HDD Additionally

ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution	MSI P45D3 Platinum
Chipset	Intel X48	Intel P45
CPU	LGA775 Pentium 4 FSB 1333/1066/800/533 MHz Celeron Conroe/Prescott FSB 800/533 MHz Dual-Core Pentium4 Smithfield/Presler Quad-Core (Yorkfield/Kentsfield), Dual-Core (Wolfdale/Conroe) FSB 1600/1333/1066/ 800MHz HyperThreading
Memory	DDR3 800/1066/1333 1600/1800*	DDR3 800/1066/1333
1x UltraDMA/133 10x SerialATA(2xRAID)	1x UltraDMA/133 8x SerialATA(2xRAID)
2 IEEE-1394a Intel HDA Sound 12 USB 2.0 2x Gigabit Ethernet
Price:	~350~370$ (Price.ru)	~185~205$ (Price.ru)

The release of the Intel P45 chipset has made the user's choice more difficult than ever, and has reduced the functional differences between high-end and mainstream Intel chipsets to a minimum. Firstly, the most modern high-end chipset, the X48, officially supports the 1600 MHz QPB bus, while the P45 only supports the 1333 MHz bus. However, the overclocking potential of the P45 is so great that various manufacturers quite calmly declare support for future 1600 MHz processors. Secondly, the X48 comes with different versions of the ICH9 southbridge, while the P45 works with the ICH10. But, despite the difference in numbers, the expansion capabilities of both bridges are completely identical. And thirdly, the most important difference: the X48 chipset supports two PCI Express x16 slots of the v2.0 specification, each of which is allocated 16 lanes. The P45 chipset also supports 2 slots, and also v2.0 specifications. However, each slot is allocated 8 bus lines. But since PCI-E v2.0 has twice the bandwidth of the previous specification, CrossFire on the P45 is almost as fast. As a result, we conclude that a board based on the X48 chipset is necessary only for those users who use a video subsystem that includes three or more video cores (for example, two “dual” video cards in CrossFire). Another option is a system with more than two video cards. But this example is not so clear, since even on the Intel P45 chipset, manufacturers manage to make boards with more than two PCI-E x16 slots (see review of the ASUS P5Q Deluxe board with 3 PCI-E x16 slots). What is the conclusion? Firstly, after the release of Intel P45, motherboards based on the X48 chipset become niche products. Secondly, any board based on the P45 chipset with two PCI-E x16 slots is quite suitable for CrossFire technology. Therefore, in this review we will quite rightly compare the ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution board based on the X48 with the MSI P45D3 Platinum board on the P45 chipset.

Specifications

	ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution	MSI P45D3 Platinum
CPU	- Intel Pentium 4 (Prescott (2M)/Gallatin/CedarMill) with bus frequency 1066/800/533 MHz; - Dual-core Intel Pentium D/EE (Smithfield/Presler) with bus frequency 800/1066 MHz; - Intel Celeron-D (Conroe-L, Prescott) with bus frequency 800/533 MHz; - Support for Intel Core 2 Duo/Quad (Kentsfield, Conroe) with bus frequency 333/1066/800 MHz; - Support for Intel Core 2 Duo/Quad (Yorkfield, Wolfdale) with bus frequency 1600/1333/1066 MHz; - Socket LGA775 connector; - Support for processors with HyperThreading technology;
Chipset	- Intel X48 North Bridge (MCH); - Southbridge Intel ICH9R; - Communication between bridges: DMI;	- Intel P45 North Bridge (MCH); - Southbridge Intel ICH10R; - Communication between bridges: DMI;
System memory	- Memory type DDR3 800/1066/1333/1600/1800* is supported; - Power indicator;	- Four 240-pin slots for DDR3 SDRAM DIMM; - Maximum memory capacity 8 GB; - Memory type DDR3 800/1066/1333 is supported; - Dual-channel memory access is possible; - Power indicator;
Graphic arts	- Four PCI Express x16 slots;	- Two PCI Express x16 slots;
Expansion options	- PCI Express x4 slot; - Two Gigabit Ethernet network controllers;	- Two 32-bit PCI Bus Master slots; - Two PCI Express x1 slots; - Twelve USB 2.0 ports (6 built-in + 6 additional); - Two IEEE1394 ports (FireWire; one built-in + one additional); - Built-in High Definition Audio 7.1 sound; - Gigabit Ethernet network controller;
Overclocking options	- Change the FSB frequency from 200 to 800 MHz in 1 MHz steps; multiplier change; - Change the voltage on the processor, memory, FSB, PLL and chipset (NB + SB); - ASUS AiBooster utility;	- Change the FSB frequency from 133 to 800 MHz in 1 MHz steps; multiplier change; - Change the voltage on the processor, memory, FSB and chipset (NB + SB); - MSI D.O.T technology; - Dual CoreCenter utility;
Disk subsystem	- 1 channel UltraDMA133/100/66/33 Bus Master IDE (Marvell 88SE6145; supporting up to 2 ATAPI devices); - Support for SerialATA II protocol (6 channels - ICH9R, with RAID support); - Support for SerialATA II protocol (4 channels - Marvell 88SE6145, with support for RAID 0,1,0+1 and JBOD);	- 1 channel UltraDMA133/100/66/33 Bus Master IDE (JMicron JMB 363; supporting up to 2 ATAPI devices); - Support for SerialATA II protocol (6 channels - ICH10R, with RAID support); - Support for SerialATA II protocol (2 channels - JMicron JMB 363, with support for RAID 0.1, JBOD); - Support for SerialATA II protocol (1 channel - JMicron JMB 362); - Support LS-120 / ZIP / ATAPI CD-ROM;
BIOS	- 16Mbit Flash ROM; - AMI BIOS with support for Enhanced ACPI, DMI, Green, PnP Features; - ASUS EZ Flash 2 technology; - ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 technology; - ASUS MyLogo 2 technology; - ASUS OC Profile technology; - Multi-languages ​​BIOS;	- 32 Mbit Flash ROM; - AMI BIOS with support for Enhanced ACPI, DMI, Green, PnP Features; - MSI POST diagnostic function;
Miscellaneous	- One port for FDD, one serial port, port for PS/2 keyboard; - STR (Suspend to RAM); - SPDIF Out;	- One port for FDD, one serial port, ports for PS/2 mouse and keyboard; - STR (Suspend to RAM); - SPDIF Out;
Power management	- Additional 8-pin power connector;	- Wake up from modem, mouse, keyboard, network, timer and USB; - Main 24-pin ATX power connector; - Additional 8-pin power connector; - Additional 4-pin Molex power connector;
Monitoring	- Monitoring processor temperature, system temperature, voltage, rotation speed of five fans; - Q-Fan 2 technology; - ASUS EPU technology, AI Nap; - ASUS PC Probe II utility;	- Monitoring processor temperature, system temperature, voltage, rotation speed of three fans; - GreenPower technology (+ GreenPower Genie support); - Smart Fan technology;
Size	- ATX form factor, 245mm x 305mm (9.63" x 12");

Package

Note that the box with the MSI board has a carrying handle.

Equipment

ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution motherboard; user manual in English; DVD with drivers and utilities; eight SerialATA cables + two power adapters (four connectors); plug for the rear panel of the case (has a noise-insulating coating); bracket with an additional FireWire port and 2 USB2.0 ports; bracket with COM port; ASUS logo sticker; G.P. diagnostic module;

MSI P45D3 Platinum motherboard; English user manual + quick start guide; two CDs with software and drivers (for XP and for Vista); CD with backup utility + user manual; one ATA-133 cable, FDD cable; four SerialATA cables + two power adapters (two connectors); plug for the rear panel of the case; a set of additional connectors; bracket with two USB2.0 ports and one FireWire port; bridge for CrossFire;

All drivers, utilities and additional software for the ASUS board are recorded on one DVD. Additional software includes such packages as: Ulead Burn.Now, Corel MediaOne Starter, Ulead PhotoImpact 12 SE, CyberLink PowerBackup, WinZip 11, and Norton Internet Security. In addition, the ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution board comes with a rather thick user manual, which describes in detail all the features of assembling and configuring the system.

The MSI P45D3 Platinum User's Guide is almost as lengthy and is complemented by a quick start guide. All software is recorded on three CDs: one for Windows XP, the second for Vista, and the third contains the backup utility (a separate brochure is attached to it). The ASUS board has a little more standard components.

The rest is conditional equality.

Both boards come with a bracket with two USB2.0 ports and a FireWire port, as well as a set of connectors to make it easier to connect the board to the case buttons. The only difference in the configurations is that the MSI board has a bridge for CrossFire technology, while the ASUS board must have a G.P. diagnostic module. We haven’t figured out why our board doesn’t have it, but it looks like this:

Taking into account the retail prices of the boards, we give the following estimates for the package. ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution board is “4-”, and MSI P45D3 Platinum is “5-”.

Boards

Both boards feature massive cooling systems, solid expansion capabilities, as well as powerful memory and northbridge power converters. However, the difference in class is visible to the naked eye: the ASUS board has 4 PCI Express x16 slots, while the MSI has only 2.

Note that all the main power connectors are located at the edges of the boards.

In addition, the MSI P45D3 Platinum board has an additional Molex connector near the north bridge. (/msi/power_conn3.jpg) Connecting cables to this connector is inconvenient. In addition, it is almost impossible to connect a fan to the SYSFAN4 connector when the video card is installed in the first PCI Express x16 slot. We also note that with a video card installed in the first PCI-E slot, it is not possible to remove or install memory modules on both boards. Returning to the cooling system, we note that on the boards all radiators are connected to each other using heat pipes:

The boards have four 240-pin DIMM slots for DDR3 memory modules, with a total supported memory capacity of 8 GB.

Let's talk in more detail about expansion slots. The Intel P45 Northbridge allows you to organize 2 PCI Express x16 slots of specification 2.0, each of which is allocated 8 bus lanes. This is exactly what MSI engineers did, plus they added two PCI Express x1 slots and two “regular” PCI bus slots.

As for ASUS, the engineers of this company installed an additional PEX8518 bridge manufactured by PLX Technology. As a result, the number of PCI Express lanes increased, which made it possible to install two additional x16 slots that operate in PCI Express x4 mode. Note that the board also has a PCI Express x4 slot, the back wall of which is cut. That is, you can also install a video card in it, but the latter must be very short. Like MSI, the ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution board has two “regular” PCI bus slots. PCI Express lines were also used to connect gigabit network controllers. The ASUS board has two such controllers: Marvell 88E8056 and Marvell 88E8001, but only 88E8056 uses the PCI-E x1 bus (88E8001 is connected to the PCI bus).

The MSI board has only one Gigabit Ethernet controller: Realtek 8111C, which uses one PCI Express line.

Despite the different south bridges, the boards support 6 SerialATA II ports, which are located near the south bridge.

In addition, the boards have additional controllers to support ParallelATA and SerialATA II. In particular, the ASUS board has one Marvell 88SE6145 chip (1 PATA; 4 SATA II):

Moreover, two SATA ports of this controller are located near the south bridge (black), and another pair of SATA ports are located on the rear panel of the board. And the MSI board has one JMicron JMB363 and one JMB362 chip installed:

Moreover, the first controller supports 2 channels, and the corresponding ports are located near the south bridge. The second controller also supports 2 SATA channels, but our board has only one, external eSATA on the rear panel. Note that the JMB362 chip is deeply hidden under the radiator of the cooling system. Thus, the user can connect 11 hard drives (9 SATA II + 2 PATA) to the MSI board, and 12 drives (10 SATA II + 2 PATA) to the ASUS board. Further, both south bridges support 12 USB2.0 ports. On the MSI board, 6 ports are located on the rear panel, and another 6 are connected using brackets (there is one bracket with two ports). On the ASUS board, the port configuration is exactly the same (there is also one bracket with two ports). In addition, the boards support the FireWire serial bus. For this purpose, an additional controller is installed on them. On the ASUS board it is a VT6308S chip made by VIA, and on the MSI board it is a JMicron JMB381.

Despite the different chips, the boards support two ports, and their configuration is similar: one is installed on the rear panel, the other is connected using a bracket (both boards are included in the kit). The boards feature the Intel High Definition Audio subsystem: the ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution has an ADI AD1988B chip, and the MSI P45D3 Platinum board has an ALC888.

The rear panel of the boards has the following configuration:

The ASUS board supports optical and coaxial SP-DIF outputs; MSI - optical only. Also on the back panel of both boards there is a FireWire port and a SATA II port (ASUS has two SATA II ports). In addition, you can notice the complete absence of LPT and COM ports. However, both boards support one serial port (COM), but implemented through a bracket (available in the kit from ASUS). A few words about the features of the boards. First of all, the ASUS board has a more or less functional POST diagnostic system: the kit should include a G.P. module on which a seven-segment indicator is located, a corresponding chip and a pair of “Power on” and “Reboot” buttons.

Note that part of the rear panel of the MSI board is reserved for the radiator of the cooling system, and under the radiator there is a button for resetting CMOS. In addition, the MSI P45D3 Platinum board has a couple more buttons for starting and rebooting the system.

Here is a schematic representation of the boards:

Note that the MSI board has a couple of important jumpers: JB1 and JB2, which are designed to force the FSB starting frequency and are located near the PCI Express x1 slots. For all LGA775 processors, except 1600 (QPB) MHz, these jumpers can be left alone - the motherboard will perfectly recognize the processor and set the desired frequency. And if you have a processor with a 1600 MHz bus, then the starting frequency can be set from the BIOS, or using these jumpers. Now let's talk about BIOS settings.

BIOS

The BIOS of both boards is based on the AMI BIOS version.

ASUS BIOS volume - 16 Mbit, MSI - 32 Mbit

The memory settings section of the ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution board is located on the overclocking functions page, and includes a very wide range of timings:

Note that the ASUS board did not start with the A-Data 1600X (AD31600X001GU) memory. On the one hand, this memory is not on the compatibility list and there are no complaints against ASUS. But on the other hand, the compatibility list includes only 4 DDR3-1800 memory items, 3 DDR3-1600 memory items and 4 DDR3-1333 memory items. This is extremely small, and in most cases the user will buy memory at random. As for MSI, the A-Data 1600X (AD31600X001GU) memory worked on it without any problems. As for the MSI board, its memory configuration capabilities are no less powerful.

In addition, the MSI board allows you to change 1T and has the Memory-Z function.

Actually, the Memory-Z function has nothing to do with configuration; it is a function that displays information about memory modules. Moreover, it is possible as a shortened version:

So extended:

An important parameter that affects performance is the memory frequency setting.

Now let's look at the system monitoring section.

Both boards display the current processor and system temperatures, determine the current voltage levels and fan speeds (MSI - 3, ASUS - 5). The boards also have the function of adjusting the rotation speed of the processor cooler and additional fans, depending on the temperature of the CPU and system.

Also, both boards can save and load BIOS settings in the form of profiles (ASUS supports two profiles, MSI - 4).

To work with the BIOS, the ASUS board has a built-in EZFlash 2 utility:

Unfortunately, this function sees partitions on the HDD only in NTFS format. Let's look at the section on managing the functions of Intel processors:

For the ASUS board, all functions are concentrated on one page, while for MSI they are scattered across sections. We also note the ASUS function for displaying the BIOS in different languages:

Overclocking and stability

Before moving on to overclocking, let's look at power converters. The PWM of the ASUS board has an 8-phase circuit, in which 11 capacitors with a capacity of 560 μF and a pair of 270 μF are installed. Let us immediately note that the power converter for the memory modules, like the PWM of the north bridge, is made according to a 2-phase circuit. The power supply module of the MSI board has a 5-phase design, in which 11 capacitors with a capacity of 820 μF and four with a capacity of 470 μF are installed. The power converter for the memory modules and north bridge is the same as in ASUS, made according to a 2-phase circuit.

Let's move on to considering the overclocking functions. On the ASUS board, all relevant functions are concentrated in the "Ai Tweaker" section,

And on the MSI board - in the "Cell Menu" section

Pay	ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution	MSI P45D3 Platinum
Changing the multiplier	+	+
Change FSB	200 to 800 MHz (1)	133 to 800 MHz (1)
Vcore change	0.85 V to 1.9 V (0.00625 V)	0.96 V to 1.94 V (0.01 V)
Vmem change	1.5 V to 2.78 V (0.02 V)	1.19 V to 2.77 V (0.01 V)
Change Vdd	1.25 V to 1.91 V (0.02 V)	0.728 V to 2.624 V (0.012 V)
Change Vsb	1.05 V; 1.2 V	0.7 V to 2.13 V (0.01 V)
Vtt change	1.2 V to 1.5 V (0.02 V)	0.89 V to 2.47 V (0.01 V)
Change Vpll	1.5 V to 2.78 V (0.02 V)	-
PCI-E Change	100MHz to 180MHz (1)	-

Let us note the following features of the boards in the area of ​​overclocking. Firstly, ASUS and MSI programmers added a function to highlight in a different color those parameters that (in their opinion) go beyond safe overclocking. Secondly, the ASUS board does not match the declared Vcore voltage range. The documentation indicates that the upper limit = 1.7 V, the BIOS indicates 2.3 V, and the real maximum Vcore = 1.9 V. A similar situation with the voltage on the north bridge: the real maximum Vcore = 1.91 V, not 2.21V as stated in BIOS. However, there is a note in the BIOS that to achieve this value you need to reset the OV_NB jumper, but our board does not have it. Also, the ASUS board does not have ASUS NOS (Non-Delay Overclocking System) dynamic overclocking technology, which was implemented on almost all previous models from this manufacturer. A similar function is implemented on the MSI board and is called D.O.T, which allows you to overclock the system by ~73%.

conclusions

Let's start with the fact that the MSI P45D3 Platinum board costs about $200, and the ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution board costs ~$360. The difference in price perfectly demonstrates the class difference between the boards. In particular, the MSI board is intended for the average system whose owner uses a second video card or plans to do so. And the ASUS board is designed for those who need CrossFire technology with 3 or 4 video cores. This is the only argument in favor of the X48 chipset, and if CrossFire of this level is not needed, then X48 is not needed. The fact is that the range of P45 motherboards is so large that you can find a product with the desired functionality. For example, if you need to use 4 video cards without CrossFire, then there are P45 boards with 4 PCI-E x16 slots. The impression from the boards themselves is as follows. The ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution board is made at the usual, very high level for this manufacturer. As for the MSI P45D3 Platinum board, its characteristics are similar to the already reviewed MSI P45 Platinum. However, in practice it turned out that the P45D3 Platinum overclocks the processor and memory with great difficulty. Moreover, there is a dependence of overclocking results on the BIOS version. Therefore, let's hope that all overclocking problems are associated exclusively with BIOS flaws.

Conclusion

ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution Pros: Four PCI Express x16 slots; SerialATA II/RAID support (10 channels; ICH9R + 88SE6145); Supports one P-ATA channel (Marvell 88SE6145); Built-in 8-channel audio and two Gigabit Ethernet network controllers; A wide range of proprietary ASUS technologies (PC Probe II, EZ Flash 2, CrashFree BIOS 3, MyLogo2, Q-Fan 2, etc.); Additional set of AI Proactive technologies (AI Overclock, OC Profile, AI Net 2, etc.); Minuses: Not detected; Board Features: Excellent results in overclocking the processor and memory;

MSI P45D3 Platinum Pros: High stability and good level of performance; Two PCI Express x16 slots; SerialATA II/RAID support (9 channels; ICH10R + JMB 363 + JMB 362); Supports one P-ATA channel (JMB 363); Built-in 8-channel audio and Gigabit Ethernet network controller; USB2.0 bus support (12 ports) and IEEE-1394 (FireWire; 2 ports); Passive cooling system for the chipset and power module; A wide range of proprietary MSI technologies (POST diagnostics, D.O.T., Memory-Z, BIOS profiles, etc.); Power, reboot and reset CMOS buttons; Minuses: Not detected; Board Features: CPU and memory overclocking results are below average;

The lack of reviews of motherboards based on the latest top-end Intel X38 chipset on our website is a rather serious omission. Our laboratory has been trying unsuccessfully to begin testing such products for at least a month. However, until now we could not provide materials about these products for a number of objective and subjective reasons. For example, in place of this article, which opens a series of publications about motherboards based on Intel X38, there should have been a review of the ASUS P5E3 Deluxe motherboard, which has been tested in our laboratory for several weeks. But, despite the fact that we successfully used this board in Penryn tests, we are still not able to provide a full and reasonable report on its capabilities. The fact is that the ASUS P5E3 sample we have has a number of problems that appear when overclocking the FSB frequency and memory. In addition, the widely advertised ASUS Express Gate function turned out to be inoperative on our board. To date, we have already tried almost a dozen different beta versions of the BIOS, but we have not yet been able to achieve the trouble-free operation of all the declared features typical of ASUS motherboards. In the near future we expect to receive a new sample of P5E3, on which we will try to confirm or refute the impartial opinion that has formed so far about this motherboard.

In order not to further prolong the already excessively long pause in motherboard reviews, we decided to look at other products based on Intel X38. Another ASUS product immediately came into view, the P5E motherboard. It compares favorably with other proposals based on the Intel X38 in two ways. Firstly, this is a relatively inexpensive product, the retail price of which is about $220, which is not much for a board based on the X38 chipset. Secondly, this motherboard does not work with the new expensive DDR3 SDRAM, but with the much more common DDR2 memory, although officially Intel is extremely reluctant to talk about the universality of the chipset memory controller. Thanks to these features, the ASUS P5E may well become a very common product, highly in demand among enthusiasts. Actually, to turn the P5E into a widely popular board, only one thing is missing: the confidence that it can offer better performance and overclocking capabilities than products based on the Intel P35 chipset, which have already gained an impeccable reputation. Actually, this article will be devoted primarily to finding the advantages of the ASUS P5E, which will allow us to talk about the superiority of this platform over cheaper alternatives based on mid-level chipsets.

It would be logical to start getting acquainted with a motherboard based on Intel X38 by considering the features of the logic set itself.

advertising

Details about Intel X38

The Intel X38 chipset was conceived by the developer as a new chipset intended for creating motherboards in the upper price range. In fact, this means that the X38 replaces the rather outdated i975X, which does not have official support for the promising 45 nm Penryn processors, and is not equipped with the most modern south bridge. At least that's what Intel thinks.

From our point of view, the situation is seen in a slightly different way. Due to its venerable age, the i975X has long become unattractive for enthusiasts who today opt for motherboards based on the Intel P35. The only strong point of the i975X chipset, support for Crossfire mode according to the PCI Express x8 + PCI Express x8 scheme, is actually not such a strong trump card. Firstly, the Intel P35 chipset is also capable of supporting Crossfire (albeit according to the PCI Express x16 + PCI Express x4 scheme). Secondly, AMD today is not able to offer graphics cards as fast as NVIDIA. Therefore, the number of users interested in Crossfire is very small. Based on the above arguments, we will also not compare the Intel X38 with the i975X, but will focus on comparing the new chipset for high-performance systems with the recently released

Socket LGA775 Supported processors Intel Celeron Conroe-L/Core 2 Duo/Core 2 Extreme/Core 2 Quad/Pentium 4/Pentium D/Pentium Extreme System bus 800 MHz - 1600 MHz Hyper-Threading support There is Multi-core processor support There is

Chipset

Chipset Intel X38 BIOS AMI with disaster recovery capability SLI/CrossFire support CrossFire

Memory

Memory DDR2 DIMM, 667 - 1200 MHz Number of memory slots 4 Dual channel support There is Maximum memory capacity 8 GB

Disk controllers

IDE number of slots: 1, UltraDMA 133, RAID: no SATA number of SATA 3Gb/s connectors: 6, RAID: 0, 1, 5, 10

Expansion slots

Expansion slots 2xPCI-E x16, 3xPCI-E x1, 2xPCI PCI Express 2.0 support There is

Audio Video

Sound 7.1CH, HDA, based on ADI AD1988B

Net

Ethernet 1000 Mbps, based on Marvell88E8056

Connection

Availability of interfaces 12 USB, 2xFireWire (IEEE1394a), S/PDIF output, Ethernet, PS/2 (keyboard) Rear Connectors 6 USB, 1xFireWire (IEEE1394a), coaxial output, optical output, Ethernet, PS/2 (keyboard) Main power connector 24-pin

Extra options

Form factor ATX Contents 1 bracket for 2 USB2.0/1x EEE1394a ports, UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable, FDD cable, 3 in 1 Q-connector, ASUS Q-shield, SupremeFX II Audio card, 6 SATA cables, power cable to SATA devices Additional Information 2 x 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector, bus frequency 1600MHz and DDR21200MHz are not documented for this chipset

Before buying ask about technical specifications and a complete set by the seller

The results in gaming applications have the same picture as in 3DMark"06, except for the game Doom 3, famous for its love for the memory subsystem. It is in this application that the advantage of the older model is clearly visible - still, something “wrong” is going on with the settings memory of this motherboard.

conclusions

The days of “top” motherboards that differ from cheap analogues in color scheme, gold or platinum coating of radiators and a cost of $150 are long gone. And if for exclusivity 7-8 years ago they put some kind of bonus in the box, for example, in the form of a screwdriver, now manufacturers can easily charge us 200-300 dollars, leaving us with only a motherboard and a standard set of cables. The same cannot be said about ASUS products - the delivery package is, as always, excellent, and the functionality corresponds to the price, which also depends on the positioning of the chipset. In this case, the cost of solutions based on Intel X38 will not be small by definition - the chipset itself is top-end, which means that boards based on it at a price of less than $200 will not appear soon. Unless after the release of Intel's next flagship - X48, which will be officially presented in the spring of this year. Then yes, you can think about buying, and only for the sake of building a powerful CrossFire system, which with the Radeon HD 3870 is not so productive.

Now regarding each of the products reviewed. The ASUS P5E3 Deluxe board, as befits a high-level solution, has good equipment, extensive BIOS capabilities for fine-tuning the system, and powerful CO. The eight-channel processor power supply will allow you not to worry about high-quality power supply for an overclocked quad-core CPU. An interesting technology using EPU, designed to save energy with a low load on the processor, has not yet been tested, so we won’t focus on it too much - it’s there, and that’s okay with it. The only negative in all this is the final cost of the finished system, because DDR3 memory modules are still quite expensive.

The P5E3 model turned out to be somewhat unbalanced, expensive and of little functionality. A rich kit, ample BIOS capabilities and an 8-phase processor power supply have a positive impact on the board’s evaluation, but with only one network controller and an eSATA interface, this is somehow not associated with a price of $250. And if extra equipment is really required in exceptional cases, then how can we explain the use of a 4-pin ATX12V additional power connector instead of the 8-pin EPS12V that has already become common for expensive solutions? If the ASUS P5E3 is used at nominal value, then this drawback will in no way affect the stability of the system, but for an enthusiast and overclocker this could become a problem.