ASUS P5B Motherboard Review

ASUS P5B Motherboard Review

ASUS P5B is a socket 775 motherboard targeted to new Core 2 Duo family, as it is based on the new Intel P965 chipset. One of the main advantages of this new chipset is its unofficial support for DDR2-1066/PC2-8500 memories, feature present on this motherboard from ASUS. Let’s see how this motherboard from ASUS performed against competitors from Gigabyte and MSI. 

Right now there are four P5B versions: P5B, P5B-E, P5B Deluxe and P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP. Our review is based on the basic model, P5B. P5B-E uses ICH8R south bridge instead of ICH8 like on P5B, so on this board there are six SATA-300 ports controlled by the chipset supporting RAID (0, 1, 10 and 5) plus two extra ports controlled by a JMicron chip. P5B-E has also two Firewire ports. The rest of the specs are equal to P5B. P5B Deluxe has two Gigabit Ethernet ports, two x16 PCI Express slots (the second one running at x4), only one x1 PCI Express slot and a passive cooling solution using a heat-pipe. The rest of the specs are the same as P5B-E. P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP is identical to P5B Deluxe but features a wireless access point supporting IEEE 802.11b/g (up to 54 Mbps). 

This motherboard uses a passive cooling solution on its chipset and does not use any cooling solution on its voltage regulator transistors, as you can see on Figure 1.This motherboard provides one x16 PCI Express slot, three x1 PCI Express slots and three standard PCI slots. 
On the memory side, ASUS P5B has four DDR2-DIMM sockets, supporting up to 8 GB officially up to DDR2-800, however this motherboard supports DDR2-1066/PC2-8500 memories (we installed four DDR2-1066 modules and they worked just fine at 1,066 MHz). On this motherboard sockets 1 and 3 are yellow and sockets 2 and 4 are black. Configuring DDR2 dual channel on this motherboard is pretty easy: just install each module on a socket with the same color. 

This motherboard has 10 USB 2.0 ports (four soldered on the motherboard and six available thru I/O brackets, which didn’t come with the motherboard)

This motherboard has 10 USB 2.0 ports (four soldered on the motherboard and six available thru I/O brackets, which didn’t come with the motherboard)

On the storage side, this motherboard has a total of six SATA-300 ports, four provided by the south bridge (ICH8) and two provided by a JMicron JMB363 chip. The ports controlled by the chipset do not support RAID, as the south bridge used is ICH8 and not ICH8R, however the two ports controlled by the JMicron chip supports RAID0, RAID1 and JBOD. One of these two ports is located externally, for connecting an external drive. This port is different, as it is a port multiplier connector, so you can’t use a regular SATA cable on it.

Port multiplier is a technology targeted to external hard disk drives, allowing you to connect up to 15 Serial ATA hard disk drives to a single SATA-300 port. In order to use more than one SATA HDDs on this port you need an external port multiplier bridge, which is an external device sold separately. The hard disks are connected to this device, while this device is connected to this port multiplier port, which, in turn, is internally connected to one of the SATA ports controlled by the JMicron JMB363 chip on the motherboard. Read our Everything You Need to Know About Serial ATA tutorial to learn more about port multiplier.

It is very important to notice that the single ATA/133 port available on this motherboard is controlled by the JMicron chip, not by the chipset. This means that if you still have a parallel IDE optical drive it will only be recognized on Windows after you install JMicron’s driver. The problem is that this driver comes on the motherboard CD-ROM, and you won’t be able to install it, as the system does not recognize your optical drive. You can download the driver from the net, however the driver for the on-board LAN port is also on the CD-ROM… The only option you have is to copy the JMicron driver from the CD to a floppy disk or a USB pen drive using another PC. This problem happens not only with this motherboard from ASUS, but also with all other motherboards based on Intel P965 chipset we’ve seen to date. Of course if you have a SATA optical drive you won’t face this issue.

This motherboard has one Gigabit Ethernet port, controlled by the south bridge using a Realtek RTL8111B to make the physical layer interface.

The audio section from this motherboard provides 7.1 audio, produced by the south bridge chip with the aid of an Analog Devices AD1988A codec. This codec provides a better signal-to-noise ratio for its inputs compared to Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 and MSI P965 Platinum – 90 dB against 85 dB. The signal-to-noise ratio for its output is of 95 dB and it supports up to 192 KHz sampling rate for its inputs and outputs (the one used by the two abovementioned boards from MSI and Gigabyte support 192 KHz only for their outputs, with their inputs limited to 96 KHz).

On the rear panel (Figure 3) you can find the Gigabit Ethernet port, four USB 2.0 ports, separated analog audio inputs/outputs (7.1 format), SPDIF coaxial and optical outputs, one external SATA port, one parallel port, PS/2 mouse and PS/2 keyboard connectors. The serial port is missing here but you still can use it by installing an I/O bracket, but this bracket didn’t come with the board we reviewed.

Data Security with Asus Motherboards

Data Security with Asus Motherboards

Asus, manufacturer of motherboards, has announced key motherboards innovations to offer users the ultimate data security. Available in the P5Q series and other top-notch motherboards, these innovations include ESD and over current protection for safeguarding users against electrostatic discharges, and over current; as well as Asus Data Guardian (TPM) and Drive Xpert for data security and backup.

Commenting on the launch, Vinay Shetty, business manager (Components) of Asus, said, These new motherboards feature ASUS s exclusive EPU technology, which optimizes the power consumption according to the application being run and reduce power consumption by up to 80.23 percent. This will greatly benefit all end-users with low power consumption and help to conserve the environment by lower emission levels. Also, the other new innovations in these motherboards will appeal equally to end-users across all segments.

The new specifications of ASUS

The new specifications of ASUS

Electrostatic Discharge Protection (ESD) 

ASUS has designed motherboards that surpasses the EU s strict static electricity standards and provide users with protection against such static discharge in the most commonly used scenarios for example the front USB ports. Each USB port on the motherboard is protected against static electricity discharge. 

Overcurrent Protection for Safe Computing 

An overcurrent is a current that exceeds the amperage rating of the external device (flash memory, hard disks, and etc.) or other active components in a circuit (e.g., ICs). When you connect an external device (e.g. external HDD) with a flawed circuit into your PC system, it might cause an overcurrent. ASUS s motherboards are designed with an installed circuit that acts like fuses and circuit breakers to detect an overcurrent condition when the current reaches a value that will cause an excessive or dangerous temperature rise in conductors and in doing so, protecting your external devices, ICs and the safety of the users themselves. 

ASUS Data Guardian (TPM) for Total Data Security 

The ASUS Data Guardian (TPM support) provides ultimate data security protection for the user s personal data by creating a virtual folder that is protected by an encryption key and then stored on a USB portable drive allowing users to store their most valued and secret data safely against unauthorized access. 

Drive Xpert The Easy and Safe Way for Data Management 

Drive Xpert solves all the dilemmas and is ideal for anyone who needs to secure their data on their hard drives or enhance hard drive performances without the hassles of complicated configurations. With Drive Xpert's exclusive user-friendly graphical user interface, users can easily arrange hard drive backups or enhance their hard drive transfer rates - making sure that data is looked after every moment, every day. 

Intel Offers Motherboards Targeting Kind of Use

Intel Offers Motherboards Targeting Kind of Use

Intel Corporation has launched 3 new motherboards, namely, Desktop Board DX48BT2 Extreme Series, Desktop Board DG35EC Classic Series and Desktop Board D945GCLF Essential Series.

The keyboards, individually aimed at the extreme gamer, the mainstream multi-media user, and the entry-level PC users, enable a number of features for today's PCs, such as - greater PC performance, clearer definition video and low-powered technologies.

Tom Rampone, vice president, Sales and Marketing Group, and general manager, Channel, Intel, says, "From ultimate gaming bliss, to crisp high definition, to the most-affordable internet-centric desktop, Intel continues to push the boundaries of world-class desktop offerings. As the demand for desktops across the board moves from strength to strength, we are also quickly moving towards more feature differentiation and innovation down our product roadmap."

According to the company, for extreme gaming performance, Desktop Board DX48BT2 Extreme Series board unleashes the fastest native 1600 MHz front side bus and memory support, providing powerful performance and extreme overclockability.

For mainstream users, who want to experience a new level of 3D and media crispiness, the Desktop Board DG35EC Classic Series board's built with sharpest performing integrated graphics, supported on Intel architecture, informs the manufacturer.

Belonging to an exciting new category of computers called Nettops - a new family of affordable desktop computing devices purpose-built for Internet-centric usage models - the Desktop Board D945GCLF is an affordable and unique motherboard, which integrates a single unit of computer with a microprocessor, chipset, motherboard, and heat sink, communicates Intel.

Gigabyte to Train Partners on Energy Saver Mobos

Gigabyte to Train Partners on Energy Saver Mobos

Motherboard and graphics card manufacturer Gigabyte United plans to train partners on its new range of Dynamic Energy Saver motherboards, which, the company claimed, deliver power savings of up to 70 per cent and up to 20 per cent improved power efficiency.

Gigabyte will launch a series of regional events to promote the new product. "We'll undertake a series of events across India to train partners about the Energy Saver, once the financial year is over," said Arthur Liu, sales manager-Asia Region, Gigabyte United. The company also unveiled X48, X38 and P35-based motherboards.

According to Liu, the company aims to ship around 800 K motherboards in India in 2008. Fifty to 60 per cent of that shipment will consist of the Energy Saving motherboards. The Energy Saver is already available in the Indian markets at a slightly higher price than that of traditional motherboards.

The Dynamic Energy Saver features proprietary software and hardware design, including components from Intersil. The multi-gear power phase design of the product allows for efficient switching of power phases depending on CPU work loading. When the CPU work loading is light or at idle, the Dynamic Energy Saver downshifts gears and only allows the minimum required power phases needed to accomplish the task to operate. As soon as the workload increases, the motherboard is able to shift into higher gear, turning on power phases, as they are needed.

The motherboard interface allows users to turn on and off the power-saving features with a simple click of a button. The product enables users to see real-time CPU power consumption in Watts and also record the power saved in a set period.

Gigabyte to Sell One Million Mother Boards

Gigabyte to Sell One Million Mother Boards

Gigabyte has adopted an aggressive go to market strategy, aiming at achieving a robust growth in 2008. At its recently concluded Annual Sales Meet to review 2007 and plan for 2008, Gigabyte India has embarked on a target of 1 million motherboards sales-out.

In the meeting attended by Gigabyte India sales team, a team of senior managers from Gigabyte TWN including James Lo, Arthur Liu and Alan Szu, it has been decided that the company will focus on the higher end and gaming solutions in motherboard, and VGA segment in India. 

In the words of P. Vyas, managing director of Gigabyte (India), "We have created a strong foothold in the motherboards and VGA market in the year 2007 - 2008, shipping above 500K motherboards in channels. An achievement - which has boosted the morale of the entire Gigabyte team, and ensuring a platform to target 1 million motherboards in the new fiscal." 

"After a successful last fiscal, we will get more aggressive not only in the tier 1 markets, but also in the B, C and D locations - by strengthening our channels and RMA infrastructure. We will have 38 Direct RMA locations within this month. Our installed base in India is over 2 million, and we assure the best post sales network to our customers. We will work more closely with all our distributors, vendors, and strengthen our position in India and globally," informed Rajan Sharma, general manager (MB and VGA BU) - Gigabyte India

Zebronics Unveils Biostar TP35 T-Force Motherboard

Zebronics Unveils Biostar TP35 T-Force Motherboard

Zebronics (TopNotch Infotronix) has launched Intel P35/ICH9R and P35/ICH9 chipsets-based Biostar TP35 motherboards. 

The Intel P35 Express Chipset supports new technologies such as 1333 MHz System Bus speed, next-generation 45nm dual- and quad-core processors, and DDR3 memory to deliver system bandwidth and performance. 

Pradeep Doshi, director (Sales) of Topnotch Infotronix, said that Biostar P35 DDR2 boards will bring performance computing to the mainstream, which is the core segment in India right now. "We haven't just focused on the DDR3 variant. The DDR2 based P35 T-Force series board is also available readily through Zebronics Not only is DDR3 memory expensive, its availability is also scarce, especially in the non-metro cities," he added. 

With built-in design headroom, Intel Fast Memory Access (Intel FMA), and Intel Turbo Memory platforms, based on the Intel P35 Express Chipset, enable best-of-class performance and offer the best value for performance desktop computing. 
Biostar TP35D2-A7 and TP35D3-A7 Deluxe boards are now available through Zebronics partners. 

ASRock 775V88 VIA PT880 Motherboard Review

ASRock 775V88 VIA PT880 Motherboard Review

There's little doubt that Asus is one of the technological leaders in the motherboard industry. One area that Asus had not previously explored much is the entry-level market, where companies like Biostar
, ECS, and others have a strong foothold. Traditionally, Asus' motherboards have been built to satisfy the needs and wants of higher-end systems and price points, with features to match. Since the entry-level motherboard market is extremely large, and determined foremost by prices, you can understand why Asus would want to try its hand at it eventually.

Asus had a bit of a branding problem to deal with first though. How do you enter this market when you're known as an exclusively mid to high-end parts provider? To avoid diluting its respected motherboard brandname, Asus decided to create a new subsidiary focused entirely on entry-level motherboards and peripherals, and thus ASRock was born.

AOpen AX4C Max i875P Motherboard Review

AOpen AX4C Max i875P Motherboard Review

While DDR memory crept into mainstream Pentium 4 systems in 2002, back then users looking for top of the line performance still had to go with RDRAM. The i850E/PC1066 RDRAM combo held the performance crown for most of last year, but in 2003 things are turning out to be totally different. Cast aside the i850E chipset and RDRAM which have gone the way of the dodo, and the new king of the hill is clearly Intel's i875P chipset a.k.a. "Canterwood."

As for the actual performance and architectural differences between the i865PE and i875P which runs with DDR memory, we'll get to that in just a bit.

Intel had previously road mapped the Pentium4 from 533MHz FSB to 667MHz with the "Springdale" chipset. Springdale-based motherboards were originally expected to support 667/533/400MHz FSB Pentium 4 processors, but with Canterwood everything has been shifted towards 800MHz FSB.

These changes were announced on November of 2002 during Comdex Fall 2003, much to the surprise of motherboard manufacturers
who had many 667MHz FSB Springdale motherboards actually on display. When we take into account AMD's recent rise to 400 MHz FSB, Intel's mirroring of this bus speed change in November of last year now makes more sense. 

ASrock Penryn 1600SLI X3-WiFi nForce 680i SLI Motherboard

ASrock Penryn 1600SLI X3-WiFi nForce 680i SLI Motherboard

Asrock's motherboards are made with affordability in mind, and thus the boxes are pretty light when it comes to the bundle. It's one of those 'consider yourself lucky to see a SATA or IDE cable thrown in for free' manufacturers, which is okay because ASrock motherboards are inexpensive, and generally well enough built. The Asrock Penryn 1600SLI X3-WiFi motherboard breaks this mold somewhat by offering consumers a $125 platform with a bevy of multi-videocard, integrated wireless networking and quad-core Intel processor support.

The Penryn1600SLI X3-WiF motherboard is built on nVidia's nForce 680i SLI chipset, and as you may have guessed this platform supports Intel 'penryn' quad core, 45nm 'yorkfield' and dual core 'wolfdale' processors. Essentially, Intel's full family of 45nm quad and dual core chips, ranging from 800-1600MHz front side bus are spec'd out as compatible, with the following caveat... 1600MHz FSB processor support comes to us care of overclocking mode, it's not native. nVidia's nForce 680i SLI chipset technically only accomodates up to 1333MHz FSB processors, so keep that in mind. 

Asus CUV4X Motherboard

Asus CUV4X Motherboard

Asus is perhaps the most prominent motherboard maker around, they are renown for quality, stability and speed. The Asus CUV4X hopes to carry on the tradition, while using the VIA 133Z (essentially the 133A, except for Socketed processors) chipset. 
The Asus CUV4X comes complete with an instruction manual, a driver CD, an UltraATA/66 cable, a serial port connector, USB connector, as well as a floppy drive cable. All for about $168 CDN / $113 USD

As with all Asus motherboards, the CUV4X is just a plain brown PCB. The CUV4X uses the VIA 133Z chipset which enables a few important features, these include native ATA66 compatibility as well as AGP 4X, and true PC133/133mhz FSB support. 

The CUV4X supports Celeron's and PIII's in PPGA and FCPGA form factors.

Biostar TForce P965 Deluxe Motherboard

Biostar TForce P965 Deluxe Motherboard

When Intel introduced the Socket 775
platform and the ICH6 Southbridge, it did something radical, it removed a parallel IDE channel. Intel reasoned that the IDE standard had reached its maximum capability and that Serial ATA would quickly replace IDE due to its vast technological advantage.

Hard drive manufacturers quickly adopted the new standard however it still took the public a few years to move over. Optical drive makers on the other hand (aside from Plextor) have not moved over to the Serial ATA architecture and to the dismay of other manufacturers and consumers, continue to release primarily IDE devices.

Like it or not, Intel is forcing the hands of everyone to adopt the Serial ATA architecture by completely dropping IDE from its ICH8 Southbridge. Other chipset manufacturers are also starting to loose support for IDE, with nVIDIA's latest nForce 500 series chipsets the latest example.

In this review, PCSTATS is testing the Biostar TForce P965 Deluxe motherboard. This board is based on Intel's P965 Northbridge and ICH8 Southbridge chipsets. With Intel phasing out IDE, motherboard manufacturers have been scrambling trying to fill the void since Serial ATA optical drives are difficult to find. Biostar address the lack of native IDE channels by integrating a separate IDE controller onto the Tforce P965 motherboard in the form of a VIA VT6410. Other integrated goodies on this full sized ATX board include Gigabit LAN,7.1 channel high definition Intel Azalia audio, a flurry of USB2.0 jacks, and expansion slots.

Gigabyte GA-X48-DQ6 LGA775 ATX Motherboard

Gigabyte GA-X48-DQ6 LGA775 ATX Motherboard

Designed for enthusiasts with extreme over-clocking and blistering gaming performance in mind, the GIGABYTE GA-X48-DQ6 is based on the killer combination of the newest Intel X48 chipset plus support for the latest multi-core processors up to FSB 1600MHz, including the Intel 45nm processors. The GA-X48-DQ6 is CrossFireX enabled with true dual PCI-E 2.0 x16 connectivity for the ultimate in extreme gaming performance. Built tough to provide maximum stability, durability and performance for even the most hard-core gamers, the GA-X48-DQ6 delivers several advanced GIGABYTE innovations including the Ultra Durable 2 design, featuring top quality electronic components which provide optimized power savings, ultra cooling and extended system durability.

Features:

* Revolution energy saving design with DES technology
* Supports Intel Core 2 multi-core and 45nm processors.
* 1600 MHz FSB (Front Side Bus) support.
* DDR2 1200 memory with Intel ECC technology featuring faster speeds and higher data bandwidth
* High quality CPU power module with Ferrite Core Chokes, Lower RDS (on) MOSFETs and Lower ESR Solid Capacitors.
* Supports ATI CrossFireX with Dual PCI-E 2.0 x16 graphics for extreme gaming performance.
* High speed Gigabit Ethernet with Green design for power consumption
* ALC889A with DTS Connect enables high quality Full Rate Lossless Audio and support for both Blu-ray and HD DVD.
* Features SATA 3Gb/s with Quad eSATA 2 interface.
* Quad BIOS for an extended level of protection.
* Quad-Triple Phase Power Design for ultimate system stability.
* 2 Gigabit Ethernet LAN through Teaming.

Intel D810E2CA3 Motherboard

Intel D810E2CA3 Motherboard

We are currently witnessing a flooding of high performance motherboards on the market today. These days, the fastest motherboard may only be marginally faster than the slowest ones available. Without a doubt, the mainboard and chipset market is no less than cutthroat. Though most users are accustomed to seeing such products available in abundance, a significant portion of the market remains interested on those products that focus upon the delivery of good business performance at a low cost.

As we will see in this review, the Intel D810E2CA3 "Cayman 3" motherboard is one such motherboard providing very good performance in business applications at a reduced overall cost. The D810E2CA3 is based upon the Intel 810E2 chipset and comes outfitted with ATA 100 support, 4 USB ports, 4 PCI slots and 2 DIMM sockets in a micro ATX layout.

With a feature set like this, the line between business and high end motherboards seems to be a lot less defined.

Intel D850GB P4 Motherboard

Intel D850GB P4 Motherboard

Intel are known more for their line of incredibly successful processors than their motherboards, but if the D850GB is any indication, they can definitely hold their own with the likes of motherboard companies such as MSI. The D850GB is a Pentium 4 socket 423 motherboard built around the well performing and stable i850 Tehama chipset and supports the classic 5 PCI and 1 AGP configuration.

With dual RDRAM channels supporting up to 2.0GB of RIMM memory the D850GB offers the performance or workstation user the expandability for true expansive use. Individuals interested in doing a little overclocking on the side will find little to no tweaking tool with this motherboard - this is Intel after all. During our tests we found the board to live up to its expectations in terms of reliability, and even managed to surprise us with its performance abilities.

Biostar TA690G AM2 AMD 690G Motherboard

Biostar TA690G AM2 AMD 690G Motherboard

For most of its existence, the AMD processor
platform has heavily depended on third party chipsets made by VIA, nVIDIA, ATI, ALI, or SIS. It's fortunes were tied to the performance and capabilities of 3rd party core logic. In 2006 AMD gobbled up the Canadian videocard company ATi. ATI had been making headway with its own line of motherboard chipsets, and for the first time since this merger AMD has had its own in-house motherboard chipset to pair with an Athlon64 processor. The last time the planets aligned like this was with the AMD750 Irongate (Slot A) and the AMD760 (Socket A, SMP platform), but in each of those situations that was core logic born out of utter necessity.

ATi's experience in building chipsets is not a long tale, but its pre-AMD merger platforms seriously challenged stock from Intel and nVIDIA's stables. The ATI CrossFire Xpress 3200 chipset is still considered faster than Intel's 975X, and that was certainly quite a feat at the time. However, the real winner in ATI's line up was a little known chipset slated for release at the time of the merger, the 'RS690.' Intended to be married with an AMD Athlon64 processor, the 'RS690' was said to beat the pants off nVIDIA's extremely popular GeForce 6100 & 6150 series... 

MWC 2009 Highlights Day 3

MWC 2009 Highlights Day 3

posted on February 19, 2009

Mobile World Congress 2009 day three seems to be now in calm, not that booming like day one and two, but we still do hope for some flare within the next day. The day past by with some Androids and Mobile Windows in the corner, with some nail expectations and the most didn’t came even in dreams.

We see how General Mobile DSTL1 came out on the Android line, and some more mobile phones powered by Mobile Windows 6.1 (not 6.5 definitely) , some cool watch phone from Samsung including its Blue Earth, and Google revealed an offline Gmail for iPhone.

Read more about MWC 2009 day three, follow this link.

Google invites classrooms to “Doodle 4 Google”

Google invites classrooms to “Doodle 4 Google”

posted on February 3, 2009

Google has announced this year’s “Doodle 4 Google” competition that invites all K-12 students in the U.S. to design a Google logo inspired by the theme “What I wish for the world”. For the recognition, the student’s doodle will be displayed on Google homepage on May 21st. This also includes some great prices like the champion “doodler” will get $15k of college scholarship and $25k technology grant for his school and also considering the district with the greatest participation with $10k award.

Last year’s “Up in the Clouds” doodle by Grace Moon of Canyon Middle School won with over 16,000 entries. This logo making contest has started since 1999, and keep on doodling until now.

Ready up your crayons and pencils, cause registration closes by March 17.
Teachers can register their class online by going towww.google.com/doodle4google.

Skype coming to Nokia Nseries –N97

Skype coming to Nokia Nseries –N97 will got it first

If you’re really excited for Nokia’s flagship N97 to come, your craving will be more intensified when this handset comes first with Skype functionally on its full-pack features. But the sad thing to this even if N97 is a true-blooded Nseries, his brothers that have been released earlier will not have Skype added on their bags.

Dell’s Mini 10 officially announced

Dell’s Mini 10 officially announced, coming this March

posted on February 19, 2009

The Eee PC killer now unveiled its details –here comes Dell’s Mini 10 netbook! Dell’s Mini 10 features full-keyboard, 10.1-inch 16:9 widescreen, HDMI output and a multi-touch gesture pad. At $799 starting price these seem worth it, early availability is expected this March. Go after the break for more details.