The arrival of Intel's Lynnfield processors and P55 chipset has been met with phenomenal industry support. In terms of supporting motherboards, we've already seen eleven from GIGABYTE, four from MSI and boards from ECS and DFI, too.
However, the launch just wouldn't be complete without a selection of boards from ASUS and the Taiwanese giant is on hand with six "Xtreme Design" boards that form its all-new P7P55D series.
ASUS' range consists of the P7P55D Premium (pictured), P7P55D Deluxe, P7P55D EVO, P7P55D PRO, P7P55D and P7P55D LE. Eagle-eyed readers will note that we previewed the P7P55D EVO and P7P55D Deluxe back in July.
Visually, ASUS' boards are arguably some of the best-looking on offer, and they're packed with no shortage of exclusive features. ASUS tells us the P7P55D series boards are built using its "Xtreme Design" formula, incorporating the Hybrid Technology functionality revealed last week.
ASUS also finds itself as one of the few manufacturers that currently provides support for SATA 6Gbps. The P7P55D Premium provides a duo of on-board SATA 6Gbps ports, while other P7P55D series boards can achieve third-gen SATA speeds via an optional expansion card.
Want to know which of ASUS' six boards is for you? Check out the comparison table below, complete with current pricing.
| Motherboard | P7P55D Premium | P7P55D Deluxe | P7P55D EVO | P7P55D PRO | P7P55D | P7P55D LE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price* | £204.18 | £167.38 | £150.13 | £134.03 | £114.48 | £101.83 |
| CPU Socket | LGA1156 socket for Intel® Core™ i7/Core™ i5 Processors |
|||||
| Chipset | Intel® P55 Express Chipset |
|||||
| Memory | DDR3 2133 (O.C.) /1600 /1333 /1066 MHz |
DDR3 2000 (O.C) /1600/1333MHz |
||||
| Power Phase | 48 Hybrid Phase** |
24 Hybrid Phase** |
16 Hybrid Phase** |
16 Hybrid Phase** |
16 Hybrid Phase** |
8+2 Phase |
| PCIex16 Slots | 2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
| Multi-GPU | CrossFireX/SLI |
CrossFireX/SLI |
CrossFireX/SLI |
CrossFireX/SLI |
CrossFireX |
CrossFireX |
| Gbit LAN | x2 |
x2 |
x2 |
x1 |
x1 |
x1 |
| Audio | 10-ch HD, DTS |
10-ch HD, DTS |
8-ch HD, DTS |
8-ch HD, DTS |
8-ch HD, DTS |
8-ch HD, DTS |
| Storage | 6x SATA 3Gb/s |
9x SATA 3Gb/s |
8x SATA 3Gb/s |
7x SATA 3Gb/s |
7x SATA 3Gb/s |
6x SATA 3Gb/s |
1x eSATA (by bracket) |
1x eSATA (by bracket) |
2x eSATA (one by bracket) |
2x eSATA (one by bracket) |
1x eSATA |
1x eSATA |
|
1x Ultra DMA |
1x Ultra DMA |
1x Ultra DMA |
1x Ultra DMA |
1x Ultra DMA |
1x Ultra DMA |
|
2x SATA 6Gb/s |
2x SATA 6Gb/s (Add-on-card)*** |
|||||
| USB | 12 (8 ports at back panel, 4 ports at mid-board) |
14 (8 ports at back panel, 6 ports at mid-board) |
||||
| 1394a | 2 ports (One at mid-board, one at back panel) |
N/A |
||||
* Pricing from SCAN.co.uk correct as of 4pm, Tuesday September 8
** Hybrid Phase = Xtreme Phase * T.Probe. Hybrid Phase equates power efficiency achieved in other power phase designs
*** The PCIE GEN2 SATA6G card is sold separately
