Additional power supply for motherboard processor p5b v. ASUS P5B motherboard review

Although this board has basic functionality, since it is built on the P965 chipset with the ICH8 south bridge, it is similar to other, more expensive models at least in the design of the printed circuit board and the options in the BIOS Setup. This means we can count on high performance and overclockability of Core 2 Duo processors, which are famous for their enormous potential.

About the P965 chipset

ASUS P5B series motherboards, including the basic version under review, are based on one or another modification of the Intel P965 or G965 series chipset. We have already described the characteristics and functionality of Intel chipsets more than once, comparing them with their predecessors and some analogues. Now let's look at some features of the P965 chipset that will interest us in relation to the motherboard in question.

First of all, we note that Intel chipsets have no real analogues in their niche. In the area of budget solutions, of course, there are some alternatives, for example, chipsets from VIA and SIS. Expensive motherboards are sometimes built on NVIDIA chipsets, which, however, are still inferior to the P965 and 975X on a number of points. And for universal mid-class boards there are no other options except Intel.

However, Intel chipsets are very expensive. Even such a functionally simple model as the ASUS P5B has a very high price for its class. Only with the appearance of a new series of Intel chipsets, and this event should happen no later than May 2007, will prices for previous generation motherboards begin to decline. In the meantime, a significant share in the total cost of a computer with an Intel processor is occupied by the motherboard.

The Intel P965 chipset can be equipped with various modifications of the ICH8 south bridge, and this is not reflected in its name, as is the case with nForce chipsets. For example, ASUS P5B and P5B-E boards are formally based on the same P965, but differ in functionality. The basic ICH8 modification does not support RAID technology and contains 4 rather than 6 Serial ATA ports. This is exactly the bridge that is installed on the ASUS P5B.

Also note that the P965 chipset does not support the Parallel ATA interface. At the same time, most optical drives sold today are connected via this interface. To compensate for this annoying drawback, motherboard manufacturers, even Intel itself, install an additional controller on motherboards. Usually their choice is an inexpensive controller from JMicron.

ASUS P5B. Design, functionality.

Functionality. In the case of the P5B series, ASUS developers decided not to use the same design for all boards in the series. Different models partially coincide in the wiring of certain elements, design of power circuits, layout, number and position of slots, but differ in the number of additional controllers, their location, and the presence of certain internal connectors.

There is only one IDE connector on the motherboard, which is supposed to be used to connect an optical drive. Serial ATA ports support the ability to organize RAID level 0 or 1. However, ASUS developers decided to use one of the ports to connect an external hard drive with an External SATA (SATA-on-the-go) interface - it is displayed on the ports panel. Therefore, organizing RAID on the P5B is hardly possible; this is a rather significant drawback of the board.

The sound quality of the Analog Devices audio codec differs for the better from the more common Realtek codecs.

Another plus is the better implementation of three-dimensional sound positioning in its drivers, which is essential for fans of 3D games. However, the clunky settings panel complicates the process of configuring connected devices. The codec supports 8-channel acoustics, an independent stereo channel for output to the front panel of the computer, device connection detection, noise reduction function when using a stereo microphone, etc.

There is nothing special to write about the Realtek RTL8111B network controller.

PCI Express bus, Gigabit Ethernet support, minimum settings and functions. Note that developers are in no hurry to use the Intel controller built into the chipset.

The port panel contains two digital S/PDIF connectors, six analog connectors, 4 USB ports, and PS/2 ports. The COM port has been removed, but if desired, it can be returned (the “pants” with a connector are not included in the package), and the LPT port has been retained.

The detailed table about motherboard configuration is given below:

Design. The lack of functionality can be compensated for by expansion cards; fortunately, the P5B has enough slots. The developers managed to place three PCI and PCI Express x1 slots in such a way that the devices will not interfere with each other: the video card does not block the memory latches, PCI cards do not rest against the heatsink or IDE connector, etc. The processor area is practically free of high capacitors; installation/removal of the processor occurs without problems. The power connectors are very well located, and the fan connectors, of which there are only 4, are distributed at three points on the board. Only one group of pins - for USB ports 9 and 10 - is located closer to the center, the rest - for the USB, COM and S/PDIF ports, as well as the front panel audio connectors - are located along the lower edge of the board. At the same time, ASUS P5B is slightly smaller in width than other motherboard models; it fits perfectly into a standard Midi-Tower case.

However, there are a couple of inconvenient moments in the design of the board. We didn't like the IDE connector - it is located at the very bottom (when the case is oriented vertically), and to connect an optical drive to it you will have to either lower it into the last compartment of the case or lay a cable on top of the video card. The jumper for clearing CMOS is also very inconveniently located; it is difficult to feel with your fingers: the video card, cables, and the wire from the fan are in the way.

Many users are familiar with the “invention” of ASUS - connectors for connecting LEDs and front panel buttons (the so-called Q-Connector technology).

ASUS also comes with connectors for a pair of USB ports; Front panel audio connectors would also be nice. As unnecessary, color coding is not used.

Power, cooling. The P5B model is equipped with a three-channel processor power regulator (VRM), which is not too powerful for extreme overclocking.

No cooling is used for transistors. The chipset chips are individually equipped with heatsinks: the MCH northbridge is large and tall, spring-mounted,...

South bridge ICH - flat needle-shaped, with regular plastic latches:

All four fan headers support BIOS voltage control;

The motherboard can be configured for both quiet, almost silent operation and enhanced airflow for the processor and other components.

Overall, the P5B motherboard has a well-thought-out design and reasonably balanced functionality.

BIOS Setup

We are pleased to note that the youngest model in the series retained all the necessary settings, so it can be used without any problems for experiments with optimization and overclocking of memory and processor. At the same time, other manufacturers often go for a total reduction in the available settings - to differentiate products from different price groups.

The ASUS board allows you to make the following settings as simply and with predictable results as possible:

In the corresponding section, you can configure the processor - disable a number of technologies supported by Core 2 Duo (virtualization, SpeedStep, C1E, EDB), which is useful for experiments, and also lower the multiplier down to the minimum for this processor model:

The P5B has very few settings for the memory controller in the BIOS: basic timings (tCL, tRAS, tRCD, tRP, tWR) are supplemented by tRRD, tWRD, tRWD, etc., which are less relevant for overclocking.

In addition to manual settings, the board offers a choice of two automatic overclocking modes - static (AI) and dynamic (AI NOS). In the latter case, you can specify how much (in percentage) overclocking should be done and at what load on the processor (light or heavy) overclocking should begin.

At the same time, access to the voltage and memory frequency settings is not blocked, as is often the case, so this mode is quite suitable for use.

Also, the contents of BIOS and CMOS can be stored on a hard drive, USB flash drive or floppy disk; The utility built into the BIOS supports devices with the FAT file system.

The proprietary anti-freeze system, called C.P.R. (CPU Parameters Recall), allows you to do without the CMOS clearing procedure when it freezes. It is enough to turn off the power and then apply it again, and the BIOS will boot the system with safe settings and offer to correct incorrect settings without clearing them. Since C.P.R. works correctly in 95% of cases (except for some memory settings - the system cannot detect the fact of freezing), the savings in time and nerves during overclocking are colossal.

We also mention the proprietary BIOS firmware utility, which supports USB flash drives and hard drives. It can be launched directly from the BIOS or by pressing a key combination during initial boot (POST).

Equipment

A completely standard and unremarkable package.

Perhaps the only interesting thing is the thick user manual in English. It describes in detail not only the hardware features of the board, but also the nuances of setting up the sound driver, RAID, all proprietary utilities, etc. We have already mentioned the Q-Connector pads and the bracket with USB ports.

Testing

Most users consider the main advantage of the modern Intel platform (Core 2 Duo processor plus 965 series chipset) to be an incredible overclocking headroom. Many motherboards are capable of operating at FSB frequencies of more than 500 MHz (at a nominal 266 MHz), and Core 2 Duo processors at 3.5 GHz and higher. At the same time, power consumption and heating of components remain within normal limits; liquid cooling or powerful (and at the same time noisy) coolers are not at all necessary. Therefore, we will start with overclocking.

Overclocking. We were unable to achieve stable operation from the board at an FSB frequency of 500 MHz. The board loaded reliably at both 480 and 490 MHz, but problems were periodically observed: freezes, including during boot, inability to reboot, etc. Stable operation was observed up to approximately FSB frequency 475 MHz. We suspect that the problem lies in insufficient cooling of the chipset when its supply voltage is significantly increased (1.55 V and higher); We plan to return to this issue later.

Our test configuration included:

processor Core 2 Duo E6400 revision B2: nominal frequency 2.13 GHz (bus 266 MHz), 2 MB L2 cache;
ASUS P5B board revision 1.04G, BIOS version 1102;
two Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800 1 GB memory sticks;
Foxconn GeForce 7900GS video card;
hard drive WD Caviar SE 250 GB, Serial ATA/300;
GlacialPower 550 W power supply;
operating system Windows XP SP2 32bit.

Without lowering the multiplier, the processor worked stably at 3.4 GHz (425 x 8) with a Vcore voltage of 1.45 V, which is about a 60% increase; further overclocking required the use of a more powerful cooler than the GlacialTech 5050. We decided to stop at this point and not take additional measures to improve cooling. The memory operated at a frequency of 850 (425) MHz with timings of 5-5-5-15-2. We also tested the board at nominal frequencies to determine the amount of performance gain from overclocking.

We ran a series of tests and got the following results:

Thus, we get quite tangible and significant benefits from overclocking the processor, without spending on special expensive memory (many DDR2-800 modules can operate at 425 MHz), power supply, or cooler.

Among the unpleasant aspects, it should be noted that the BIOS behaves incorrectly when overclocking the processor, starting from a bus frequency of 300 MHz. When you turn on and reboot, the system turns off briefly, for 2-3 seconds, and then turns on on its own and starts loading. The BIOS also shows up when you change some significant settings - processor, chipset and memory supply voltages, increasing the FSB bus frequency, etc.; In the official ASUS FAQ we saw mention of a “full chipset reset” (Chipset Reset). It is clear that developers want to ensure stable operation of the system during overclocking, but the hard drive and power supply from such “tricks” can fail ahead of time.

conclusions

The ASUS P5B motherboard can be described as a well-designed, balanced and reliable (according to service centers) product that fits well into its niche. Although it has limited functionality, this board offers ample expansion and connection options for external devices, and has a well-developed BIOS with a sufficient number of options. Convenient to assemble, convenient to configure, allows you to decently overclock the processor. Unfortunately, the cost of the board for its class is very high, which does not allow us to recommend it to a wide audience of users.

good layout;
presence of an eSATA port;
fan control support;
thoughtful BIOS Setup;
effective freeze protection system;
simple and convenient BIOS flashing utility;
possibility of overclocking the processor by bus (up to 470-478 MHz).

overcharge;
inconvenient location of the IDE connector;
not designed for extreme overclocking;
"oddities" of the BIOS.

Choosing a motherboard is always a very difficult matter. And choosing a budget motherboard is a hundred times more difficult. There are many factors to consider. The main one is the ability to connect all modern devices. The type of processors supported is also extremely important. In this regard, the Plus motherboard looks very attractive. Let's look at this product in more detail.

What is this fee?

Plus Xeon motherboard is a budget solution for weak computers. This board was released back in 2007 and has already become obsolete. A sign of an “old” product is the presence of a special IDE connector for a floppy disk, which no one has used for twenty years. Nevertheless, this motherboard is quite suitable for creating a computer with good multimedia capabilities. But this solution is not suitable for games. Only the earliest versions will be able to run.

Specifications

ASUS P5B Plus is made on the chip used - Intel P965. This means that it easily supports Core 2 Duo processors. But the newfangled Cores are not available to her. The highlight of this motherboard is its very high-quality sound chip. Typically, manufacturers supply boards with an inexpensive and not very high-quality chip from Realtek. A more advanced chipset from Analog Devices is also installed here, which features high-quality sound. The motherboard supports it in the 7.1 standard.

Let's move on to a deeper analysis of Plus. The characteristics of this board are as follows: supported processors - Duo family from Intel, some models from AMD, system bus frequency - 1066 MHz, memory type - DDR2, Ethernet data transfer speed - 1000 Mbit per second. Features are pretty standard for a 2007. Such parameters were common for inexpensive motherboards. Some of them are still relevant today.

Interfaces and connectors

Everything here is not as good as we would like. ASUS P5B Plus is equipped with four USB 2.0 connectors. There can be no talk of any “troika”. There are PCI Express expansion slots and other necessary connectors (including SATA and IDE). By the way, the presence of a rudimentary IDE is another indication that the motherboard is truly rare. But who knows? What if it still comes in handy? Let's say someone still has an old hard drive with the necessary information.

Other connectors include SPIDF (optical and coaxial), connectors for connecting individual components of a 7.1 standard speaker system, PS2 connectors for connecting a mouse and keyboard (another indication of the “antiquity” of the board) and other connectors (for example, LTP). This set is standard for motherboards. Moreover, even modern models have such “richness”. This means that this motherboard is still relevant. By the way, it has one intriguing feature: support for FireWire and eSATA technologies. Not every modern motherboard can boast of this. And therefore, this component is preferable even to many current options.

After the appearance of the new line of ASUS P5K motherboards based on the new Intel P35 Express chipset, it may be somewhat irrelevant to describe a board based on the “outdated” Intel P965 Express chipset. But in fact, the ASUS P5B series of motherboards remains a very interesting and sought-after product. The new chipset did not make a noticeable leap in performance; yes, it supports Intel processors with a 1333 MHz bus, but these processors are not yet on the market. The ASUS P5B line of boards will be in demand for at least half a year, because the price of the recently released series of boards is currently a little high. In this review, we will look at the low-end model of the line of motherboards based on the Intel P965 chipset ASUS P5B.

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 DIMMs, dual-channel architecture up to 8 GB
Expansion slots	1 x PCI-E x16 3 x PCI-E x1 3 x PCI 2.2
Disk subsystem	ICH8 Southbridge supports: 4 x Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s Optional JMicron JMB363 controller supports: 1 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66/33 1 x Serial ATAI/II 1 x External Serial ATA 3 Gb/s (SATA On-the-Go) SATA RAID 0, 1 and JBOD
Sound subsystem	SoundMAX ADI AD1988A 8-channel S/PDIF-Out ASUS Noise Filter
LAN support	Realtek PCI-E Gigabit Network Controller (RTL8111B)
	24-pin ATX power connector 4-pin ATX12V power connector
Cooling	Radiator on north and south bridge
Fan connectors	1 x CPU 3 x case fans
External I/O ports	1 x Parallel Printer Port 1 x PS/2 keyboard connection port 1 x PS/2 mouse connection port 1 x S/PDIF output (coaxial + optical) 1 x External SATA 4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 1 x LAN (RJ45) 8 channel audio output
Internal I/O ports	3 x USB support 6 USB ports 1 x COM 1 x Floppy disk 5 x SATA 1 x IDE 1x S/PDIF output Front panel audio connectors: 1 x Azalia Digital Header 1 x S/PDIF Out Header System panel connector Chassis Intrusion
	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 and memory voltage.
Proprietary technologies	ASUS C.P.R. AI NOS ASUS AI Gear ASUS AI Nap ASUS Q-Fan 2 ASUS O.C. Profile ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 ASUS EZ Flash 2 ASUS MyLogo 2
Equipment (important)	4 x SATA cable 2 x SATA power adapter with two SATA connectors 1 x UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable 1 x FDD cable 1 x USB stick with two connectors 1 x ASUS Q-Connector (2xUSB, system panel) Instructions 1 x CD with drivers
Form factor Dimensions, mm	ATX 12"x 9.6" 305 x 244
Products webpage	The latest BIOS version can be downloaded from the official page. Drivers for the motherboard can be downloaded from the official website.

The motherboard is packaged in a cardboard box, which is marked with support for the Windows Vista operating system and quad-core Intel 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 look at the technologies highlighted by the manufacturer:

AI NOS(Non-delay Overclocking System) – instant overclocking system that intelligently detects system load and automatically increases its performance.

AI Gear– this technology allows you to select a profile according to which the frequency of the processor, system bus and vCore voltage will be adjusted, thereby reducing noise and energy consumption.

AI Nap– technology that reduces noise and energy consumption to a minimum. It puts the computer into power saving mode without turning off applications, and wakes up the system with a simple press of a keyboard or mouse button.

If you would like to familiarize yourself in more detail with the entire list and description of proprietary ASUS technologies that this motherboard supports, you can do this on the manufacturer’s website.

The ASUS P5B motherboard is very well equipped. Includes:

motherboard;
CD with software and drivers for Windows Vista;
User manual in English, brief installation instructions,
FDD cable,
cable UltraDMA 133/100/66;
4 Serial ATA cables;
two power adapters for SATA devices, with two connectors;
company sticker;
ASUS Q-Connector;
plug for the rear panel of the case;
strip with two USB connectors.

Note that there is no bracket with a COM port.

The ASUS P5B motherboard is quite well laid out, but, of course, there are some small comments that we will definitely make. Firstly, only a small board can be installed in the topmost PCIE x1 slot, because the northbridge heatsink is located very close. Aluminum radiators are installed on the north and south bridges - it must be said that during long-term testing and overclocking they did not cope with their task very well.

The Floppy connector is rotated, and it will not always be convenient to connect to it in small cases, so we recommend connecting the cable before installing the board in the case. The Intel ICH8 Southbridge 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. In addition to them, there are two more - one is located near the PCI connectors, and the other External SATA port is located on the rear panel. The operation and organization of two hard drives into RAID 0.1 and JBOD arrays can only be provided by the JMicron JMB363 controller. At the same time, we note that it is completely inconvenient to use an external External SATA port to form 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, four of which are located on the rear panel;
- one COM port;
- PCI-E Gigabit LAN controller (RTL8111B) with transfer speeds up to 1 Gbit/s;
- HDA eight-channel audio codec SoundMAX ADI AD1988A with S/PDIF output and Noise Filter noise reduction technology.

The power stabilizer is three-channel, assembled using reliable polymer capacitors 680 μF x 4V and N-channel field-effect transistors NIKO-SEM P0903BDG (25V, 9.5mOhm, 50A). Unfortunately, there are no additional cooling elements on the transistors.

The rear panel has the following ports: two PS/2 for mouse and keyboard, parallel (LPT), six switchable audio ports, 4 USB connectors, RJ45 connector for network connections, SATA On-the-Go, coaxial and optical S/PDIF. Note the absence 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 processor cooler connector is a little distant from LGA775 and is located in the upper part, near the memory slots. The remaining three connectors are conveniently spaced throughout the board, which provides a good choice of places to connect case fans. Q-Fan Control technology allows you to automatically regulate the rotation speed of a processor cooler powered from the CPU Fan connector and two more case fans connected to CHA-FAN 1-2 connectors.

The ASUS P5B motherboard uses AMI BIOS, with a large selection of settings necessary for successful overclocking of the system.

Overclocking options:
- Changing the FSB clock frequency from 100 to 400 MHz in 1 MHz steps (manual input);
- Selecting the operating memory frequency (DDR2-533/667/800/889/1067) and changing memory timings (CL, RCD, RP, RAS, 1T/2T);
- Changing the PCI Express bus frequency from 90 to 150 MHz in 1 MHz steps;

Set the DDR2 memory supply voltage from 1.8 V to 2.45 V, in steps of 0.05 V, or enable the Auto adjustment mode;
- Changing the processor core supply voltage from 1.225 V to 1.7 V in steps of 0.0125 V;

Voltage change FSB Termination 1.2/1.3/1.4/1.45 V;

Change the north bridge supply voltage 1.25/1.4/1.55/1.7 V;
- Change the supply voltage of the south bridge core (SATA, PCIE) 1.5/1.6/1.7/1.8 V;
- Change the supply voltage ICH Chipset 1.057/1.215 V;
- Changing the processor multiplier from 6x to max.

In the Hardware Monitor window you can monitor:
- temperature of the motherboard and processor;
- rotation speed of the processor cooler and two other fans in the case;
- processor core supply voltage;
- the voltage value of the main power lines is 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 a standard procedure for testing the capabilities of the system bus, we were able to increase its frequency to 470 MHz, but we are sure that this is not the limit. Unfortunately, we only had DDR2-800 memory at our disposal; if we had something faster, the result would probably have been better.

Testing

The following equipment was used to test the capabilities of motherboards.

CPU

There is no noticeable difference in performance between motherboards based on the new Intel P35 Express chip compared to motherboards based on the Intel P965 Express chip; all indicators are virtually the same.

conclusions

The ASUS P5B motherboard is a good basis for computer systems on modern Intel processors; the board shows excellent performance and has good overclocking capabilities. But, unfortunately, ASUS P5B has several disadvantages. The Intel ICH8 south bridge cannot organize RAID arrays, so if necessary, you will have to use the capabilities of the additional JMicron JMB363 controller, which supports only two connectors, one of which is located on the rear panel. Also a serious drawback, as it seemed to us, are the bridges that get very hot and the lack of a cooling system on the power stabilization unit. If the radiator of the south bridge was hot during testing, then the radiator of the north bridge was simply red-hot. Although the computer worked stably, there is still some concern for the safety of the chipset under prolonged loads on the system. Therefore, if you decide to do overlocking, then keep this in mind; perhaps it makes sense for you to choose a more expensive board with a better cooling system, or take care of improving the cooling yourself.

The advantages include:

high productivity;
three connectors for connecting additional fans;
a large number of settings in the BIOS required for overclocking;
tested ability to operate at FSB frequency 470 MHz;
external External SATA port;
8-channel High Definition Audio with coaxial and optical S/PDIF outputs.

The disadvantages include:

lack of a COM port on the rear panel and no additional panel included;
poor capabilities for organizing RAID arrays;
weak cooling system;
lack of Firewire.

We would like to express our gratitude to PF Service LLC (Dnepropetrovsk) for the motherboards provided for testing.

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ASUS has always been good at motherboards based on Intel chipsets. And the P5B series, which is based on the 965 series chipsets, is generally considered one of the most successful on the market. This series includes a huge number of different modifications - special overclocking versions, boards with improved equipment, boards for “advanced” office computers, etc. In our review we will look at one of the most affordable modifications, a board with the short name “P5B”. Although this board has basic functionality, it is similar to other, more expensive models, at least in the design of the printed circuit board and the options in the BIOS Setup. This means we can count on high performance and overclockability.

About the P965 chipset

However, Intel chipsets are very expensive. Even such a functionally simple model as the ASUS P5B has a very high price for its class. Only with the release of a new series of Intel chipsets on the scene, and this event should happen this summer, will prices for previous generation motherboards begin to decline.

The Intel P965 chipset can be equipped with various modifications of the ICH8 south bridge, and this is not reflected in its name, as is the case with nForce chipsets. For example, ASUS P5B and P5B-E boards are formally based on the same P965, but differ in functionality. The first one has a basic ICH8 modification, which does not support RAID technology and contains 4 rather than 6 Serial ATA ports.

ASUS P5B. Design, functionality

In the case of the P5B series, ASUS developers decided not to use the same design for all boards in the series. Different models partially coincide in the wiring of certain elements, design of power circuits, layout, number and position of slots, but differ in the number of additional controllers, their location, and the presence of certain internal connectors.

So, on the P5B board we will find only three additional chips - an audio codec, a network controller and the already mentioned JMicron chip. Let's start with the last one. The JMB363 controller, the most common and popular among various board manufacturers, supports both Parallel ATA and Serial ATA. There is only one IDE connector on the motherboard, which is supposed to be used to connect an optical drive. Serial ATA ports support the ability to organize RAID level 0 or 1. However, ASUS developers decided to use one of the ports to connect an external hard drive with an External SATA (SATA-on-the-go) interface - it is displayed on the ports panel. Therefore, organizing RAID on the P5B is hardly possible; this is a rather significant drawback of the board.

The sound quality of the Analog Devices audio codec differs for the better from the more common Realtek codecs; There’s also nothing special to write about the Realtek RTL8111B network controller.

Manufacturer	ASUSTeK
Model	P5B
Chipset	Intel P965 Express
Socket	Socket T (LGA775)
Form factor	ATX, 30.5 x 23 cm
average price	$125-150
Functionality		Extension
Integrated Graphics:	-	Memory:
HDD/ODD connection:		type	DDR2
controller No. 1	(built-in)	ECC	-
Serial ATA	3 Gbps	slots	2+2
RAID	-	Expansion slots:
eSATA	-	PCI Express x16	1
ports	4	PCI Express x8	-
Parallel ATA	-	PCI Express x4	-
RAID	-	PCI Express x1	3
channels	-	PCI	3
controller No. 2	JMicron JMB363	other	-
Serial ATA	3 Gbps	Internal connectors:
RAID	0, 1	nutrition	24+4
eSATA	+	built-in sound:
ports	2	Front Panel	+ (AC"97/HDA)
Parallel ATA	There is	CD-In	+
RAID	-	Aux-In	-
channels	1	S/PDIF In	-
Floppy drive	+	S/PDIF Out	+
Built-in sound:		USB	3 x 2
interface	HD Audio	FireWire	-
codec (controller)	ADI AD1988A	Case Intrusion	+
channels	7.1+2	IrDA	-
S/PDIF	Out	SMBus/I2O	+
detection	+	other	COM
reassignment	+	External connectors:
3D	EAX1/2, DS3D, A3D	PS/2	2
Dolby/DTS encoding	-	COM	-
microphones	x2, NR	LPT	1
other	-	Game	-
Built-in network:		USB	4
controller	Realtek RTL8111B	FireWire	-
codec	(built-in)	Audio-jack	6
GbE support	+	S/PDIF coaxial	1
Virtual Tester	-	S/PDIF optical	1
other	-	VGA	-
WiFi:		DVI	-
controller	-	LAN RJ-45	1
protocols	-	eSATA	1
FireWire	-	other	-
other	-

The lack of functionality can be compensated for by expansion cards; fortunately, the P5B has enough slots. The developers managed to place three PCI and PCI Express x1 slots in such a way that the devices will not interfere with each other: the video card does not block the memory latches, PCI cards do not rest against the heatsink or IDE connector, etc. The processor area is practically free of high capacitors, and the power connectors and fan headers are very well located.

The P5B model is equipped with a three-channel processor power regulator (VRM), which is not too powerful for extreme overclocking. No cooling is used for transistors. The chipset chips are individually equipped with heatsinks: the north bridge MCH is large and tall, spring-mounted, the south bridge ICH is flat, needle-shaped, with regular plastic latches.

BIOS Setup

FSB frequency - up to 650 MHz in 1 MHz steps;
memory multiplier - 1:1, 5:4, 3:2, 5:3 and 2:1 from the FSB frequency;
PCI Express frequency - up to 150 MHz in 1 MHz increments;
voltage: Vcore (up to 1.7 V in steps of 0.0125 V), Vdimm (up to 2.45 V in steps of 0.10 or 0.05 V), Vtt (1.2 - 1.45 V), voltage at MCH (up to 1.7 V) and ICH (up to 1.8 V) .

The P5B has very few settings for the memory controller in the BIOS: basic timings (tCL, tRAS, tRCD, tRP, tWR) are supplemented by tRRD, tWRD, tRWD, etc., which are less relevant for overclocking.

The entire set of settings made can be saved in CMOS memory; Only two profiles are available. Also, the contents of BIOS and CMOS can be stored on a hard drive, USB flash drive or floppy disk; The utility built into the BIOS supports devices with the FAT file system.

The proprietary anti-freeze system, called C.P.R. (CPU Parameters Recall), allows you to do without the CMOS clearing procedure when it freezes. It is enough to turn off the power and then apply it again, and the BIOS will boot the system with safe settings and offer to correct incorrect settings without clearing them. Since C.P.R. works correctly in 95% of cases (except for some memory settings, the system cannot detect the fact of freezing), the savings in time and nerves during overclocking are colossal.

Testing

Overclocking We were unable to achieve stable operation from the board at an FSB frequency of 500 MHz. The board loaded reliably at both 480 and 490 MHz, but problems were periodically observed: freezes, including during boot, inability to reboot, etc. Stable operation was observed up to approximately FSB frequency 475 MHz. We suspect that the problem lies in insufficient cooling of the chipset when its supply voltage is significantly increased (1.55 V and higher); We plan to return to this issue later.

Our test configuration included:

processor Core 2 Duo E6400 revision B2: nominal frequency 2.13 GHz (bus 266 MHz), 2 MB L2 cache;
ASUS P5B board revision 1.04G, BIOS version 1102;
two Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800 1 GB memory sticks;
Foxconn GeForce 7900GS video card;
hard drive WD Caviar SE 250 GB, Serial ATA/300;
GlacialPower 550 W power supply;
operating system Windows XP SP2 32bit.

Motherboard	ASUS P5B	ASUS P5B @ 425
- chipset	Intel P965
CPU	Core 2 Duo E6400
- clock frequency	2.13 GHz	3.4 GHz
- L1 cache	2 x 64 KB
- kzsh L2	2 MB
Memory	Corsair XMS2
- volume	2 x 1 GB
- clock frequency	400 MHz (DDR2-800)	425 MHz
- delays	5-5-5-15-2	5-5-5-15-2
Video card	GeForce 7900GS
HDD	WD Caviar SE
Comprehensive test (Sysmark04 SE)
Office Productivity	228	286
Communication	197	225
Document Creation	276	387
Data Analysis	219	269
Internet Content Creation	364	532
3D Creation	324	494
2D Creation	444	630
Web Publication	336	483
Compression and archiving
MPEG2 -> WMV9	12.75	19.2
MPEG2 -> XviD	23.28	34.5
MPEG2 -> DivX	38.12	57.22
WAV -> MP3	98	62
WAV -> AAC	157	100
WinRAR 3.41	1082	1230
7-Zip 4.42	2503	2934
Other tests
Photoshop CS2	3.4	5.1
Premiere Pro 2.0	11.24	17.24
Visual Studio .NET 2003	327	218
Solidworks 2005	2.08	2.92
Pro/Engineer WildFire 2.0	2.03	2.89

We ran a series of tests and got the following results:

in the complex test SYSMark 2004 SE, the increase ranged from 14% (mail and Internet) to 53% (3D Studio Max 8); graphics and video processing programs won at least 40%;
when compressing video, the increase is about 50%, regardless of the codec (DivX, Xvid, WMV);
archivers won no more than 15% - memory access speed is more important for them;
in Adobe Photoshop CS2 and Adobe Premiere Pro 2, again, there is an increase of about 50%;
3D design programs received about 40% of the winnings;
compilation speed in Visual Studio .NET has increased by a third.

conclusions

good layout;
presence of an eSATA port;
fan control support;
thoughtful BIOS Setup;
effective freeze protection system;
simple and convenient BIOS flashing utility;
possibility of overclocking the processor by bus (up to 470-478 MHz).

overcharge;
inconvenient location of the IDE connector;
not designed for extreme overclocking;
"oddities" of the BIOS.

Max KURMAZ,
[email protected]
Project GIGAMARK

We thank CDL Systems for providing the ASUS motherboard

Thank you online storeEvent-pc.com for the provided Intel Core 2 Duo processor

Thank you online storeUltraprice.by for the provided Corsair memory

Choosing an inexpensive and productive platform, designed primarily for working with office applications, leads to the idea of choosing a motherboard with an integrated graphics card. The main advantages of this solution are: saving money that would have been spent on purchasing an external video card, as well as lower overall system power consumption, providing only the required minimum video subsystem performance. Now there are a lot of interesting similar offers on the market. One of them, so to speak, fell into our hands - this is the ASUS P5B-VM SE motherboard from the P5B series released last year, on the G965 chipset. This year, Intel released new chipsets G31, G33, Q35 and G35 equipped with built-in graphics accelerators. If we compare the capabilities of the built-in graphics cores of the previous and new line of chipsets, they have not become much better. For example, only the G35 chipset received support for DirectX 10, Shader Model 4.0, OpenGL 2.0 and a core frequency of 667 MHz, while the G31/G33 chipsets have very similar video core characteristics and, accordingly, performance to the G965. The main advantages of the new chipsets are support for a 1333 MHz system bus and support for upcoming processors using 45 nm technology. But both of these advantages are still of little interest if an inexpensive working system is being assembled, and these are the ones that are most often needed when it comes to saving money. But, thanks to the release of new solutions, motherboards based on previous generation chipsets have become a little cheaper. In the meantime, there are still models on sale such as ASUS P5B-VM SE, which are not much inferior to the new models in terms of capabilities, but at the same time have a more attractive price.

ASUS P5B-VM SE motherboard specification:

Manufacturer

North Bridge
South Bridge
CPU socket
Supported processors	Intel Core 2 Quad / Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Duo / Pentium Extreme / Pentium D / Pentium 4
System bus, MHz	1066 / 800 /533 MHz
Memory used	DDR2 800 / 667 / 533 MHz
Memory support	4 x 240-pin DIMMs, dual-channel architecture up to 8 GB
Expansion slots	1 x PCI-E x16 1 x PCI-E x1 2 x PCI 2.2
	Intel GMA X3000 High Definition Video Processing with a maximum resolution of 2048 x 1536 @ 75Hz Maximum usage up to 256MB RAM Supports DX 9, OpenGL 1.5, Pixel Shader 3.0
Disk subsystem	ICH8 Southbridge supports: 4 x Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s Optional JMB368 controller supports: 1 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66/33
Sound subsystem	Realtek ALC883, 6-channel High-Definition Audio codec coaxial S/PDIF
LAN support	Attansic L1 PCI-E Gigabit LAN Network Controller
	24-pin ATX power connector 4-pin ATX12V power connector
Cooling	Aluminum radiator on north and south bridge
Fan connectors	1 x CPU 1 x case fan
External I/O ports	2 x PS/2 port for connecting keyboard and mouse 1 x LPT 1 x COM port 1 x VGA 4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 1 x LAN (RJ45) 6 channel audio output
Internal I/O ports	6 x USB 1 x FDD 4 x SATA 1 x IDE 1x S/PDIF output Front panel audio connectors System panel connector Chassis Intrusion
	8 Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.4, ACPI 2.0a, ASUS EZ Flash 2, ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
Overclocking capabilities	Frequency change: FSB, PCI-Express, memory. Change voltage on: memory.
Proprietary technologies	ASUS C.P.R. ASUS Q-Fan ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 ASUS EZ Flash 2 ASUS MyLogo 2
Equipment (important)	1 x SATA cable 1 x SATA power adapter 1 x UltraDMA cable 1 x FDD cable Instructions and Guide 2 x CD with drivers and software
Form factor Dimensions, mm	MicroATX 9.6"x 8.4" 244 x 213
Products webpage	http://www. asus. com/ The latest BIOS version can be downloaded from the official page.
average price	View in price. ua. View in price. ru.

First, let's look at the architecture of the Intel G965 chipset. This chipset supports DDR2-800 memory and only a 1066 MHz system bus. The ICH8 series south bridges have 10 USB 2.0 ports and up to six Serial ATA ports. The graphics core function is performed by the Intel GMA X3000, which has a built-in RAMDAC frequency of 400 MHz and is capable of supporting a maximum resolution of 2048x1536 at 75 Hz vertical scan. The Intel G965 chipset supports Intel Clear Video Technology, which provides enhanced high-definition video playback capabilities, sharp images with improved interlace conversion, and advanced ProcAmp color management capabilities.

The ASUS P5B-VM SE motherboard is packaged in a black and blue cardboard box, which features support for the Windows Vista operating system, Intel processors with quad-core architecture and the presence of an integrated Intel GMA X3000 video accelerator.

On the back of the package there is a photograph of the ASUS P5B-VM SE motherboard and again emphasis is placed on support for quad-core processors and the presence of proprietary utilities:

ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 - a utility that automatically repairs damaged BIOS. You can use it by using the included CD, as well as a flash drive or Floppy disk containing the updated BIOS version file. ASUS EZ Flash 2 is a utility that allows you to update the BIOS version directly from its settings menu, and eliminates the need to use DOS BIOS flashing utilities and a boot floppy disk. ASUS Q-Fan is a technology for automatically controlling the rotation speed of a processor fan. ASUS MyLogo 2 is a utility that converts graphic files into a 256-color image of the required format for the BIOS boot background.

Contents of the ASUS P5B-VM SE motherboard:

two CDs with software and drivers for Windows XP and Vista; user manual in English, brief installation instructions, FDD cable, UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable; Serial ATA cable; power adapter for SATA devices; company sticker; plug for the rear panel of the case.

The ASUS P5B-VM SE motherboard is soldered onto a microATX form factor PCB. The layout of the board is very good and has no serious criticisms. Since ASUS P5B-VM SE belongs to the budget class, reliable polymer capacitors were installed only in the processor power stabilization unit (VRM), and all other capacitors on the motherboard were with ordinary liquid electrolyte. To cool the north bridge, which serves as a video accelerator, it has a standard medium-sized aluminum radiator painted black.

A small aluminum radiator is installed on the south bridge, also painted black and marked with the company name “ASUS”. The Intel ICH8 South Bridge supports four SATA II ports, without the ability to form RAID arrays. To support the only IDE connector located on the bottom edge of the ASUS P5B-VM SE, an additional JMB368 controller supporting Ultra DMA 133/100/66/33 is installed. The BIOS reset jumper is located under the 24-pin power connector, on the right edge of the motherboard. The front panel connector is not color-coded, and the kit does not include the special Q-connector that is usual for ASUS motherboards, so when connecting, you will need to be guided by the diagram or instructions given next to it. The green LED indicator for the presence of standby power on the motherboard is soldered between the PCI connectors and the south bridge.

ASUS P5B-VM SE has two PCI slots, one PCIE x1, and one PCIE x16 video card slot. On the left side of the motherboard there is an HDA six-channel audio codec Realtek ALC883, and an Attansic L1 network controller that supports 10/100/1000 Mbit/s modes. The front panel audio connector is located at the bottom left side, and supports connection in both HDA and AC`97 formats.

In addition, there are four USB ports on the bottom edge of the motherboard and two more are soldered near the I/O panel. Here, near the I/O connectors, a mounting hole is made in the motherboard PCB for a WiFi module, which can be installed on a more functional modification of the board or you can try to purchase it separately.

The processor power stabilizer on the ASUS P5B-VM SE motherboard is three-channel.

The following ports are located on the rear panel: two PS/2 for keyboard and mouse, three switchable audio ports, four USB connectors, an RJ45 connector for network connections, parallel LPT, serial COM port and VGA video output.

The ASUS P5B-VM SE motherboard has two fan headers. One 4-pin for the CPU cooler is located on the right side of the processor socket, and the other 3-pin for the case fan is located above the RAM slots.

The ASUS P5B-VM SE motherboard uses AMI BIOS, with a fairly small set of settings required for overclocking.

Overclocking settings are located in the “Advanced” section.

In the “JumperFree Configurstion” section, you can set the “Overlocker profile”, which proportionally increases the system bus clock speed by 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 30%.

In the “custom” setting mode, you can change the FSB clock frequency from 100 MHz to 400 MHz using manual input and change the PCI Express bus frequency from 90 to 150 MHz in 1 MHz steps, and also select the power supply voltage for 1.8 V RAM power modules or 1.9 V.

In the “CPU Configuration” subsection you can activate the following Intel processor technologies:

In the “CPU ratio adjustment” item, you can activate the custom mode and fix the processor multiplier from 6x to max; “C1E Support” - allows the shutdown of processor blocks during system inactivity to reduce its power consumption; “Hardware Prefetcher” - enables hardware prefetching of data from memory, which should slightly increase performance; “Adjacent Cache Line Prefetch” - enables a mode that allows prefetching adjacent cache lines. If this option is disabled, only one 64-byte line of a 128-byte sector is prefetched. “Max CPUID Value Limit” - this option is required when using processors of the new Core 2 Duo architecture in conjunction with older operating systems such as Windows 95/98/Me. When activated (Enable), the “identification number” (CPUID) of the processor, which is standardly initialized by the operating system at boot, is lowered. This allows you to avoid including new processor instructions that are not “understood” by the operating systems, and thus avoid conflicts. “Vanderpool Technology” is a technology that allows two operating systems, main and guest, to simultaneously access hardware, running on a virtual machine. “CPU TM function” - permission to “throttle” the processor (skipping clock pulses, reducing the clock frequency and operating voltage) in case of overheating. “Execute Disable Bit” - enables support for the hardware-software buffer overflow protection mechanism, a mechanism used by many malware to cause damage or penetrate the system. “PECI” - the inclusion of Platform Environment Control Interface technology, which provides independent processing of temperature sensor readings and activates the function of automatic control of the rotation speed of the processor cooler and case fans.

The Chipset / North Bridge Configuration subsection includes the following settings:

“DRAM Frequency” - allows you to set a divider for DDR2-533/667/800 RAM, “Configure DRAM Timing by SPD” - activates the ability to change RAM timings (CL, RCD, RP, RAP); “Memory Hole” - enabling this parameter prevents ordinary programs from using the 15 megabyte memory area, which allows you to increase the speed of accessing I/O devices. “Initiate Graphic Adapter” - sets the order of initialization of the video accelerator. Possible settings: , , , , . “Internal Graphics Adapter” - enables the integrated video accelerator and sets the default frame buffer size for 2D applications. Possible settings: , , . If you are using a large desktop resolution, you should select a setting with a larger value. “PEG Force x1” - allows you to allocate only one data line for the PCI-E x16 slot. In the “Video Function Configuration” menu, you can enable the DVMT mode, which allows you to dynamically change the amount of memory used for the integrated graphics core. In addition, the amount of allocated RAM for the needs of the integrated video accelerator can be fixed at 128 MB or 256 MB.

In the Hardware Monitor window you can monitor:
- processor temperature;
- rotation speed of the processor cooler and case fan;
- processor core supply voltage;
- the voltage value of the main power lines is 3.3V, 5V, 12V.

In the “CPU Q-Fan Control” item, you can activate the proprietary technology for automatically controlling the fan speed of the Q-Fan processor cooler. To optimize the technology, it is advisable to set the minimum speed threshold of the connected fan in the “CPU Target Temperature” item as a percentage from 20% to 90% in 10% increments (apparently, here you need to take into account the fan parameters and, assuming that 12V is 100%, set its minimum operating voltage). In addition, in the “CPU Target Temperature” item you need to set the temperature to which the minimum speed will correspond.

Carrying out the standard procedure for testing the capabilities of the system bus, we were able to increase its frequency only to 325 MHz.

Testing

The following equipment was used to test the capabilities of motherboards.

CPU

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 (LGA775, 1.86 GHz, L2 2 MB)

Thermaltake Sonic Tower (CL-P0071) + Akasa AK-183-L2B 120 mm

RAM

The ASUS P5B-VM SE motherboard shows a good level of performance. A large difference in results in the PCMark`05 graphics test was obtained due to the use of different versions of video card drivers.

Testing the motherboard on an integrated Intel video accelerator GMA X3000

PCMark"05	Intel GMA X3000




CrystalMark











SmartFPS. com 1.5( 800x600 (60Hz),NO AA/AF,) fps

The results of the Intel GMA X3000 graphics core are quite weak for a 3D accelerator. With this level of performance, it is unlikely that it will be possible to play any modern game normally, but we hope that people choosing such platforms do not count on this much, because the integrated video accelerator is, first of all, just an adapter for output images on the monitor.

conclusions

The ASUS P5B-VM SE motherboard is a very good option for both an office computer and a home system that is tasked with basically the same tasks, plus working with multimedia applications. Although, ASUS P5B-VM SE belongs to the old line of motherboards and does not have support for the latest Intel processors, but it demonstrates good performance. The advantage of ASUS P5B-VM SE is the relatively good integrated video accelerator Intel GMA X3000. Since the GMA X3500 and GMA X 3100 graphics cores of the new G35 and G33 chipsets have not yet demonstrated a noticeable performance gap, people who simply need a platform with built-in video should not make hasty conclusions and chase the “novelty”. It probably makes sense to save a little and buy this product while you still have the opportunity. The capabilities of the ASUS P5B-VM SE motherboard in terms of overclocking are not very outstanding, since the supply voltage of the memory modules cannot be raised above 1.9 V and there is absolutely no voltage regulation on the processor, but even then you can carry out “safe” overclocking and increase productivity by 20-30%.

Advantages:

high performance; integrated video accelerator Intel GMA X3000; affordable price.

Flaws:

lack of support for processors running on a 1333 MHz system bus and made using 45 nm technology; poor overclocking capabilities; one PCI-E x1 slot; lack of DVI output.