X-bit labs

Asus P5E Mainboard Review (page 3)

Category: Mainboards

by Ilya Gavrichenkov

[ 11/18/2007 | 10:55 AM ]

Package and Accessories

Asus P5E mainboard we are going to review today is one of the least expensive products on Intel X38. You can see it from the simple model name that has no “Deluxe”, “Premium” or “Extreme” titles. Moreover, it is a pretty simple product from the functional standpoint, too. There are few additional controllers on Asus P5E PCB, and most interfaces are implemented through the chipset. All this is clearly visible from the mainboard photo and formal specification:

The board is shipped in a traditional black Asus box. The front of the box is decorated with different logos and with a very brave statement that Asus Exclusive Energy Processing Unit allows saving up to 58.6% of CPU power.

The back of the box is more truthful and informative. There is a detailed specification of the board and a photo. We were surprised to see no traditional carry handle on this package. Looks like Asus tried to lower the end price by saving on small things.

We didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary from a box without a carry handle. However, it turned out filled with a lot of goodies: the board itself; a user’s manual; a CD disk with drivers and software; a set of FDD, PATA and SATA cables; I/O Shield for the case rear panel; an additional bracket with two USB and one IEEE1394 ports; Asus’ brand name Q-Connector set; centrifugal rotor fan for the chipset cooling system and SupremeFX II daughter card. We have already got acquainted with this card from our previous Asus mainboard reviews: it carries the analogue part of the sound tract and should be installed into PCI Express x1 slot.