Indeed folks. This is the most advanced and powerful board I have ever installed in a computer. I am running Vista Ultimate 64 bit and pushing my E8500 to 4 Ghz per core, much like in the testing. I can't begin to tell you how fast this motherboard with the E8500 is.
For overclockers ... this is the board they have been waiting for. Period!
I purchased this board with 2x1GB sticks of OCZ DDR3 1800 memory to use with my e8400 CPU (which I can get stable to at least 4050mhz on other mobos). What RAM did you use for this testing? I can't even come close to running stable at the settings you have listed, nor can I score any higher than about 11,500MB/sec read and 46ns with everest benchmark, and the settings I used to achieve those values are very unstable. And 1N memory settings??? This board won't even post if I set the memory to 1N running the memory over 1333mhz.
Just wondering if you could share the RAM brand you used along with your motherboard and RAM voltage settings to achieve such a feat.
"With an estimated retail price of around $299, there is a lot of value in the purchase of the P5E3 Premium for those looking at a high-end motherboard to use in the coming years."
Where did the $299 come from? The X38 version of this board comes it at $340.
Great review! I have been reading alot here att anandtech and generally all over the web preparing my first ever pc-build. Intel seem to be the way to go.
The DDR3 power circuit is different to the one here att anandtech. Still it claims to be the same board. At least so it seems to me. A couple of other sites have the same pics with different power circuits.
Are there different versions of the P5E3 PREMIUM/WIFI-AP@N in circulation? If so, how do i tell them apart before buying?
The one request I've had for Asus lately is to provide greater flexibility for fine-tuning of GTL reference voltages, as this is key especially for quad core overclocking. I'm delighted that Asus has apparently listened and responded.
Hi Kris. Very nice view for the mobo.
As you have been practicing and analizing a lot on how doe sthe GTL reference voltage works, which settings for CPU and NB on GTL did you used for 550 FSB?
Also, which voltage should you consider to be the max for 24/7 situations? Around 1.4v?
If we had to do an analogy, between conroe and Wolfdale, when Conroe max voltage for 24/7 was around 1.5-1.6volts, on that time, being 1.3v the stock aprox. Now, with Wolfdale, 1.125v is about the common VID, so, which would be the voltage limit for 24/7?
Thanks on advise.
Maybe I missed the system specs. I can see the proc in the CPU-z shots, but I'm really curious what RAM you used for this test. Even though I know the MB is critical for getting this kind of performance out of the RAM, not mentioning which one you use seems to imply that you can get these results with any decent DDR3 RAM. Is that so?
Thanks very much for the article. I very much appreciate reading a well crafted piece like this with lots of insight.
While this looks like a nice m/b, I am not as astounded by the memory performance as the writer of the article. On my Asus P5K-D, I acheived 44.5ns latency and memory read of 11,250...with only 2/3rds of the memory bus of the tested board. I am sure I could improve on that figure a fair bit if I was optimized the speed and timings for that purpose.
Yes, the X48 looks impressive as it should, but let's not forget this is NOT a retail sample. I just think it's misleading and premature to claim "To rule them all" when we haven't even looked at other X48 mobos.
Hi, to date we have reviewed the following Intel X48 boards: Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6, ASUS R.O.G. Rampage Formula, MSI X48 Platinum and ASUS P5E3 Premium (with the possibility of more to come). Thank you.
The introduction to the article aludes to the fact that in the not-too-distant future, we may have to choose platforms at the expense of component choices such as graphics cards.
I think that's already the case and has been for some time. If I want an Intel-based mobo, say goodbye to SLI. If I want SLI, I have to choose nVidia's chipset.
Unless Intel's next platform makes it impossible to choose any graphics card (not multi-card solution, but single-card) then it's no worse than what we have today.
That said, I think we would all welcome the ability to run any two (or three) add-in cards in SLI or CrossFire for graphics and/or physics on any motherboard. That would make it much easier to decide which components to buy as we could judge them on their individual merits and not on what limitations they impose on the rest of the system.
You know? This is all well and good....but Anandtech has never completed the review of the Asus Striker II Formula. Based upon the quick blog put out by them, and the feature set, I purchased one for my new build. I had NOTHING but trouble out of it. Even after BIOS updates, extra case fans, and finally an 18Inch fan stuck in the side of the case, it still wouldn't run stabily. I even had problems with the LAN adapters accepting dynamic IP's and therefore no gateway to the internet. Then, no response from ASUS tech support at all. I used to be a HUGE Asus fan....but I've RMA'ed that piece O' crap, and am waiting on my P35 chipset Gigabyte so I can have a system that doesn't REQUIRE water cooling to function.
Really Anandtech.....will you EVER complete the Striker II Formula review? I'm interested to know how you got it to work.
The winbond chip is the SuperIO or hardware monitoring chip.
The BIOS chip in ASUS new motherboards is, usually, a flash SPI chip, that sits next to the SPI debug connector.
The P5E3 Premium SPI BIOS chip and connector are next to the CMOS battery.
The 'Ai Lifestyle' logo is glued onto the Southbridge heatsink block. Even if removed, there are no fins to take advantage of the airflow, other than the slightly reduced thermal resistance - no real gains in removal there.
The blue Asus logo plate has a heatpipe passing thru it, via a hole on the left of the Nortbridge heatsink. Meaning one would have to break or cut it, to take it off the heatsink. Obviously, there would be some benefit to removal, but perhaps the benefits of an active warranty are better than 2-3 degrees of temp drop..
We tend only to remove things that are removable by design, in this case neither of those logo plates are designed to be removed.. Hence we have no issue chagning out thermal paste if we deem it necessary.
Forgive me if this question reveals my ignorance
on this one point: I obviously need answers,
and still don't have answers ...
As someone who is responsible for keeping several
backup copies of a database up-to-date, I have
found that x4 PCI-Express lanes cause a lower
ceiling on the performance of RAID 0 storage
than x8 PCI-Express lanes in any given expansion
slot.
One of the reasons why we purchased the ASUS
P5W64 WS Professional, is the use of 4 x x16 slots
which can be assigned 8-8-4-8 PCI-Express lanes
(one option mentioned in the User Manual).
The better RAID controllers that we are considering
all require x8 PCI-Express lanes, instead of x4 lanes,
e.g. Areca, Highpoint, etc.
Someone is now going to recommend here that
we forego SLI or Crossfire and use one of the
x16 video slots for the RAID controller.
OK: I don't mind going without dual video cards,
because I don't need to live and work on the
bleeding edge of graphics technology.
BUT ... here's the rub: if you contact Tech Support
at the companies that manufacture RAID controllers,
they are typically unable to confirm if their x8 lane
controllers will work in x16 video slots.
"Try it and tell us what happens," they all say!
If that combination does NOT work, the RAID controller
must be inserted in the only remaining x16 slot,
which only gets x4 PCI-Express lanes, NOT x8!
That combination just proves that such motherboards
were the WRONG CHOICE from day one.
I thought that PCI-Express was designed to provide
greater speed for most peripheral subsystems,
NOT JUST graphics cards.
I do not know the exact procedure or metrics for Editor's Choice award, but isn't it a little to early for a 'Gold' award? I don't even know if there are any other X48 board exist.
And there is no mention of usability, or how well the included features all perform, or there is not even a single benchmark performed other than Everest shot. Indeed, it looks like the award was given simply because the reviewer was so impressed soley by the board's overclocking performance.
To date was have reviewed the following Intel X48 boards: Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6, ASUS R.O.G. Rampage Formula, MSI X48 Platinum and ASUS P5E3 Premium, which can all be found by navigating to the 'Motherboards' tab linked at the top of this page. Although we are certainly prepared to review any other boards that come forward, no other company has officially announced the existence of their X48-based product(s) at this time.
I've been reading Anandtech for almost a decade now, and I've watched the fanboys, haters, and gurus go back and forth on lots of issues.
Instead of talking about the substance of the article, I just wanted to say that you folks run the best online hardware review page on the planet, and this article is yet another example of the incredible work you do. Your attention to detail is impressive, but your genuine concern for getting to the bottom of issues and telling the readers how you really feel. That level of honesty breeds trust, which is a difficult commodity to come by in today's online world.
Thank God! I was afraid that Asus was going to use Firewire800 instead of 400. Make sure you keep using the 10 year old variant of the technology, ok Asus? Whatever you do, do not spend the couple of extra bucks to improve the speed of the interface. Heck, while you're at it, for a $250 board, why don't you just take away firewire altogether, and replace it with onboard video. That would be class.
Because manu people have a digital camera with FireWire output. For some (like me), I based my decision on FireWire availability... A board without FireWire is an handicapped board for me.
I was being sarcastic. I use many firewire devices, mostly 400, some 800. It irks me that manufacturers insist on me buying 3rd party cards, even at this incredibly high price for a motherboard.
They just want Firewire to go away so they can add a little to their margins.
I wonder how the situation will play out in the laptop segment. nVidia's chipsets have a feature that is very promising in that segment - namely their now non-optional integrated graphics card in combination with an addon card, and the ability to switch between the two without rebooting.
My understanding is that all intel laptops so far are always made with an intel chipset (to qualify for their centrino brand), so we likely won't be able to benefit from these exciting features of the new nvidia chipsets. This is a shame.
If I wanted to pair this mobo with the upcoming Q9450 what would be the best air cooling heatsink/fan solution to overclock the CPU and what speed would you recommend overclocking it to?
That is truly the only word I can think of at the moment. While my technical knowledge is above average at best, I can say that I understood plenty enough to know that this is one amazing board. The specifications are really impressive and I was quite happy to see some of the results that you guys were able to coax out of it. I am certainly looking forward to future reviews on the chipset as well as nVidia's upcoming solution.
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32 Comments
Back to Article
ArthurCanada - Thursday, October 2, 2008 - link
Indeed folks. This is the most advanced and powerful board I have ever installed in a computer. I am running Vista Ultimate 64 bit and pushing my E8500 to 4 Ghz per core, much like in the testing. I can't begin to tell you how fast this motherboard with the E8500 is.For overclockers ... this is the board they have been waiting for. Period!
Arthur
Canada
drnick79 - Tuesday, April 1, 2008 - link
HelloI purchased this board with 2x1GB sticks of OCZ DDR3 1800 memory to use with my e8400 CPU (which I can get stable to at least 4050mhz on other mobos). What RAM did you use for this testing? I can't even come close to running stable at the settings you have listed, nor can I score any higher than about 11,500MB/sec read and 46ns with everest benchmark, and the settings I used to achieve those values are very unstable. And 1N memory settings??? This board won't even post if I set the memory to 1N running the memory over 1333mhz.
Just wondering if you could share the RAM brand you used along with your motherboard and RAM voltage settings to achieve such a feat.
Thanks,
Nick
HotBBQ - Monday, February 25, 2008 - link
"With an estimated retail price of around $299, there is a lot of value in the purchase of the P5E3 Premium for those looking at a high-end motherboard to use in the coming years."Where did the $299 come from? The X38 version of this board comes it at $340.
fabz - Saturday, February 23, 2008 - link
HiGreat review! I have been reading alot here att anandtech and generally all over the web preparing my first ever pc-build. Intel seem to be the way to go.
But,
have a look at the link posted below:
http://www.hardware.info/nl-NL/productdb/bGRkapiTm...">http://www.hardware.info/nl-NL/productdb/bGRkapiTm...
The DDR3 power circuit is different to the one here att anandtech. Still it claims to be the same board. At least so it seems to me. A couple of other sites have the same pics with different power circuits.
Are there different versions of the P5E3 PREMIUM/WIFI-AP@N in circulation? If so, how do i tell them apart before buying?
/Fabricio@cold, dark winter-sweden.
Aivas47a - Friday, February 22, 2008 - link
The one request I've had for Asus lately is to provide greater flexibility for fine-tuning of GTL reference voltages, as this is key especially for quad core overclocking. I'm delighted that Asus has apparently listened and responded.KainAT - Thursday, February 21, 2008 - link
Hi Kris. Very nice view for the mobo.As you have been practicing and analizing a lot on how doe sthe GTL reference voltage works, which settings for CPU and NB on GTL did you used for 550 FSB?
Also, which voltage should you consider to be the max for 24/7 situations? Around 1.4v?
If we had to do an analogy, between conroe and Wolfdale, when Conroe max voltage for 24/7 was around 1.5-1.6volts, on that time, being 1.3v the stock aprox. Now, with Wolfdale, 1.125v is about the common VID, so, which would be the voltage limit for 24/7?
Thanks on advise.
Kain
PolymerTim - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
Maybe I missed the system specs. I can see the proc in the CPU-z shots, but I'm really curious what RAM you used for this test. Even though I know the MB is critical for getting this kind of performance out of the RAM, not mentioning which one you use seems to imply that you can get these results with any decent DDR3 RAM. Is that so?Thanks very much for the article. I very much appreciate reading a well crafted piece like this with lots of insight.
Xvys - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
While this looks like a nice m/b, I am not as astounded by the memory performance as the writer of the article. On my Asus P5K-D, I acheived 44.5ns latency and memory read of 11,250...with only 2/3rds of the memory bus of the tested board. I am sure I could improve on that figure a fair bit if I was optimized the speed and timings for that purpose.AllanLim - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
Yes, the X48 looks impressive as it should, but let's not forget this is NOT a retail sample. I just think it's misleading and premature to claim "To rule them all" when we haven't even looked at other X48 mobos.kjboughton - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
Hi, to date we have reviewed the following Intel X48 boards: Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6, ASUS R.O.G. Rampage Formula, MSI X48 Platinum and ASUS P5E3 Premium (with the possibility of more to come). Thank you.AllanLim - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
My bad...missed those.AllanLim - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
But I still maintain my position until retail samples show up...squito - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
I can still taste the RDRAM and i820 motherboards ...Orbs - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
The introduction to the article aludes to the fact that in the not-too-distant future, we may have to choose platforms at the expense of component choices such as graphics cards.I think that's already the case and has been for some time. If I want an Intel-based mobo, say goodbye to SLI. If I want SLI, I have to choose nVidia's chipset.
Unless Intel's next platform makes it impossible to choose any graphics card (not multi-card solution, but single-card) then it's no worse than what we have today.
That said, I think we would all welcome the ability to run any two (or three) add-in cards in SLI or CrossFire for graphics and/or physics on any motherboard. That would make it much easier to decide which components to buy as we could judge them on their individual merits and not on what limitations they impose on the rest of the system.
Cykoth - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
You know? This is all well and good....but Anandtech has never completed the review of the Asus Striker II Formula. Based upon the quick blog put out by them, and the feature set, I purchased one for my new build. I had NOTHING but trouble out of it. Even after BIOS updates, extra case fans, and finally an 18Inch fan stuck in the side of the case, it still wouldn't run stabily. I even had problems with the LAN adapters accepting dynamic IP's and therefore no gateway to the internet. Then, no response from ASUS tech support at all. I used to be a HUGE Asus fan....but I've RMA'ed that piece O' crap, and am waiting on my P35 chipset Gigabyte so I can have a system that doesn't REQUIRE water cooling to function.Really Anandtech.....will you EVER complete the Striker II Formula review? I'm interested to know how you got it to work.
Cyko
tmarques - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
The winbond chip is the SuperIO or hardware monitoring chip.The BIOS chip in ASUS new motherboards is, usually, a flash SPI chip, that sits next to the SPI debug connector.
The P5E3 Premium SPI BIOS chip and connector are next to the CMOS battery.
kjboughton - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
Yep, you're absolutely right. Confused the chip with something else. Thank you.RobinBee - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
I see these logos on AnandTech's pictures.These (ASUS) logos must be removed, before using a motherboard.
Does AnandTech test MBs without removing those logos?
If so, a MB's passive cooling is not optimal.
Rajinder Gill - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
The 'Ai Lifestyle' logo is glued onto the Southbridge heatsink block. Even if removed, there are no fins to take advantage of the airflow, other than the slightly reduced thermal resistance - no real gains in removal there.The blue Asus logo plate has a heatpipe passing thru it, via a hole on the left of the Nortbridge heatsink. Meaning one would have to break or cut it, to take it off the heatsink. Obviously, there would be some benefit to removal, but perhaps the benefits of an active warranty are better than 2-3 degrees of temp drop..
We tend only to remove things that are removable by design, in this case neither of those logo plates are designed to be removed.. Hence we have no issue chagning out thermal paste if we deem it necessary.
regards
supremelaw - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
Forgive me if this question reveals my ignoranceon this one point: I obviously need answers,
and still don't have answers ...
As someone who is responsible for keeping several
backup copies of a database up-to-date, I have
found that x4 PCI-Express lanes cause a lower
ceiling on the performance of RAID 0 storage
than x8 PCI-Express lanes in any given expansion
slot.
One of the reasons why we purchased the ASUS
P5W64 WS Professional, is the use of 4 x x16 slots
which can be assigned 8-8-4-8 PCI-Express lanes
(one option mentioned in the User Manual).
The better RAID controllers that we are considering
all require x8 PCI-Express lanes, instead of x4 lanes,
e.g. Areca, Highpoint, etc.
Someone is now going to recommend here that
we forego SLI or Crossfire and use one of the
x16 video slots for the RAID controller.
OK: I don't mind going without dual video cards,
because I don't need to live and work on the
bleeding edge of graphics technology.
BUT ... here's the rub: if you contact Tech Support
at the companies that manufacture RAID controllers,
they are typically unable to confirm if their x8 lane
controllers will work in x16 video slots.
"Try it and tell us what happens," they all say!
If that combination does NOT work, the RAID controller
must be inserted in the only remaining x16 slot,
which only gets x4 PCI-Express lanes, NOT x8!
That combination just proves that such motherboards
were the WRONG CHOICE from day one.
I thought that PCI-Express was designed to provide
greater speed for most peripheral subsystems,
NOT JUST graphics cards.
WHAT GIVES?
Sincerely yours,
/s/ Paul Andrew Mitchell
Webmaster, Supreme Law Library
http://www.supremelaw.org/">http://www.supremelaw.org/
lopri - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
I do not know the exact procedure or metrics for Editor's Choice award, but isn't it a little to early for a 'Gold' award? I don't even know if there are any other X48 board exist.And there is no mention of usability, or how well the included features all perform, or there is not even a single benchmark performed other than Everest shot. Indeed, it looks like the award was given simply because the reviewer was so impressed soley by the board's overclocking performance.
kjboughton - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
To date was have reviewed the following Intel X48 boards: Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6, ASUS R.O.G. Rampage Formula, MSI X48 Platinum and ASUS P5E3 Premium, which can all be found by navigating to the 'Motherboards' tab linked at the top of this page. Although we are certainly prepared to review any other boards that come forward, no other company has officially announced the existence of their X48-based product(s) at this time.DBissett - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
The specifications list DDR2 dividers....should that be DDR3?pnyffeler - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
I've been reading Anandtech for almost a decade now, and I've watched the fanboys, haters, and gurus go back and forth on lots of issues.Instead of talking about the substance of the article, I just wanted to say that you folks run the best online hardware review page on the planet, and this article is yet another example of the incredible work you do. Your attention to detail is impressive, but your genuine concern for getting to the bottom of issues and telling the readers how you really feel. That level of honesty breeds trust, which is a difficult commodity to come by in today's online world.
Keep up the excellent work.
takumsawsherman - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
Thank God! I was afraid that Asus was going to use Firewire800 instead of 400. Make sure you keep using the 10 year old variant of the technology, ok Asus? Whatever you do, do not spend the couple of extra bucks to improve the speed of the interface. Heck, while you're at it, for a $250 board, why don't you just take away firewire altogether, and replace it with onboard video. That would be class.LEKO - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
Because manu people have a digital camera with FireWire output. For some (like me), I based my decision on FireWire availability... A board without FireWire is an handicapped board for me.takumsawsherman - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
I was being sarcastic. I use many firewire devices, mostly 400, some 800. It irks me that manufacturers insist on me buying 3rd party cards, even at this incredibly high price for a motherboard.They just want Firewire to go away so they can add a little to their margins.
Visual - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
I wonder how the situation will play out in the laptop segment. nVidia's chipsets have a feature that is very promising in that segment - namely their now non-optional integrated graphics card in combination with an addon card, and the ability to switch between the two without rebooting.My understanding is that all intel laptops so far are always made with an intel chipset (to qualify for their centrino brand), so we likely won't be able to benefit from these exciting features of the new nvidia chipsets. This is a shame.
Alex1180 - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
If I wanted to pair this mobo with the upcoming Q9450 what would be the best air cooling heatsink/fan solution to overclock the CPU and what speed would you recommend overclocking it to?any help would be appreciated
Super Nade - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
Hi,None of those caps are Nichion. The VRM caps are Fujitsu FP-Cap and the one by the EPS connector looks like a Sanyo SEPC.
marsbound2024 - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - link
That is truly the only word I can think of at the moment. While my technical knowledge is above average at best, I can say that I understood plenty enough to know that this is one amazing board. The specifications are really impressive and I was quite happy to see some of the results that you guys were able to coax out of it. I am certainly looking forward to future reviews on the chipset as well as nVidia's upcoming solution.ghd nz - Monday, January 7, 2013 - link
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