With Intel’s release of their new Pentium 4 packaging come many new technologies and features. Though a full article could be written about all of them I will try and cover everything throughout this review. Asus has long been known as a company who makes high quality products including motherboards. Today we have the opportunity to take a look at the P5GD2 Deluxe which has more features than most other motherboard manufacturers have even thought about. Many of these new innovations will be seen throughout the review but this first page is dedicated to an overview of the boards specifications and features.
Intel 915P chipset
The Intel 915P chipset supports the latest PC technologies such as LGA775 Pentium 4 CPU, dual-channel DDR2 memory architecture, and PCI Express x16 graphics card interface. The ICH6R Southbridge further provides integrated 4-port SATA RAID controller, PCI Express x1 interfaces and 8 high-speed USB 2.0 ports.
PCI Express Architecture
PCI Express is the latest I/O interconnect technology that will replace the existing PCI. With a bus bandwidth 4 times higher than that of AGP 8X interface, PCI Express x16 bus performs much better than AGP 8X in applications such as 3D gaming. PCI Express x1 also outperforms PCI interface with its exceptional high bandwidth up to 500MB/s. The high speed PCI Express interface creates new usages on desktop PCs e.g., Gigabit LAN, 1394b, and high-speed RAID systems.
Intel LGA775 Pentium 4 CPU
This motherboard supports the latest Pentium 4 CPU from Intel in LGA775 package. With 800MHz FSB, 1 MB L2 cache, Hyper-Threading Technology and core-speeds up to 3.6GHz and beyond, Intel’s LGA775 Pentium 4 is one of the fastest desktop processors to date.
Dual-Channel DDR2 533
DDR2 is the next generation memory technology to replace the current DDR. With initial speeds from 400 and 533MHz, DDR2 memory provides bandwidth up to 4.3GB/s. Doubled by the dual-channel architecture, the widest memory bus bandwidth 8.6GB/s is achieved on this motherboard.
Hyper Path2 – Shorten Memory Latency
The innovative ASUS Hyper Path2 significantly shortens the latency time between the CPU and memory and improves memory performance without sacrificing stability.
WiFi-g™ onboard
WEP? SSID? Building a home WLAN used to be a hassle with confusing acronyms and cryptic menus. With WiFi-g™ and its one-touch setup wizard, high-speed wireless network is just a few clicks away. WiFi-g™ serves as the access point of your network or if you already have an access point, it is also a wireless adapter for PCs to access existing WLAN. (WiFi-g™ compliant to IEEE 802.11g 54 Mbps data transfer)
AI NOS™
Applications such as 3D games and video editing demand a huge chunk of system resource.
Inject “nitrous oxide” into your CPU! The patented AI NOS™ (Non-delay Overclocking System) technology intelligently detects system load and automatically boosts performance for the most demanding tasks. Unlike other dynamic overclocking techniques, AI NOS™ reacts much faster to satisfy your unending need for speeds.
AI NET2
Network problems are often caused by bad cable connection. AI NET2 remotely detects cable connection the second you turn on the system, and any faulty connections are reported back up to 100 meters at 1 meter accuracy.
Stack Cool™
Heat causes instability and shortens system lifecycle, and motherboard power circuitry is a major thermal source. The patented Stack Cool™ technology utilizes a mini PCB stacked against the main PCB to conduct heat away from power components, resulting in a 10° Celsius reduction. And voila! Cooler overclocking, quieter fan operation, greater stability and longer system life without you doing a thing.
High Definition Audio
Enjoy high-end sound system on your PC! The onboard 8-channel HD audio (High Definition Audio, previously codenamed Azalia) CODEC enables high-quality 192KHz/24-bit audio output, jack-sensing feature, retasking functions and multi-streaming technology that simultaneously sends different audio streams to different destinations. You can now talk to your partners on the headphone while playing a multi-channel network games. All of these are done on one computer. The Dolby Digital Live technology from Dolby Lab encodes the multi-channel audio source into AC-3 bit-stream and outputs it to S/PDIF port in real time.
IEEE 1394
IEEE 1394 interface provides high speed digital interface for audio / video appliances such as digital television, digital video camcorders, storage peripherals & other PC portable devices.
Serial ATA & IDE RAID
The onboard Silicon Image Sil3114R and ITE 8212F RAID controllers plus the Intel ICH6R southbridge provide the best solution to your RAID requirements on different storage standards. The Intel ICH6R supports RAID 0, 1 and Intel Matrix Storage Technology on 4 Serial ATA ports. The Silicon Image Sil3114R controller offers four additional SATA interfaces and allows RAID 0, 1, 10, JBOD, and a RAID software patch to support RAID 5. For IDE hard disk drives, the ITE 8212F controller provides RAID 0, 1 , 0+1 functionality for two ATA133 channels.
ASUS Q-Fan2
ASUS Q-Fan2 technology intelligently adjusts both CPU fan and chassis fan speeds according to system loading to ensure quiet, cool and efficient operation.
S/PDIF-out on Back I/O Port
This motherboard provides convenient connectivity to external home theater audio systems via an optical or coaxial S/PDIF-out (SONY-PHILIPS Digital Interface) jack. It allows to transfer digital audio without converting to analog format and keeps the best signal quality.
Max. 8 USB 2.0 ports supports
USB 2.0 is the latest connectivity standard for next generation components and peripherals. Backwards compatible with current USB 1.1 peripherals, USB 2.0 delivers transfer speeds up to 40 times faster at 480Mb/s, for easy connectivity and ultra-fast data transfers.
Multi-language BIOS
The multi-language BIOS allows you to select the language of your choice from the available options. The localized BIOS setup menu helps you configure your system easier and faster.
ASUS CrashFree BIOS2
The CrashFree BIOS2 feature now includes the BIOS auto-recovery function in a support CD. Users can reboot their system through the support CD when a bootable disk is not available, and go through the simple BIOS auto-recovery process.
ASUS motherboards now enable users to enjoy this protection feature without the need to pay for an optional ROM.
C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)
When the system hangs due to overclocking failure, there is no need to open the case to clear CMOS data. Just simply restart the system, the BIOS would show the previous setting and then users can amend the CPU setting again.
WinDVD Suite
ASUS motherboards, intensifying leadership in the IT industry, now bundle the versatile InterVideo WinDVD Suite. This multifaceted software set includes the latest multimedia software, bringing forth the multimedia features of ASUS motherboards to the best! (OEM version)
This Asus box looks really professional rather than something flashy and extravagant. The top of the box is nicely designed and has a flip up which provides more information underneath. The back of the motherboard touts its Intel 915P chipset and features like triple RAID, IEEE1394, WIFI-g onboard, PCI-Express, Dolby Digital Live audio, and DDR2. With many products the box represents the style of the product, and from this box I gather than Asus wants to market this board as a piece of high end professional hardware.
Because this board offers so much there are more accessories included than I have seen with any other motherboard. Six SATA cables are included with the motherboard since there are 8 SATA connections. Though you don’t get a cable for each connection you should have more than enough. Three Molex-SATA adapters are provided, each with two SATA power connectors.
If you intend to take full advantage of SATA with this motherboard but don’t have a power supply with SATA connections these adapters will save you from buying a new one or the adapters separately. In addition the SATA accessories you also get two ATA133, one ATA33, and one floppy cable. Asus has gone above and beyond with the cables and adapters they have provided with this motherboard. Much of the time motherboard manufacturers are lacking in this area so it’s nice to see that Asus isn’t. Also included are three headers, one with a serial port, another with an IEEE1394, and the last with 2 USB 2.0 and game port. These headers can be used along with the ports on the motherboard which will be seen later.
The motherboard has build-in WiFi G which is really nice to see onboard. Though wireless isn’t as fast or reliable as a wired connection it is quite useful for laptops and at times desktops. If you are in a where you are unable to run network cable but want to be on a broadband connection wireless could be your answer. Since one of the biggest problems with wireless networking is usually connection strength Asus has included an antenna. When you screw this antenna to the motherboard and place it somewhere closer to the access point you should get increased signal strength. It’s really nice that Asus has really thought out the wireless situation and the antenna should help a considerable amount which will be looked at later.
WinDVD suite includes: WinDVD 5 Platinum, WinDVD Creator 2 Platinum, and WinRip 2. With this suite of software you can watch DVDs, edit video for movies, and record and catalog your music collection. For more information on the software you can visit this link from Asus. There are three pieces of documentation provided, a motherboard user guide, motherboard settings, and WiFi-g user guide. All of the documentation is well written and easy to understand. The motherboard settings is sticker with jumper information that you can stick to the inside of your case for easy reference.
There is so much good stuff on this motherboard there will be a lot to look at as the review progresses. On the backside of the motherboard where the CPU is a new technology called Stack Cool. This new features utilizes a mini PCB stacked against the main PCB to conduct heat away from power components, resulting in a 10° Celsius reduction according to Asus. Since the only way to test this new feature would be to remove it I will have to take their word for it.
The back Panel has two PS/2, parallel, Optical + 1 x Coaxial S/PDIF Output, IEEE1394a, gigabit NIC, four USB 2.0, 8-channel audio, WLAN antenna jack. Its great to see all of these connectors built into the motherboard and hopefully sometime soon the legacy ports will be moved off and replaced by more USB and other connection.
The socket is of course a new design now having pins in it removing the need for them to be on the processor. There are four holes around the socket which are used for mounting the new LGA775 heatsinks. There is a heatsink covering the mosfets at the top of the board so they don’t overheat since they normally get quite hot.
The 12v power connector and new 4-pin fan header are also in the top left hand corner of the motherboard. The 4-pin fan connector is new to these motherboard and implements Pulse Wave Modulation (PWM) which monitors your system and when idle reduces the fan voltage and RPM by half.
The DDR2 slots which look almost unchanged from DDR1 slots are in their typical spot in the top right corner of the motherboard. There is a single BIOS at very top right corner of the motherboard which a very odd place to be. Because there is only a single BIOS Asus has added a feature called CrashFree BIOS2. This feature is a BIOS auto-recovery function in a support CD which eliminates the need for a redundant BIOS thus decreasing the cost of the motherboard.
Right below the BIOS is the Winbond W83627EHF I/O chip which provides not only legacy I/O functions but also several new features, such as over-temperature and over-voltage protection for CPU to avoid the danger of CPU damage. PCI has taken over this board with three regular PCI, one x16 PCI express, and three x1 PCI express.
Both the northbridge and southbrige are covered by passive aluminum heatsinks which are necessary to cool them. They both got quite hot but not too hot to touch so they should do an adequate job cooling the chips over time.
One thing this motherboard does not lack is SATA, just in the bottom left hand corner of the motherboard there are four which can be used for RAID. Along with those four there are four more which are located in-between the three ATA133 slots. With SATA slowly replacing IDE I’m sure you will have more than enough SATA connections for quiet some time. One thing I also really like is that all of the headers are colored coordinated to help you quickly differentiate between all of them and tell what jumper goes to what.
The main screen of the BIOS is pretty similar to that of most motherboards. The main screen gives you the ability to set the time/date, legacy disk A, language, and IDE configuration. There are a lot of onboard options with this motherboard so there are a lot of options in the BIOS. Within this section you can enable/disable the onboard audio, firewire, LAN, WiFi, IDE RAID, SATA, serial port, parallel port, and game port.
If you have a Pentium 4 that happens to be an engineering sample you will be happy to know that Asus has made it easy for you to change the multiplier. For this review I am using a retail 2.8GHz Pentium 4 which is of course locked but I did have the chance to test this motherboard with a 3.6GHz engineering sample and successfully changed the multiplier up and down.
One thing you should be aware of in this section is the CPU Internal Thermal Control, if you leave this set to auto and your CPU starts getting too hot the motherboard will throttle down the processor speed to reduce the heat. I disabled this function since I didn’t want anything changing the speed of the CPU but me. However if you do disable this setting be sure to monitor the temperature of your processor cause they can get hot. The hardware monitor section is where you can find your temperatures, fan speeds, and voltages. Like I said the processor can get pretty hot with retail cooling.
The advanced chipset settings menu allows you to change all of the timings for your DDRII. Rather than having a screenshot for each setting I will just go over the ranges you can choose from. DRAM CAS# latency ranges: 3-5, DRAM RAS Precharge: 2-5, DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay: 2-5, DRAM RAS# to Precharge: 1-15, DRAM Write Recovery Time: 2-5.
From this screen you are also able to set your PCI Express Graphics (PEG) options. The DDR frequency is set by the dividers built into the motherboard so you are not forced to run at 1:1. From this section you can also change the voltages which are as follows. Memory: 1.80v-2.10v, chipset: 1.5v-1.6v, CPU core: 1.5v-1.7v, and FSB termination voltage: 1.2v-1.4v.
The PCI-Express and PCI bus are lockable so that when you start overclocking they don’t get in the way. So if you are going to overclock it would be best to set the PCI-Express frequency to 100MHz and the PCI Clock Synchronization to 33.33MHz. After you get your processor and memory overclocked then I would suggest increasing the PCI-Express frequency slowly to get better video card performance. As for the regular PCI bus it would be best to leave that at 33.33MHz even while overclocked unless you have a PCI card that would benefit from the overclock for some reason. Take note that if you set the PCI to synchronize with the CPU or to Auto that it may cause your system to lock up or PCI cards to stop functioning.
The AI Overclocking option allows you to choose which overclocking feature you want to use. You can choose from manual, auto, standard, overclock profile, and AI N.O.S. The manual setting gives you the most control allowing you to change all of the settings by hand. The auto setting only gives you the option to change the performance mode which is auto, standard, or turbo. The Standard setting also only gives you the performance mode. I chose to go with the manual setting because it gave me the most control. As you can see it gives you the ability to change all of the settings which is beneficial to experienced overclockers.
The overclocking profile allows you to set the overclock to a certain percentage or a specific defined speed. For example you can choose to overclock from 5%-30% or set it to FSB88/DDR2-667 up to FSB1066/DDR2-710. Finally the N.O.S option which stands for Non-delay Overclocking System detects system load and automatically boosts performance for the most demanding tasks. This feature can be set to auto, standard, sensitive, and heavy load. This feature can be useful if you don’t always want your system overclocked but need some more power during gaming or intensive application usage.
The test systems that will be used which are outlined are below are almost identical. The only thing that is different between the two is the memory used and of course the motherboards. The Asus P5GD2 Deluxe is using DDRII while the Albatron PX 915G Pro is using regular DDR.
Test systems
Asus P5GD2 Deluxe, Intel Pentium 4 2.8GHz LGA775, 1GB (2x512MB) Corsair TWIN2X1024-5400C4PRO (4-4-4-12), Albatron PCX5750 (425/500), 30GB 7200RPM Western Digital hard drive, Windows XP SP1a and DirectX 9b.
Albatron PX915G Pro, Intel Pentium 4 2.8GHz LGA775, 1GB (2x512MB) Corsair TWINX1024-3200LL DDR400 (2-2-2-5), Albatron PCX5750 (425/500), 30GB 7200RPM Western Digital hard drive, Windows XP SP1a and DirectX 9b.
SYSmark 2004 Internet Content Creation
The overall score for SYSmark 2004 internet content creation was four points lower than the with the Asus P5GD2 Deluxe.
SYSmark 2004 Office Productivity
With the office productivity section of SYSmark 2004 the motherboards are almost identical. The Asus P5GD2 Deluxe is a single point lower than the Alabtron board.
RealStorm Benchmark 2004
RealStorm does not test the video card at all which makes it a great benchmark for motherboards. All of the options were left at the default except I changed the resolution to 640×480. With this benchmark the Asus motherboard does a little better than the Albatron board.
SiSoft Sandra Memory Bandwidth Benchmark
The Asus motherboard had better memory bandwidth than the Albatron board. This is most likely due to the Asus board running DDRII while the Albatron has older DDRI.
Everest Home Edition Memory Benchmark
Everest is a free and good benchmarking tool for memory bandwidth. The Asus motherboard does better than the Albatron with the read test but is a little slower with the write test.
dBpowerAMP
dBpowerAMP is a free music converter which I used to convert a wav to mp3. Both motherboards converted the file in exactly the same amount of time.
FarCry v1.1
Using the Fort demo at 640×480 the Asus P5GD2 Deluxe comes out on top just under two FPS better.
Unreal Tournament 2003
Unreal Tournament 2003 runs a flyby and botmatch, and was run at 640×480. With the flyby portion of the benchmark the Asus P5GD2 Deluxe was only one FPS faster than the Albatron PX915G Pro. The botmatch results were identical with both motherboards at 67.8 FPS.
Comanche 4
Comanche 4 at 640×480 was a little slower than the Albatron PX915G Pro. The difference Asus P5GD2 Deluxe was only 1.5 FPS lower which is insignificant.
Lastly 3DMark03 at 640×480 gets a little better results but only 127 points.
Because this motherboard has so many overclocking features I could tell from the start that things were going to go well. I decided to overclock normally by choosing the standard overclocking option and adjusting the FSB and voltage. After increasing the FSB and adding more voltage as needed my final result was a FSB of 265 taking my 2.8GHz P4 to 3.7GHz!
With this overclock it also pushed my Corsair memory to DDR706 which is extremely impressive. To achieve this overclock I flashed the BIOS to version 1003 and set the DDR voltage to 1.9v, northbridge to 1.5v, and CPU to 1.5875v. I also locked the PCI-Express to 100Mhz and PCI to 33.33MHz. Unfortunately my cooling got in the way after increasing the CPU voltage causing it overheat and shutdown my system.
I know this motherboard could have given me more, however without watercooling my processor would have been in danger. A feature that I really like is the CPU Parameter Recall which resets the BIOS to the previous settings if the system hangs due to an overclock failure. This makes overclock much more fun eliminating the need to clear the CMOS and reset everything if the boot fails.
| CPU | Memory |
Conclusion
Though LGA775, PCI-Express, and DDRII are all very new technologies the benefits can already be seen. With a great motherboard like the P5GD2 Deluxe from Asus you will be able to take full advantage of all these now and in the future. The benchmarking results were fairly similar in comparison to a motherboard with original DDR however if you look at the overclocking results there simply no comparison. This motherboard is packed with so many great features that encompass the design, BIOS, onboard options, overclockability, and stability to name a few.
Asus definitely prides itself in making very high quality motherboards that cater to true overclockers. There is so much that I could say in this conclusion about why I like this board so much but hopefully that can be seen throughout the entire review to eliminate repetitiveness now. With faster and better PCI-Express video cards slowly coming out there will be even more reason to move to this new video card standard.
As soon as these new technologies and factors have matured a little more results and overclockability will be much more impressive than they already are. Because I am so impressed with this motherboard and am going to give it a 10/10 and award it the OCmodshop Seal of Approval. I would like to thank Asus for making this review possible.
Pros
- Overclocks like a champ
- Very good BIOS, nothing missing
- Uses DDRII
- PCI-Express & PCI lockable
- Onboard WiFi-g
- Stack Cool for better cooling
- High definition 8-channel audio
- Multi-language BIOS
- CPU Parameter Recall
- SATA and IDE RAID
Cons
- Memory scores similar to original DDR