ASUS P7P55D Deluxe LGA 1156 Motherboard

Introduction

When Intel introduced the new Socket LGA 1156 platform many people were skeptical of its capabilities due to it lacking a traditional Northbridge, having an integrated memory controller (IMC) supporting only Dual Channel DDR3, and having only a total of 16GB/s of available PCI-Express (PCIe) video bandwidth. Keeping the 1156 platform focus in mind (the mid-range priced market), Intel had to get creative and offer plenty of performance at a bargain while keeping the hardcore enthusiast's focused on the Socket LGA 1366 platform. To offer an affordable solution to buyers, Intel reduced its flagship features from the LGA 1366 platform to create the brand new LGA 1156 platform.

Instead of 32 GB/s of total PCIe video bandwidth and Triple Channel DDR3, LGA 1156 gets 16 GB/s of total video bandwidth, Dual Channel DDR3, and relocation of the memory and PCIe controller from the motherboard to the CPU. This makes CPU and motherboard production cheaper, which makes purchasing cheaper. Now that we've covered the brief history of this brand new platform, lets move on to what the ASUS P7P55D Deluxe motherboard is all about.

Whenever a new platform is introduced, ASUS tends to be one of the companies that steps up and produces high quality motherboards throughout the entire price spectrum. The P7P55D Deluxe comes with a special 16+3 Phase power design that helps spread power evenly, a TurboV controller that allows remote overclocking and profile switching, onboard Power and Reset buttons, and even a Clear CMOS rear panel button. There are many features on this upper class $219 motherboard that buyers should be excited about, lets move on to the specifications.