ASUS P5K-SE – Design

The P5K-SE is more of a system builder’s board and while it does feature quality components, it doesn't carry the same look and feel of the previous ASUS boards we looked at. With a similar price to that of the Abit IP35-E, the P5K-SE doesn’t stand much of a chance as it looks far from impressive sitting next to the Abit.

The thin & light brown PCB looks average while the cooling design is nothing to write home about. The northbridge chip features a small silver aluminum heatsink while the southbridge is cooled via a small black aluminum heatsink. The board layout is fairly crammed though everything is relatively easy to access due to excellent component placement.

There are really no design flaws to be found on the P5K-SE, but at the same time there is nothing exceptional about it either. The I/O panel features six of the ten USB 2.0 ports while there is a single PS/2 port, coaxial audio port, six audio jacks, a single eSATA port and one LAN port. There is more connectivity featured on the P5K-SE I/O panel when compared to the Abit IP35-E.

ASUS P5K-SE – Features

The ASUS P5K-SE could be considered the runt of this pack featuring a less appealing design, a more limited list of features, while measuring just 19.3 centimeters wide. Priced at around $120 the ASUS P5K-SE looks a little overpriced sitting next to the Abit IP35-E. So what does the budget P5K-SE motherboard have for us? Well, other than the small and unusual board design, ASUS has managed to include a reasonable amount of features such as a single Gigabit LAN controller, 8-channel audio and eSATA. Interestingly while the board does only feature a 4-phase power design, ASUS has gone with high-quality conductive polymer capacitors.

Although the P5K-SE might not look the part it is a very well put together motherboard featuring a number of quality components. Audio is delivered by a Realtek ALC883 controller which is a budget option offering 8-channel support. So, the Abit IP35-E is equipped with a slightly better audio controller then. What the IP35-E does not have is eSATA support which can be found on the P5K-SE thanks to the inclusion of a Marvell 88SE6111 controller supporting a single SATA port.

The storage abilities of the P5K-SE have been compromised when compared to the P5K-E and P5K Deluxe boards as support for just four SATA ports exist without the option of RAID. This is due to the use of the ICH9 southbridge which is quite featureless when it comes to storage as Intel's Matrix storage technology is not included.

The ASUS P5K-SE features a 24-pin power connector along with a 4-pin 12v power connector and four DDR2 DIMM slots supporting up to 8GB of either DDR2-667 or DDR2-800 memory in dual-channel mode. For expansion the P5K-SE includes a single PCI Express x16 port along with three PCIe x1 ports and two standard PCI ports. This means Crossfire is not supported on this motherboard which shouldn't be an issue. Given how much it costs to purchase two Radeon graphics cards I am sure anyone considering this option will be prepared to spend more on the motherboard.

ASUS P5K-E – Design

ASUS has made good use of the room available on the I/O panel filling every last gap with some kind of connector. While overall the board design of the P5K-E is very good, we found the same (small) design flaw that was found with Deluxe version. The P5K-E uses vertically mounted SATA ports rather than those on a 90-degree angle.

While we were able to use all six ports when running two GeForce 8800 GTX graphics cards in SLI mode it was a bit of a tight fit. For those that want to access the single IDE port its position is not ideal either as it is located horizontally in the bottom right hand corner of the board. The first of the key connections such as the 24-pin and 8-pin power connectors are very well placed and easy to access. The DIMM slots are just clear of the PCI Express x16 port making it possible to install/remove memory with a large graphics card installed.

The expansion slots are well laid out with two PCIe x1 ports at the top followed by a PCIe x16 port which is then separated of the next PCIe x16 port by two PCI ports. At the bottom of the board there is a third PCI port. Below this at the very bottom of the board we have a front audio header, a single serial port header, a Firewire port header and two USB 2.0 headers for four more USB ports. The clear CMOS jumper is easy to find as it is placed next to the battery.

The P5K-E is well equipped cooling-wise, though there are a few alterations here when compared to the more expensive Deluxe version. The north and southbridge chips are not connected via heatpipes. In fact this version uses just a single heatpipe connecting the northbridge heatsink to the heatsink over the power phase chips. Only half of the sixteen MOSFET chips are cooled on this motherboard and while this does sound kind of pointless there is a reason for this.

ASUS is not really concerned with cooling the MOSFET chips on this motherboard as they shouldn’t get very hot. Rather they have designed a more efficient way of extracting heat from the northbridge chip which does get quite hot under normal operating conditions. Therefore the heat is transferred away from the Intel P35 chip towards the top of the board where the case fans can help disperse the heat.

Moving around to the I/O panel we have a huge range of connectors starting with just one PS/2 keyboard port and two USB 2.0 ports from the left. Then there are two audio related ports which include coaxial and S/PDIF connections. Next we have a LAN port with two more USB 2.0 ports, then a Firewire port with two eSATA ports and next to that another LAN port with two more USB 2.0 ports making for a total of six USB 2.0 ports on the I/O panel. There is still more with another six audio jacks and then finally a wireless antenna port.

ASUS P5K-E – Features

The ASUS P5K Deluxe is a pricey motherboard at around $240 and many users will find some of the features such as the additional Gigabit LAN controller useless. Since this kind of feature do add to the overall cost and may not be of use to everyone, ASUS has released the P5K-E at around $155, placing it alongside the Abit board. However while the P5K-E maybe a cut down version of a much more expensive motherboard it still backs quite a punch.

When it comes to networking you still get a Gigabit LAN controller linked to the PCI Express bus. Once again for those that fail to get excited over wired solutions, you get ASUS' WiFi-AP Solo feature that allows users to create a complete wireless home network in either AP or wireless client mode. This feature can work even when the PC is in sleep mode. The P5K-E comes bundled with an external omni-directional antenna that can sit up on top of the computer case.

Storage wise the ASUS P5K-E features everything found on the Deluxe version. There are six SATA ports which are connected to the ICH9R southbridge chip supporting the Intel Matrix storage technology. Each port is capable of AHCI & RAID modes supporting RAID 0/1/5/10. ASUS has again included the JMicron JMB363 controller for an additional two SATA ports which are used to support external hard drives. These eSATA ports can be found on the I/O panel, but please note ASUS has not included any eSATA cables in the package.

The P5K-E supports a total of ten USB 2.0 ports, eight of which are supported right out of the box. The board also features support for two Firewire ports using an Agere FW322 1394a controller. While one of these Firewire ports can be found on a supplied expansion bracket the other is conveniently placed on the I/O panel. We found then that the P5K-E offers a broad range of connectivity and similarly to the Deluxe version, much of it is accessible from the I/O panel.

This affordable ASUS motherboard uses an ADI AD1988B audio solution. This is the most acclaimed audio codec ADI makes, featuring 10 DACs/6 ADCs, 3 stereo headphone ports, peripheral sensing, jack retasking and microphone array capture, along with S/PDIF in and out. The P5K-E is also a 8-phase design board.

ASUS P5K Deluxe – Design

The P5K Deluxe is another fairly sensible high-end P35 motherboard and although it does feature a fair bit of cooling on-board it is far from over the top. Unlike the Abit boards, ASUS has made good use of the room available on the I/O panel filling every last gap with all kinds of connectors. The board design is very good and we only found one mistake with the layout that has to do with the SATA port placement. The position of these ports is much the same as those on the Abit board. However unlike the Abit board, the P5K Deluxe uses the vertically mounted SATA ports rather than those on a 90-degree angle.

While we were able to use all six ports when running two GeForce 8800 GTX graphics cards in SLI mode it was a bit of a tight fit. For those that want access to the single IDE port, its position is not ideal either as it is located horizontally in the bottom right hand corner of the board. The first of the key connections such as the 24-pin and 8-pin power connectors are very well placed and easy to access. The DIMM slots are just clear of the PCI Express x16 port making it possible to install/remove memory with a large graphics card installed.

The expansion slots are well laid out with two PCIe x1 ports at the top followed by a PCIe x16 port, followed by two PCI ports that separate from the second PCIe x16 port. Then at the bottom is a third PCI port. Below this at the very bottom of the board we have a front audio header, a single serial port header, a Firewire port header and two USB 2.0 headers for four more USB ports. The clear CMOS jumper is easy to find and access as it is placed under the battery.

Cooling wise the P5K Deluxe is well equipped as I have mentioned. However, the design should not cause too many compatibility issues with larger coolers as there are a few centimeters of clearance on either side of the LGA775 socket. The P5K Deluxe does utilize an 8-phase power design with is cooled by two series of heatsinks. The P35 northbridge chip features a nice little heatsink that is connected to a much smaller heatsink over the ICH9R southbridge chip via a copper heatpipe. The northbridge heatsink is also connected by two copper heatpipes to the series of fins designed to cool the power circuitry to the left of the CPU socket.

Moving around to the I/O panel we have a huge range of connectors starting with just one PS/2 keyboard port and two USB 2.0 ports from the left. Then there are two audio related ports which include coaxial and S/PDIF connections. Next we have a LAN port with two more USB 2.0 ports, then a Firewire port with two eSATA ports and next to that another LAN port with two more USB 2.0 ports making for a total of six USB 2.0 ports on the I/O panel. But wait, there is still more with another six audio jacks and then finally a wireless antenna port.

ASUS P5K Deluxe – Features

For those that want it all, we have the ASUS P5K Deluxe featuring pretty much everything with the exception of the kitchen sink! Unfortunately these don't come cheap as ASUS are asking ~$220 for this motherboard making it 30% more expensive than Abit’s top dog. The extra $35 does buy you quite a lot more in the features department and should you need them the P5K Deluxe could be a very viable solution.

When it comes to networking you get dual Gigabit LAN but unlike the IP35 Pro one of the controllers is linked to the PCI Express bus. The P5K Deluxe is equipped with a Marvell 88E8056 and a Realtek RTL8110SC controller (this last one connected to the much slower PCI bus). However, for those that fail to get excited over wired solutions might want to pay attention to the wireless access point situated on this motherboard.

The ASUS WiFi-AP Solo feature allows users to create a complete wireless home network in either AP or wireless client mode. The motherboard has the capability of providing these functions even when the PC is in sleep mode, so users could potentially use Skype as a true replacement for traditional long distance telephone service. The P5K Deluxe comes bundled with an external omni-directional antenna that can sit up on top of the computer case.

The ASUS P5K Deluxe's storage capabilities mimic those from other high-end competing products. There are six SATA ports which are connected to the ICH9R southbridge chip. This means each port is capable of AHCI & RAID modes supporting RAID 0/1/5/10.

ASUS has also included the JMicron JMB363 controller for an additional two SATA ports used to support external hard drives. These eSATA ports can be found on the I/O panel, but please note ASUS has not included any eSATA cables in the package. The JMicron JMB363 controller uses a single PCI Express x1 lane and also offers support for two PATA devices via a single IDE port.

The P5K Deluxe supports a total of ten USB 2.0 ports, eight of which are accessible right out of the box leaving the other two for front panel USB ports found on most computer cases. The board also features support for two Firewire ports using an Agere FW322 1394a controller. While one of these Firewire ports can be found on a supplied expansion bracket, the other is conveniently placed on the I/O panel. This allows the P5K Deluxe to offer a broad range of connectivity much of which is accessible from the I/O panel.

Unlike the Abit boards which used high-end Realtek audio controllers this ASUS motherboard uses an ADI AD1988B audio solution. This is the most complete solution offered by ADI featuring 10 DACs/6 ADCs, 3 stereo headphone ports, peripheral sensing, jack retasking and microphone array capture, along with S/PDIF in and out. Completing the impressive list of features found on the P5K Deluxe is an 8-phase power design.

Abit IP35-E – Design

The Abit IP35-E is easily the hottest $120 motherboard you are going to come across featuring the Intel P35 chipset. Traditionally affordable mainstream motherboards look very average and are certainly not products you would want to feature in a case with a big clear perspex window. The IP35-E in the other hand would look right at home in a modder's case as it really does look the part. In fact you could argue the IP35-E looks more impressive than its more expensive big brother.

Usually motherboard manufacturers come up with a PCB design for their most prized motherboards and then use the same design with slight variations for their mainstream products. This is the case with the IP35-E as Abit has simply recycled the IP35 Pro layout. All the key components such as the north and southbridge chips are in the same place along with the CPU socket. The 24-pin and 8-pin power connectors are also in exactly the same spot, as are the four DIMM modules.

While the IP35 Pro featured six SATA ports mounted on a 90-degree angle the IP35-E sports four SATA ports mounted vertically. This is fine though as the IP35-E only features a single PCI Express x16 port and the SATA ports are not located behind it meaning that the SATA cables will not come in contact with long graphics cards such as the Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX. The single IDE port on the other hand is still mounted on a 90-degree angle as it is placed quite close to the PCI Express x16 port.

At the center of the board you will find the P35 north bridge chip which is cooled by a large blue anodized aluminum heatsink. For this model, Abit has just gone with three individual blue anodized aluminium heatsinks that are not connected in anyway. Again for a $120 motherboard the cooling design certainly exceeded all our expectations.

Like the Abit IP35 Pro, the IP35-E version again only features a 4-phase power design which is more compact and easier to cool. A 4-phase power design is fine for a mainstream product though you will not find any 3-phase boards in this roundup. Again the I/O panel space has not been utilized nearly as well as it could have been featuring just a handful of connections. There are two PS/2 ports, one S/PDIF port, six audio jacks, four USB 2.0 ports and a single LAN port.

Abit IP35-E – Features

The Abit IP35-E is a cut down version of the IP35 Pro offering a few less integrated features. However at just $120 the IP35-E is significantly more affordable offering users a $65 saving, so what has been removed to allow this 35% saving? Well actually quite a lot has been cut out of the board, largely due to the southbridge chip being downgraded from the ICH9R to the plain old ICH9. This directly affects how many PCI Express lanes this motherboard has and SATA ports while adding two more USB 2.0 ports.

The IP35-E features a single Gigabit LAN port using the Marvell 88E8056 controller. Personally I would much prefer a single PCI Express controller over the two included on the more expensive IP35 Pro, so this is a bonus for the IP35-E. The audio controller remains the same as the IP35-E uses the Realtek ALC888 chip.

The storage abilities of the IP35-E have been severely crippled as this board supports only four SATA ports without the option of RAID. This is due to the use of the ICH9 southbridge which is quite featureless when it comes to storage as Intel's Matrix storage technology is not included. Abit has not included a third party chip for eSATA support so the IP35-E also misses out on this feature. The board manages to retain its PATA support through a single IDE port which is connected to a JMB368 controller which again uses a single PCI Express x1 lane.

Other more typical features include a 24-pin power connector along with an 8-pin 12v power connector and four DDR2 memory DIMM slots supporting up to 8GB of either DDR2-667 or DDR2-800 memory in dual-channel mode. For expansion the IP35-E includes a single PCI Express x16 port along with two PCIe x1 ports and three traditional PCI ports. This means Crossfire multi-GPU technology is not supported on this motherboard which is not an issue really. Given how much it costs to purchase two Radeon graphics cards I am sure anyone considering this option will be prepared to spend more on the motherboard.

The IP35-E does not offer Abit's µGuru technology for advanced monitoring. There is also no reset CMOS switch, no on-board power/reset buttons and no LED status display. Finally the last feature to go missing in action is Firewire as the IP35-E does not offer support for this interface.

Abit IP35 Pro – Design

Compared to some of the other high-end P35 motherboards, the Abit IP35 Pro is very simple and even looks a little undressed. That said the IP35 Pro features more of a smart and neat design that is far from over the top. Those worried about how much clearance they will have around the CPU socket should not be too concerned with the IP35 Pro.

Abit has done an excellent job making sure that the IP35 Pro will not cause any (physical) compatibility issues with other hardware. The six SATA ports are mounted on a 90 degree angle making them easy to access and possible to use even when paired with Crossfire Radeon HD 2900XT graphics cards, for example. The same has been done with the single IDE port, though this is less of a problem for IDE cables.

The four DIMM slots are also clear of the PCI Express x16 area making it possible to add and remove memory with the graphics card(s) installed. The large 24-pin power connector is well placed along the right hand side of the board, towards the middle. In the bottom right hand corner you will notice two little buttons, a yellow and a brown button. The brown button is actually a power button while the yellow is a reset button. Directly below these two buttons you will find the floppy drive connector tucked away.

At the center of the board you will find the P35 northbridge chip which is cooled by a large aluminum heatsink. This heatsink is linked to the southbridge heatsink and the power circuitry heatsink using a single copper heatpipe. This design while quite simple by today's standards works very well. Surprisingly the Abit IP35 Pro only features a 4-phase power design which is more compact and easier to cool.

The I/O panel is not as busy as we would have liked it to be featuring just four of the ten USB 2.0 ports. Furthermore with so much vacant real-estate on the I/O panel why not include the Firewire ports? Instead you get two PS/2 ports, a clear CMOS switch, dual S/PDIF ports, two eSATA ports, six audio jacks, two LAN ports and the aforementioned four USB 2.0 ports.

Given that the IP35 Pro does only come with one expansion bracket out of the box it would have been nice to find a few more USB 2.0 ports on the I/O panel (so you are getting 6 out of 10 possible ports out of the box). Nevertheless the Abit IP35 Pro is still a good buy at $185 but it becomes more apparent why this motherboard is cheaper when compared to the high-end ASUS and Gigabyte boards. This does not necessarily make the IP35 Pro a lesser option as the PCI LAN controller and 4-phase power design are yet to show any problems

Abit IP35 Pro – Features

The Abit IP35 Pro is a well-equipped Intel P35 motherboard featuring just about everything you will find lurking on high-end ASUS and Gigabyte versions but at a slightly cheaper price. In fact this is where the IP35 Pro surprised us with a price tag of $185 making it significantly cheaper than the competition and it doesn't appear there were any sacrifices made in the process. However there were a few corners cut, for example while the board does offer dual Gigabit LAN controllers both use the PCI bus.

This means getting the most out of these Gigabit LAN controllers might be difficult as they both share the very limited PCI bus. The controllers in question are the Realtek RTL8110SC of which the IP35 Pro features two. The board does redeem itself a little by including a Texas Instruments TSB43AB22A Firewire controller supporting two ports (neither of which can be found on the I/O panel). Then the audio is taken care of by another Realtek chip, this time the ALC888 chip has been used which is one of the better Realtek high-definition audio codecs.

Storage-wise the Abit IP35 Pro features nothing out of the ordinary, while offering everything you will find on competing high-end P35 motherboards. This means there are six SATA ports which are connected to the ICH9R south bridge chip supporting the Intel Matrix storage technology. Each port is capable of AHCI & RAID modes supporting RAID 0/1/5/10.

Abit has also included the JMicron JMB363 controller for an additional two SATA ports which are used to support external hard drives. These eSATA ports can be found on the I/O panel, but please note Abit has not included any eSATA cables in the package. The JMicron JMB363 controller uses a single PCI Express x1 lane and also offers support for two PATA devices via a single IDE port. That makes up the bulk of the integrated features that can be found on the IP35 Pro.

Other more typical features include a 24-pin power connector along with an 8-pin 12v power connector and four DDR2 memory DIMM slots supporting up to 8GB of either DDR2-667 or DDR2-800 memory in dual-channel mode. For expansion, the IP35 Pro features two PCI Express x16 ports but like most P35 motherboards the blue slot works at x16 while the black is limited to x4 bandwidth. There are also two traditional PCI slots along with a single PCI Express x1 port.

Features that are more unique to this motherboard include the Abit µGuru technology which allows users to fully monitor and control their system including voltages, fans and temperatures in Windows. There is also a feature called “EZ for CMOS” which allows the user to clear the CMOS directly from the I/O panel, using a little switch. This can come in quite handy when overclocking the motherboard! The Abit IP35 Pro is also built using 100% Japanese-made Low ESR and high ripple conductive polymer aluminum solid state capacitors.

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