Introduction

With the x5x-chip record series Intel heralded a 2008 a new era at the end of the year. The X 58 chipset for the Bloomfield processors started as the first representative. As the only chip set of the series, the X has 58 (codename: Tylersburg) over a three-chip design of processor, Northbridge and southbridge. In September 2009, the products for mass came with the P55 chipset and socket LGA1156. The list of the chipsets with H55, H57, and Q57, as well as P57 is supplemented in the course of the first quarter of 2010.

The new two-chip design moves the Northbridge in the processor and transfers him to the task of the memory bus and PCI-Express control, making the data routes become significantly shorter. The actual chip chip set takes over the other I/O-part, this is as platform Controller Hub (PCH) referred to and is similar to that of the design and functionality of the well known I southbridge.

The connection of PCH is carried out by direct media interface (DMI) 2 Gbyte / s. Of the PCH from eight PCI-Express can up to 14 USB ports-x 1 interfaces, six SATA ports and HD audio and Gigabit LAN are addressed. Thus it is available on the part of the chipset not optimally to the future, because newer interfaces such as USB 3.0 or SATA 6 GB / s must be realized through extra chips of the Mainboardherstellern.

The subjects

At the beginning of a small overview of the facilities of the three tested motherboards.

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Total all boards offer the currently usual standard, however they put with USB 2.0 and SATA II also on slowly dying connection versions. It is also questionable whether Intel not already is too far in the future a step the abandonment of IDE and PS/2 ports. Support for eSATA is commendable at all.

ASUS P7P55D

The ASUS P7P55D to the test comes at the beginning. With a price of over 100 euros as a whole rather one of the cheaper motherboards.

• Scope of delivery
  • Drivers DVD
  • Manual
  • I/O-bracket
  • 4 x SATA cable
  • 1 x Ultra DMA cables
  • Connector

Layout

Also to ASUS it has jumped on the bandwagon of the mainboards coloured in blue and black. Accordingly, the P7P55D at first glance looks also quite chic. Light blue silver heat sink with fairly wide strips are attached around the square on the processor. The PCH has a flat radiator which falls through its smart form directly in the eye. Also the 14 VRMs around the processor slot are very striking.

The entire layout of the mainboard is very classic, Asus is hardly new ground in building. Still knows how to surprise the P7P55D by some little things. Usually, memory bars are fixed by two clips. Of these, ASUS can eliminate one so that RAM only at the top of manually be must be clicked.

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On the part of the connection options, the ASUS Board offers all current standards – no more and no less. Interesting is the so-called MemOK! switch. Should the system due to a memory error or by actually incompatible memory not to boot, a status LED lights up and the MemOK! button must be pressed for a few seconds. The following mainboard attempts storage settings adjust automatically to boot the system properly. When the test system, the function could have no success also after three minutes and get the non-working RAM through other settings and running. Only after the two bars instead of installed in the black in the blue slots, it drove up properly.

Worth mentioning is also the arrangement of the seven SATA ports, of which one is controlled by JMicron JMB363. This and two more are located on the right side of the mainboard. The remaining four are in pairs at right angles to these, where an is rotated by 180 °. This may be although intended to prevent cable confusion, however, it seems more likely to lead to the opposite, because cable can be bundled worse everyday.

The VGA LED which lights up red when a problem with the video card seems illogical placement. That LED but sitting on the left edge of the PCIe slot and is thus completely hidden with built-in graphics card. More LEDs light up CPU, RAM or HDD boot failure – they are each located near of the appropriate component. A large green LED also informed the active power of the Board.

An adapter for the interfaces of the system Panel (i.e. power button, reset button, HDD LED & co), in which the 2-pin plug of the case are put is located in the delivery of the Board. The entire connector then finds his place on the mainboard. This represents a very good alternative to the otherwise usual fummeligen matter with these connectors.

Software

On the enclosed software CD, ASUS provides a wizard named install which installs any necessary drivers, and a lot of in-house software. This TurboV Evo and EPU-6 engine are worth mentioning.

The so-called EPU-6 engine behind a program which is to regulate the power consumption of the entire system by adjusting fan speeds, clock speed and voltage or lower. During the test, in the idle power consumption has been reduced to about 3 Watts maximum power saving setting. It is questionable how much the program acts on its own, or are only existing battery-saving features such as EIST makes use. With chic surface and a display of saved CO2 emissions, it is certainly a nice extension, but it does not seem absolutely necessary.

The application of tool TurboV Evo acts overclocking of the system. Various voltages, bus speeds and frequencies can be set easily. The menu is interesting Auto Tuning, which automatically overclocks the processor and performs short stability tests. Also, a keyboard shortcut as Turbo key can be set, which brings a short overclocking with it. In easy mode, the user must increase only the BCLK frequency, the program automatically adjusts the other settings (such as CPU voltage). It is so careful to proceed to cause no damage to the components. Overall, is beautifully presented, open the program and can come up with small – but interesting – functions.

BIOS

How many ASUS boards of the last generations has also the P7P55D ASUS express gate, a pretty simple hand-held Linux operating system, which provides Internet access or chat options the user without first the primary operating system must be loaded. As you but to fight this system with some limitations, it is probably very rare are used. For example, USB WLAN sticks are recognized not, which of course complicates the fast way in the Internet.

Updated the BIOS to the version of 0606 at the beginning of the consideration. If the conversion of the language in the BIOS, where already almost everything from English technical terms, makes little sense, it is still commendable that German can be chosen as language.

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Overall, the BIOS of ASUS is logically structured and well built, but in quite a few subpoints nested. The BIOS as well as an automatically operating OC Tuner who overclocks the system on its own by BCLK provides an overview of the current fan speeds, temperatures and voltages. If you manually going on, has however more customization options. Also, you can store eight different OC profiles in the BIOS.

Intel DP55KG

With the DP55KG, Intel rather aimed at the professionals of the mainstream segment, which is also at a price of at least 160 euros.

• Scope of delivery
  • Drivers DVD
  • Manual
  • I/O-bracket
  • Bluetooth antenna
  • SLI bridge

Layout

Already when first viewing of the mainboard, it falls on that Intel has finally written off some interfaces. So the producer waives entirely IDE and PS/2. Certainly both connection types are on the dying branch, medium-term but currently have many drives or peripherals that needed these interfaces – should be taken when purchasing from this!

Commendable, however, is the integrated Bluetooth receiver, although wireless would have been no less useful. After all, the DP55KG has a normal internal USB port, so for example, the WLAN stick on the inside of the computer can be connected. The use of internal Bluetooth worked correctly in the test, were also found without installing the extra antenna devices near the computer.

When you install the video card, it falls on that they quite come close terminals of the RAM slots with already built-in memory of the graphics card. A few millimetres more space would be commendable at this point.

Otherwise, the layout of the Board is in no great rarities. Only the internal audio header is probably somewhat unfavourably placed close to the PCI slots. The common position in the vicinity of the front-panel port appears as meaningful.

A two-digit LED display on the mainboard displays the POST codes. Thus, errors that appear during the boot process, easily identify can be. However, a look in the manual is necessary to know which code implies what the point of failure. During normal operation, the display always indicates 00. In addition, there are two LEDs that light up in red in the case of a high voltage or a too-hot processor. In addition, the red eyes of a skull light up bottom left on the Board during disk activity. These gadgets promise not whom, can disable it in BIOS.

Intel has powered a small button to switch on the motherboard. On the back panel is a small button that by and large replaced the BIOS jumper – it cannot be used however to reset the BIOS.

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With great cooling solutions Intel with the DP55KG boasts not on. Two coolers are mounted close to the processor, these are however not connected to a heat pipe. To increase the power supply for the graphics card a SATA power cable in the bottom-most PCI connector can be optionally installed. In modern power supplies that provide sufficient power, this is but unnecessary.

Software

Software sends Intel as the main application for the desktop control center, as well as some standard programs, which are partially but only as a 90-day trial version available – such as Norton Internet security.

The desktop control center is a very clear program which displays CPU usage, temperatures, bus speeds, memory usage and more. Some options with regard to the Übertaktens can also be set using, for example, the voltage or the host clock frequency. Also, can manually set fan speeds and RAM-timings changed. Although it is certainly very comfortable, all’ to make these adjustments not in BIOS, after almost every change required restart of the computer makes the optimization rather a time-consuming action.

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The option to be able to create three different profiles is useful. Thus, for example, a profile can be with create settings to play and another with power-saving options for Office work. Also here are however necessary reboots.

BIOS

The BIOS of Testmainboards has been updated to the version of 3878, the update process with a normal exe executable is almost done by alone, alternatively can be updated also on conventional way. Overall, the BIOS is quite logically structured and well arranged. As usual are some menu items in a column shortly explained.

As more or less considerable delicacy, it offers mentioned setting of skull with its LEDs. The point seems reasonable as real-time hardware monitoring, displays which fan speeds, temperatures and voltages.

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Also the overview of the performance menu is very appealing, it has the values of aktiven-, which is just angepassten-and default open side by side. So, you can easily view their own modifications to processor speed, TurboBoost or memory or voltage. The effects of the host clock frequency to processor or memory can also even for those new to the field of overclocking easy to track.

But one wonders why the point “Onboard devices” under configuration behind the level USB only a setting option is under. Could you have saved as not a level is?

MSI P55-GD65

The MSI P55-GD65 is located exactly between the two last candidates priced with about 120 euros.

• Scope of delivery
  • Drivers DVD
  • Manual
  • I/O-bracket
  • 4 x SATA cable
  • 2 x 4-pin SATA power cable
  • 1 x IDE cable
  • 1 x FDD cable
  • USB bridge with two outputs
  • CrossFireX link
  • SLI link

Layout

Much like the first two candidates also the MSI P55-GD65 with black PCB does come from, in connection with some blue elements. The layout of the mainboard does at first glance quite tidy and clearly, on the placement of each item MSI goes no new roads.

Striking the two heat sink next to the processor slot, and happily also with a heatpipe connected because they are relatively high. The cooler of the PCH is quite flat with MSI.

Some connectivity MSI is however unusual ways. A combined eSATA USB port is on the back panel to find. This are either eight USB inputs or seven USB and an eSATA input available. The two LAN connections are also very rare in this price range.

On the placement of some of the elements would be quite better to find solutions. The 24-pin power connector is farther inside than the already barely-used FDD connector – exact other way around would have been just in terms of the cabling practical. It is also curious that the IDE input and six of the SATA ports at right angles to the motherboard are, the FDD connector but again not. The seventh internal SATA port is powered by an extra JMicron controller.

Similar to the MSI Board also provides a Visual display of the CPU usage, not in the form of a skull, but in the form of a blue scroll bar from six LEDs – Intel DP55KG but the more the CPU is busy, the more LEDs light up.

Other buttons the MSI offers an extra switch, two buttons to the adjustment of the BCKL bar “on-the fly” to ever a MHz in plus or minus direction, and a button OC Genie. The clock adjustment works pretty well in practice, however, the values and of course the stability of the system should be examined accordingly. Because it has no control over the current time without extra programs. The OC Genie button automatically overclocks the system through a reboot, the BCKL clock to respectable 157 MHz has been raised in the case of the test system. After a renewed pressing of the button with a subsequent reboot, the defaults are enabled again.

The other positions of each item on the motherboard can hardly reason for complaint.

Software

On the accompanying DVD, MSI has packaged all required drivers and some extra applications, for example, to the overclocking. Also the usual Dreingaben as a trial version of an antivirus program are out of the game. Yet the program MSIFlash to update the BIOS version is located on an another CD. The quite practical program MSI Live Update, which automatically checks for updates for BIOS and installed applications of the manufacturer, is unfortunately not on one of the enclosed disks included.

The installation of drivers and applications worked easily. Problems arose, however, when you run the software. So, the MSI Control Center caused a run-time error on the new patch test system. The latest from the Internet caused the problem. If the application work, it allows the overclocking of the system and the control of green-power mode, which allows the saving of power with an active phase switching. With us she did not it unfortunately.

BIOS

The BIOS version 1.50 was installed on the MSI P55 DG-65. As also for the two boards previously there suspend not much on this BIOS. All settings are at their typical places.

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As interesting feature overclocking profiles can be stored directly in the BIOS, which put the respective settings on one of the eight memory locations. A hardware monitor is reflected also in MSI. Compared to the other two test candidates, the turbo boost function of the processor when the factory settings is disabled on this Board. This feature is unfortunately hidden users who dare not look in the BIOS.

Test system

Test system

• Processor
  • Intel Core i7-870 (4 x 2.93 GHz, 4 x 256 KB L2 cache, 8 MB L3 cache)
• CPU cooler
  • Boxed
• Memory
  • 2 x 2,048 MB Corsair XMS3 Dominator DDR3-1600 (8-8-8-24)
• Graphics card
  • ATi Radeon HD 3870 (777 / 1.124), 512 MB
• Power supply
  • Silverstone ST60F (600 watts)
• Peripherals
  • LG GH22NS50 DVD drive
  • Super talent Ultradrive GX MLC (SSD 128 GB capacity and 64 MB cache)
• Housing
  • LANCOOL metal boned K7 gold
• Driver versions
  • ATi catalyst 9.11
• Software
  • Microsoft Windows 7 x 64

Benchmarks

The settings within the graphics driver are left to the normal default settings. For the processor, EIST, as well as SMT has been enabled in the BIOS because this probably the most buyers is set or is already at the factory enabled. This time handling of the mainboards flows on the one hand into the results, which can lead to high differences in the benchmark results and you will receive also practical results, which is comparable to the best.

As software was PC mark Vantage, SiSoftware Sandra Lite 2010.1.16.11, Cinebench R10 and ATTO disk benchmark v2. 41 used. Monitoring of boat hours was eventvwr Windows even with Event Viewer. Power consumption has been validated with a commercially available ammeter, thus you get the power consumption of the complete system so as a value.

PCMark Vantage

Cinebench

SiSoft Sandra 2010

All candidates at an altitude about are processor tests. For the storage tests, the MSI P55 DG-65 drifted from first very far to the rear. With all possible configurations only values were achieved, which are about half as large as those of the competition – which appeared in the light of the fact that the storage controller in P55 no longer sits on the mainboard, very bizarre.

On request from MSI a current beta BIOS version 1.63 sent us the manufacturer (the latest version on the servers is the final version 1.50). With the beta version of the BIOS, similar values as in the other two boards have been achieved in the storage tests by Sandra. Then, all store-related tests were conducted with the beta BIOS again. Still, the other tests were performed with official BIOS version since the beta officially still not available to end customers.

Interfaces

The interfaces, especially at the USB, the MSI Board is again provided by the competition in a good light. Here, workaround was to create with any BIOS version that is available to us.

Boot time

Power consumption

On the basis of the power consumption, the differences in the control of the Turbo mode can be ‘ make up quite well. The mainboard from ASUS quite strongly exploits this function, which can be seen in the wide range between consumption in the idle and under full load. Therefore, the P7P55D also in the processor tests achieved good values. While, for example, the Intel DP55KG remains in Turbo mode, not in the longer term, lets just ASUS overclocked the processor also for long periods and therefore better exploits its performance. The power consumption increases also.

Conclusion

Usually no clear winner seems herauszukristallieren at the end of a test, but in this case a recommendation can be clearly express.

The Intel DP55KG truncates overall worst in this test. The renunciation of PS / 2 and IDE connector is still too early for many customers, which makes up for not again also a built-in Bluetooth module. The purpose of a glowing skull, which displays the disk activity, must, however, evaluate everyone for themselves. But if such gadgets to the detriment of the place and this scratch the RAM terminals to the video card, you should opt more for other solutions.

MSI sends the P55-GD65 in the race with a very good delivery and extensive connection options. With most reasonable layout and additional functions, for the one or the other users quite interesting (the two buttons to the variation of the BCKL bar mention at this point once again), persuades the MSI as a whole. Had the Board to cope with for the time being but losses for the benchmarks, because only with a beta BIOS from the manufacturer, acceptable values could be achieved at the storage tests. The current final BIOS version on the servers of MSI seems, however, not yet fully mature. Because a BIOS for the operation of the Board is important but elementary and your BIOS does not update the most buyer of a motherboard and it left in the original state of purchase, this is a significant disadvantage, which ultimately cost the overall the P55-GD65.

Is the ASUS P7P55D. It provides a solid basic equipment, which although not much more than absolutely necessary offers much (so you are looking for indicators for the current processor load to the ASUS in vain), but brings the most important things. The P7P55D heavily exploits the Turbo mode of the processor, which is reflected also in the power consumption. In the other benchmarks, claims the motherboard, its good position and goes as the winner from this comparison.