Introduction and Features

The fireworks surrounding Intel’s “Sandy Bridge” processors have brought mixed reactions about the new CPU’s overclockability and graphics prowess. As usual, ASUS leads the way with eight P67 motherboards right out of the gate and we benchmark the P8P67 Pro and others from Gigabyte and ECS to determine which vendor was able to incorporate the right amount of features and performance options.

Editor’s Note: There are obviously some concerns about reviews on the 2nd Gen Intel Core processor platform, in particular motherboards based on the Cougar Point chipset, aka P67/H67.  On January 31st, Intel announced that it had found a bug in its chipset that could cause issues with SATA channels disconnecting and has issued a recall on all or most parts.  As a result, the majority of the Sandy Bridge based processors and P67/H67 motherboards have been pulled from online and retail sales.  

You might wonder then why we are posting a review of such a product.  In short, though we are disappointed that the products are not currently on the market for sale, the fact is that we have never seen these failure issues and the performance and features of the products still properly represents the capabilities it will offer when they return to the channel in March or April.  We have several platform reviews finished or in the pipeline and we plan on publishing all of them for informational purposes to our readers – that is always our goal anyway.  

But, expect to see this note of warning on every one of them.

 



ASUS pulls out all the stops with line of P67 motherboards

 

ASUS P8P67 Pro LGA 1155 ATX Motherboard Review - Motherboards 72
Courtesy of ASUS

The fireworks surrounding the release of Intel’s “Sandy Bridge” processors have brought mixed reactions about the new CPU’s overclockability and graphics prowess. As usual, ASUS leads the way with eight P67 motherboards right out of the gate and we are benchmarking the P8P67 Pro as well as a couple others from Gigabyte and ECS to determine which vendor was able to incorporate the right amount of features and performance options that users are begging for. Read on to see how these mobos faired against our comprehensive suite of benchmarks.

ASUS P8P67 Pro LGA 1155 ATX Motherboard Review - Motherboards 73
Courtesy of ASUS

The ASUS P8P67 Pro is considered a mid-range performance motherboard that supports Intel’s latest LGA 1155 processors and sports the latest P67 chipset as well. This duo lays the foundation for a solid performance computer system that can be used for a variety of PC tasks including high-definition gaming, multi-threaded programs, video encoding, and other system intensive tasks.

ASUS P8P67 Pro LGA 1155 ATX Motherboard Review - Motherboards 74
Courtesy of ASUS

This performance board can easily handle two PCIe graphics cards with dual GPUs on each PCB that will function seamlessly in SLI and CrossfireX configurations. Both PCIe lanes also run at x16 a piece, which will ensure users have an optimal amount of bandwidth to support the toughest operations they can think of throwing at the P8P67 Pro. ASUS also threw in a brand new Extensible Firmware Interface or EFI BIOS that finally brings the traditional BIOS into the 21st century.

 

ASUS P8P67 Pro Motherboard Features

  • Dual Intelligent Processors 2 with DIGI+ VRM
  • BT GO! (Bluetooth) – Diverse BT Enjoyment, New Technology Lifestyle
  • EFI BIOS (EZ Mode) – Flexible & Easy BIOS Interface
  • Quad USB 3.0/SATA 6Gb/s Support – Double Access, Double Convenience
  • Intel® LAN Support – Faster Transfer Speed

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