| ASUS P8P67 EVO Sandy Bridge Motherboard |  |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Motherboards | |
| Written by Olin Coles and David Ramsey | |
| Sunday, 02 January 2011 | |
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ASUS P8P67 EVO ConclusionIMPORTANT: Although the rating and final score mentioned in this conclusion are made to be as objective as possible, please be advised that every author perceives these factors differently at various points in time. While we each do our best to ensure that all aspects of the product are considered, there are often times unforeseen market conditions and manufacturer changes which occur after publication that could render our rating obsolete. Please do not base any purchase solely on our conclusion, as it represents our product rating specifically for the product tested which may differ from future versions. Benchmark Reviews begins our conclusion with a short summary for each of the areas that we rate. Sandy Bridge processors deliver impressive compute performance, and quite easily surpass previous Nehalem and Westmere architectures. So while the Intel Core i7-2600K processor is a significant step forward in terms of CPU performance and efficiency, in terms of motherboard performance we must examine how well the ASUS P8P67 EVO compares to the standard P8P67 and Intel Desktop Board DP67BG. More than anything else, it comes down to the manufacturer-specific features that are added to the motherboard which will make the difference. Intel doesn't try to impress with many bells and whistles on their DP67BG, and so it's easy for the ASUS P8P67 and P8P67 EVO to outperform without much effort. ASUS' TurboV Processing Unit offloads CPU duties, which allows the processor to concentrate on more demanding tasks. Even the ASUS AI Suite II offers a new level of control for users, and makes it very simple for even the novice hardware enthusiast to reach impressive overclock results. In the end, the proprietary add-on features will give one motherboard manufacturer the edge over another. Without them, these are all just P67-Express platforms with the same potential. Looks also help, because an ugly motherboard never turned heads. ASUS knows how to keep a professional appearance while throwing off a few eye-catching combinations of color and material. The heatsinks are suitable for thermal loads far beyond what this motherboard will produce, and to a larger extent they become fashion accessories. This is especially true for the tiny ICS 9DB403DGLF PCI-Express differential buffer that receives a faux-Northbridge heat-pipe cooler, despite barely creating a thermal load and measuring no larger than a USB port. It takes aggressive looks to sell to an aggressive enthusiast market, and aluminum is relatively inexpensive, so this trend isn't going to change anytime soon. Amongst all of the great features ASUS adds to their P8P67 series, there are a few fundamental flaws with the Intel P67-Express platform that hold them back. In my opinion, there should be more PCI-Express lanes available to graphics and support hardware. Intel's Sandy Bridge CPUs offer 16 lanes for PCI-E 2.0 graphics and for a single video card that's fine, but for multi-card SLI and CrossFireX configurations this will mean 8+8. The Intel P67-Express chip delivers another 8 PCI-E lanes, but they're already tapped for onboard components such as USB 3.0 and the Marvell SATA 6Gb/s storage controller. Even if motherboard manufacturers use add-on components to boost the number of available lanes, Sandy Bridge will still only offer sixteen PCI-E 2.0 lanes. This is more than enough for the mainstream users with one video card, but users who upgrade to powerful dual-card graphics will learn about PCI-E bottlenecks the hard way.
In terms of functionality, ASUS has practically overloaded its P8P67-series of motherboards with proprietary add-on technologies. Beginning with the UEFI BIOS, users new to the motherboard's internal settings will have a friendly way of making adjustments to tweak their hardware. While UEFI is a huge step forward, it's unfortunate that ASUS decided to restrict screen-capture functionality to only its premium Maximus IV Extreme series, especially since everyone could benefit from this feature. My UEFI (BIOS) wish list also includes integrated motherboard RAM so that the system could boot into the UEFI (BIOS) without any system memory installed. This would be perfect for troubleshooting bad memory, and especially helpful for flashing firmware updates and adjusting memory settings to overcome compatibility issues. Of course ASUS MemOK! already helps in that department, but if integrated memory were present they wouldn't need to develop extra technology. ASUS DIP2 (Dual Intelligent Processors) is a novel approach towards constructing a self-sufficient motherboard. The TPU (TurboV Processing Unit) can increase performance by automatically overclocking the system, while the EPU (Energy Processing Unit) dramatically reduces wasteful energy consumption. You won't find either of these specialized features on an Intel motherboard, and very few other manufacturers can offer similar functionality on their products. Taking proprietary functionality even one step further, ASUS adds a Bluetooth 2.1 receiver for remote accessibility for mobile apps such as ASUS BT Turbo. If mobile control of your motherboard is a bit more than you need, simply use the receiver to sync other Bluetooth devices. ASUS DIGI+ VRM converts the traditional analog power system to precision digital voltage management, and allows more stable overclocking with prolonged component life. The unique yet proprietary integrated hardware components make up the bulk of features that set the ASUS P8P67-series apart from the rest of the competition, but there's nearly as much going on in their streamlined AI Suite-II software package. What used to be several different applications is now rolled into one combined package, and AI Suite II becomes the master interface for DIGI+ VRM, EPU, TurboV EVO, BT GO!, FAN Xpert, and Probe II software. Additionally, ASUS HyperDuo software allows users with at least one SSD and hard drive to create a hybrid storage drive on their computer. NewEgg sells the ASUS P8P67 EVO motherboard for $199.99, which offers a decent mainstream price for a feature-loaded product. Alternatively, price shoppers can compare online merchants for the best value. In conclusion, ASUS P8P67 EVO motherboard delivers a myriad of integrated features onto Intel's P67-Express platform, and clearly elevates this platform to a level at which others will need to reach in order to compete. ASUS enjoys a build quality second to none, which translates to fewer RMA's and longer product lifetime. Digital voltage regulation modules, performance-boosting microprocessors, and integrated Bluetooth functionality are items that most other motherboard manufacturers discount as unnecessary - only to their own detriment. For anyone looking to achieve maximum overclock results and have a discrete graphics card for video games, ASUS' P8P67-series is an excellent way to go. While Intel's P67-Express platform doesn't introduce anything users didn't already have available to them with P55, ASUS has worked hard to pick up the slack and deliver a motherboard worthy of investing in the new platform. Although we are reminded that Sandy Bridge processors and the P67-Express platform are intended for mainstream users, at the same time these new products are part of the staple diet that enthusiast consumers everywhere will digest. The ASUS P8P67 is a great Sandy Bridge motherboard with plenty of extras, but if you're building a casual-use computer or HTPC perhaps the Intel H67-Express platform with graphics capability is more your speed. Pros:
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Comments
But does it matter? With all the clock management feature implemented by Intel, The CPU will almost always be downclocked, or, if under load, be in one state of Turbo or another.
It's hard to imagine a situation where all 4 cores would be running at their nominal base clock.
From previous info about SB, I was thinking that k-Series CPU would allow control over both the base clock and Turbo clocks.
I'm looking forward to see what AMD will do with base and turbo overclocking on Bulldozer.
One small typo on page 8, in the X58 Test Platform info, the CPU is listed as: "Processor: 2.80GHz Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield/Nehalem BX80601950". The i7-950 is spec'd by Intel as 3.0GHz, while the i7-930 is 2.80GHz.
P8P67 EVO : Marvell® 9120 controller
P8P67 DELUXE : Marvell® PCIe 9128 SATA 6Gb/s controller with HyperDuo function.
Is there an error on HyperDuo Evo's feature ?
technology"
P8P67 DELUXE Marvell 9128 ...
I just wish to drop in a 3770K into the socket. more to the point.
I cannot find the update on the Asus website.. I have looked twice, plenty of old updates, with no new updates.! the only way is to buy a cheap Z77 Motherboard something like the ASUS Z77 LX-2 which is under £100 quid on Amazon UK. Be better off with a Z77 Board anyways. future proofing, for more i5 CPU's and i7 CPU's.
Go here: ##asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8P67_EVO/#download
...click the "Download" tab, and then the "BIOS" link.
Not many other manufactures provide the PC front Panel case header Plugs inside the box that makes wiring up the Power, HD, LED, and USB very simple just saves about 20 mins of time messing around.
Thanks to all who contribute, many thanks in Advance... Dave.
Apropos of nothing, some of the newer MSI board also include front panel header blocks.
Yeah, the newer motherboards have PCI-E 3.0, but since no graphics card comes close to saturating an x16 PCI-E 2.0 slot, the extra bandwidth doesn't buy you any better GPU performance.
Z77 gets you stuff like Intel Smart Response technology (SSD caching) and other things. Check out some of our Z77 reviews for the details. Again, though, if you're looking for better CPU and GPU performance, the only way to get that is to buy faster CPUs and GPUs.