The release of the new Core i5 and i7 processors and the P55 platform is an opportunity for motherboard manufacturers to advertise the release of a plethora of new products. Of course they all use the socket LGA1156 but looking at the number of models that have appeared since the end of August, the user can be assured of quite a choice. We have summarised the main aspects of the spec of a good number of the motherboards announced. If you’re going to make the jump, it will cost you between 100 and 250 euros.
Some cards stand out because of their super-sized processor power stage, like the ASUSTek P7P55D Premium or the Gigabyte GA-P55-UD6, the Gigabyte being moreover the only mobo with 6 DIMM. Maximum memory capacity remains at 16 GB but this can be extended.
The number of “x16” PCI-Express ports is also variable, as is the number of lanes for the second port: as we reported in our news yesterday, for high performance use you’ll need to avoid the 4 lane option. Only 3 cards include an nForce 200 and offer a 3rd high performance port allowing 3-way SLI. These are the ASUSTek P7P55 WS Supercomputers and EVGA’s P55 Classified 200/FTW 200. DFI lists 3-way SLI support for its motherboard but the 3rd port is limited to x4 and linked to the P55.
Only two cards support SATA 6 Gbits/s: the ASRock P55 Deluxe, via a PCI Express card supplied as part of the bundle, and the ASUSTeK P7P55D Premium, on which the controller is integrated directly on the PCB. We also note that ASRock and EVGA offer compatibility with LGA775 coolers via additional holes in the PCB, a good point!
