It just so happened that in order to attract buyers, motherboard manufacturers produce several variants of motherboards on the same set of system logic, which differ both in cost and in technical characteristics and capabilities. So, for example, ASUS also releases, in addition to the main base model, several more of its versions - more expensive and “stuffed” with PRO and DELUXE prefixes, and a cheaper, so to speak, “stripped down” version with the SE prefix. The latter often do not have various additional extensions and special features, but these “bells and whistles” are not always needed. So, the ASUS P6T SE motherboard under consideration this time is built on the Intel X58 Express chipset, paired with the ICH10R south bridge, it has an LGA1366 processor socket for installing Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition or Intel Core i7 processors, supports three-channel mode work with DDR3 memory with a total capacity of up to 24 GB and, as the name implies, is a cheaper version of the previously reviewed ASUS P6T. Let's see what the engineers of the eminent company ASUS decided to save on, and how it affected the performance and overclocking potential of this product.
ASUS P6T SE motherboard specification:
|
Manufacturer |
|
|
Intel X58 Express |
|
|
Processor socket |
|
|
Supported processors |
Intel Core i7, Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition |
|
System bus (QPI) |
|
|
Used memory |
DDR3 2000/1866/1800/1600/1333/1066MHz |
|
Memory support |
6 x 240-pin DIMM tri-channel architecture up to 24 GB |
|
Expansion slots |
3 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 |
|
CrossFireX Technology |
ATI Quad-GPU CrossFireX x16+x16 or x8+x8+x8 |
|
Disk subsystem |
Southbridge ICH10R supports: JMicron JMB363 controller: |
|
Realtek 8111C Gigabit Network LAN Controller with AI NET2 Support |
|
|
Sound subsystem |
Realtek ALC1200 8-channel High-Definition Audio codec |
|
VIA VT6315N two ports IEEE 1394a |
|
|
24-pin ATX power connector |
|
|
Cooling |
Passive cooling system consisting of aluminum radiators and a heat pipe |
|
Fan Connectors |
1 x CPU |
|
External I/O ports |
1 x PS/2 (Keyboard) |
|
Internal I/O ports |
6 x USB |
|
16 Mbit Flash ROM |
|
|
Overclocking options |
Frequency change: |
|
Proprietary technologies |
ASUS TurboV |
|
Equipment |
User guide; |
|
Form factor Dimensions, mm |
ATX 12" x 9.6" |
|
Products webpage |
New BIOS and driver versions can be downloaded from the support page. |
The packaging of the ASUS P6T SE motherboard is made of thick cardboard with high-quality color printing and practically does not differ in design and colors from the packaging of P5Q series motherboards. On the front side, with the help of pictograms, it is indicated that the Intel X58 system logic set is used for the production of the board, DDR3 memory with a frequency of up to 2000 MHz is supported, Quad CrossFireX functions and technologies are implemented, ASUS Express Gate, TurboV, EPU and the processor power stabilizer has 8+ 2 phase.
On the back of the box, TurboV and EPU technologies are described in more detail, which simplify overclocking and save energy, as well as a photo of the board itself, and with the help of small icons, its main features are indicated.
ASUS P6T SE comes with:
- user guide;
- 4 x SATA cables;
- 1 x UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable;
- ASUS Q-Sheld rear panel cover;
- a set of Q-Connectors;
- DVD with drivers and utilities.
The delivery set is minimal, it contains nothing but the bare essentials. But the board is also positioned as a budget option for "top" systems.
The ASUS P6T SE motherboard makes a good impression with a high-quality assembly of elements. All connectors are offset to the edges of the board for easy and convenient connection to them. The board has six slots for installing DDR3 memory, up to a total of 24 GB, which can work in both dual-channel and triple-channel modes, but do not forget that 64-bit operating systems must be used to support this amount of RAM. The power button is soldered near the DIMM slots, but the Reset button was not soldered in order to save money, leaving an empty space. The logic of this is not entirely clear, but, as they say, we save on everything we can. The board also differs from ASUS P6T in a smaller number of SATA connectors and the absence of an FDD connector. Combining video cards using CrossFireX technology is possible using three PCI Express x16 slots, working according to the formula x16 + x16 or x8 + x8 + x8. PCI Express x16 slots alternate with a PCI Express x1 slot and two PCI slots.
On the reverse side of the board, under the processor socket, there is a supporting metal plate, which, when installing the processor, prevents the board from bending. Next to it is an inscription indicating that the ASUS P6T SE motherboard is made using Stack Cool 2 technology. This technology improves heat distribution in the hottest areas.
When installing a long video card, the latches of the memory connectors were at a decent distance from it, but the video card turned out to be "covered" by four SATA connectors deployed parallel to the board. Connecting to them in an assembled system can cause some inconvenience. If a second video accelerator of the same type is installed, this problem will also become relevant with the IDE controller connector.
The cooling system of ASUS P6T SE board is exactly the same as that of ASUS P6T. It consists of conventional aluminum heatsinks and a heat pipe. The heatsink on the Intel X58 Express is small and, for better cooling, is connected by a heat pipe to a heatsink specially enlarged because of this, on the power elements of the processor's power stabilizer. In general, this design perfectly copes with the task assigned to it. The southbridge heatsink is quite small, but since the ICH10R does not get very hot, it is more than enough to effectively cool this element. The transistors in the processor power regulator circuits are also protected from overheating by heatsinks - one half is covered with a larger heatsink connected by a heat pipe to the chipset heatsink, and the other half is cooled by a separate small heatsink. The disadvantages of the cooling system include only the fastening of radiators with plastic clips, which is simple, but not very reliable.
The supply voltage to the central processor is supplied through a switching regulator, made according to the 8 + 2 phase scheme. Eight phases power the processor core directly, and two phases power the integrated memory controller and the QPI bus. Two two-phase stabilizers are responsible for powering the chipset and memory modules. All stabilizers use closed chokes with a ferromagnetic core and polymer-type capacitors. This power scheme is similar to that used in the more expensive base model.
The disk subsystem is served by the ICH10R southbridge and consists of six SATA2 ports that support the creation of RAID levels 0, 1, 5 and 10. not exactly convenient. The south bridge also serves 12 USB 2.0 ports, of which six are routed to the rear panel, and six are routed on the board. You can connect to the USB ports routed on the board, for example, quick access USB ports on the front panel of the case, a card reader, or, using a special module, bring them to the rear panel of the computer. Compared to ASUS P6T, the disk subsystem is a bit simplified - there is no controller for two additional SATA connectors and no connector for connecting an FDD drive. But this is not critical - the six available SATA connectors are more than enough for an ordinary user, and FDD drives have long since sunk into oblivion.
A special JMicron JMB363 controller is responsible for supporting the e-SATA connector on the rear panel and for connecting two PATA devices via the IDE interface.
The VT6315N chip, manufactured by VIA, serves two high-speed serial ports of the IEEE1394a interface, one of which is routed to the rear panel, and the second is wired on the board and can be connected to either a special remote module or, if available, an IEEE1394a connector on the front panel of the case .
The sound subsystem is based on the ALC1200 eight-channel HD codec manufactured by REALTEK. The same chip is responsible for the optical and coaxial S/PDIF outputs for connecting multi-channel audio systems.
The LAN connection is through a Realtek RTL8111C gigabit LAN controller that supports the AI NET2 function.
The following ports are displayed on the back panel of the ASUS P6T SE motherboard:
- two PS / 2 connectors for connecting a keyboard and mouse;
- six USB 2.0/1.1 connectors;
- optical and coaxial S/PDIF outputs;
- IEEE 1394a connector;
- e-SATA connector;
- RJ45 connector for network connections;
- 6 analog sockets for connecting 8-channel audio.
The BIOS of the ASUS P6T SE motherboard is based, like all ASUS motherboards, on the AMI code. All settings related to overclocking are in the "AI Tweaker" section:
Here you can manually set the processor and QPI bus multiplier, change the PCI Express bus frequency, QPI bus speed, memory frequency relative to FSB, memory timings and sub-timings, as well as change the supply voltages of the main components. It is worth noting that all values can be set to the "Auto" mode, so that the system itself selects the optimal voltage and frequency values.
Timings and sub-timings of RAM can be changed within a wide range separately for each channel, which should favorably affect the overclocking capabilities of the system.
The ASUS P6T SE motherboard BIOS allows you to change the effective voltage values on almost all elements. Values that are dangerous for the components are highlighted in red, and if you are not sure that the value you have chosen is correct, you can leave it in the “Auto” mode so that the system itself sets the optimal parameter value.
For convenience and clarity, all adjustable parameters are summarized in the table:
|
Parameter |
Menu name |
Range |
|
|
CPU frequency multiplier |
CPU Ratio Settings |
||
|
Clock frequency |
|||
|
PCI-e bus frequency |
|||
|
Memory frequency |
|||
|
Memory controller frequency |
1600-5600 MHz |
Depending on DRAM O.C. Profile |
|
|
QPI Bus Transaction Rate |
QPI Link Data Rate |
4800, 5866, 6400 MT/s |
|
|
Setting memory timings |
DRAM Timing Control |
CAS Latency, TRCD, TRP, tRTP, TRAS, TRC, tWR, TRRD, tRWTTO, tRWTTO, tWRRD, tWRRD, tWTR, tWRWR, tRDRD, tRFC0, tRFC1, tRFC2, tRFC3 |
|
|
CPU core voltage |
|||
|
Supply voltage of the clock generator |
|||
|
Supply voltage for QPI bus and memory controller |
QPI/DRAM Core Voltage |
||
|
Northbridge supply voltage |
|||
|
PCI-Express supply voltage |
IOH PCIE Voltage |
||
|
Southbridge supply voltage |
|||
|
ICH PCIE Voltage |
|||
|
Memory supply voltage |
DRAM Bus Voltage |
||
|
DRAM DATA REF Voltage on CHA, CHB, CHC |
0.395x - 0.630x |
||
|
DRAM CTRL REF Voltage on CHA, CHB, CHC |
0.395x - 0.630x |
||
|
Supply Line Calibration |
Load Line Calibration |
Auto, Enable, Disable. |
|
|
Processor voltage differentiation |
CPU Differential Amplitude |
||
|
CPU Clock |
-100 to -1500 ps |
||
|
North Bridge Clock |
-100 to -1500 ps |
The "Advanced" tab is used to manage processor functions and technologies.
The system monitor is located on the Power tab. It allows you to control the temperatures of the CPU and motherboard, the voltage on the processor core and main power lines, view the fan speed and enable or disable the ASUS Q-Fan automatic fan speed control function.
On the “Tools” tab, we get access to the ASUS EZ Flash 2 proprietary BIOS update utility, here we can also enable or disable ASUS Express Gate and ASUS AI NET 2, and also, if desired, save our BIOS settings in ASUS O.C. profile.
Testing
The following equipment was used to test the ASUS P6T SE motherboard.
|
CPU |
Intel Core i7-920 (LGA1366, 2.66 GHz) |
|
Noctua NH-U12P + LGA1366 Kit |
|
|
RAM |
3x DDR3-2000 Kingston KHX16000D3T1K3 1024MB |
|
video card |
EVGA GeForce 8600GTS 256MB DDR3 PCI-E |
|
HDD |
Samsung HD080HJ, 80 GB, SATA-300 |
|
optical drive |
ASUS DRW-1814BLT SATA |
|
Power Supply |
Seasonic SS-650JT Active PFC, 650W, 120mm fan |
The ASUS P6T SE motherboard shows a high level of performance, the same as its competitors.
Overclocking options
We managed to raise the processor bus to almost 205 MHz, which turned out to be 35 MHz higher than that of the ASUS P6T and can provide a 54% increase in the processor frequency. This is a very good result.
conclusions
The ASUS P6T SE board we reviewed today demonstrated high performance and very good overclocking potential.
It differs from the basic ASUS P6T model only in the absence of an additional SATA controller and an FDD connector, but given that the board already has six SATA ports with support for RAID arrays, and FDD has not been used for a long time, we get a high-quality motherboard for significantly less money. . Support for the new Intel Core i7 processors, DDR3 memory in three-channel mode, PCI Express 2.0 bus, CrossFireX technology for combining two or three video cards into one powerful video system make this board an excellent base for a gaming computer or a high-performance graphics station. The advantages of ASUS P6T SE include an excellent ratio of price and functionality, as well as high overclocking potential.
Advantages:
- high performance;
- good overclocking potential;
- PCI Express 2.0 bus support;
- support for CrossFireX technology;
- the ability to install coolers for LGA775;
- coaxial and optical SPDIF.
Disadvantages:
- overlapping SATA connectors with a long video card;
- still relatively high cost.
We express our gratitude to the company PF Service LLC (Dnepropetrovsk) for the motherboards provided for testing.
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A rather tempting model from Asus is the p6t se, which is a slightly stripped-down version of the Asus p6t. The board was released during the heyday of socket 1366 and cost quite a lot then. Now its use is relevant with Xeon server processors, which show quite good, even by today's standards, performance.
Characteristics
| Model | ASUS P6T SE |
|---|---|
| socket | LGA 1366 |
| Chipset | Intel X58 Express |
| Works with Xeon | Yes |
| Supported RAM | DDR3 2000/1866/1800/1600/1333/1066MHz Support for three-channel memory mode |
| Expansion slots | 3 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 1 x PCI Express x1 2 x PCI |
| Nvidia SLI | No |
| ATI CrossFireX | ATI Quad-GPU CrossFireX x16+x16 or x8+x8+x8 |
| Disk subsystem | 6 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s with support for RAID 0, 1, 5,10 1 x UltraDMA 133/100/66 for connecting 2 PATA devices 1 x e-SATA 3Gb/s |
| Fan Connectors | 1 x CPU 2 x case fans 1 x PSU fan connector |
| External ports | 1 x PS/2 (Keyboard) 1 x PS/2 (Mouse) 1 x SPDIF output (coaxial) 1 x SPDIF output (optical) 1 x IEEE 1394a 1 x e-SATA 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 1 x RJ45 LAN 6 audio jacks for 8-channel audio connection |
| Internal ports | 6 x USB 1 x IDE 6 x SATA 1 x IEEE1394a 1 x S/PDIF output 1 x CD input System panel connector |
| Form Factor and Dimensions, mm | ATX 12" x 9.6" 305x244 |
| approximate price | 6000 - 8000 rub. |
The motherboard has everything you need for comfortable work with both Core I7 and Xeon family processors. It is worth noting as many as 8 phases of the processor power supply and a pretty good cooling system, which includes not only radiators, but also a heat pipe connecting them. True, the cooling of the southbridge could be better, but the temperature remains within the acceptable range even under heavy load.
The number of ports is slightly less than in the older model (the fdd port and several sata are missing), but it is quite enough for home use.
It's nice to see as many as 3 pci-e x16 connectors, but, unfortunately, they cannot work with Nvidia SLI technology, only ATI CrossFireX. But 6 RAM slots can work both in two and three-channel mode. Officially, the maximum RAM size is 24 gigabytes, but, as with most other boards on the 1366 socket, there is a very good chance of working with 8 gigabytes of sticks. Thus, you can get up to 48 gigabytes of RAM.
Overclocking
I am very pleased with the overclocking potential of this board. Flexible BIOS settings allow you to adjust many parameters in detail, which will achieve excellent results and seriously increase system performance. The familiar AMI bios of this board can regulate:
- cpu multiplier
- pci-e bus frequency
- frequency of RAM and its controller
- QPI bus frequency
- memory timings, and separately for each slot
- voltages of the processor, memory and all bridges
And this is not a complete list! In general, there is quite a lot of room for settings and overclocking. For those who don't want to fiddle with the setup, the automatic mode will help, which will establish a stable configuration.
Minuses
- When installing a large video card, the pci-e x1 or pci slots closest to it will almost certainly be blocked. There may also be problems with access to some of the sata ports
- Lack of SLI support
- Lack of sata 3 and usb 3.0. True, for the boards of that time, this is normal.
- Not all ide drives will work correctly with this board
Purchase and prices
She made the transition not only to the new Nehalem architecture, but also to the new policy in general. New processors have significant, one might even say revolutionary innovations for Intel. But processors cannot work on their own - they require an appropriate motherboard. In this segment, the company also offered a novelty - the Intel X58 Express chipset, specially designed for motherboards for Socket LGA1366 and Core i7 series processors.
So, let's look at the new set of logic in more detail.
The X58 Express northbridge works in tandem with the ICH10(R) southbridge, which we are familiar with from the P45 Express days.
As can be seen from the diagram, the new logic set uses the QPI (Intel QuickPath Interconnect) bus with a bandwidth of up to 25.6 Gb / s instead of the usual system bus. It also provides support for DDR3 RAM only, although this is more a feature of the memory controller built into the processor. Support for PCI-e connectors is provided by 36 lines, which is enough to create a bundle of several video adapters. There is a really small limitation - when a sufficient number of PCI Express x16 slots are implemented and more than two video adapters are installed, they switch to PCI-e x8 mode.
But there is good news - Intel got rid of excessive pride and finally introduced official support for SLI technology into its motherboards. We don't know how official relations between Intel and NVIDIA will develop there, but for us, users, this is just a gift. Now you do not have to rack your brains when choosing a motherboard and video cards to create a powerful gaming system. The owners of this platform will be able to organize any bundles: both SLI and CrossFireX.
Let's delve a little into engineering details.
The geometric dimensions of the new chip are shown in the diagrams above.
According to Intel's official technical data, this logic set has the following temperature regime: 5-95 0 C - operating temperature range, 100 0 C - maximum allowable temperature. At the same time, heat dissipation is only 20-24 W - quite small by modern standards, so cooling systems should easily cope with their task.
For easier understanding, we present specification of the new Intel X58 Express chipset in comparison with the previous flagship of the company Intel X48 Express, as well as with the very popular nowadays Intel P45 Express.
|
Logic set |
Intel X48 Express |
Intel P45 Express |
|
|
north bridge |
|||
|
Target segment |
performance, |
||
|
Supported processors |
Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition, |
Intel Core2 Duo, |
Intel Core2 Duo, |
|
Processor socket type (Socket) |
|||
|
Hyper Threading Technology |
Optimized for HT Technology |
Optimized for HT Technology |
|
|
System bus |
QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) at 6.4 GT/s and 4.8 GT/s |
1600/1333/1066/800MHz |
1333/1066/800MHz |
|
Maximum RAM |
|||
|
Supported memory type |
controller built into the processor |
DDR3 and DDR2 without ECC |
DDR3 and DDR2 without ECC |
|
Possible FSB/memory ratios |
controller built into the processor |
1600/XMP DDR3-1600, |
1066/DDR2-667, |
|
Integrated video adapter |
|||
|
Connecting external graphics adapters |
PCI Express 2.0 2x16 or 4x8 plus 1x4 (36 lanes total) |
PCI Express 2.0 2x16 |
PCI Express 2.0 1x16 or 2x8 |
|
Support for PCIe expansion cards |
PCI Express x1 (6 lanes) |
PCI Express x1 (6 lanes) |
PCI Express x1 (6 lanes) |
|
Disk subsystem |
6 SATA (3Gb/s, AHCI, eSATA) |
4-6 SATA (3Gb/s, AHCI, eSATA) |
6 SATA (3Gb/s, AHCI) |
|
Storage Technologies |
Intel Matrix Storage with ICH10R (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10), Intel Rapid Recover, Intel Turbo Memory |
Intel Matrix Storage with ICH9R (RAID 1, 1, 5, 10), Intel Rapid Recover Technology, Intel Turbo Memory |
Intel Matrix Storage with ICH10R (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10), Intel Rapid Recovery Technology |
|
Supported I/O Controllers (Southbridge) |
ICH9, ICH9DH, ICH9R |
||
|
USB ports/controller |
12 USB ports (Dual AHCI, disable ports)/eSATA |
12 USB ports, 2 EHCI controllers, disable ports |
|
|
Integrated audio codec |
Intel High Definition Audio |
Intel High Definition Audio |
Intel High Definition Audio |
As can be seen from the table, the new Intel X58 Express chipset has not gone far from the previous flagship - Intel X48 Express. It can be said that it has become simpler than its predecessor, since the memory controller has migrated to the processor. Here, perhaps, are all the differences, except for the new type of QPI bus.
Well, now it's time to get acquainted with a new set of logic in action. Represents its motherboard.
Appearance, equipment, specification
The new motherboard comes in the same box as the previous P5Q series. Everything is done in the traditional blue color and with a shiny finish.
A novelty in the design, or rather a feature of the box specifically for ASUS P6T, is a hinged lid on the box, under which there are brief descriptions of the advantages of this motherboard.
The reverse side of the box remained unchanged. ASUS always puts a picture of the board on the back of the box for greater clarity, and also lists the main advantages of the product using intuitive icons.
In the box with the motherboard, in addition to itself, you will find:
- user manual and quick system assembly booklet;
- 4 SATA cables;
- 1 IDE UDMA 66/100/133 cable;
- 1 FDD cable;
- branded plug on the rear panel of the case (with a dielectric soft coating);
- a set of branded Q-Connectors that facilitate the connection of internal connectors;
- body sticker;
- disk with software and drivers;
- connecting bridge for CrossFireX bundle;
- connecting bridge for 3-Way SLI bundle.
The package bundle is even a bit modest for a product of this level. A feature is the simultaneous presence of two bridges to run multiple video cards. As we wrote above, the Intel X58 Express chipset supports both CrossFireX and 3-Way SLI configurations.
block diagram
|
ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR, 8-pin EATX12V) |
|
|
Processor socket Socket LGA1366 |
|
|
DDR3 DIMM slots |
|
|
Voltage settings for CPU / DRAM Bus / QPI DRAM |
|
|
Power and reset buttons |
|
|
Fan Connectors |
|
|
ICH10R SATA ports (red) |
|
|
JMicron JMB322 SATA ports (orange) |
|
|
IDE connector |
|
|
BIOS reset jumper |
|
|
Front panel connector |
|
|
Chassis intrusion connector |
|
|
USB connectors |
|
|
IEEE 1394a connector |
|
|
FDD Connector |
|
|
Audio input for CD |
|
|
Front panel audio connectors |
|
|
S/PDIF digital audio output |
Specification:
|
Supported processors |
Intel Socket LGA 1366 Core i7 Extreme Edition/Core i7 Support for Intel Dynamic Speed Technology |
|
Intel X58/ICH10R |
|
|
System bus frequency (FSB), MHz |
|
|
Supported memory type |
6 x DIMM, up to 24 GB, DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1800(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066 MHz, Tri-Channel, Support for Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) |
|
Expansion slots |
3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 ports (white works in x8 mode) |
|
CrossFireX Technology |
Supported by formula x16 + x16 or x8 + x8 + x8 |
|
3-way SLI technology |
Supported by formula x16 + x16 or x16 + x16 + x4 |
|
Disk subsystem |
South bridge: Chip JMicron JMB363: JMicron JMB322 Chip (Drive Xpert Technology): |
|
LAN support |
Realtek 8111C Gigabit LAN Controller with AI NET2 Support |
|
Sound subsystem |
Realtek ALC1200 8-channel audio codec |
|
VIA VT6315N two ports IEEE 1394a |
|
|
12 USB2.0/1.1 ports (6 on the back) |
|
|
External I/O ports |
1 x PS/2 keyboard port |
|
Internal I/O ports |
3 x USB plugs to support 6 USB ports |
|
16 Mb Flash ROM |
|
|
Dimensions, mm |
305 x 244 (ATX) |
|
Products webpage |
Drivers and the latest BIOS version can be downloaded from the support site. |
The board looks very nice. Six slots for RAM immediately catch your eye: two for each of the three channels. They are labeled with a warning label stating that you must use memory modules with a nominal supply voltage of 1.65 V or less. Otherwise, damage to the processor may occur.
By the way, the processor itself is powered by a ten-phase (8 + 2) stabilizer, the heating elements of which are covered with radiators. Eight phases are used for the needs of the processor, and two additional phases are used to power the built-in memory controller. The manufacturer claims 96% efficiency of such a power scheme. There are no complaints about this board node - everything is done neatly and conveniently.
There are two buttons on the board: power and reset. At first glance, it seems that they are located too far and it will be inconvenient to use them. But this is so only when the motherboard is installed in the case, and these buttons should be used just in the absence thereof.
The southbridge is covered with a simple aluminum radiator, but this is enough, since it does not get very hot. Almost all connectors for connecting hard drives, except for two, are deployed parallel to the board, which can cause inconvenience when connecting in some cases.
In the upper right corner of the ASUS P6T board, there is an ITE IT8268R monitoring chip and a jumper that allows you to unlock the processor voltage control in a wider range.
For the same purpose, there are two more jumpers that increase the voltage regulation limit on the QPI bus and the memory controller. Such features may be required, perhaps, by a real extreme overclocker, so they are disabled by default.
A little to the left of the RAM slots, a branded ASUS EPU chip is soldered, which, with the support of the corresponding utility, implements the functioning of energy-saving technologies.
The northbridge is cooled by a small blue heatsink. The radiator is made of aluminum, but its design uses one heat pipe. As we have already said, the heat dissipation of the Intel X58 Express is at the level of 20-24 W, so this design should be quite enough.
There are six expansion slots under the northbridge. PCI-e x16 slots alternate through one, which makes it possible to install three video cards with a two-slot cooling system.
On the back panel are:
- 1 x PS/2 keyboard port;
- 1 x PS/2 mouse port;
- 1 x optical S/PDIF output;
- 1 x coaxial S/PDIF output;
- 1 x IEEE1394a port;
- 1 x LAN (RJ45) port;
- 1 x eSATA port;
- 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports;
- 6 x audio jacks.
On the reverse side of the board is the base plate of the processor socket. Here you can also see that the motherboard is made using Stack Cool 2 technology, which is designed to improve heat distribution from the hottest areas.
It's time to look into the ASUS P6T BIOS
Before us is the same AMI BIOS. But ASUS promised to introduce EFI with the P5Q line of boards. Well, no one pulled her tongue, so we will wait for his appearance. As you can see from the photo above, this motherboard supports two types of auto-overclocking - D.O.C.P. and using XMP profiles. The first option works with any memory modules, and XMP only with those that support it.
Naturally, the use of XMP profiles does not give such an effect as fine manual overclocking, but this technology is safe.
When overclocked in D.O.C.P. we need to choose one of two memory profiles. Each profile includes its own settings for memory frequency, timings and voltage. This is a kind of FSB Strap analogue for previous generation motherboards.
There is also another proprietary technology for automatic overclocking - Intel Turbo Mode. Enabling this parameter allows you to increase the processor multiplier by x1 when its temperature regime allows it.
When overclocking the processor, the frequency of the QPI bus may need to be reduced so that it does not turn out to be a “weak link”.
For convenience, we present the main BIOS settings in the form of a table.
|
Parameter |
Menu name |
Range |
|
|
Processor technologies |
C1E, TM2, EIST, Virtualization Technology, XD bit, HyperTreading, Intel Turbo Mode |
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Processor multiplier |
CPU Ratio Settings |
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Clock frequency |
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PCI-e bus frequency |
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Memory controller frequency |
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Memory frequency |
Depending on DRAM O.C. Profile |
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QPI Bus Transaction Rate |
QPI Link Data Rate |
4800, 5866, 6400 MT/s |
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Timings |
Full set of three lines |
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CPU voltage |
0.85-1.7 (2.1 with jumper switch) |
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Supply voltage of the clock chip |
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QPI bus voltage |
QPI/DRAM Core Voltage |
1.2-1.7 (1.9 with jumper switch) |
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Memory supply voltage |
DRAM Bus Voltage |
1.5-1.9 (2.46 - with jumper switch) |
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Northbridge supply voltage |
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PCI-e x16 slot voltage |
IOH PCIE Voltage |
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Southbridge supply voltage |
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PCI-e x1 slot voltage |
ICH PCIE Voltage |
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Processor voltage differentiation |
CPU Differential Amplitude |
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Supply Line Calibration |
Load Line Calibration |
Auto, Enable, Disable. |
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CPU Clock |
-100 to -1500 |
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North Bridge Clock |
-100 to -1500 |
Well, the set of settings is not the most complete, but quite sufficient for a good overclocking. This motherboard will not provide extreme overclocking - it is the base model in the family and does not claim to be records, but is more focused on small automatic and safe overclocking.
In the Power section, we can monitor the temperature of the processor and the northbridge, as well as control the rotation speed of the case fans using the proprietary Q-Fan function. There is also voltage monitoring on various elements of the board.
The Tools submenu provides us with a BIOS update utility called ASUS EZ Flash 2, the ability to enable / disable the Express Gate function, save BIOS profiles (ASUS O.C. Profile), test LAN cable (AI NET 2) and manage Drive Xpert ports.
Overclocking potential
ASUS P6T was able to overclock the Intel Core i7-940 to 3910 MHz. Accordingly, the frequency of the clock generator was 170 MHz. It is still difficult for us to judge whether this result is good or not, since there are still very few statistics on overclocking new processors.
Testing
To test the capabilities of motherboards, the following equipment was used:
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CPU |
Intel Core i7-920 (LGA1366, 2.66 GHz) |
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Noctua NH-U12P + LGA1366 Kit |
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RAM |
3x DDR3-1333 1024MB Transcend PC10600 |
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video card |
EVGA GeForce 8600GTS 256MB DDR3 PCI-E |
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HDD |
Samsung HD080HJ, 80 GB, SATA-300 |
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optical drive |
ASUS DRW-1814BLT SATA |
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Power Supply |
Seasonic SS-650JT Active PFC, 650W, 120mm fan |
The ASUS P6T motherboard is on par with a more expensive competitor, which is a good indicator. We did not have any problems with the BIOS firmware.
Testing the audio codecRealtek ALC1200
Overall Results (RightMark Audio Analyzer)
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Frequency response unevenness (in the range of 40 Hz - 15 kHz), dB |
Very good |
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Noise level, dB (A) |
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Dynamic range, dB (A) |
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Harmonic distortion, % |
Very good |
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Harmonic distortion + noise, dB(A) |
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Intermodulation distortion + noise, % |
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Interpenetration of channels, dB |
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Intermodulation at 10 kHz, % |
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Overall rating |
Good |
The binding of the sound codec did not please us. We have no doubt that it is she who is to blame for such low test results, since on other motherboards the Realtek ALC1200 codec usually shows a “Very Good” result.
conclusions
The new processor architecture from Intel implies as much chip integration as possible. The Core i7 processors were the first to use an integrated memory controller, and future Clarkdale processors will also have an integrated video adapter. The "mystical beast" Larrabee, according to rumors, is generally a cross between a processor and a video card. Be that as it may, the trend is clear - gradually all the important functions of the system will move to the processor. At the same time, the role of the motherboard is simplified - it becomes an auxiliary element, but no less important.
Motherboards based on the Intel X58 Express and ASUS P6T in particular are nothing revolutionary. There are no special differences, except for support for Intel Core i7 processors and three-channel RAM, in the new set of logic. Implementation of SLI technology on previous Intel motherboards was hindered only by the licensing feud between two large companies, which, thank God, has ended.
ASUS P6T during testing showed good performance results, it looks like a good overclocking potential and acceptable temperature conditions.
Advantages:
- ergonomic design;
- the ability to install LGA775-compatible cooling systems;
- support for CrossFireX and 3-Way SLI technologies with the ability to use accelerators with a two-slot cooler;
- efficient cooling system.
Disadvantages:
- not very well-executed binding of the audio codec;
- rather modest equipment;
- still high price.
We express our gratitude to the company PF Service LLC (Dnepropetrovsk) for the motherboard provided for testing.
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From the mid-range, the Asus P6T SE removed very few features but added significant money savings.
Click on the picture to enlarge.
Asus P6T SE motherboard layout is as good as the model P6T, but we still believe that the board would benefit if Asus placed the two (blue) PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots at least one more slot apart. The white long slot is still limited to x4 bandwidth, but it's perfect for a low-end graphics card or a high-bandwidth RAID controller.
We still disagree with the traditional location of the front panel audio connector in the lower rear corner, as this makes it very difficult to route cables to the top bays of tower cases. Some of Asus' competitors have thankfully moved away from that tradition.
Asus is one of the few companies that provides support for both LGA 1366 and LGA 775 CPU coolers. This can be a particularly valuable addition for all those users who want to upgrade from an LGA 775 socket without spending large sums of money to replace already existing water cooling system.
BIOS
All BIOS frequencies, voltages and latencies are listed in the summary table in the "Overclocking" section.
Using the same circuit board as the more expensive P6T model allowed the P6T SE to use the same BIOS as well, although Asus has updated it since we tested P6T .
The Intel XMP Profile performs exactly as we've come to expect on all Asus motherboards we've tested, which can't be said for some competing models. However, overclockers, even with little experience, can easily set the memory voltage and delays manually.
The voltage settings are more detailed than you'd expect from a $200 X58 board, but most of the added settings are rarely used. Extreme overclockers will love this, but the settings for other components are not as detailed.
In the "DRAM Timing Control" menu, we again see unusually extensive memory settings. Fortunately, the user can set some settings manually, and leave the rest in automatic mode.
Asus EZ Flash 2 supports updating the BIOS firmware using its own interface, eliminating the need for boot disks. Contrasting this useful feature is the automatically enabled Express Gate feature, which increases boot time without adding functionality. Neither the P6T SE nor the P6T have an Express Gate module.
Accessories
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Of course, ASUS P6T Deluxe, as the first board with Socket 1366 that visited our laboratory, is doomed to increased attention. Too many serious new technologies have been embodied in this platform, so interest in a new processor microarchitecture, a new family of processors, a new socket, a new chipset, etc. inevitably arouses interest in the basis of the platform, which allows you to assemble and test all of the above. In this case, we will give a link to a review of the Intel X58 chipset, promise to reveal details related to the processors themselves in a separate article very soon, and we ourselves will try to focus on the motherboard as such.
Deluxe models in the current assortment of ASUS are represented, so to speak, by "ordinary" top motherboards. That is, such a model is guaranteed to fully realize the rich capabilities of the chipset and expand them to an above-average level - for example, it has an additional FireWire controller and digital audio output ports wired on the rear panel. The box of such a board definitely contains all the necessary cables and power adapters, as well as a couple of brackets for expanding functionality; the board itself is carefully made, has an extraordinary cooling system and a high-quality selection of electronic components. Rich opportunities for overclocking and fine-tuning the system using BIOS Setup and beautiful proprietary utilities are automatically implied. But at the same time, the board still does not lose its "human appearance": it does not have a chipset cooling system that dominates the surrounding space, expansion slots and peripheral ports are not sacrificed to any one specific idea or technology, the price remains within reasonable limits, although in the immediate vicinity of their upper boundary.
In a word, such a board can be recommended with a clear conscience to friends who are not particularly constrained in their means - or take a little time to carefully select the configuration and take a similar model, perhaps also from ASUS, but one step lower in prestige and cost.
Board Features
Although the board, of course, stands out with a new processor socket, and you don't see 6 memory slots every day, in general, the layout does not contain any surprises. It is clear that the top model on the top chipset will offer the maximum number of promising technologies rather than take care of supporting old ones, so one combined PS/2 connector on the rear panel and 2 PCI slots is still a very good option for fans of old peripherals. But there are 3 PCIEx16 slots on the board, which allows you to combine three video cards in CrossFireX or organize a standard pair of SLI or CrossFireX video accelerators. Please note that 3-way SLI is not supported - X58-based boards individually receive NVIDIA certification to support certain SLI modes (the key received from NVIDIA is flashed into the BIOS, and during operation it is checked by the ForceWare driver), and, of course, the cost of this certification is directly proportional to the capabilities allowed. Slot speed configuration depends on the number of installed cards and settings in BIOS Setup, the maximum mode is x16+x8+x8 or x16+x16+x1.
from the photo of the reverse side of the board, you can see that the socket is now attached to a metal plate, and not just by surface mounting
The processor power converter is typical of the company's latest boards, combining a 16-channel 2-FET circuit with reduced R DS(on) (on-channel resistance) in each channel, Japanese-made polymer capacitors, and ferrite core chokes. Similar capacitors and chokes are used in all other circuits of the board, and in addition, a two-channel circuit is used for the power supply regulator of the memory controller and the QPI bus in the processor, and a three-channel circuit is used for the power supply regulator of the memory modules themselves. When operating at partial load, the proprietary EPU-6 Engine technology allows, among other power saving features, to reduce the number of active channels in the PWM controller of the power stabilizer, which provides some additional gain in heat dissipation, although not too noticeable (according to the results of tests by our colleagues) .
The cooling system for the chipset and other hot on-board components is typical for top models. As we said in the presentation of the Intel X58 chipset, the heat dissipation of the northbridge is at the level of previous mid-range chipsets, so no special approaches to cooling are required, and the 16-channel processor power regulator circuit evenly distributes the maximum load on a significant number of field transistors, so they do not need to pay special attention either. Nevertheless, things, of course, could not have done without a cooler on heat pipes. True, a thick copper plate at the base of the northbridge heatsink, into which the heat pipes are soldered, is adorned with some strange finial claiming to efficiently use the airflow from the CPU cooler, but we tend to consider it more of a decorative element. Otherwise, the circuit is quite functional, and, judging by the tactilely low heating of the radiators, it has a significant margin for overclocking - however, when overclocking processors of the Nehalem microarchitecture, there is no need to increase the voltage and frequency of the north bridge.
Note that the board, like all the latest top ASUS products, features Express Gate SSD technology with a flash drive integrated on the textolite. In this case, we saw once again an updated Splashtop shell (based on Linux) with slightly expanded capabilities, but in general, there was no decisive change in the functionality of this solution, so for now we can only limit ourselves to the description of the Express Gate SSD in the ASUS P5Q Deluxe review and to conclude that this technology has not yet left the stage of a toy for fans.
The board's voltage and temperature monitoring capabilities are modestly mediocre, but the rotation control of all fans is excellent, expandable with the help of the Fan Xpert utility under Windows to a reasonable maximum achievable. It is quite natural that the set of proprietary utilities of the company and BIOS Setup offer the widest scope for self-realization for fans of overclocking; we will not dwell on these details here.
The board's package is complete but no frills, providing everything you need to realize the capabilities of the board, including two cables (with power adapters) for connecting SAS drives and an optional cooler for installation on one of the cooling system heatsinks.
Among the proprietary ASUS utilities, which you can read about, for example, in the review of the P5Q Deluxe model, we came across one new one - TurboV. This is an application of a quite familiar look and functionality, which is responsible for overclocking on the fly and indicating the current frequencies and voltages to be changed during overclocking (when using the Core i7 Extreme Edition, you can additionally change the processor multiplier). An important feature of the utility is the possibility of its interaction with the OC Palm software, which will be discussed below.
In the package of our model (recall, its full name contains the additive "OC Palm edition") there is an additional component that we have not seen before. It's a small, round-edged plastic case, about the size of a regular PDA, with an LCD screen and a few buttons. Actually, it is this remote module that is called OC Palm (the first term, apparently, should mean “overclocking”).
We call this module remote because it does not function without a board. Connection to the board is made via a standard USB cable (mini-USB connector on the device) to any port on the rear panel. For manipulation, OC Palm is more convenient to hold in your hands, and then you can put it on a table, lean against something or lean on a retractable leg.
The buttons, as you can see, are not only on the front of the device, but also on top.
Now about why this module is needed. Ironically, the overclocking theme reflected in the title is indeed included in the list of OC Palm features. By pressing the buttons on the upper end of the case, you can increase or decrease the base frequency, which sets the frequency of the processor, QPI bus and memory controller through a set of multipliers. Acceleration (or deceleration) is performed immediately, in real time, and the currently set BCLK frequency is displayed on the screen, which temporarily exits the current display mode to perform this function. If overclocking (especially in this way) does not interest you, then the module can still be used by selecting the operating mode through the main menu.
The list of supported applications for working with OC Palm includes the above-mentioned TurboV (the screen simply displays the current state of 4 monitored parameters, and the font size is chosen unsuccessfully), a proprietary monitoring utility (when trying to run which the application crashed with an error, but the general idea of its application is already clear) and Yahoo! Widgets.
Indeed, among the Yahoo! Widgets, you can select those that will run on the OC Palm screen. In the presented photographs, the device is captured using widgets taken at random to display the weather forecast, the current time in the form of an analog clock and a simple calendar with notes. As you can see from the enlarged photos, it looks pretty good.
And now about the disadvantages of such a solution. Well, let's not talk about the price, although the version of the OC Palm edition board is at least 1000 rubles more expensive. We were extremely upset by the meager capabilities of the remote module. Yes, almost all the shortcomings can be attributed to the lack of debugging of the novelty (an error with the font size and crashes of the monitoring utility - that's for sure). But as with the standard and rather successful Windows application, they could not really establish a connection - this is quite sad. Firstly, the widget displayed on the screen of the device must be open (and not just launched) on the Windows desktop - thus, the opportunity to display useful information on OC Palm is lost without cluttering the desktop. Secondly, OC Palm cannot provide any interaction with the running widget, even elementary paging of the calendar or navigation through the list of its notes, although if you perform these operations with the widget on the desktop using the keyboard and mouse, the device screen will honestly display all the output data.
So far, the device remains only a concept and a toy for technical enthusiasts (and, perhaps, for some overclockers).
Functionality
The board is provided for testing by the manufacturer.
Video card ATI Radeon HD 3870 provided for testing by the company
