By: Jonathan Kwan
April 15, 2011
Reviewers are often criticized for the kind of articles we write. I am not talking about those who write so-called reviews where I can literally find more information about the product on the manufacturer's website, but with some shameless self promotion plug in all forms of humility -- even quality pieces of writings (Like the ones we publish here at APH Networks) are no exception. The reason for this does not lie in the hands of the one who writes the review. The reason for this comes down to the nature of each article. It is easy for us to get the latest and greatest computer components for evaluation, and while those reviews are exceptionally popular all the time, what good does it do for the common individual? Not everyone is interested in spending huge amounts of money for the best computer parts in the market. Of course, if you are reading this review, chances are that you are looking for something that is more... mainstream. Not 'low end' or 'cheap', but mainstream, midrange performance -- the most sought after market bracket by all board manufacturers. So don't complain to us that we go Lamborghini all day and ignore all the Hondas of this world, because we specifically wanted the ASUS P8P67 PRO for our review today. Following the brilliant ASUS P8P67 WS Revolution we have taken a look at last week, how well does the P8P67 PRO hold its own against its bigger brother? We've got you covered.
Our review unit of the ASUS P8P67 PRO P67 motherboard for LGA 1155 Sandy Bridge processors came in a large, brown corrugated cardboard box from ASUS' American headquarters at Fremont, California, USA. Using FedEx International Economy, everything arrived safely to us here in Calgary safely and in excellent condition. Inside the not-so-mystery box are two other products that accompanied this motherboard; namely the ASUS P8P67 WS Revolution motherboard we have reviewed last week, along with the P8H67-I Deluxe mini-ITX motherboard that we will be covering shortly.
Although we have learned since elementary school of why we should never judge a book by its cover, this assertion also implies the cover of the book is actually really important. ASUS knows this. The design used in the retail box of ASUS' P8P67 PRO is consistent with the rest of the company's P8P67 line of motherboards, just so you will know it is part of the same family. Even though the box itself is still the same box at heart as it was in the last little while -- the compact and simple flap-top box is still alive and well in 2011 -- the new theme is reasonably attractive enough to stir the geek within all of us. Take a glance at our photo above. Now, imagine a hundred of these lined up wall to wall at your local computer store. Yes, that's the feeling. Kind of like a kid at a candy store? No, it has to be better than that. Grey dot matrix on black background. ASUS logo and slogan, top left corner. Model number, left center. Feature highlights, left, right, and above. Don't forget it is the new B3 revision! Still not enough? Flip the box around, and prepare to get your eyes busy with lots of fancy diagrams and wads of text on why the P8P67 PRO is the motherboard to buy. Okay, I am not going to waste any more of your time on the box. Before we crack in open, let's go through some specifications as obtained from the manufacturer's website, and we'll jump straight into the meat of this review.
CPU
Intel® Socket 1155 for Intel® 2nd Generation Core™ i7 Processor/Core™ i5 Processor/Core™ i3 Processor/
Support Intel® 32nm CPU
Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
* The Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 support depends on the CPU types.
* Refer to www.asus.com for Intel CPU support list
Chipset
Intel® P67(B3) Express Chipset
Memory
4 x DIMM, Max. 32 GB, DDR3 2200(O.C.)*/2133(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600/1333/1066 Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory
Dual Channel memory architecture
Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
* According to Intel® SPEC, the Max. 32GB memory capacity can be supported with DIMMs of 8GB (or above). ASUS will update QVL once the DIMMs are available on the market.
* Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs. Some hyper DIMMs only support one DIMM per channel. Please refer to Memory QVL for details.
* Due to CPU behavior, DDR3 2200/2000/1800 MHz memory module will run at DDR3 2133/1866/1600 MHz frequency as default.
* Please refer to www.asus.com or user manual for Memory QVL.
Expansion Slots
2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (single at x16 or dual at x8/x8 mode)
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 * [Black] (max. at x4 mode, compatible with PCIe x1 and x4 devices)
2 x PCIe 2.0 x1
2 x PCI
*The PCIe x16_3 slot shares bandwidth with PCIe x1_1 slot, PCIe x1_2 slot, USB3_34 and ESATA12. The PCIe x16_3 runs at x1 mode by default for system resource optimization.(PCIe x1_2 will be disabled.)
Multi-GPU Support
Supports NVIDIA® Quad-GPU SLI™ Technology
Supports ATI® Quad-GPU CrossFireX™ Technology
Storage
Intel® P67(B3) Express Chipset
2 xSATA 6.0 Gb/s ports (gray)
4 xSATA 3.0 Gb/s ports (blue)
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Support RAID 0,1,5,10
Marvell® 9120 controller
2 xSATA 6.0 Gb/s ports (navy blue)*
JMicron® JMB362 SATA controller
2 xExternal SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports*
* These SATA ports are for data hard drives only. ATAPI devices are not supported.
LAN
Intel® 82579 Gigabit LAN Dual interconnect between the Integrated LAN controller and Physical Layer (PHY)
Bluetooth
Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR
ASUS BT GO! Utility
Audio
Realtek® ALC892 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
- Absolute Pitch 192khz/24bit True BD Lossless Sound
- BD Audio Layer Content Protection
- DTS Surround Sensation UltraPC
- Supports Jack-Detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-Retasking
- Coaxial / Optical S/PDIF out ports at back I/O
IEEE 1394
VIA® 6308P controller supports 2 x 1394a port(s) (one at mid-board; one at back panel)
USB
NEC USB 3.0 controllers
- 4 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports (2 ports at mid-board for front panel support, 2 ports at back panel (blue))
Intel® P67(B3) Express Chipset
- 12 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (6 ports at mid-board, 6 ports at back panel)
ASUS Unique Features
ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 2 with DIGI+ VRM:
ASUS EPU
- EPU, EPU switch
ASUS TPU
- Auto Tuning, TurboV, TPU switch
ASUS Digital Power Design
- Industry leading Digital 12+2 Phase Power Design
- ASUS DIGI+ VRM Utility
ASUS BT GO! (Bluetooth)
- Folder Sync, BT Transfer, Shot & Send, BT to Net, Music Player, Personal Manager, BT Turbo Remote
ASUS Exclusive Features
- MemOK!
- AI Suite II
- AI Charger
- Anti Surge
- ASUS EFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface
ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution
- ASUS Fanless Design: Stylish Heat-sink solution
- ASUS Fan Xpert
ASUS EZ DIY
- ASUS Q-Shield
- ASUS Q-Connector
- ASUS O.C. Tuner
- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
- ASUS EZ Flash 2
ASUS Q-Design
- ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED)
- ASUS Q-Slot
- ASUS Q-DIMM
Overclocking Features
Precision Tweaker 2
- vCore: Adjustable CPU voltage at 0.005V increment
- vCCIO: Adjustable I/O voltage at 0.00625V increment
- vCCSA: 144-step system agent voltage control
- vDRAM Bus: 160-step Memory voltage control
- vPCH: 90-step Chipset voltage control
- vCPU_PLL: 160-step CPU & PCH PLL voltage control
SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection)
- BCLK/PEG frequency tuning from 80MHz up to 300MHz at 0.1MHz increment
Overclocking Protection
- ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)
Back Panel I/O Ports 1 x Bluetooth module
1 x PS/2 Mouse (green)
1 x PS/2 Keyboard (purple)
2 x External SATA (1 x Power eSATA)
1 x IEEE 1394a
1 x LAN(RJ45) port(s) (Intel® LAN)
2 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports (blue)
6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
2 x S/PDIF Out (1 for Coaxial, 1 for Optical)
8 -Channel Audio I/O
Internal I/O Connectors 1 x USB 3.0/2.0 connector(s) supports additional 2 USB ports (19-pin)
3 x USB 2.0/1.1 connector(s) support additional 6 USB ports
1 x MemOK! Button
4 x SATA 6.0Gb/s connectors (2 x gray; 2 x navy blue)
4 x SATA 3.0Gb/s connectors (blue)
1 x IEEE 1394a connector
1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (4-pin)
2 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (1 x 4-pin; 1 x 3-pin)
1 x Power Fan connector(s) (3-pin)
1 x TPU switch
1 x EPU switch
1 x S/PDIF Out connector
24-pin EATX Power connector
8-pin EATX 12V Power connector
Front panel audio connector
System Panel (Q-Connector)
BIOS
32 Mb Flash ROM , EFI AMI BIOS, , EFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.5, ACPI 2.0a, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 2, ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
Manageability
WfM 2.0,DMI 2.0,WOL by PME,WOR by PME,PXE
Accessories
User's manual
2 x SATA 3.0Gb/s cables
2 x SATA 6.0Gb/s cables
1 x Q-Shield
2 in 1 Q-connector
1 x ASUS USB 3.0 Bracket
1 x ASUS SLI bridge connector
Support Disc
Drivers
Anti-virus software (OEM version)
ASUS Update
ASUS Utilities
Form Factor
ATX Form Factor
12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm )
CPU-Z screenshot of the motherboard tab running ASUS P8P67 PRO in Windows 7 Professional x64. At press time, we were using ASUS' 1502 BIOS revision. This is the latest BIOS revision at the time of writing this review.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Features, and Specifications
2. Bundle, Chipset, BIOS
3. A Closer Look, Board Layout, Test System
4. Benchmark: AIDA64 CPU
5. Benchmark: AIDA64 FPU
6. Benchmark: AIDA64 Memory
7. Benchmark: PCMark Vantage
8. Benchmark: 3DMark 11
9. Benchmark: PassMark PerformanceTest 7.0
10. Benchmark: SuperPI 1M, Cinebench R11.5
11. Onboard Sound (RMAA 6.2.3) Analyzation
12. Overclocking and Conclusion
