ASUS P5E3 Deluxe WiFi-AP @n

Throughout all of our benchmarks regardless of what we are reviewing, testing is done in a clean and stand-alone version of Windows XP Professional with SP2. The exception is SYSmark 2007 Preview and PCMark Vantage, which are tested under Windows Vista. Prior to testing, these conditions are met:

• Desktop and scrap files are cleaned up, including emptying of recycle bin.
• No virus scanner or firewall is installed in the stand-alone installation.
• Computer has proper airflow and room ambient temp is >80°F.

The testing rig used for today’s benchmarking is as follows:

• CPU: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850 @ 3.0GHz
• Motherboard: ASUS P5E3 Deluxe Wi-Fi AP @n
• Memory: OCZ 2GB NVIDIA 7200 (DDR2), OCZ 2GB DDR2-1333 Platinum (DDR3)
• Video: ASUS 8800GTX 768MB
• Sound: Onboard HD Audio
• Storage: Seagate 7200.10 320GB
• Etcetera: Antec P182 Chassis, Windows XP Professional SP2, Windows Vista Ultimate
• Cooling: Corsair Nautilus 500
• Power Supply: Corsair HX620W
  Compared Motherboards
  • ASUS Maximus Formula
  • Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6

Please note that for our DDR3 motherboards, we use DDR3-1333 speeds with 7-7-7-20 timings, and for our DDR2 boards we use DDR2-1066 5-5-5-15. Also note that these results are the same as those found in our Maximus Formula review from October, as the boards were tested at the same time. This is why the QX6850 is being used in place of the QX9650.

SYSmark is an industry leading system benchmarking tool, which is completely automated but utilizes real-world tests. It installs common applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel, Photoshop CS2, 3DS Max, SketchUp! among others.

SYSmark grades the performance of the system by how well it could handle different operations. Systems with more than one core will benefit in the tests, since there is a lot of multi-tasking throughout. Once the test is completed, it will provide you with an overall score, in addition to showing areas where the computer excelled.

Perhaps that “feature-rich” attitude of the P5E3 pays off. It scored two points higher than the Gigabyte DQ6 and three points higher than it’s little brother, the Maximus Formula.

The P5E3 did well in all tests, but fell slightly behind the DQ6 in the productivity test. With scores these close, however, any fluctuation in the CPU frequency during some test could be the result of the point difference. All boards performed exceptionally.