ASUS P5E3 Premium: One to Rule them All…
by Kris Boughton on February 20, 2008 12:15 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
ASUS P5E3 Premium Specifications
| ASUS P5E3 Premium / WiFi-AP@n | |
| Market Segment | Premium / High-Performance - $279~$299 (estimated) |
| CPU Interface | Socket T (LGA775) |
| CPU Support | Any LGA775-based CPU, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Extreme, or Core 2 Quad recommended, including next-generation 45nm CPU support |
| Chipset | Intel X48 Northbridge (MCH) with Fast Memory Access Technology and Intel ICH9R Southbridge |
| CPU Clock Multiplier | 6x ~ 11x, downward adjustable for Core 2, upward to 31x for Core 2 Extreme, including half-multiplier support for 45nm processors |
| Front Side Bus Speeds | Auto, 200 ~ 800 in 1MHz increments |
| System Bus Speeds | 1600 / 1333 / 1066 / 800 MHz and 2000 / 1800 MHz (OC) |
| DDR3 Memory Dividers | 1:1, 6:5, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2, 8:5, 5:3, and 2:1 (dependent upon strap selection) |
| FSB Strap | Auto, 200, 266, 333 and 400 |
| PCIe Speeds | Auto, 100MHz ~ 180MHz |
| PCI Speeds | Locked at 33.33MHz |
| DRAM Voltage | Auto, 1.50V ~ 2.78V in 0.02V increments, 1.50V (DDR3) standard |
| DRAM CLK/CMD Skew CA/CB | Auto, Manual (Advance/Delay 50ps ~ 350ps in 50ps increments) |
| DRAM Timing Control | Auto, Manual - 20 DRAM Timing Options (tCL, tRCD, tRP, tRAS, tRFC and 15 other sub-timings) |
| DRAM Command Rate | Auto, 1N, 2N |
| DRAM Static Read Control | Auto, Enabled, Disabled |
| DRAM Dynamic Write Control | Auto, Enabled, Disabled |
| Ai Clock Twister | Auto, Ligher, Light, Moderate, Strong, Stronger |
| Ai Transaction Booster | Auto, Manual |
| Common Performance Level | 1 ~ 31 (settings above 14 prevent POST) |
| CH A/B Phase Pull-In | Based on Memory Divider, All Phases Adjustable (Enabled/Disabled) |
| CPU Voltage | Auto, 1.10000 to 1.70000 in 0.00625V increments then to 2.1V w/OV jumper |
| CPU PLL Voltage | Auto, 1.50 ~ 2.78v in 0.02V increments, 1.50V standard |
| FSB Termination Voltage (VTT) | Auto, 1.20V to 1.50V in 0.02V increments, 1.20V (65nm CPU) or 1.10v (45nm CPU) standard |
| NorthBridge (NB) Voltage | Auto, 1.25V ~ 1.91V in 0.02V increments then to 2.21V w/OV jumper, 1.25v standard |
| SouthBridge (SB) Voltage | Auto, 1.05V ~ 1.20V in 0.15V increments, 1.05V standard |
| Clock Over-Charging Voltage | Auto, 0.70V ~ 1.00V in 0.10V increments, 0.80V standard |
| Load-Line Calibration | Auto, Normal, Performance |
| CPU GTL Voltage Reference | Auto, 0.370x ~ 0.760x in 0.005x increments, 0.630x standard (both dies) |
| NB GTL Voltage Reference | Auto, 0.61x ~ 0.67x in 0.06x increments, standard 0.67x |
| Memory Slots | Four 240-pin DDR3 DIMM Slots Dual-Channel Memory Architecture Regular Unbuffered, non-ECC DDR3 Memory to 8GB Total Supports Intel Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.) @ DDR3-1600, DDR3-1800 and DDR3-2000 |
| Expansion Slots | 2 - PCIe 2.0 x16 (blue), Supports AMD/ATI CrossFire Technology 1 - PCIe (1.x) x16 (black) @ x4 or x1 mode only 1 - PCIe (1.x) x1 2 - PCI Slot 2.2 |
| Onboard SATA RAID | 6x SATA 3.0Gbps Ports - ICH9R (Intel Matrix RAID 0,1, 5, and 10) |
| Onboard IDE/Additional SATA | Jmicron JMB363 PATA Controller (up to 2 UDMA 133/100/66 devices) 2x External eSATA ports - RAID 0, 1 and JBOD (SATA-On-the-Go) |
| Onboard USB 2.0/IEEE-1394 | 10 USB 2.0 Ports - (6) I/O Panel - (4) via Headers 2x Agere L-FW3227 IEEE-1394(a) Ports - (1) I/O Panel, (1) via header |
| Onboard LAN (with Teaming) | 1x Marvell 88E8056 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet controller 1x Realtek RTL8110SC PCI Gigabit Ethernal controller |
| Wireless LAN (optional) | ASUS WiFi-AP@n (USB-based), 300Mbps Draft Wireless-N (Wireless-G/Wireless-B compatable), Software Access Point mode |
| Onboard Audio | ADI ADI1988B 8-channel HD Audio CODEC |
| Power Connectors | ATX 24-pin, 8-pin EATX 12V |
| I/O Panel | 1 x PS/2 Keyboard 2 x SPDIF - (1) Optical Out, (1) Coaxial Out 2 x External eSATA 1 x IEEE-1394a 2 x RJ-45 (LAN) 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 8-channel Audio IO 2 x WiFi-AP@n antenna jacks (optional) |
| Fan Headers | 6 - (1) CPU, (1) Power, (4) Chassis |
| BIOS Revision | 0145 (retail release) |
| Board Revision | 2.00G |
ASUS tells us they plan to introduce the board at a price point higher than the X38 motherboards available now, but lower than their R.O.G. series targeted at the serious gamer crowd. Aside from a couple of voltage and temperature monitoring features and the absence of some of the more "extreme" voltage options, the P5E3 Premium is very comparable to the Rampage Formula, which we reviewed in late January. For example, the MCH Read Delay (tRD) adjustments, first seen in the Rampage Formula BIOS, are also available with the P5E3 Premium.
At present, the only characteristic that we feel truly differentiates these two boards is the use of DDR3 with the P5E3 Premium, in place of DDR2 for the Rampage Formula. That being said, we think the P5E3 Premium - despite the need for more expensive memory - displays superior engineering; the 3-phase memory and 2-phase Northbridge power, along with Express Gate, draft-N wireless capabilities, and an attractive (and effective) cooling solution make it the motherboard to have… provided you can stomach the cost of DDR3. All that is left to be seen at this point is where exactly the Rampage Extreme, the DDR3 version of the Rampage Formula, will be priced with respect to other offerings if it is brought to market. If the P5E3 Premium is any indication, we expect more great things to come from ASUS.
With all the features packed into such a small package, the P5E3 Premium is positioned well to simultaneously capture the interests of the overclocking crowd as well as those looking for an all-in-one multimedia solution. The onboard ADI1988B 8-channel High Definition Audio CODEC (previously codenamed Azalia) produces excellent 24-bit/192kHz full surround sound that should please even the most discerning audiophile. The optical out or digital coaxial connections make interfacing with a DTS Connect (DTS Interactive and DTS NEO:PC) enabled system easy as well.
In addition, we found the external eSATA RAID capabilities very interesting. Although RAID 0 may not be the best choice when dealing with external SATA drives, the option of running either RAID 1 for data protection or JBOD - which gives to user the ability to combine two less expensive drives into a single, large logical drive - is an extra some will appreciate. Network Access Storage (NAS) drives are a wonderful way of storing information so that it can be access from anywhere on the network, but for those running a single system the ability to retain all your important files in one safeguarded location is a plus.
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32 Comments
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ArthurCanada - Thursday, October 2, 2008 - link
Indeed folks. This is the most advanced and powerful board I have ever installed in a computer. I am running Vista Ultimate 64 bit and pushing my E8500 to 4 Ghz per core, much like in the testing. I can't begin to tell you how fast this motherboard with the E8500 is.For overclockers ... this is the board they have been waiting for. Period!
Arthur
Canada
drnick79 - Tuesday, April 1, 2008 - link
HelloI purchased this board with 2x1GB sticks of OCZ DDR3 1800 memory to use with my e8400 CPU (which I can get stable to at least 4050mhz on other mobos). What RAM did you use for this testing? I can't even come close to running stable at the settings you have listed, nor can I score any higher than about 11,500MB/sec read and 46ns with everest benchmark, and the settings I used to achieve those values are very unstable. And 1N memory settings??? This board won't even post if I set the memory to 1N running the memory over 1333mhz.
Just wondering if you could share the RAM brand you used along with your motherboard and RAM voltage settings to achieve such a feat.
Thanks,
Nick
HotBBQ - Monday, February 25, 2008 - link
"With an estimated retail price of around $299, there is a lot of value in the purchase of the P5E3 Premium for those looking at a high-end motherboard to use in the coming years."Where did the $299 come from? The X38 version of this board comes it at $340.
fabz - Saturday, February 23, 2008 - link
HiGreat review! I have been reading alot here att anandtech and generally all over the web preparing my first ever pc-build. Intel seem to be the way to go.
But,
have a look at the link posted below:
http://www.hardware.info/nl-NL/productdb/bGRkapiTm...">http://www.hardware.info/nl-NL/productdb/bGRkapiTm...
The DDR3 power circuit is different to the one here att anandtech. Still it claims to be the same board. At least so it seems to me. A couple of other sites have the same pics with different power circuits.
Are there different versions of the P5E3 PREMIUM/WIFI-AP@N in circulation? If so, how do i tell them apart before buying?
/Fabricio@cold, dark winter-sweden.
Aivas47a - Friday, February 22, 2008 - link
The one request I've had for Asus lately is to provide greater flexibility for fine-tuning of GTL reference voltages, as this is key especially for quad core overclocking. I'm delighted that Asus has apparently listened and responded.KainAT - Thursday, February 21, 2008 - link
Hi Kris. Very nice view for the mobo.As you have been practicing and analizing a lot on how doe sthe GTL reference voltage works, which settings for CPU and NB on GTL did you used for 550 FSB?
Also, which voltage should you consider to be the max for 24/7 situations? Around 1.4v?
If we had to do an analogy, between conroe and Wolfdale, when Conroe max voltage for 24/7 was around 1.5-1.6volts, on that time, being 1.3v the stock aprox. Now, with Wolfdale, 1.125v is about the common VID, so, which would be the voltage limit for 24/7?
Thanks on advise.
Kain
PolymerTim - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
Maybe I missed the system specs. I can see the proc in the CPU-z shots, but I'm really curious what RAM you used for this test. Even though I know the MB is critical for getting this kind of performance out of the RAM, not mentioning which one you use seems to imply that you can get these results with any decent DDR3 RAM. Is that so?Thanks very much for the article. I very much appreciate reading a well crafted piece like this with lots of insight.
Xvys - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
While this looks like a nice m/b, I am not as astounded by the memory performance as the writer of the article. On my Asus P5K-D, I acheived 44.5ns latency and memory read of 11,250...with only 2/3rds of the memory bus of the tested board. I am sure I could improve on that figure a fair bit if I was optimized the speed and timings for that purpose.AllanLim - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
Yes, the X48 looks impressive as it should, but let's not forget this is NOT a retail sample. I just think it's misleading and premature to claim "To rule them all" when we haven't even looked at other X48 mobos.kjboughton - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
Hi, to date we have reviewed the following Intel X48 boards: Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6, ASUS R.O.G. Rampage Formula, MSI X48 Platinum and ASUS P5E3 Premium (with the possibility of more to come). Thank you.