Disk for asus p5b deluxe motherboard. Review of the ASUS P5B motherboard. Brief installation instructions
After the appearance of a new line of ASUS P5K motherboards based on the new Intel P35 Express chipset, it may be somewhat irrelevant to describe the motherboard based on the "outdated" Intel P965 Express chipset. But in fact, the ASUS P5B series of motherboards is still a very interesting and popular product. The new chipset did not make a tangible leap in performance, yes, it supports Intel processors with a 1333 MHz bus, but these processors are not on the market yet. The line of ASUS P5B motherboards will be in demand for at least half a year, because the price of the recently released series of motherboards is currently a little too high. In this review, we will look at the younger model of the line of motherboards based on the Intel P965 ASUS P5B chipset.
ASUS P5B motherboard specification:
|
Manufacturer |
|
|
North bridge |
|
|
South bridge |
|
|
CPU socket |
|
|
Supported processors |
Intel Core 2 Quad / Intel Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Duo / Pentium Extreme / Pentium D / Pentium 4 / Celeron D |
|
System bus, MHz |
1066/800/533 MHz |
|
Memory used |
DDR2 800/667/533 MHz |
|
Memory support |
4 x 240-pin DIMM dual-channel architecture up to 8GB |
|
Expansion slots |
1 x PCI-E x16 |
|
Disk subsystem |
ICH8 Southbridge supports: The optional JMicron JMB363 controller supports: |
|
Sound subsystem |
SoundMAX ADI AD1988A 8-channel |
|
LAN support |
Realtek PCI-E Gigabit Network Controller (RTL8111B) |
|
24-pin ATX power connector 4-pin ATX12V power connector |
|
|
Cooling |
Radiator on the north and south bridge |
|
Fan connectors |
1 x CPU |
|
External I / O ports |
1 x Parallel Printer Port |
|
Internal I / O ports |
3 x USB support 6 USB ports |
|
8 Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.3, ACPI 2.0a, ASUS EZ Flash 2, ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 |
|
|
Overclocking capabilities |
Changing the FSB frequency, PCI-Express frequency, memory frequency, processor voltage and memory. |
|
Proprietary technologies |
ASUS C.P.R. |
|
Package Contents (Important) |
4 x SATA cable |
|
Form factor Dimensions, mm |
ATX 12 "x 9.6" |
|
Products webpage |
The latest BIOS version can be downloaded from the official page. |
The motherboard is packaged in a cardboard box that indicates support for the Windows Vista operating system and Intel Quad Core processors.
The back of the package shows a photo of the board with footnotes of its best qualities and lists the proprietary technologies supported by the product. In a little more detail, let's dwell on the technologies that the manufacturer highlighted:
AI NOS(Non-delay Overclocking System) – an instant overclocking system that intelligently detects the system load and automatically increases its performance.
AI Gear- This technology allows you to select a profile by which the frequency of the processor, system bus and vCore voltage will be regulated, thereby reducing noise and power consumption.
AI Nap - technology that minimizes noise and energy consumption. It puts the computer into power saving mode without shutting down applications, and wakes up the system by simply pressing a button on the keyboard or mouse.
If you have a desire to familiarize yourself in more detail with the entire list and description of ASUS proprietary technologies supported by this motherboard, then this can be done on the manufacturer's website.
The ASUS P5B motherboard is very well equipped. The kit includes:
- motherboard;
- CD-ROM with software and drivers for Windows Vista;
- english user manual, quick installation instructions,
- fDD loop,
- loop UltraDMA 133/100/66;
- 4 Serial ATA cables;
- two power adapters to SATA devices, with two connectors;
- branded sticker;
- ASUS Q-Connector;
- cover for the back panel of the case;
- bracket with two USB connectors.
Note the absence of a bracket for a COM port.
The ASUS P5B motherboard is pretty well-built, but of course, there are some small remarks that we will definitely make here. Firstly, only a small board can be installed in the topmost PCIE x1 slot, because the north bridge heatsink is located very close. Aluminum radiators are installed on the north and south bridges - I must say that during long testing and overclocking they did not do their job very well.
The Floppy connector is deployed, and it will not always be convenient to connect to it in small cases, so we recommend connecting the ribbon cable before installing the board in the case. The Intel ICH8 South Bridge supports four SATA II ports, without the ability to form RAID arrays. These four SATA connectors are located on the right corner of the board. Besides them, there are two more - one is located near the PCI slots, and the other External SATA port is brought out to the rear panel. The operation and organization of two hard disks into RAID 0,1 and JBOD can only be provided by the JMicron JMB363 controller. Note that it is completely inconvenient to use the external External SATA port for arrays. In addition, the controller provides the only IDE connector on the board, with the ability to connect two devices.
The motherboard has three PCI slots, three PCIE x1, and one for a PCIE x16 video card.
Other notable features of interfaces and controllers include:
- support for ten USB ports, of which four are brought to the rear panel;
- one COM port;
- PCI-E Gigabit LAN controller (RTL8111B) with a transfer rate up to 1 Gb / s;
- HDA codec of eight-channel sound SoundMAX ADI AD1988A with S / PDIF output and Noise Filter technology.
Three-channel power stabilizer, assembled on reliable polymer capacitors 680 uF x 4V and on N-channel field-effect transistors NIKO-SEM P0903BDG (25V, 9.5mΩ, 50A). Unfortunately, there are no additional transistor cooling elements.
The rear panel includes the following ports: two PS / 2 for mouse and keyboard, parallel (LPT), six switchable audio ports, 4 USB connectors, RJ45 for network connections, SATA On-the-Go, coaxial and optical S / PDIF. Note the lack of a COM port, which can sometimes be useful.
You can connect four fans to the board, one of which is a 4-pin processor fan, and the other three are three-pin. The CPU cooler connector is slightly distant from the LGA775 and is located in the upper part, near the memory slots. The other three connectors are conveniently spaced across the board, which provides a good choice of where to connect the case fans. Q-Fan Control technology automatically adjusts the rotation speed of a processor cooler powered by the CPU Fan connector and two more case fans connected to the CHA-FAN 1-2 connectors.
The ASUS P5B motherboard uses AMI BIOS, with a large selection of settings required for successful system overclocking.
Overclocking capabilities:
- Changing the FSB clock frequency from 100 to 400 MHz in 1 MHz steps (manual entry);
- Selecting the operating memory frequency (DDR2-533 / 667/800/889/1067) and changing the memory timings (CL, RCD, RP, RAS, 1T / 2T);
- Changing the PCI Express bus frequency from 90 to 150 MHz in 1 MHz steps;
Setting the DDR2 memory supply voltage from 1.8 V to 2.45 V, in 0.05 V steps or turning on the Auto adjustment mode;
- Changing the voltage of the processor core from 1.225 V to 1.7 V in 0.0125 V steps;
FSB Termination voltage change 1.2 / 1.3 / 1.4 / 1.45 V;
Northbridge supply voltage change 1.25 / 1.4 / 1.55 / 1.7 V;
- Changing the voltage supply of the core of the south bridge (SATA, PCIE) 1.5 / 1.6 / 1.7 / 1.8 V;
- Change of supply voltage ICH Chipset 1.057 / 1.215 V;
- Change the processor multiplier from 6x to max.
In the Hardware Monitor window, you can monitor:
- temperature of the motherboard and processor;
- rotational speed of the processor cooler and two other fans in the case;
- processor core voltage;
- the voltage value of the main power lines 3.3V, 5V, 12V.
In addition, it is possible to enable the CPU Q-Fan and Chasis Q-Fan functions, which are responsible for controlling the rotation speed of the processor cooler and case fans, respectively.
Carrying out the standard procedure for testing the capabilities of the system bus, we were able to raise its frequency to 470 MHz, but we are sure that this is far from the limit. Unfortunately, we only had DDR2-800 memory at our disposal, if we had something quicker, then the result, for sure, would have been better.
Testing
The following hardware was used to test the capabilities of the motherboards.
|
CPU There is no noticeable performance difference between motherboards based on the new Intel P35 Express chip compared to motherboards based on the Intel P965 Express chip, all indicators are actually the same. conclusions ASUS P5B motherboard is a good basis for computer systems based on modern Intel processors, the board shows excellent performance and has good overclocking capabilities. Unfortunately, ASUS P5B has several drawbacks. The Intel ICH8 South Bridge does not know how to organize RAID arrays, therefore, if necessary, you will have to use the capabilities of the additional JMicron JMB363 controller, which supports only two connectors, one of which is on the rear panel. Also a serious drawback, as it seemed to us, is the very hot bridges and the absence of a cooling system on the power stabilization unit. If the southbridge radiator was hot during testing, then the northbridge radiator was just hot. Although the computer worked stably at the same time, there is still some concern about the safety of the chipset under prolonged loads on the system. Therefore, if you decide to go in for overlocking, then keep this in mind, perhaps it makes sense for you to choose a more expensive motherboard with a better cooling system, or to take care of improving cooling yourself. The advantages include:
The disadvantages are:
We express our gratitude to the company PF Service LLC (Dnepropetrovsk) for the motherboards provided for testing. Article read 112548 times
| |||||||||
Today's hero of the review has long disappeared from store shelves, and on the Internet he can no longer be found. If you try, you can of course get this motherboard, the Asus P5B Deluxe, from other users. Although there is not much point in that. Now this model is just an example of how the production of the company's motherboards developed. New products have long changed their format, acquired powerful chipsets and got rid of unnecessary connectors on the interface panel.
Pay
The Asus P5B Deluxe has powerful features. In 2006 it was practically the strongest motherboard on the market. Even when the P5K series on the updated chipset appeared on the market, this "motherboard" was in demand and interesting for buyers. At the time of the release of the novelty, the P5B model was a reliable warrant, since it had served faithfully for six months already.
Also, like any new product, the series was overpriced. Therefore, users were happy to support production and the allegedly "outdated" motherboard.
Supply
The new Asus P5B Deluxe came in a standard package. There was nothing special about her. The whole series was produced in such a box. It was painted blue. There was a lot of information ahead. The board model and support for the main chipsets were indicated. Also, the slogan was indicated in several languages: "Adjust the speed as you want!", Which immediately hinted to buyers about the overclocking potential of the model.
There was even more information on the back of the box. It indicated the format of the chipset, proprietary technologies, new options, etc. There was also a diagram showing the main elements on the product, where the cooling system, processor, audio system, and power supply were located.
Technology
Continuing to look at the box, one could find the basic technologies. Let's dwell on them in more detail. The manufacturer mentioned about AI NOS, which now will not surprise anyone. Then it was quite an interesting and very necessary solution for many buyers. The technology made it possible to automatically overclock the board, taking into account the load on the system.
The next AI Gear option introduced several profiles to tune the entire system so that the chip, system bus and voltage adjustments were balanced. Thus, the "motherboard" did not create a lot of noise and reduced power consumption.
AI Nap also worked on board noise. The technology allowed to reduce noise and power consumption. Now this feature is not surprising to users. And then everyone could "lull" his PC without losing data and work processes.
Set
There was a manual in the box for the Asus P5B Deluxe. It was not rich in descriptions and details, but in principle it made it possible to successfully install the "motherboard" into the case. Those who did not have enough of this information could find additional help on the Internet. Also in the box was a disc with drivers and software compatible with Windows Vista.
Among other things, one could find cables for FDD, which is not used anywhere now, UltraDMA, 4 pieces of Serial ATA. Equipped the package with two SATA power adapters, a panel cover, a bracket with two USB connectors. As a bonus, a branded sticker was put in the box.
Layout
The appearance of Asus P5B Deluxe is also interesting. The design review is interesting, first of all, by the layout of the element base. It is done well, although over time there were practical complaints. The first thing that catches your eye is the poor placement of PCIE x1. Only a small board can be placed in this slot, since there is a radiator for the north bridge nearby.
By the way, both "bridges" received aluminum protection, but during overclocking and other powerful loads the radiators did not cope fully. If the PC case is small, then getting to the Floppy port is very inconvenient. Therefore, it was often necessary to use a ribbon cable to install the board.
The JMicron JMB363 controller is responsible for the operation of two hard drives in the array. You can also use External SATA to form a bunch of them, but this, as practice has shown, is very inconvenient. The above controller not only correctly organizes the operation of the hard disk drives, but also provides an IDE port, which you will no longer find on the board.
Ports
More than 10 years ago, motherboards had a huge number of slots and connectors that you can't find now. Some of them were already redundant then. Some were missing, some were not. One way or another, the board was loaded enough.
This model has three ports for PCI, the same number for PCIE x1, there is also a PCIE x16 slot. The latter uses a graphics card for the Asus P5B Deluxe. Depending on the modification, this board can have 8 or 10 USB connectors. Most often, four of them are displayed on the interface panel.
The COM port was also left in stock. There is a controller for the Internet that operates at speeds up to 1 Gbps. An eight-channel code is responsible for the sound. The power regulator has three channels and is formed on rather reliable polymer capacitors. There are no additional cooling elements besides field effect transistors.
The interface panel has got two connectors - for a keyboard and a PS / 2 mouse. There is a parallel LPT here. Audio ports have six slots, four USB connectors and a slot for a network cable. In addition, there are SATA On-the-Go, S / PDIF coaxial and optical.
Four fans are installed on the board. For the processor, it is four-pin. The other three have three contacts. The connector for the cooler was located a little further from the chip, not far from the memory slots. The rest of the fan connections are conveniently placed to distribute cooling evenly.
By the way, the cooler was also endowed with a special technology that automatically adjusts the speed of the fan related to the processor and other mechanisms nearby.
Support
The new motherboard model supported a large number of processors. So it was possible to connect Intel Pentium 4, Pentium D / EE, Celeron-D and Core 2 Duo. The socket had an LGA775 socket, which also enabled HyperThreading technology to function. Thus, the processor core could execute more data streams.
The north bridge worked with 82P965, and the south bridge worked with 82801HR. For memory, there were four ports that supported the DDR2 format. Its maximum volume reached 8 GB, which was quite a lot at that time. Memory frequencies could reach 1066 MHz. Access to RAM is two-channel, and the board had an additional power indicator.
Control
Asus P5B Deluxe BIOS update was successful. The AMI version has a wide variety of settings and adjustments. In principle, the menu is intuitive, you can easily figure out how to overclock the system.
Overclocking results in the chip's clock frequency being increased to 400 MHz. The working memory frequency is accelerated from 533 to 1067 MHz, which was a very good indicator for 2006. The PCI Express bus is also easily accelerated up to 150 MHz.
To make the system work in a balanced way, you can change the memory supply voltage. Thus, raise it from 1.8 V to 2.45 V. If the user understands little about this, then there is also an automatic mode, which independently selects the voltage depending on the load on the system.
The same thing happens with the supply voltage of the chip core. It increases to 1.7 V. It is also possible to raise the voltage for the North and South bridges, FSB and ICH Chipset.
In the BIOS menu you can see the system characteristics for the Asus P5B Deluxe in progress. For example, changing the temperature of the motherboard and processor, the speed of the fans, the supply voltage and its value. The main functions that work with the cooler are immediately turned on and off.
For high-quality overclocking, it is best to update the BIOS version. For this there is a special utility from the manufacturer Update.
Modifications
It should be noted that the Asus P5B Deluxe model is not the only one in the series. There is also the usual option, which differs only in the support of some technologies. There is also an improved model. In general, all series of the line were popular among buyers. They liked the fact that there is a choice in different price segments. Someone needed a regular motherboard, someone, on the contrary, wanted a more functional and powerful one.
This is how the Asus P5B Deluxe-WiFi was born. The first most obvious difference from the rest of the modifications is the package bundle. So, for this model, not only a CD with drivers and software was put into the box, but also another CD with additional software. There is an ATA-133 wire. For Serial ATA - six cables at once.
Inside there is a bracket for Firewire and two additional USB 2.0 connectors. As the name suggests, there should be an antenna for the wireless network inside, here it is. For her, even a separate instruction manual was placed.
The box contains an additional fan, several connectors, a plug, a sticker and a microphone.
Several additional ports have appeared on the board. One of the main advantages is the presence of two PCI Express x16, which expands the capabilities of this board and allows you to connect two video cards at once. But it is also interesting that if theoretically this is possible, then it practically cannot be realized, since the chip itself does not have SLI or Crossfire technologies.
Overclocking
Before you know how much faster the memory for the Asus P5B Deluxe-WiFi has been, consider the power options. It is created here according to the scheme for 8 phases. It has only 15 capacitors: some of them received a capacity of 1000 μF, and some 821 μF.
It is always better to use an additional fan for overclocking. It is very pleasant that it is in stock. It allows you to actively cool the north bridge, and also makes the overclocking process stable and correct.
Since the modifications are slightly different from each other, the BIOS has been updated to version 0509 or 0701. The system bus frequency is increased to 650 MHz, PCI Express can be overclocked to 150 MHz, and the processor to 476 MHz. The memory, depending on the options, increases the frequency to 1 GHz.
conclusions
The Asus P5B Deluxe motherboard was a great option in its day. Now it can be found on very ancient PCs, it does not have the necessary connectors for connecting the latest peripheral devices, and is also designed for moderate power consumption. But it would be rather strange if the user wanted to "squeeze" unprecedented performance out of this model after 10 years.
At the same time, the "motherboard" was considered an advanced model, which had a good bundle and was the leader among those who received the P965 chipset. Depending on the modification, the version had a passive cooling system with 4 or 7 slots for fans.
The "motherboard" supported a lot of newfangled technologies that allowed to automatically configure the system, overclocking. Also allowed to adjust the speed of the fans. There was support for proprietary software.
The overclocking potential was also good. The chipset was the only element that limited some of the frequencies. Although even in this situation, the processor could be accelerated to 476 MHz, which is an excellent result.
The Asus P5B Deluxe-WiFi version has become the most popular. It was stronger in many respects thanks to a good cooling system, in contrast to the simplest modification of the P5B. She was also good at organizing the formation of arrays and had Firewire, a technology that was lacking for the younger brother.
Everything is improved in Asus P5B Deluxe-WiFi. What was missing was added, some elements, on the contrary, were removed. By the time the older version was released, the BIOS was also updated, on which the overclocking potential largely depended. The power supply system has been improved, temperature monitoring has become more accurate.
It had excellent technical characteristics, supported all advanced processor solutions and made it possible to create the most productive computing systems. She also had a corresponding cost ($ 200), and she belonged to the premium class of computer components. It is about her that will be discussed in this material.
Equipment
Since this motherboard belonged to premium-level solutions, it had a corresponding package. In it, the prudent manufacturer has included everything that is possible:
- Deluxe motherboard.
- The instruction is in English.
- 2 disks with drivers, specialized software and electronic documentation.
- Metal bracket for the rear cover of the PC case.
- 1 each for connecting an older format hard drive and an FDD for interconnecting with an internal 3.5 ”floppy disk drive.
- 6 with the help of which new modifications of drives are connected to the system board.
- Sticker with the logo of the manufacturing company.
CPU Socket and Chipset
It is at the heart of the Asus P5B Deluxe. The characteristics of the chipset indicated that this motherboard was based on the 965 chipset and was developed by Intel. The model of the first of them is 82P965. Its main component is a RAM controller. In turn, designated 80281HR, its task is to provide interaction with external controllers that were installed in expansion slots.
Additional built-in controllers
The Asus P5B Deluxe boasted an impressive set of additional controllers. The following third-party components were included in this list:
- 2 network controllers 88Е8001 from Marvell. Due to this, this motherboard could well perform the functions of a bridge and connect two separate sections of the local computer network.
- Enhanced audio quality was provided by the AD1988B controller from ADI. Its specifications met the CH7.1 requirements.
- The JMB361 controller from JMicron provided dynamic speed control of the cooling fans of both the motherboard itself and the processor device.
Processors
The Asus P5B Deluxe boasted an impressive list of supported CPUs. The following processor models could be installed on such a motherboard:
- In this case, the niche of the least productive solutions was occupied by Celeron and Celeron-D. The first of them included only one core and had a low level of performance, which made it possible to solve the most simple tasks. In the second case, there were already two cores on one silicon chip, and this circumstance allowed such chips to be used in entry-level gaming systems.
- CPUs of the Pentium 4 and Pentium-D series were one step higher in the hierarchy. As in the previous case, the first processor solution consisted of one computational module, while the second consisted of two. A higher level of performance was provided by a large cache size and increased clock rates.
- The premium CPUs in this case were Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad. The first family was equipped with 2 high-performance cores, and the second with four.
Random access memory
As noted earlier, the RAM controller has been incorporated into the core chip northbridge. It could address up to 8 GB of DDR2 RAM. The recommended values \u200b\u200bof the frequency of the modules are 533, 667 and 800 MHz. It was possible to set higher-speed bars with frequencies of the order of 1066 MHz, but this did not give a special increase in performance, for the reason that they still worked at the maximum possible 800 MHz.
The random access memory controller was dual-channel. As a result, in conjunction with it, 2 modules of 1 GB each looked more preferable than one for 2 GB. Such an organization of the RAM subsystem made it possible to obtain an additional 10-15 percent of the speed.
Expansion slot list and communication capabilities
Three types of expansion slots were located on the Asus P5B Deluxe. This list included the following:
- 2 slots for discrete graphics PCI-E version 16.0.
- 1 slot for PCI-E 1.0 controller
- 3 PCI slots for legacy controller modifications.
The list of communication connectors and ports included:
- 2 PS / 2 sockets.
- 4 universal USB ports.
- One parallel LPT port.
- 2 RJ-45 network jacks.
Overclocking capabilities
The Asus P5B Deluxe has an impressive performance boost. Processors could be overclocked in the following ways:
- By increasing the system bus frequency to 650 MHz. The minimum increment step was 1 MHz.
- Increasing the CPU frequency multiplier.
In addition to this, the ability to regulate the voltage on the processor in real time was provided. All this made it possible to increase the speed of the computing system as quickly as possible.
Brief installation instructions
The system board of this model must be installed as follows:
- We install the board into the case and fix it with bolts. A bolt must be installed in each mounting hole.
- We install the rest of the computer components inside the system unit.
- We connect the front panel to the connectors in the lower right corner of the board.
- We carry out the switching of the power supply to all components of the computing system.
- We connect the motherboard, drives and other PC components together.
Outcome
The deluxe motherboard is the perfect premium solution. Its capabilities made it possible to create a personal computer of any level. But it is preferable to use it as part of high-performance computing systems.
The number of motherboards supporting Intel Core 2 Duo processors is growing steadily. Recently, ASUS motherboards on the P965 chipset appeared in stores, among which the most powerful and interesting is the ASUS P5B Deluxe-WiFi model. The main features of this product are the presence of two PCI Express x16 slots, support for wireless Wi-Fi (however, due to the installation of the corresponding module, the number of USB ports has been reduced from 10 to 8) and the presence of an effective passive cooling system for the chipset and a power supply module (8-phase !). In addition, one interesting component appeared in the package bundle, but let's not get ahead of ourselves ...
ASUS P5B Deluxe-WiFi Specification
| CPU | - Intel Pentium 4 (Prescott (2M) / Gallatin / CedarMill) with a bus frequency of 1066/800/533 MHz;
- Dual-core Intel Pentium D / EE (Smithfield / Presler) with a bus frequency of 800/1066 MHz; - Intel Celeron-D (Prescott) with a bus frequency of 533 MHz; - Support for Intel Core 2 Duo; - Socket LGA775; - Support for processors with HyperThreading technology; |
| Chipset | - Northbridge Intel® 82P965 Memory Controller Hub (MCH);
- Southbridge Intel® 82801HR Enhanced I / O Controller Hub (ICH8R); - Communication between bridges: DMI; |
| System memory | - Four 240-pin DDR2 SDRAM DIMM slots;
- Maximum memory capacity 8GB; - Supports DDR2 533/667/800/889/1066 memory; - Possible dual-channel memory access; - Power indicator; |
| Graphics | - Two PCI Express x16 slots; |
| Expansion options | - Three 32-bit PCI Bus Master slots;
- One PCI Express x1 slot; - Eight USB 2.0 ports (4 built-in + 4 additional); - Two ports IEEE1394 (Firewire; one built-in + 1 additional); - Built-in High Defenition Audio 7.1; - Two network controllers Gigabit Ethernet; - Wi-Fi controller (802.11g); |
| Overclocking capabilities | - Changing the FSB frequency from 100 to 650 MHz in 1 MHz steps;
- Changing the voltage on the processor, memory, FSB, SATA, PCI-E and chipset (MCH + ICH); - ASUS NOS (Non-Delay Overclocking System) technology; - ASUS AiBooster utility; |
| Disk subsystem |
- 1 channel UltraDMA133 / 100/66/33 Bus Master IDE (JMB363; supports up to 2 ATAPI devices); - SerialATA II protocol support (6 channels - ICH8R, with RAID support); - SerialATA II protocol support (2 channels - JMB363, with support for RAID 0,1, JBOD); - Supports LS-120 / ZIP / ATAPI CD-ROM; |
| BIOS | - 8 Mbit Flash ROM; - AMI BIOS with support for Enhanced ACPI, DMI, Green, PnP Features; - ASUS EZ Flash 2 technology; - ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 technology; - ASUS MyLogo2 technology; - Multi-languages \u200b\u200bBIOS; |
| miscellanea | - One port for FDD, one serial port, ports for PS / 2 mouse and keyboard;
- Power indicator on the board; - STR (Suspend to RAM); - SPDIF Out; |
| Power management | - Wake-up from modem, mouse, keyboard, network, timer and USB;
- Main 24-pin ATX power connector; - Additional 8-pin power connector; |
| Monitoring | - Tracking the temperature of the processor, system, voltages, rotational speed of five fans;
- ASUS Q-Fan 2 technology; - ASUS AI Gear technology, AI Nap; - ASUS PC Probe II utility; |
| The size | - ATX form factor, 245mm x 305mm (9.63 "x 12"); |
Box
The box with the ASUS P5B board is inside the dust jacket:
One page flips down, and the user can briefly familiarize themselves with all ASUS proprietary technologies.
Equipment
- Motherboard;
- CD with software and drivers;
- CD with additional software (InterVideo software package) + description;
- One ATA-133 cable, FDD cable;
- Six SerialATA cables + three power adapters (six connectors);
- User manual in English;
- Bracket with an additional Firewire port;
- Bracket with 2 additional USB2.0 ports;
- Wi-Fi antenna;
- ASUS WiFi Solo User Guide;
- Additional fan;
- A set of additional connectors;
- Cover for the back panel of the case;
- ASUS logo sticker;
- SoundMAX microphone.
There are almost enough standard components. In particular, the package includes 6 SerialATA cables, 3 power adapters with 6 connectors, a ParallelATA flex cable and a floppy cable.
In addition, there is one bracket with two USB2.0 ports and a bracket with a Firewire port.
However, to fully realize the full potential of the board, you need one more bracket with two USB ports, one SerialATA cable and a corresponding power adapter.
There were no complaints about the user manual. We also note that the CD contains a full set of necessary drivers (including drivers for 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows, drivers for Linux, as well as proprietary utilities, and antivirus Norton InternetSecurity 2006).
Additional software (InterVideo software package (MediaOne Gallery, WinDVD Creator 2 Platinum, PhotoAlbum, Disk Master 2.5 Platinum, DVD Copy 2.5 Platinum) is located on another CD-ROM with a short description. There is also a brochure on installing and configuring Wi-Fi -Fi.
The Wi-Fi module is installed directly on the board and has a special connector for connecting an antenna (the connector is routed to the rear panel). The antenna itself is included in the kit:
Separately, we will note the "bonus" items of the complete set. First, there is an additional "turbine" fan that is installed on the heat sink of the power supply module.
Secondly, this is a special additional connector ( Quick Connection Kit), to which you can connect all cables from the case ("Power", "Reset" buttons, cable from the "HDD" indicator, etc.), and then connect them to the board with one movement of your hand.
Finally, a dedicated SoundMAX microphone is included.
This device is not designed by ASUS, but manufactured by Andrea. Using two microphone diversity, the developers have partially reduced noise and sound reflections, as well as eliminated background noise using the Noise Filter function.
Final conclusion: thanks to various additional components, as well as a pretty decent standard set of cables, loops, etc., the package bundle looks very good. And even without accurate information about the price, we can safely give a rating of "5".
ASUS P5B Deluxe-WiFi Board
The board's design is quite convenient from the point of view of the assembler: the power connectors are installed along the edges of the board, and the latches of the DIMM slots are not blocked by the PCI Express video card. In addition, the connector of the integrated IDE controller is located parallel to the board plane (which makes it easier to connect the loop).
The only difficulty is the inconvenient location of the additional SerialATA port located near the rear panel. Although if you use it to connect external devices, then the convenience of the location is obvious!
I would like to draw your attention to the board power connectors again. There is an 8-pin connector on the left edge. Moreover, the board is capable of working with 20 + 4 power supplies, and the contacts that are not used in this case are covered with a plastic cover.
Next to the processor socket is a 4-pin CPU_FAN connector for the corresponding cooler.
Besides it, the board has six more (!) 3-pin connectors: PWR_FAN - near the DIMM slots, CHA_FAN1 and CHA_FAN3 - on the left edge of the board, CHA_FAN2 and CHA_FAN4 near the north bridge, and CHA_FAN5 - near the south bridge. Note that ASUS produces several models on this PCB design, but CHA_FAN4 and CHA_FAN5 connectors are available only on the P5B Deluxe-WiFi version.
On the north bridge, only a passive radiator is installed, which is connected to the radiator on the power module using a heat pipe. Accordingly, heat is transferred from the chipset to this heatsink, from which it is dissipated. This scheme works especially effectively if an additional fan (included in the kit) is installed on the heat sink of the power supply module.
Under the north bridge, there are four 240-pin DIMM slots for DDR2 memory modules. They are divided into two groups of two slots. The first two slots belong to the first channel of the controller, the last two - to the second channel.
Note that the board supports DDR2-533 / 667/800/889/1066 memory, and the total memory capacity is 8 GB. As soon as voltage is applied to the board, a pair of green LEDs, installed on the back of the board, light up. And as soon as the system starts, a pair of red ones, located in the same place, light up. On the front side of the board there is a transparent ASUS logo, which is effectively illuminated by the mentioned LEDs.
The board has two PCI Express x16 slots (both with latches), which are intended for video cards.
However, due to internal limitations of the P965 chipset, the board does not support operation with two video cards using NVIDIA SLI or ATI Crossfire technologies. By the way, only 2 or 4 PCI Express bus lanes are actually allocated to the second PCI Express x16 slot.
In addition to the above-mentioned slots, the ASUS P5B board has three more "regular" PCI slots, as well as one PCI Express x1 slot.
Expansion options
The ASUS P5B Deluxe-WiFi has an ICH8R south bridge with a heatsink. As a result, the board supports 6 SerialATA II ports and allows combining drives into RAID arrays of levels 0, 1, 5, and 10 (MatrixRAID).
Besides, 2 more SerialATA II devices can be connected to the JMB363 controller made by JMicron (the chip is located near the rear panel).
One port is routed to the rear panel of the board, and the other is located near the rear panel. The same controller provides support for one ParallelATA link.
In total, 10 hard drives (8 SATA + 2 PATA) can be connected to the ASUS P5B Deluxe-WiFi board.
Further, only 8 USB2.0 ports are installed on the board (out of 10 supported by ICH8R). 4 of them are installed on the rear panel, and 4 more are connected using a bracket (one bracket with two ports is included). Most likely, the decrease in the number of USB ports is due to the installation of a Wi-Fi module on the board.
Besides, ASUS P5B supports another type of serial bus - IEEE1394 ("Firewire"). For this, the board is equipped with a Texas Instruments TSB43AB22A controller.
As a result, the board supports 2 Firewire ports: one is located on the rear panel, the other is connected using a bracket (included in the bundle).
Now a few words about networking: the board has two high-speed network controllers: Marvell 88E8056 (Gigabit Ethernet),
and Marvell 88E8001 (Gigabit Ethernet).
The rear panel of the board has a rather unusual configuration.
In particular, ASUS engineers have completely abandoned support for the LPT port and one COM port. In their places are optical and coaxial SP-DIF outputs, as well as one SerialATA II port and a Firewire port. However, the second COM port is provided by the PCB design, but the ASUS P5B Deluxe-WiFi is missing.
Traditional circuit of jumpers on the board:
There is only one jumper installed on the ASUS P5B board: CLRTC - a jumper for clearing CMOS (located near the battery).
Now let's talk about BIOS settings.
BIOS
ASUS P5B BIOS is based on the AMI BIOS version.
In the memory settings section, the following set of timings:
An important parameter that affects performance is setting the memory frequency. It is located in the overclocking settings section.
Now let's look at the section on system monitoring.
The board displays the current temperatures of the processor and system, rotational speeds of five (out of seven!) Fans, and voltage levels. Besides, the coolers connected to CPU_FAN and CHA_FAN1-3 can change the rotation speed depending on the temperature of the processor and system. Moreover, for the processor cooler there is a separate set of Q-FAN 2 settings, and for the coolers connected to CHA_FAN1 - CHA_FAN3 there is one set of general settings.
In addition, you can follow the system monitoring readings in Windows. The ASUS PCProbe 2 system monitoring utility is intended for this.
The ASUS Update utility also works with the board, which is intended for updating drivers, flashing BIOS and changing the POST screen (MyLogo2 function). Finally, the board supports the CrashFree BIOS 3 function (recovering damaged firmware using a floppy disk, CD or Flash disk).
Traditionally for ASUS motherboards, the BIOS supports displaying parameters in several languages \u200b\u200b(Multilanguages \u200b\u200bBIOS).
The BIOS also gives the user access to setting up all the functions of modern processors:
There are several ways to update the BIOS version. First, use the AFUDOS (DOS) and ASUS Update (Windows) utilities, and in the latter case, you can write a POST picture to the BIOS (the MyLogo 2 function is intended for this). Secondly, the user can use the EZ Flash 2 utility, which is built into the BIOS. Moreover, the file with the new firmware can be located not only on the usual 3 "floppy disk, but also on a hard disk or a USB flash drive.
But probably due to flaws in the BIOS, the EZ Flash 2 utility freezes immediately after launch.
In conclusion, we note the OC Profile technology, which allows saving all BIOS settings in memory and loading them if necessary. ASUS P5B Deluxe WiFi supports two independent profiles:
By the way, the motherboard does not have the usual crib with the BIOS chip.
Apparently, the BIOS functions are performed by this microcircuit.
It is she who allows you to implement additional functions and technologies (such as OC Profile). That is, it is very likely that ASUS engineers are trying to combine BIOS functions and additional functions in one chip. And the traditional approach is to have a BIOS + install an additional chip on the board, such as abit mGuru, MSI CoreCell and Foxconn FoxOne / TigerOne.
Overclocking and stability
Before moving on to overclocking, let's take a look at the power converter. It has an 8-phase circuit (!), In which four 1000 uF capacitors and 11 821 uF capacitors are installed.
To facilitate the thermal regime of the power supply module, as well as for active cooling of the north bridge (important for overclocking), the user can install an additional fan (included in the kit).
Now let's move on to looking at the overclocking functions.
First, ASUS P5B allows you to change the system bus frequency in the range from 100 to 650 MHz in 1 MHz steps.
Conveniently, the required FSB frequency can be entered from the keyboard.
Secondly, ASUS P5B allows changing the processor voltage (Vcore) in a very wide range: from 1.1 V to 1.7 V in 0.0125 V steps.
In addition, we have at our disposal a function of increasing the voltage on the chipset, moreover, as on the north bridge (from 1.5 V to 1.65 V in 0.05 V steps),
and in the south.
The available values \u200b\u200bare 1.057 V and 1.215 V. In addition, it is possible to raise the voltage on the FSB from 1.2 V to 1.45 V in 0.05-0.1 V steps.
The user also has a function to increase the voltage on the PCI Express bus and on the SATA in the range from 1.5 V to 1.8 V in 0.1 V steps:
It is also possible to change the PCI Express bus frequency, in the range from 90 MHz to 150 MHz,
and fix the PCI bus (this is important for the correct operation of PATA hard drives):
Now let's try the overclocking functions in practice. So, ASUS P5B showed excellent results: stable operation at FSB \u003d 476 MHz with a Conroe-based processor.
There are several important points to note. First, the P965 chipset is slightly inferior to the i975X in terms of overclocking capabilities. This primarily concerns the memory frequency setting. The i975X has the ability to lower the memory clock rate, while the P965 does not. In other words, on a motherboard with a P965 chipset, the memory works either synchronously or at a higher frequency than FSB. It is clear that in order to achieve better overclocking results, it is necessary to set the synchronous mode (for the P965), since at high FSB frequencies (from 400 MHz and higher) the memory runs at its limit and requires an increase in voltage and improvement of cooling.
Secondly, at high FSB frequencies (again, from 400 MHz and higher), stability is achieved by increasing the voltage on the north bridge of the chipset. Accordingly, there is a need to improve the cooling of the chipset.
Thirdly, a lot depends on the processor model. Of course, the E6300 is the cheapest, and offers an impressive clock speed boost. But due to the very small multiplier, it cannot be the "overclocker's choice". And this role is claimed by the E6400 model, which costs ~ $ 40 more, but has a multiplier \u003d 7. This means that to reach the technological limit (3.5 GHz) of this processor, it is necessary to increase the FSB frequency from 266 MHz to 500 MHz, which quite achievable. However, the new stepping (B2) may increase the overclocking potential and thus force the user to carefully select the system components and improve the cooling system. It should be noted here that some enthusiasts have achieved FSB\u003e \u003d 550 MHz using ASUS P5B Deluxe. True, for this, a physical modification of the board was used to increase the voltage on the north bridge. It is clear that in this case the warranty for the board is lost, but if ASUS programmers release a new BIOS version with an extended Vdd range, then the need for a soldering iron will disappear, and this board will be able to compete for the title of the best overclocking platform (we will draw a corresponding conclusion in a comparative review of motherboards on the P965 chipset at the end of the year).
conclusions
ASUS P5B Deluxe-WiFi is a very interesting and attractive product. An excellent combination of a good bundle, powerful expansion options and "advanced" functionality makes this motherboard one of the leaders among motherboards based on the P965 chipset. The only point that can affect the conclusions is some uncertainty with the retail price. And if the latter is at the level of competitors, then we definitely recommend this board for purchase.
We would like to highlight the following features of the board: passive cooling system for the chipset and power supply module with the option of installing an additional fan; the presence on board of seven (!) connectors for connecting fans; a pretty decent package, which includes a SoundMAX microphone ($ 35); Wi-Fi wireless communication module, two PCI Express x16 slots, and support for 8 SerialATA II and one ParallelATA channels.
In addition, we note support for proprietary technologies such as CrashFree BIOS 3, EZ Flash 2, OC Profiles, as well as support for proprietary utilities PC Probe II, AI Booster and ASUS UpdateMyLogo2.
And finally, let's say a few words about the excellent overclocking results. Even in spite of some limitations of the P965 chipset that do not allow lowering the memory frequency, the ASUS P5B Deluxe-WiFi board showed excellent stability at a very high FSB \u003d 476 MHz!
As for the shortcomings of the board, we did not find them, despite the thoroughness of testing.
Conclusion
Pros:- High stability and good performance level;
- 8-phase power supply circuit;
- The presence of two PCI Express x16 slots;
- SerialATA II / RAID support (8 channels; ICH8R + JMB363);
- Supports one channel P-ATA (JMB363);
- Built-in 8-channel audio and two network controllers (Gigabit Ethernet);
- Support for USB2.0 (8 ports) and IEEE-1394 (Firewire; 2 ports);
- Wi-Fi support;
- Excellent complete set (including SoundMAX microphone, additional fan);
- A wide range of ASUS proprietary technologies (PC Probe II, EZ Flash 2, CrashFree BIOS 3, MyLogo2, Q-Fan 2, etc.);
- An additional set of AI Proactive technologies (AI Overclock, N.O.S., AI Net 2, etc.);
- Passive / active cooling system for the chipset and power supply module.
- Not found.
- Excellent results of overclocking the processor and memory;
- The back panel has a SerialATA II port; no LPT and one COM port.
Stanislav G. 5 years ago
Yandex Market
Super mom supports all processors and 4 nuclear extreme, just for every percent on the Asus website there is its own BIOS, otherwise glitches will be as they write below and above that. Swears at a percentage but works. Bios that this particular process needs and there will be happiness ... And it supports all the cool 2-4-core prots on 1066-1333Mz tires ... look at the asus carefully there are 20 pieces of bios, if not more and you will be happy. I wanted to buy a NAS server for the Home Cloud so that from the TV, etc. worked ... and stupidly assembled on this mother so all store NAS servers just have a rest. So ... if the arms are straight, then everything will work out. I removed all the cooling, left one on the blowing noise at all and the temperature is 35 g. Learn ...
Show more
Advantages: Works 9 years without shutdown
Disadvantages: No
Dmitry K. 6 years ago
Yandex Market
I totally agree with the previous speakers. The computer based on the board has been operating for the ninth year, the last two years as a home server with an 8 terabyte raid array. Later I took P5Q Turbo to the workstation - no comparison. Constantly some incomprehensibility in the work of the computer arise. Of the shortcomings, I can only note two points - the Q6600 works with a 4-core processor, but the BIOS always swears that it does not know such a processor. The processor appears in the list of supported, the latest BIOS version. Well, I still did not understand with the raid - I tried to create a hardware REID 5, but an array of 2 terabytes was created from 4 terabyte disks, which is inadequate for REID 5. I had to make a software one.) In general, I would like to note the generally unpleasant moment that Asus is suddenly drops product support. It is sad.
Show more
Advantages: Reliability, performance, built-in RAID
Disadvantages: no special noted
Sergey Gladunets 7 years ago
Yandex Market
It has been working for seven years. Since 2007, I installed Core 2 Quad Q6600 2400Mhz (easily races up to 3600Mhz) and Hynix 4GB 800Mhz. At the end of summer 2008, I installed an Nvidia GeForce GTX280 vidyuhu (which worked for 13 months, after roasting for another 2 months) and along with it a 730-watt Hyper power supply. Now I'm sitting on a Radeon HD6870 and have been using an OCZ Vertex 64GB SSD as a system disk for the third year. I am planning to buy a Sound Blaster ZxR, as I love good sound, the latest generation PCI-E slot (narrow) allows me to do this. Everything works like a clock. I am very pleased with my platform, because of the SSD and good coolers everything works silently, I don't see any reason to switch to something new. By the way, since 2004 I have been repairing cell phones, and therefore I have to actively use USB - until now everything is clearly defined, never fails. Thanks to the guys at Asus for the perfect product).
Show more
Advantages: Good, reliable, all necessary interfaces are present (Sata, IDE, E-Sata, USB, COM-Port, optical audio, etc.).
Disadvantages: A problem in some network games due to the built-in sound (it is more likely even in the drivers, but the manufacturer has stopped supporting this sound chip).
Guest 9 years ago
Yandex Market
not so picky about the additions and so the fee in all KUL!
Show more
Pluses: Opportunities for overclocking! cold north bridge (due to a well-thought-out cooling system with a standard fan on the bridge radiator)
Disadvantages: Every six months you have to wipe the dust and vacuum the body! :-)
