Extreme P55: Four LGA 1156 Motherboards Over $250

Features
By Thomas Soderstrom
published

With better efficiency and more aggressive Intel Turbo Boost binning, LGA 1156-based processors could be the right choice for some high-end machines. We look at a few premium motherboards that make these builds possible. Do they best Intel's X58 platform?

On-Board Features Comparison

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$250+ LGA 1156 Motherboard Features
Row 0 - Cell 0 Asus Maximus III FormulaAsus P7P55D-E PremiumEVGA P55 Classified 200MSI Big Bang Trinergy
PCB Revision1.02G1.03G1.01.1
ChipsetIntel P55 ExpressIntel P55 ExpressIntel P55 ExpressIntel P55 Express
Voltage Regulator19 Phases35 Phases12 Phase Digital10 Phases
BIOS1202 (12/07/2009)0608 (12/07/2009)080016 (10/23/2009)V1.1 (11/24/2009)
133.3 MHz BCLK133.7 MHz (+0.28%)133.7 MHz (+0.28%)133.2 MHz (-0.01%)133.7 MHz (+0.28%)
Clock GeneratorICS 9LPRS140CKLFICS 9LPRS140CKLFICS 9LPRS139AKLFMSI LRS4116AL
Internal Interfaces
PCIe 2.0 x163 (x16/x1/x4, x8/x8/x4)2 (x16/x0, x8/x8)6 (1 x16 or 5 x8, 1 x4)3 (x16/x16/x0, x16/x8/x8)
PCIe x1/x42/02/01/02/0
Legacy PCI22None2
USB 2.03 (5-ports)2 (4-ports)3 (6-ports)2 (4-ports)
IEEE-13941111
Serial PortNone1NoneNone
Parallel PortNoneNoneNoneNone
FloppyNoNoNoNo
Ultra-ATA 133None1 (2-drives)None1 (2-drives)
SATA 3.0 Gb/s109610
SATA 6.0 Gb/sNone2NoneNone
4-Pin Fan8211
3-Pin FanNone264
FP-AudioOn Riser CardYesYesOn Riser Card
CD-AudioOn Riser CardYesNoOn Riser Card
S/PDIF I/OOutput Only (Riser)Output OnlyBothOutput Only (Riser)
Power ButtonYesYesYesYes
Reset ButtonYesYesYesYes
CLR_CMOS ButtonJumper OnlyJumper OnlyYesYes
Diagnostics PanelPass/Fail LEDsPass/Fail LEDsNumericNumeric
I/O Panel Connectors
P/S 21212
USB 2.098 (2 Shared w/USB 3.0)7 (1 Shared w/eSATA)10 (2 Shared w/eSATA)
USB 3.0None2NoneNone
IEEE-13941111
NetworkSingleDual (with teaming)DualDual
eSATA1None22
CLR_CMOS ButtonYesYesYesNo
Digital Audio OutOptical+Coaxial (Riser)Optical+CoaxialInternal OnlyOptical+Coaxial (Riser)
Digital Audio InNoneNoneInternal OnlyNone
Analog Audio6 (On Riser Card)666 (On Riser Card)
Mass Storage Controllers
Chipset SATA6 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s6 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s6 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s6 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s
Chipset RAID Modes0, 1, 5, 100, 1, 5, 100, 1, 5, 100, 1, 5, 10
Add-In SATA2 x JMB363 PCIe 2 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s 1 x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s 1 x SATA to JMB322 JMB322 to 2x SATA88SE9123 PCIe 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s88SE6121 PCIe 2 x eSATA 3.0 Gb/sJMB363 PCIe 2 x SATA to 2x JMB322 2 x JMB322 to 4x SATA JMB362 PCIe 2 x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s
Add-In Ultra ATARow 43 - Cell 1 JMB368 PCIeNoneJMB363 PCIe
IEEE-1394VT6308P PCI 2 x 400 Mb/sVT6308P PCI 2 x 400 Mb/sTSB43AB22A 2 x 400 Mb/sVT6315N PCIe 2 x 400 Mb/s
Gigabit Ethernet
Primary LANRTL810SC PCIRTL8112L PCIe88E6057 PCIeRTL8111DL PCIe
Secondary LANRow 47 - Cell 1 RTL810SC PCI88E6057 PCIeRTL8111DL PCIe
Audio Codec
HD Audio CodecVIA VT2020VIA VT2020ALC889ALC889
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.
59 Comments Comment from the forums
  • kumaiti
    I will comment the same as in the previous motherboard roundup: please add more details the CODECs on each board. There is almost nothing about the Via VT2020 and many crucial features of the ALC889 are vendor-dependant. It would be really good to know if they support Dolby Digital Live, DTS connect, Dolby Headphone and so on.
    Reply
  • notty22
    Keep spreading the love for the best platform PERIOD.
    1156 FTW !!!!!
    Reply
  • dcay
    "Already several years old, we have yet to build a system that can overcome Crysis’ system demands at 2560x1600 and 8x anti-aliasing (AA). That makes this outdated game a solid benchmark application."
    Reply
  • dcay
    "Already several years old, we have yet to build a system that can overcome Crysis’ system demands at 2560x1600 and 8x anti-aliasing (AA). That makes this outdated game a solid benchmark application."
    Reply
  • johnbilicki
    So socket 1156 is supposed to be the most awesome thing in the world?

    - No six core CPU's, EVER.
    - Requires a glued on chip for more then 16 lanes.
    - Motherboards overpriced compared to socket AM3.

    When you buy a socket 1156 system that is all the performance you're going go get out of it. The top-end CPU's won't come down in price by much and Intel made it clear it's a mainstream platform. My socket AM3 has playable FPS, the motherboard is high end and under $200, and I'll be able to continue upgrading in the future. That is what matters to me. The Intel fan boy articles are getting so old.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    kumaitiI will comment the same as in the previous motherboard roundup: please add more details the CODECs on each board. There is almost nothing about the Via VT2020 and many crucial features of the ALC889 are vendor-dependant. It would be really good to know if they support Dolby Digital Live, DTS connect, Dolby Headphone and so on.
    They don't.
    johnbilickiThe Intel fan boy articles are getting so old.
    It might surprise you that new motherboard series articles follow new chipsets. So AMD fanboy, where's the new AMD chipset?
    Reply
  • kumaiti
    CrashmanThey don't.
    1. Do you mean on these boards or in general?
    2. If it is for these boards, did you install the drivers/software from each manufaturer or used the default Windows drivers?

    Thanks for the reply
    Reply
  • Crashman
    kumaiti1. Do you mean on these boards or in general?2. If it is for these boards, did you install the drivers/software from each manufaturer or used the default Windows drivers?Thanks for the reply
    None of the manufacturers list support for DDL or DTS Connect any longer. Those technologies were most likely licensed in the past and neglected due to lack of demand and cost, because typical buyers don't know what they are and won't pay extra for them.
    Reply
  • dman3k
    Sorry, I'm not an Intel fanboy, but AMD thoroughly sucks right now. Heck, even with their top of the line 5xxx series graphics, they still can't damn write a driver.

    It may well be Intel's monopolize actions that got AMD to this point when AMD had the top processors, but the truth is AMD products suck right now.

    There are P55 mobos under $160 that you can easily find, which will still beat AM3 systems quite handily. For example, get a DFI Lanparty P55-T36. johnbilickiMy socket AM3 has playable FPS, the motherboard is high end and under $200, and I'll be able to continue upgrading in the future. That is what matters to me. The Intel fan boy articles are getting so old.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    dman3kSorry, I'm not an Intel fanboy, but AMD thoroughly sucks right now...There are P55 mobos under $160 that you can easily find, which will still beat AM3 systems quite handily. For example, get a DFI Lanparty P55-T36.
    First of all, most reviewers are begging AMD to pull a rabbit out of the hat just to get the competition moving again. Second, AMD does give you more chipset for your money.
    Reply