P7P55D-E Pro - please read

[glc]

We've been recommending the P7P55D-E Pro a lot here recently - it has USB 3 and SATA 6, along with the ability to SLI or Crossfire with both slots at x8. The base P7P55D-E will run one slot at x16 but the other only at x4. Newegg has just "deactivated" the Pro and I dunno what the story is. There is no other Asus option with x8/x8 and USB3/SATA6. If you can do without USB3/SATA6, the P7P55D Pro is still listed. If you won't be using SLI/Crossfire, the P7P55D-E is still your choice.

I checked other brands, and there's nothing out there that will do everything that the Pro does other than a $225 MSI, which I can't recommend. Gigabyte has one, but when you use dual graphics cards, the USB3/SATA6 controllers only work as USB2/SATA3.

[AdrenalinPlease]

What is the difference between these two?

P7P55D-E AND P7P55D-E LX

Xtreme Design, Turbo Key, USB 3.0 & SATA 6Gb/s
ASUS P7P55D-E LX ATX Intel Motherboard Removeremove 13-131-620

Xtreme Design w/ True USB 3.0 + SATA 6Gb/s
ASUS P7P55D-E ATX Intel Motherboard

[raftero]

microcenter still lists them
Micro Center - Asus P7P55D-E PRO LGA 1156 P55 ATX Intel Motherboard 90-MIBBS0-G0AAY

[glc]

The LX is not true USB3/SATA6. You can only use one or the other.

Quite a few vendors are still listing Pros, but you need to check stock!

[David M]

Amazon lists the P7P55D-E PRO...
Amazon.com: ASUS P7P55D-E Pro - LGA 1156 - Intel P55 - DDR3 - USB 3.0 SATA 6Gb/s - ATX Motherboard: Electronics

Asus still lists the board on their website...
http://usa.asus.com/product.aspx?P_I...n2V&templete=2

Perhaps Asus does not have a new shipment coming for some time? I can't imagine any reason for discontinuing the board just yet.

[Nikon]

the asus site lists a new board with the same features, but a slightly different board layout.
ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

newegg does not list this board. it may be possible that asus is phasing out the 'pro' for this board.

the premium board lists a 48 phase power design... (compared to 16?)
they have also changed the onboard audio from 8 channel to 10 channel.
an updated sata controller.
dual gigabit lan with teaming support =D (compared to 1)

it seems to me like they just revamped the board with some updated stuff and retired the older one. only time will tell.

[busher16]

This would probably be a good place to mention that the P7P55d-E allows you to choose between sata 6gbs and USB 3.0 it does not allow you to do both. I think I also read something about it halfing your PCI 2.0 when active as well but I need to do more testing with it.

all in all I am happy with the board but this info was not really well spelled out on the newegg/ncix/tigerdirect sites

[glc]

I thought that only the LX board made you choose - can you document this a bit better, please?

[busher16]

Originally Posted by glc I thought that only the LX board made you choose - can you document this a bit better, please?

I can't download the manual right now but here is a link to the forum I read it on.

ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Forum- Question about USB 3 and SATA 6Gbs compatibility

the board has an I/O level up feature that when lit green enables usb 3.0 and when blue enables Sata 6.0.

I also noticed in the bios there was a setting that had 3 options diable, usb 3, SATA 6

I remember reading something about halfing your PCI but Ill have to get the actual wording when I get home

here is another link http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1527116

so if I understand correctly says you can run both in a slower mode or either one at thier full speed mode or buy an addon card that basically makes it on par with the PRO in that respect. so even the p7p55d-e is not True sata 6 or usb3 out of the box

[glc]

Okay - looks like if we want everything we have to wait for the Premium, or get the addon card?

[busher16]

Originally Posted by glc Okay - looks like if we want everything we have to wait for the Premium, or get the addon card?

in your opinion should I disable this option and let my PCI-e run at max since I probably can't saturate the base sata settings?

then down the road get the addon card if I need that functionality?

or should I leave it as I have it set sata 6?

[quartet-man]

I'll try to remember to look at the bios in mine at work tomorrow and see how it is. The builder updated the bios when it was built, but am not sure how it is set.

[AdrenalinPlease]

So is the P7P55D-E LGA not a true 3.0usb/6 sata?

[glc]

Correct - it appears not. After examining the alternatives, this will now be my recommendation:

Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55D Deluxe LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
-OR-
Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55D PRO LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard

-AND-

ASUS U3S6 USB/Serial ATA Combo Adapter PCI Express x4 Card Dual USB3.0 SATA 6Gb/s ports-Best Computer Online Store Houston Buy Discount Prices Texas-Directron.com

Newegg normally carries that U3S6 card, but they are currently out of stock.

[David M]

So whats going on with Asus?

[glc]

I don't think it's just Asus. The P55 chipset has limitations. It doesn't have enough PCI-E lanes to support SATA 6 and USB 3 and two video cards at x8 speed each. In order to support all of that, something has to be added on. Asus has done it with that U3S6 card that goes in a PCI-Ex4 slot. They are working on doing it internally on the board, which is what the P7P55D-E Deluxe is going to be.

[AdrenalinPlease]

Originally Posted by glc Correct - it appears not. After examining the alternatives, this will now be my recommendation: Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55D Deluxe LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard -OR- Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55D PRO LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard -AND- ASUS U3S6 USB/Serial ATA Combo Adapter PCI Express x4 Card Dual USB3.0 SATA 6Gb/s ports-Best Computer Online Store Houston Buy Discount Prices Texas-Directron.com Newegg normally carries that U3S6 card, but they are currently out of stock.

Thanks, I am still looking then. I dont want to run a seperate card for it.

[AdrenalinPlease]

So can explain to me the following;
With the LX board can I run one GPU and use sata3.0 and usb 3.0?
I have researched everywhere and am coming up with the fact that if you are using one video card you can also use both sata/usb 3.0. Please clarify if this is not correct? I am not planning on SLI/Crossfire.

[Nikon]

all asus needed to do was slap in nvidia's nf200 chip. sure the price would have gone up on the board a little, and latency to the cards may have gone up by a ms or 2, but it would have worked... actually i think they have a board like that already...

yup they do... the ws supercomputer line. its basicly the p55d-e pro with the nf200 chip
Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55 WS SuperComputer with NF200 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard

for those of you not informed about nf200, it basicly acts as a PCIe repeater, taking those 16 lanes available to the main graphics card, and releating the info to the other x16 slots. this works because cards in SLI use the same data. the only real downfall is you cant use the memory on the secondary cards, which wont really hurt unless you are running on a 30" hd monitor. there are articles on tomshardware about it if you are interested.

as far as our continued recommendations, i think this board should be recommended to the sli seeking enthusiast. there is also a 1366 flavor as well.

[David M]

Originally Posted by Nikon all asus needed to do was slap in nvidia's nf200 chip. sure the price would have gone up on the board a little, and latency to the cards may have gone up by a ms or 2, but it would have worked... actually i think they have a board like that already... yup they do... the ws supercomputer line. its basicly the p55d-e pro with the nf200 chip Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55 WS SuperComputer with NF200 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard for those of you not informed about nf200, it basicly acts as a PCIe repeater, taking those 16 lanes available to the main graphics card, and releating the info to the other x16 slots. this works because cards in SLI use the same data. the only real downfall is you cant use the memory on the secondary cards, which wont really hurt unless you are running on a 30" hd monitor. there are articles on tomshardware about it if you are interested. as far as our continued recommendations, i think this board should be recommended to the sli seeking enthusiast. there is also a 1366 flavor as well.

I don't know...I would imagine George has a different opinion about any sort of Nvidia chip.

[Nikon]

i kind of expected that, but hey it cant hurt to talk about it right? We all have opinions, and those opinions are often based on experience, and i most humbly respect that. i know that i am not the most tech oriented person here (but i prolly am in my city =D) so i leave it open for discussion.

[glc]

No, you can only run SATA 6 *OR* USB 3 with the -E LX board or the -E board! That's what the problem is, and this was pointed out to me the other day. You cannot turn both functions on at the same time.

Let's try this again. The P55 chipset does not have native support for SATA 6.0 or USB 3.0. All implementations are 3rd party. Asus came up with the U3S6 card, which requires a PCI-Ex4 or higher slot. It uses x4 bandwidth. It can be put in any Asus board that has an available x4 or better slot without stealing bandwidth from the video card or cards.

With the -E series of boards, Asus added USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0 support internally to the boards. However, the way they did it varies. The LX and the base -E got the cheap implementation. They cannot do both at the same time, and even using one or the other steals video bandwidth.

With the Pro, Deluxe, and Premium, they physically removed the x4 slot and implemented the circuitry of the U3S6 card into the motherboard. This is doing it RIGHT. The problem is - right now, all 3 of those boards show as deactivated at Newegg.

There is a serious lack of P55 boards from other manufacturers which support SATA 6.0 or USB 3.0, and I don't know how it's been implemented in the few that there are. The only manufacturer that has any for less than $200 is Gigabyte. MSI and ECS have them, but they are over $200.

Hence, my recommendation - if you want USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0 and want to use both, and not worry about slowing the video card down, get one of the non-E boards that I linked that still has the x4 slot and get the card! Both the boards are priced very nicely right now for the features. Otherwise, wait till the dust clears and we see what Asus and the other manufacturers are going to do next.

If you want EITHER USB 3.0 OR SATA 6.0, and don't mind your video card running at x8, then either the -E LX or the -E will do that.

-------------------------------------------------

In reference to the NF200 implementation, all that does is allow you to run SLI or Crossfire with both cards at x16! The board does NOT have any SATA 6.0 or USB 3.0 support! The Pro and above versions of all the boards SLI and Crossfire with both cards at x8 - no big deal.

The Supercomputer board is NOT a -E! It still needs a U3S6 card to support SATA 6.0 and USB 3.0.

[David M]

...or just wait until Asus gets it right.

[AdrenalinPlease]

Thanks for the info, I think Ill just grab one of the non -E boards from ASUS and get the US36 card. Again I will not run SLI or CrossfireX so I am only concerned with power not being drawn from the one card Im using.

[glc]

Directron is now out of stock on the U3S6. 3B Tech shows them as in stock, and Newegg is projecting stock next week.

[jdeb]

wonder if it has anything to do with Light Peak

[glc]

Little early for that - maybe in the next generation of chipsets.

[Jbc223456]

Yea, I just noticed yesterday that when I was putting my computer together (with an Asus P7P55D-E mobo) that it only has the option of either USB 3.0 or SATA 6.0, not both. There's a little button on the board for I/O levelup, which controls whether you choose USB 3.0 or SATA 6.0. Personally, I have it at SATA 6.0.

[AdrenalinPlease]

Originally Posted by Jbc223456 Yea, I just noticed yesterday that when I was putting my computer together (with an Asus P7P55D-E mobo) that it only has the option of either USB 3.0 or SATA 6.0, not both. There's a little button on the board for I/O levelup, which controls whether you choose USB 3.0 or SATA 6.0. Personally, I have it at SATA 6.0.

But now you lose bandwidth from the PCIe for the GPU, or so I understand it.

[Nikon]

usb3 and sata6 take extra bandwidth from the available PCIe lanes if i am correct. it will not hurt a single gpu, but it would become an issue in an sli setup. p55 has 16 pcie lanes available. without sata6 or usb3, a single graphics card can ru nat 16x, but adding usb3 or sata6 uses 4 of these lanes, dropping the card to 8x (unless a card can run at 12x? never heard of it), and leaving 4 unused. this isnt a problem in single card configs because cpu bottlenecks come into play long before an 8x connection is tapped out.

in an sli configuration, and without some sort of multiplexing (such as nf200) the 2nd card would only run at 4x, which could potentially wind up dragging the performance of the other card down unless the 4x card is physics dedicated.

please correct me if anything i said here is innacurate. this is as much a learning conversation as it is a discussion of our choices.