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Asus P5N32-SLI Premium/WiFi-AP Review
[Abstract]
IntroductionIf you weren't all too impressed with the Intel Edition of the nForce 570 SLI in our last review of the ECS NFORCE 570 SLIT-A motherboard, we wouldn't blame you. After all, the nFor...
[Content] PCDigitalMobileGame
Introduction
If you weren't all too impressed with the Intel Edition of the nForce 570 SLI in our last review of the ECS NFORCE 570 SLIT-A motherboard, we wouldn't blame you. After all, the nForce 570 SLI Intel Edition is basically a rehash of the nForce 4 SLI XE to support Core 2 Duos. The current C19 chipset has also been widely known to be less than reliable with ultra high-speed DDR2 memory and its low overclockability with the Core 2 processors won't be a threat to Intel's Broadwater as well. So, with NVIDIA's upcoming C55 supposedly coming out of the woodwork soon, would you hold your upgrade or is there another way to get some SLI action now. Well, the new ASUS P5N32-SLI Premium may be the answer you're looking for.
Deja vu? If the name sounds familiar, it's because it is a follow up to the older nForce 4 SLI X16 Intel Edition-based P5N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard. The P5N32-SLI Premium is based on the nForce 590 SLI Intel Edition, a notch higher than the nForce 570 SLI and bears more similarities towards its AMD counterpart, so much so that it actually looks very promising. The SPP core is still based on a variation of the C19 though, so it will be interesting to see what ASUS can conjure up with the board.
ASUS P5N32-SLI Premium motherboard. |
Let's have a look first at the full technical specifications of the P5N32-SLI Premium before we continue. As always, ASUS premium motherboard bundles pack a punch. Our board came with the following peripherals included in the box:-
6 x SATA data cables
3 x SATA power converter cables (dual plugs)
1 x 80-conductor Ultra ATA data cable
1 x 40-conductor IDE data cable
1 x floppy drive data cable
1 x SLI bridge
IEEE 1394a port bracket
USB 2.0 (2 ports) bracket
WiFi-AP Solo antenna
ASUS Array Mic set
ASUS Q-Connector set
Optional heat-pipe fan
I/O shield
Driver and support CD
InterVideo Media Launcher Suite (OEM)
User guide
ASUS P5N32-SLI Premium Technical Specifications
| CPU Support | - Supports90nm/65nm LGA775 processor package
- Supports IntelCore 2 Duo / Core 2 Extreme
- Supports Intel PentiumD / Pentium Processor Extreme Edition
- SupportsIntel Pentium 4 / Pentium 4 Extreme Edition
- IntelVirtualization Technology ready
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| Chipset | - NVIDIAnForce 590 SLI Intel Edition SPP (nForce C19 C1)
- 400- 1066MHz frontside bus
- NVIDIA DualDDR2 Memory Controller
- 22 PCI Express lanes
- One link at x16 forgraphics card (SLI capable)
- Six PCIe x1 lanes
- NVIDIAnForce 590 SLI Intel Edition MCP
- 24 PCI Expresslanes
- One link at x16 forgraphics card (SLI capable)
- One PCIe x8 or EightPCIe x1 lanes
- Supports up totenUSB 2.0 ports
- Supports six SATA 3.0Gbps ports
- Dual-channel UltraATA-133 IDE controller
- Supports up to five PCIslots
| | Memory | - NVIDIADualDDR2architecture
- 4 x 240-pin DIMMsockets support max. 4GB DDR2400/533/667/800 non-ECC memory
- Slot independantdual-channel mode
- NVIDIA QuickSync
- NVIDIADASP 3.0
- Support Enhanced Performance Profile (EPP)SLI Memory
| | Storage | - NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI Intel EditionMCP (nForce 430/MCP51)
- 4 x Ultra ATA33/66/100/133 (data transfer rate up to133MB/sec.)
- 6?x SATA?.0Gbps interface
- NVIDIAMediaShieldTechnology
- SupportsRAID 0,RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5,JBOD
- Silicon ImageSiI3132 SATA Controller
- 2 x SATA 3.0Gbps interface(configured as eSATA ports)
| | Audio | - ASUS Supreme FX Audio Riser Card
- AnalogDevices SoundMAX ADI1988B 8-channel HD Audio CODEC
- DTSConnect
- Coaxial, Optical S/PDIF out on back I/Oport
| | Networking | - 2x NVIDIA Gigabit LAN co-supported byMarvell?8E1116 PHY chip (Transceiver)
- DualNET(TCP/IP Acceleration, Teaming)
- Realtek RTL8187L54Mbps IEEE 802.11a/b/g WLAN controller (WiFi-AP Solo) - WiFi AP Edition Only
| | IEEE 1394 (FireWire) | - VIAVT6308P IEEE 1394a host controller
- 2 x 1394a ports@ 400 Mbps speed
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| I/OInterface | - 1 x Floppyconnector
- 1 x Ultra ATA IDE connectors
- 6 x SATA connectors
- 2 x eSATAconnectors (rear)
- 10 x USB 2.0 ports (4 x rear, 2x bracket, 4 x header, 2 ports reserved for WiFi-AP Solo module)
- 2x FireWire-400 ports (1 x rear, 1 x bracket)
- 2 x RJ45 LAN port
- Coaxial and Optical S/PDIF port
- 8-Channel Audio I/O ports (Supreme FX audio card)
- 1x 9-pin serial port (header)
- 1 x mini-DIN-6 PS/2mouse port
- 1 x mini-DIN-6 PS/2 keyboard port
| | ExpansionSlots | - 3 x PCIex16 slots,PCI Express Bus specification v1.0acompliant
- 1 x PCIe x1 slots, PCIExpress Bus specification v1.0acompliant
- 2 x 32-bit PCI slots,PCI 2.3 compliant
- 1 x Proprietary Supreme FX audiocard slot.
| | SpecialFeatures | - ASUS AI NOS
- ASUSAI Overclocking
- ASUS 8-phase PWM
- ASUS StackCool 2
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| PCB | - ATX FormFactor, 12"x9.6"(30.5cm x 24.4cm)
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With its analog audio jacks on a separate riser card and no legacy connectors, the rear I/O panel looks almost spartan. Look closely and you'll still get S/PDIF audio ports, FireWire, eSATA, RJ45 Gb LAN, USB 2.0 and a WiFi antenna port to use. |
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