Motherboard Asus P5Q PRO Turbo: an overview, specs and reviews

The motherboard is the base that allows you to assemble an excellent system. Of course, the most powerful devices in a pair with a weak motherboard never work at full strength. Therefore, if the user is configured to collect a decent powerful PC, then you'll have to start by choosing a good platform. This was always the case, even when the choice of motherboards was meager. The reviewed model Asus P5Q PRO Turbo on the market since 2009. It has acquired novelties from the world of technology and has taken one more step towards the current modern options.

Idea

At that time, motherboards were shipped in small quantities. Of course, they were represented by different manufacturers, but with respect to the current state of affairs, it can be said that the market was poorly filled. Then the company Gigabyte decided to introduce the user to its proprietary technology Ultra Durable, which immediately received a positive response.

The company Asus decided to keep up with its competitors and release its novelty along with the new Xtreme Design. In addition to the fact that the new features were quite useful, their fashionable names contributed to the promotion of models that became endowed with benefits. This was the motherboard Asus P5Q PRO Turbo.

The essence of this development is in the new board design. It was specifically designed to ensure the speed, stability and integrity of the system. Represents the updated overclocking potential.

Packaging

The products were delivered in a bright box with graphic elements. It is executed in blue color with display of all available technologies, functions and characteristics. So, the name of the model flashed in front, there was a description of the main advantages and indication of dry figures. Behind the specifications was more. Immediately there was a picture of the motherboard. And also with the help of graphic icons the main indicators were displayed.

The packaging was roomy, so it was hoped that in addition to the platform inside, there were many useful accessories. In fact, there were not many gifts. In addition to the manual and instructions, there was a CD with drivers, several cables for SATA and UltraDMA, fit the ASUS Q-Connector and the cover of the panel.

Appearance

If someone was familiar with ASUS P5Q PRO, then it would be easy to recognize it in appearance. But some features still were. Now the RAM latches do not block the installation of video cards. But if you change the RAM, when the platform is installed in the PC case, then there will be some problems. Not everyone will be able to easily reach the memory modules.

Several radiators are responsible for the cooling system. Asus P45 P5Q PRO Turbo got an aluminum radiator, which is painted copper. Naturally, in order to make the system more efficient it is desirable to purchase a good cooler, for increased ventilation in the enclosure. If someone wants to experiment with overclocking, then it is desirable to give this time even more time.

In this model, an additional radiator for the power elements has appeared. And the base itself remained unchanged. Next are used polymer capacitors, there are also chokes with a ferromagnetic core, which was quite common at the time.

For the power regulator there is an eight-phase circuit, which feeds the central processor. It is equipped with proprietary technology from the manufacturer, which allows you to save more energy under heavy loads. This technology works through EPU circuits, it allows to regulate the number of active phases relative to the system load. The power scheme is made according to the VRD specification.

An interesting change is the 3.5 "connector, which was previously designed to connect the drive. In this model, it is not, so when buying, there were often censures from those users who did not finish the specification. SATA ports became smaller, although only one unit.

Noticeably the use of proprietary development Drive Xpert, which deals with automatic data backup. On the board is a special JMicron JMB361 controller, which helps to operate PATA and SATA connectors.

Details

It is also important to follow the Asus P5Q PRO Turbo expansion slots. The instruction points to all available connectors, and also helps in connecting devices. There are two places on the board for PCIE x16, which easily allowed the use of technology from AMD CrossFireX. There are also slots for expansion cards, implemented in five formats: two PCI and three PCIE x1.

Of course, there was a place on the board and cooling system. The only thing that the users encountered was the problems associated with the fastening. If the cooler was fixed with metal plates, then this caused a failure of the board.

Visibly, and the place that is responsible for audio codecs. It is implemented in this case by VIA VT1708S chips and easily provides sound output to 7.1 channels.

The interface panel was more than full. There were all the necessary slots and connectors. So there was a place for keyboard and mouse connection implemented by PS / 2 ports, USB ports version 2.0 here six pieces, there was also an internet cable connection, three pairs of audio connectors. Slots RJ-45, S / PDIF and IEEE 1394a were noticeable.

BIOS

This is another integral part of the Asus P5Q PRO Turbo review. The BIOS is presented with a wide variety of control methods. The parameters can be adjusted and changed. The main of all the sections here is AI Tweaker, because it is where the system performance tuning takes place.

To manage the processor technology, you can go to several menus at once. So here belongs the menu of CPU TM, Intel SpeedStep, etc. The processor factor is regulated in the CPU Ratio Settings. In this model, its range is from 6. You can change in steps of 1 and 0.5. The latter option is applicable to cores with a process technology of 45 nm.

The FSB Frequency menu changes the frequency of the system bus, whose range is from 200 to 800 MHz, in steps of 1. Near the PCIE Frequency menu, the PCI-e bus frequency is regulated, which is tuned in the same way, but the range is small - 100-180 MHz .

BIOS Setup Asus P5Q PRO Turbo allows you to adjust the memory speed from the DRAM Frequency menu, the maximum value is 1066. You can also configure timings, subtimings and memory subsystem.

A huge selection in this menu is provided for voltage regulation. Here, the supply of current to the processor, clocking chip, bus, RAM, south and north bridges is changed. The following are the acceptable adjustment steps, as well as the range for each of these parameters. There is in the BIOS and setting a function that compensates for the voltage during system boot. It is represented by three modes: auto, on and off.

Of course, this is far from all parameters that can be regulated. But still, working with BIOS is quite dangerous, as for inexperienced users it can lead to malfunctions, system failure and incorrect work. Therefore, before you can independently adjust something, you need to study the essence of the matter well.

Testing

Naturally, when the motherboard Asus P5Q PRO Turbo appeared on the market, it went through all standard tests to accurately determine its capabilities and needs. Also, these experiments helped to identify errors and shortcomings. Despite the fact that testing the motherboard often depends on the system as a whole, from the video card, processor, hard drive and other elements, the average values are still at the same level.

So the novelty was driven through PCMARK'05 where it showed not the worst result and was on a par with other models like MSI P45-8D and Asus P5 QC. Exactly proved himself in the test CrystalMark, where he also showed the result of the "golden mean".

Testing "FPS" in games of that time also showed good results, although again everything depends on the rest of the "iron" inside. But they managed to squeeze their 122 "FPS" into Battlefield 2. As in other no less cool games.

Excellent showed themselves and testing of audio capabilities. The noise level, dynamic range, intermodulation distortions, etc. were well appreciated. Uneven frequency response, harmonic distortion and interpenetration of channels were excellent. As a result, according to the average estimate, it was possible to reveal that when the settings are 16-bit, 44 kHz, the sound of the system is excellent. Naturally, at 24-bit, 192 kHz it was also good.

After testing, I noticed that the version was slightly weaker from its predecessor Asus P5Q PRO, but if you install both motherboards, the difference can be missed.

Overclocking

To improve the performance of the Asus P5Q PRO Turbo, study the motherboard's overclocking potential. Experts immediately showed interest in non-routine modes, which hinted at the safety margin of the components. As a result, overclocking showed itself in an interesting way and individually for each system.

With a dual-core chip, the clock went up to 537 MHz, and the quad-core processor began operating at 500 MHz. If you compare these figures with the version of Asus P5Q PRO, it becomes clear that after all the installation of an additional heat sink for the power cells was worth it and was not in vain.

Wide opportunities

In general and overall, the motherboard Asus P5Q PRO Turb was excellent. The review does not end with the above. Manufacturers also presented a special software package that manages the power consumption of the system.

In the program, special profiles-modes are visible, each of which is configured and can be adjusted. Here you can manage the system components. Four modes can be adjusted manually, and the fifth is created for automatic switching. There is also a special function of Climate Savers, which calculates the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

Automatic overclocking

Also notice ASUS Turbo Key - this is an automatic software for overclocking, which by one button improves the system instantly, although in general it is also possible to customize everything individually. If there are problems, you can also stop everything with one button and return the PC to its original state.

On the disk there is also ASUS Turbo V for Asus P5Q PRO Turbo. With the help of it you can overclock from the OS. There are not so many parameters as in BIOS, but to regulate some particular characteristics really.

Reviews

The motherboard turned out to cheer. In 2009, its release marked the release of another useless copy, and a good work on the errors after the previous version. The model has made a kind of evolutionary step forward, corrected all the inaccuracies and acquired novelties.

Users appreciated this, and Asus P5Q PRO Turbo received positive reviews. We noted good overclocking potential, support for connecting several video cards, the location of all the elements on the board. The connection did not cause problems, as in the package, albeit meager, but there was an understandable instruction. Everything was detailed and indicated.

Also there were no problems with connecting devices. Nothing blocked other slots and connectors. Cables and trains did not interfere, and the system quickly assembled, and, if necessary, was dismantled.