EVGA P55 Classified 200 LGA1156 Motherboard Review

EVGA P55 Classified 200 LGA1156 Motherboard Review



Price: $365+ CND Price Comparison
Manufacturer Product Page: EVGA Corporation
TechWIKI Info: EVGA P55 Classified 200 - TechWIKI
Manufacturer's Part Number: 160-LF-E659-KR
Warranty: 3 Year Limited Warranty w/Registration
Buy from: NCIX | DirectCanada | BestDirect


What is black and red and full of sexy all over? Well we can't tell you because it is Classified. That's right, this is another installment of the EVGA Classified show. Our guest star is of the P55 variety sporting the latest mainstream LGA1156 socket from Intel. The term mainstream, which is what the Intel P55 chipset is billed as, doesn't exactly correlate with ultra high-end which is what the Classified name from EVGA is generally paired with. It is this sort of oxymoron that makes this board quite intriguing.

What we have here is the absolute top end of the EVGA P55 lineup. This list of motherboards includes the P55 V, up through the P55 Micro, and the penultimate P55 FTW 200 with a few more motherboards filling in the cracks. The EVGA offerings reach a crescendo with the motherboard we are looking at today, the EVGA P55 Classified 200. EVGA decided that just because the P55 chipset is considered the mainstream counterpart to the enthusiast level Intel X58 chipset, it didn't mean people wouldn't be looking for premium motherboards in this segment.

This is where the Classified steps in. Based on the P55 chipset the EVGA P55 Classified 200 supports LGA1156 i5 and i7 8xx series processors. But unlike other P55 motherboards, the P55 Classified 200 can accommodate Tri-SLI thanks to the implementation of the of the NF200 chipset. The NF200 allows the motherboard to split up some of the PCI-E lanes allowing for three, four, or technically even five video cards to be used at the same time. Typical P55 motherboards only allow two-way SLI or CrossFireX so this definitely opens doors on a platform not typical of its capabilities.

Of course there is much more to the EVGA P55 Classified 200 feature list which we plan on having a look at in full. If you are not familiar with the Classified brand, you are in for a treat. If you are familiar with previous EVGA Classified motherboards, then you know what to expect as EVGA is sure to keep the strong tradition of the Classified name with this latest installment. So sit back, relax, and grab a fresh bowl of popcorn; the show is about to begin and there is something in here for everyone.

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Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD7
LGA1366 Motherboard Review

Manufacturer's Part Number: GA-X58A-UD7
Price: $360CDN+ Price Comparison
Manufacturer's Product Page: Giga-Byte Technology Co., Ltd.
Warranty: 3 year limited warranty
Buy from: NCIX | DirectCanada | BestDirect


At this year's Computex we had the priviledge of taking an early look at Gigabyte's X58A motherboard lineup. Even though all of the models were very early samples, it was obvious that these second generation X58 motherboards would bring a lot to the table. People were so impressed with these new models that the EX58A-EXTREME was actually one of 25 products shown off at Computex 2009 that was selected for the Best Choice Award.

After being long delayed due to a problem with Marvell's SATA 6Gb/s controller, the EX58A-EXTREME eventually became the X58A-UD7 that we are reviewing today. This is the Cream of the Crop, the best and most expensive motherboard in Gigabyte's entire motherboard roster. With many motherboards it's hard to know what to talk about but with this one, where do we start? First, this model utilizes Gigabyte's brand new 24-phase power design, which should not only allow for superior extreme overclocking, but higher reliability, lower temperatures, and better energy efficiency as well. Secondly, thanks to the aforementioned Marvell controller, this motherboard support the new SATA 6Gb/s interface. Mostly important though, like all X58A motherboards, the X58A-UD7 supports USB 3.0, which is absolutely going to be one of the most important new technologies of 2010.

Speaking of USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s, it should be mentioned that Gigabyte has devised an easy way of distinguishing the motherboards which support these technologies from those that don't. Basically, any of their boards that use the "A" designation after the chipset name (X58A, P55A, etc.) make use of the new USB and SATA interfaces while other models don't.

Befitting its high-end roots, this is one of the few Intel X58-based motherboards with four mechanical PCI-E x16 slots which are capable of x16/x16, x16/x8/x8 and x8/x8/x8/x8 configurations. Officially, this motherboard 'only' supports 3-way CrossFireX and 3-way SLI, but with single-slot cards Quad CrossFireX is definitely do-able as well. Oddly enough, perhaps the best part of this motherboard is the software. As you will see in the coming pages, Gigabyte have created some interesting new utilities to help manage your system, secure your data, and even lower power consumption, all with a bluetooth-enabled mobile phone.

This is a review that you won't want to miss, if only to see how well USB 3.0 performs compared to USB 2.0. Trust us, it will blow your mind.

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ASUS P7H57D-V EVO
LGA1156 Motherboard Review

Manufacturer's Part Number: P7H57D-V EVO
Price: $220CDN+ Price Comparison
Manufacturer's Product Page: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
Warranty: 3 year limited warranty (with 1st year advanced RMA service)



As you all undoubtedly know Intel recently released the first CPU+GPU hybrid processors on the market in the form of the Clarkdale LGA1156 family, which is comprised of the i5-600 series, i3-500 series, and Pentium G6000 series. These new models cater to the mainstream PC market, with a slant towards budget systems and home theater PC's (HTPC). Specifically, these are the chips that Intel plans to replace the venerable Core 2 Duo series with.

With the release of the processors, Intel also unveiled three new chipsets (H55/H57/Q57). The two chipsets that consumers are likely to encounter in the retail market are the H55 Express and H57 Express. For all extent and purpose, both chipsets are identical, with the H57 distinguishing itself from the H55 with 2 additional USB 2.0 ports and 2 additional PCI-E x1 slots. Not a significant difference by any means.

However, while nearly all H55 motherboards are sub-$150 models, the H57 chipset has given motherboard manufacturers a reason to create some higher-end motherboards sporting more PCI-E x16 slots, SATA 6Gb/s and USB 3.0. The P7H57D-V EVO is one such product. While designing a premium motherboard around an affordable processor series might seem counter-productive, the simple fact of the matter is that most Clarkdale's really aren't that cheap, yet that hasn't stopped them from selling well.

Coming in at around $220CAD, the P7H57D-V EVO is priced more along the lines of a fully featured P55 motherboard. This makes sense though since this model has exactly the same layout and feature set as the $200CAD P7P55D-E PRO, and can also support the Lynnfield LGA1156 processors. An extra $20 for DVI/VGA outputs is not unreasonable, but can this Clarkdale-oriented motherboard distinguish itself enough to warrant its high price? Well that's what we are here to find out.

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Sapphire Radeon HD 5830 1GB Review

Sapphire Radeon HD 5830 1GB GDDR5 Review

Product Number: 11169-00-51R
Price:Approx $250 USD / $280 CAD
Warranty: 2-years



ATI has been attacking the DX11 market from every single price point as of late and they finally have what appears to be a full deck of cards which appeal to literally every market niche. They have released an astonishing nine cards in the last six months with a few more to come while the competition seems to be doing nothing but spinning their wheels and respinning chips. Even though NVIDIA’s March 26th launch of their GF100 parts is just around the corner, ATI isn’t by any means sitting back and watching the world pass them by considering they are actively working on refreshing their lineup in addition to releasing new products. This in itself is no small feat and it really shows how far this company has come since AMD stepped in to purchase them.

In what probably seems to be a wet dream for many people looking to upgrade their GPUs and a reoccurring nightmare for reviewers, ATI is releasing yet another GPU today: the “Cypress LE” or HD 5830 1GB as it will be commonly referred to. ATI’s HD 5000 series lineup does span almost every price bracket but they felt that there was a big enough performance gap between the higher-end HD 5850 and decidedly more mainstream HD 5770 to warrant a product that would bridge the gap between the two. Previously, this spot was taken up by the HD 4890 1GB which was retailing for around $200 USD before getting the axe in preparation for the HD 5830 launch. With the HD 5850 currently sitting in what many consider to be the leading price / performance spot at around $315 USD and some HD 5770s retailing for less than $170, there was plenty of room to play with.

For all intents and purposes, this is a bit of a “freak” since what we are looking at is a card which is based off of GPU cores that weren’t able to meet the binning requirements for use in the HD 5850. This translates into an identical die size and transistor count as the HD 5850 but in a product that is significantly less powerful. This is a great move from a cost savings standpoint since the cores that were going unused can now be recycled into a competitive product. To make matters even more interesting, ATI is supposedly not giving their board partners a set reference design for them to base their products off of. As such, at launch you will likely see all manner of HD 5830s; some based off of HD 5850 PCBs while others will be using slightly lower-end starting points and more cooler designs than you can shake a finger at.

When it comes to a card like the HD 5830, price is everything and when we reached out to our retailer contacts they came back with answers. Basically, expect launch prices for this card to go all the way up to (and maybe even slightly over) $275 CAD / $245 USD depending on the accessory and game packages. This puts ATI’s new card in an interesting position at $70 USD less than a HD 5850 and about $70 more than a HD 5770 we’re really talking about the middle ground here. As has been tradition with ATI launches these days, stock will also be a bit tight for the first few days at some locations but should improve quickly following that.

In this particular review we will be looking at the Sapphire HD 5830 1GB which makes use of a cooler that is akin to the one used on the HD 5850 Vapor-X and is based off of that card’s PCB. This should give it some incredible temperatures but will also make it significantly longer than the HD 5770. That being said, without further ado let’s get on with this review.

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Upcoming Intel Core Series CPU’s Leaked

In another round of incremental updates to its Core series lineup, Intel will be debuting its hexa-core Gulftown processor, along with a few other pieces to fill in some perceived gaps.

A report from OCWorkbench, citing Japanese news sources, claims we will be seeing the six core behemoth on March 16th, 2010. The report states that the Core i7 960 Bloomfield - just 6 months after launch – will likely be pulled.

CPU	Codename	Cores	Speed (tb:=Turbo Boost)	Socket	Release
Core i7 980X EE	Gulftown	6 + HT	3.33 GHz (tb: 3.60 GHz)	LGA-1366	March 16th ‘10
Core i7 970	? Bloomfield	? 4 + HT	? 3.33 GHz (tb: 3.46 GHz)	LGA-1366	Q3, 2010
Core i7 930	Bloomfield	4 + HT	2.80GHz (tb: 3.06 GHz)	LGA-1366	Feb 28th ‘10
Core i7 880	Lynnfield	4 + HT	3.06 GHz (tb: 3.73 GHz)	LGA-1156	Q2, 2010
Core i5 680	Clarkdale	2 + HT	3.60 GHz (tb: 3.80 GHz)	LGA-1156	May 2010
Core i3 550	Clarkdale	2 + HT	3.20 GHz	LGA-1156	Q2, 2010

? Information in Debate

[Author's Update]

As an update to this story, on February 2nd, Fudzilla released information stating that the Core i7 970 will be a 6 core, 32nm Gulftown based processor; the original source as also appended this information. If this report is in fact true then one thing is clear; Intel needs to seriously give their head a shake (and fire their marketting team) when it comes to the naming schemes which they promised to be much clearer for consumers. With the current Core i7 975 edition being a 4 core Bloomfield based chip, hiding an entirely new i7 970 Gulftown chip, somewhere in the middle of an old product line is… ridiculous.

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Corsair Prepping 3.5″ 512GB SSD

Along with the news that Corsair has launched two new high performance traditional SSD’s lines, comes rumour of a not so traditional product; a 3.5 inch 512GB solid state drive.

The technical specs are scant,however initial reports from Hexus.net suggest the device will feature a beefy 128MB cache and provide impressive speeds of 240mb/s write and 200mb/s read.

The image of the unit shows that the device may simply be a 3.5″ dock, and suggests that the drive(s) housed inside are Corsair high performance drives; likely dual 256GB units in a RAID 0 array given the speed.

It’s not said to be cheap, with speculation that dollar and cents figures will run around 1,250GBP or US$1,748. Two of Corsair’s current Xtreme series 256GB drives ring in it at approximately $1,699 CAD.

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AMD ATI Radeon HD 5450 Graphics Accelerator

AMD today announced the introduction of the ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics card, the latest addition to the award-winning line-up of ATI Radeon HD 5000 Series graphics cards.

Hardware Canucks has released our full review on the video card with a complete run down on its performance and benefits.

The ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics card delivers a state-of-the-art HD multimedia and game experience at a value price. Sharing the same leading edge features found in the critically-acclaimed ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series – support for DirectX 11, ATI Eyefinity multi-display technology and ATI Stream technology – the ATI Radeon HD 5450 provides an uncompromising Microsoft Windows 7 experience.

• Cutting-edge technology for today’s software: The ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics card offers great performance, allowing users to get the true Windows 7 experience with full DirectX 11 support, for less than USD $60 for a 512MB memory configuration.
• Expanded productivity with multi-display technology: Featuring support for ATI Eyefinity multi-monitor technology, the ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics card helps users be more productive in today’s visually rich applications by expanding their on-screen real estate, putting more information at their fingertips.
• Silent running: Offering leading-edge performance per watt, the ATI Radeon HD 5450 redefines entry level performance and ultra-low power consumption, making it possible for AIB partners to deliver passive cooling models to market in addition to whisper-quiet, single slot fan-cooled versions.
• Rich HD multimedia experience: Home theater buffs will particularly appreciate the ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics product. This passively-cooled, ultra-quiet card is a home theater PC builder’s dream, enabling high quality, high-definition home theater experiences. The home theater experience is enriched with features such as HDMI 1.3a with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio for the ultimate media PC.

“The ATI Radeon HD 5450 offers consumers another next-generation graphics product from AMD, and further reinforces our price-performance value at a wide range of price points,” said Matt Skynner, vice president and general manager, AMD Graphics Division. “With the addition of the ATI Radeon HD 5450, home theater enthusiasts and casual gamers have access to cutting-edge features and solid performance at an incredible value.”

The ATI Radeon HD 5450 is available immediately from a number of partners, including ASUS, ASK, Club 3D, DMM, GBT, HIS, LDLC.com, MSI, Sapphire, TUL, VT and XFX. For more information, visit the product page.

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Gigabyte Launches PCI-E USB 3.0 Add-In Card

Gigabyte is taking steps to allow more “dated” PC’s to embrace the movement to USB3.0 with the introduction of its new PCI-E expansion card, the GA-USB3.0.

USB 3.0 still hasn’t widely caught on with a majority of motherboard manufacturer’s; most opting to only include a one or two connections on only their premiere lineup.

Gigabyte is offering this card as an separate item for anyone to purchase and install. It operates on a PCI-Ex1 expansion slot, offers two USB3.0 connections and requires power from a typical molex connection. In typical Gigabyte fashion the card is built on blue 2oz copper PCB and is based on an NEC USB 3.0 controller.

The device is currently available from many local or online retailers for a list price of $39.99 USD.

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Silverstone Announces HDDBoost – The SSD Experience with the HDD Space

Silverstone has struck innovation gold (provided it works as well as it sounds) with its latest announcement about HDDBoost, a technology that combines both SDD’s and mechanical hard drives into one large, fast storage device.

Simply put, HDDBoost connects a traditional 3.5 HDD of any size, with the a super fast 2.5inch SSD of your choice, and claims to improve speed of the new “combined” storage drive by up to 70% over the mechanical.

The device connects the two drives through a physical adapter that eliminates the need for software or drivers. It works by creating a sequential mirror of front-end data of the hard drive immediately after installation, onto the solid state drive. Thus, files that are most commonly used will be read from the SSD resulting in access times of under 1ms, over 10 times faster than traditional drives. To reduce writes, HDDBOOST stores the initial mirror data on the SSD, putting the rest on the HDD. Consequently, most of the data will still be read from the hard disk, but will reduce the amounts of writes done to the SSD.

The drive is currently only available in Japan, and has been given a price of 37 Euro ($50USD). North American availability is unknown.

A full run down on the details of HDDBoost can be found on Silverstone’s Website

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