Intel P45 Motherboards Reviewed

The Intel P45 Express chipset, code-named Eaglelake, brings the following features:

• 1333/1066/800 MHz system bus
• Support for Intel Core2 Duo and Core2 Quad processors with Intel Virtualization Technology, and Celeron processor.
• PCI Express 2.0 interface
• Dual-Channel DDR2 (or DDR3) memory support [depends on motherboard]
• Intel Flex Memory Technology - Facilitates easier upgrades by allowing different memory sizes to be populated and remain in dual-channel mode.
• Intel® High Definition Audio
• Intel® Matrix Storage Technology
• Intel® Rapid Recover Technology
• Intel® Turbo Memory
• eSATA support

ExtremeTech reviewed four (4) motherboards that feature the P45 Express chipset. The motherboards were the ASUS P5Q3 Deluxe (US$250), the Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L (US$120), the Gigabyte GA-EP45-DQ6 (US$250), and the MSI P45 Platinum (US$200):

"As the dust settles, the clear winner of this contest...depends. We're foisting our ExtremeTech Approved logo upon the Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L, for its amazing price/performance ratio. It, and its sister board the Gigabyte DQ6, both performed admirably, and they present two separate price points depending on which features you really need. The DQ6 has them all; the DS3L has only a few-but it's a great board nevertheless." [ExtremeTech | Four P45 Motherboards Reviewed]

Tom's Hardware reviewed 6 boards, namely the Asus P5Q-E, ECS Black Series P45T-A, Gigabyte GA-EP45-DQ6, Jetway HI04, MSI P45D3 Platinum, and MSI P45 Diamond:

"... the P45 is a transitional product that makes limited sense. It is not worth purchasing a P45 platform system, unless you insist on PCI Express 2.0 and want to avoid forking out the money for an X48 motherboard or a platform based on Nvidia's nForce 790i Ultra SLI. The P45 doesn't deliver better performance, while it increases average power consumption. It offers some new features, but it cuts back on USB 2.0 and SATA throughput. ... If you want to buy a new Intel system today, P35 will most likely be the best option ..." [Tom's Hardware | Intel P45: The New Chipset Lacks Progress : Eaglelake Has Landed]

HardwareZone eviewed the Gigabyte GA-EP45T-EXTREME:

"With the Gigabyte GA-EP45T-EXTREME, the manufacturer has the best of both worlds, with a full copper block for liquid cooling together with an additional wall of radiating fins that takes up an expansion slot. Additionally, overclocking enthusiasts should be delighted with the extensive BIOS options on the EXTREME, along with the various LED indicators that have been added. ... In terms of overall performance however, this Gigabyte did not stand out from the other boards compared and was actually one of the slower ones. However, this being an early sample running on the first retail BIOS revision, we think there's probably room for further improvement and the differences were not sufficient to raise any alarms (yet). " [ HardwareZone | Gigabyte GA-EP45T-EXTREME ]

So, is the P45 worth it, or will it be better to settle for a P35? I believe it boils down to price: the Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L (mentioned in the ExtremeTech article) seems to be a good buy at around $120. If you don't need PCI Express 2.0 support, and can get a more feature-packed P35 motherboard at that same price range, then P35 it is.

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