Northbridge (SPP)1.20 - 2.75 Volts (0.05 Volts)
Southbridge (MCP)1.50 - 1.85 Volts (0.05 Volts)
Chipset Link Voltage1.20 - 1.95 Volts (0.05 Volts)
DRAM Voltage1.850 - 3.425 Volts (0.025 Volts)
CAS Latency Range
tCAS: 1-7; tRCD: 1-7; tRP: 1-7; tRAS: 1-31; Command Rate: 1T/2T

This wide voltage range has allowed some "professional overclockers" to achieve extremely high speeds from the P5N32-E SLI Plus, but at the risk of damaged hardware. It was only able to push this E6700 test processor to 3330 MHz at 1.50V, where many other boards have gotten this CPU to 3460 MHz at the same voltage. A volt meter reading confirmed that the processor voltage was indeed accurate. Trying for a higher bus speed at a lower multiplier would have been the next step, but the board's multiplier adjustment didn't work with this particular processor.

Accessories

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Accessories
Documentation & SoftwareMotherboard ManualMotherboard Driver CD
Hardware1x 80-conductor Ultra ATA cable1x Floppy Drive Cable4x SATA Data Cable2x 4-Pin to 2-SATA power adapter cable1x IEEE-1394 FireWire breakout plate1x 2-port USB 2.0 Breakout Plate1x I/O Panel Shield1x SLI Bridge1x Asus Q-Connect connector kit

The P5N32-E SLI Plus is only two Serial ATA cables shy of providing everything a builder could possibly use. It doesn't include the added software of Asus' less expensive P5N-E SLI, but Asus probably believes upper-midrange users will have their own preferred software solutions.

At approximately $190, the P5N32-E SLI Plus is so close to the $200 mark that Asus might have considered including the eSATA controller in this version and rounding up the price.

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