Introducing the X48
Today we will take a look at Asus' P5E3 Premium - a feature packed motherboard, based on the Intel X48 chipset.
Don't be surprised If this board seems familiar to you - it is basically a new version of the X38 based Asus P5E3 Deluxe WiFi that we reviewed last October. Visually, the boards look practically identical, with the only difference being this board having three less chassis fan connectors, two less USB ports, and one PCIe x1 slot less than the X38 based board. And other than being labelled with an 'X48' instead of an 'X38', and officially supporting a 1600MHz FSB - and presumably with a newer BIOS revision - I strongly suspect that other than the cost reductions due to the fewer connectors, the boards ARE basically the same.
Frankly, it is widely known on the net that the X48 chipset is basically identical to the X38 chipset, other than officially supporting 1600MHz FSB - at most it seems to be a new die revision of the X38. At most.
Mind you, none of the above really matters - as even the X38 was a fine chip.
Ok, now that we have the obvious out of the way, let's take a look at the specifications of this board.
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CPU
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Intel Socket 775 Core™2 Quad/Core™2 Extreme/Core™2 Duo/Pentium® Extreme/Pentium® D/Pentium® 4 Processors
Compatible with Intel® 05B/05A/06 processors
Support Intel® next generation 45nm CPU
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Chipset
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Intel X48
Intel ICH9R
Intel Fast Memory Access Technology
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Front Side Bus
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1600/1333/1066/800 MHz
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Memory
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4 x DIMM, Max. 8 GB, DDR3 2000*/1800*/1600/1333/1066/800 Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory
Dual Channel memory architecture
Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
* Overclocking speed
** For the X.M.P. support, CPUs with FSB 1333 or above are recommended.
*** Refer to www.asus.com or this user manual for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors List).
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Expansion Slots
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3 x PCIe x16 (blue @PCIe2.0 x16 mode, black @PCIe x4 or x1 mode) supports CrossFire Technology
1 x PCIe x1
2 x PCI
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Storage
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Southbridge
6 xSATA 3 Gb/s ports Intel Matrix Storage Technology Support RAID 0,1,5,10
JMicron® JMB363 PATA and SATA controller
1 xUltraDMA 133/100/66 for up to 2 PATA devices
2 xExternal SATA 3.0 Gb/s port (SATA On-the-Go)
Support RAID 0,1,JBOD
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LAN
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Dual Gigabit LAN controllersMarvell 88E8056® PCIe Gigabit LAN controller featuring AI NET2
Realtek RTL8110SC® PCI Gigabit LAN controller featuring AI NET2
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Wireless LAN
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ASUS WiFi-AP @n
- 300Mbps* IEEE 802.11n (Draft) and backwards compatible with IEEE 802.11g / b
- Software Access Point mode
*300Mbps is IEEE 802.11n draft specification. Actual throughput will vary depending on the wireless environment and other parameters
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Audio
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ADI® AD1988B 8 -Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
Coaxial / Optical S/PDIF out ports at back I/O
Support Jack-Sensing, Enumeration, Multi-streaming
AI Audio 2
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IEEE 1394
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Agere® L-FW3227 1394a controller supports 2 x 1394a ports (one at midboard; one at back panel)
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USB
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10 USB 2.0 ports (4 ports at mid-board, 6ports at back panel)
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ASUS AI Lifestyle Features
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ASUS Power Saving Solution
- ASUS EPU (Energy Processing Unit)
- ASUS 3rd Generation 8-phase Power
- ASUS AI Nap
ASUS AI Lifestyle
- ASUS Express Gate
- ASUS WiFi-AP @n
- ASUS AI Direct Link
ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution
- ASUS Fanless Design: Pure Copper Heat-pipe solution
- ASUS Fanless Design: Stack Cool 2
- ASUS Q-Fan 2
- ASUS Optional Fan for Water-cooling or Passive-Cooling only
ASUS Crystal Sound
- ASUS Noise Filter
- ASUS AI Audio 2
ASUS EZ DIY
- ASUS Q-Connector
- ASUS Q-Shield
- ASUS O.C. Profile
- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
- ASUS EZ Flash 2
- ASUS AI Slot Detector
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Overclocking Features
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Intelligent overclocking tools
- ASUS AI Booster Utility
Precision Tweaker 2
- vDIMM: 65 -step DRAM voltage control
- vCore: Adjustable CPU voltage at 0.00625V increment
- vChipset (N.B.): 49-step voltage control
- vFSB Termination: 16-step reference voltage control
- vCPU PLL: 65-step CPU PLL voltage control
SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection)
- FSB tuning from 200MHz up to 800MHz at 1MHz increment
- Memory tuning from 800MHz up to 3200MHz
- PCI Express frequency tuning from 100MHz up to 150MHz at 1MHz increment
Overclocking Protection
- ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)
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Special Features
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Multi-language BIOS
ASUS MyLogo 3
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Back Panel I/O Ports
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1 x PS/2 Keyboard
2 x External SATA
1 x S/PDIF Out
1 x IEEE 1394a
2 x LAN(RJ45) port
6 x USB 2.0/1.1
8 -Channel Audio I/O
2 x WiFi-AP @n antenna jack
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Internal I/O Connectors
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2 x USB connectors support additional 4 USB ports
1 x Floppy disk drive connector
1 x IDE connector
6 x SATA connectors
1 x IEEE 1394a connector
1 x CPU Fan connector
1 x Chassis Fan connector
1 x Power Fan connector
1 x COM connector
1 x S/PDIF Out connector
2 x4-pin ATX 12V Power connector
24 -pin ATX Power connector
Front panel audio connector
Chassis Intrusion connector
CD/AUX audio in
System Panel Connector
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BIOS
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16 Mb Flash ROM
DMI 2.0
AMI BIOS
PnP
WfM 2.0
SM BIOS 2.3
ACPI 2.0a
Multi-language BIOS
ASUS EZ Flash 2
ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
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Manageability
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WfM 2.0,DMI 2.0,WOL by PME,WOR by PME, PXE
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Accessories
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UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable
FDD cable
6 x Serial ATA cables
1 x 2-port Serial ATA power cable
ASUS Q-Shield
User's manual
ASUS WiFi-AP @n manual
3 in 1 Q-connector
1 x 2-port USB2.0 / 1-port IEEE1394 module
2 x Optional Fan for Water-Cooling or Passive-Cooling only
ASUS WiFi-AP @n omni-directional antenna
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Support Disc
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Drivers
ASUS PC Probe II
ASUS AI Suite
Anti-virus software (OEM version)
ASUS Update
ASUS WiFi-AP @n Wizard
Image-Editing Suite
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Form Factor
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ATX Form Factor
12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x24.4 cm )
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