by Doors4ever
11/24/2009 | 02:37 PM
Two-letter index of DFI LANPARTY mainboards defines the mainboard class, its size and implemented cooling. Full-size flagship solution from DFI LANPARTY UT series use very complex coolers with additional external units:
The cooling systems on DFI LANPARTY LT solutions are just as unique, though they don’t go beyond the PCB:
DFI LANPARTY DK mainboards belong to the mainstream segment and use heatpipe coolers. For example, DFI LANPARTY DK X58-T3eH6, which we have already reviewed in the past.
DFI LANPARTY BI mainboards belong to the value segment, though they also boast some overclocking functionality.
Not so long ago they introduced a new DFI LANPARTY JR series. These are MicroATX mainboards, such as DFI LANPARTY JR X58-T3H6, for instance.
The most interesting new solution is DFI LANPARTY MI P55-T36 mainboard designed in highly promising mini-ITX format.
Our today’s review will talk about the features and functionality of DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9, which belongs to the familiar DFI LANPARTY DK series. However, it doesn’t mean that there won’t be anything new about it. We are going to see some unique technologies implemented on this board as well as new features deep inside the mainboard BIOS. So, let’s not waste any time and get straight to the point.
There is a thin colorful slip-cover over a thick cardboard box that securely holds DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard and all accompanying accessories. We are going to find the following items inside:
Overall, there are no questions about the included accessories. The only thing we didn’t quite understand was why they included a USB cable with the board. The answer is coming up in the next part of our review, where we are going to talk about the features and functionality of DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard in detail.
The cooling system is not the most important part of a mainboard, but it is indeed the most noticeable one. At this time we know about two major types of cooling systems implemented on Intel P55 Express based mainboards. Some models take advantage of the fact that this single-chip chipset doesn’t really run too hot. These solutions have just a low-profile aluminum heatsink over the chipset, which is more than enough for its proper cooling. Sometimes they may also add heatsinks over the processor voltage regulator components. Other mainboard models try to impress the potential owner by excessively complex cooling solutions with heatpipes. DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard belongs to the second type: the chipset and MOSFET heatsinks are connected with heatpipes with an additional heatsink inserted into the contour between them.
However, the word “additional” is not the right one to use in this case. Additional would normally be a positive thing, as it implies to be helping and improving things. As for the heatsink in the middle of the contour on DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9, I believe it would be more correct to say that it is excessive and unnecessary. This useless heatsink is the only issue we have with the upper part of the mainboard PCB. All other components are where they are supposed to be, in the “classical” traditional spots.
DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard is equipped with two PCI connectors, two PCI Express x1 and three PCI Express (Gen 2) x16 connectors. The black PCI Express x16 connector works at x4 speed, while two graphics cards installed into orange PCI Express connectors will work as x8/x8. The board supports both: ATI CrossFireX as well as Nvidia SLI configurations. If you only have one graphics card installed into the top orange connector, it will work at full PCI Express x16 speed.
Speaking of the storage devices, the Intel P55 Express chipset supports up to six Serial ATA devices. These connectors on DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard are of orange color. JMicron JMB363 controller provides PATA support. Moreover, the same controller also provides two Serial ATA lines, one of which is split into another two due to JMicron JMB322 controller – these connectors would be the black ones. The remaining line becomes Power eSATA on the mainboard back panel. You can connect eSATA devices to this port (in this case they will be powered through USB) or regular USB devices.
You can connect the total of only six USB devices to the back of the DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard (including Power eSATA). Another eight ports are available as onboard pin-connectors. There are PS/2 connectors for keyboard and mouse, optical and coaxial S/PDIF, six analogue audio-jacks implemented via eight-channel Realtek ALC885 codec and a local network port (the network adapter is based on Gigabit Intel 82578DC controller). There is a Clear CMOS button to the right of the PS/2 ports. DFI has finally given up jumpers and started using much more convenient buttons instead. You can notice BIOSecure mini-USB port, which is the one that uses the included USB cable.
It is no secret that sometimes mainboards may fail during BIOS reflashing procedure. It always poses a serious problem for the user, because in this case he or she has to turn to technical support or repair shop for help. Far not everyone can find a programming device to reflash the BIOS chip. Besides, the chips on some mainboards are soldered, which creates additional problems. Even if the mainboard wouldn’t start, you can restore the corrupt BIOS with the help of another computer or laptop and a regular USB cable. This solution is indeed very simple for the user and very unique for the mainboard makers.
Overall, the design of DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard is very convenient, as you can see from the schematic components layout below:
In conclusion, I would like to once again give developers due credit for implementing a Clear CMOS button and Power eSATA port on the back panel, for providing a POST indicator. I would also like to point out that the Power On and Reset buttons are barely visible, but since they are very rarely used, I don’t think that’s a big issue.
Overall, DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 boasts appropriate functionality. It is pretty much as good as other mainboards on the same chipset. However, the BIOSecure mini-USB port is truly unique.
BIOSecure port for BIOS restoring is the first surprise we got from DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard. The second unexpected thing we encountered was the fact that instead of the traditional Phoenix-Award, the board uses AMI BIOS code. Well, this way it is even more interesting to find out what’s new.
The BIOS section containing all parameters that have anything to do with overclocking and system configuring for maximum performance is still called “Genie BIOS”:
Everything here is pretty clear, no questions asked. However, we come across the first inconveniences right from the start when we try changing the memory frequency. The problem is not with the list of available dividers, but with the fact that the values will remain the same even if you have also increased the base clock at the same time. You will have to calculate the resulting memory frequency on your own.
The CPU related settings are gathered in a single sub-section.
There is a separate sub-section for voltage adjustment. It is very convenient to see the current major voltages and the CPU temperature all in one place.
If you decide to adjust the memory timings manually, you can do it on a separate page. It is good to see the current timings in a special information line, but it would be way better it they made a column instead of a string.
“Advanced” section contains “Hardware Health Configuration” where you can find pretty detailed info about the current temperatures, fan rotation speeds and voltages. Here you can also adjust the fan rotation speed control option, as the automatic fan rotation speed control is disabled by default.
Like before, DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard can automatically save the last successful BIOS configuration. Moreover, you can save up to four full settings profiles in “CMOS Reloaded” section. Each can be given a detailed three-string description. The only difference is that we can now see them one by one and not all three at the same time.
There must be a good reason why more and more manufacturers move over to AMI BIOS code. Among all the Intel P55 Express based mainboards we tested so far, only Gigabyte solutions remain loyal to Phoenix-Award. I have never found DFI mainboards BIOS especially user-friendly and now things got even more complicated because of the transition to AMI BIOS. However, let’s allow them a bit more time to figure out how to deal with the new features and functionality and bring everything to a more traditional look.
We performed all our experiments on the following test platform:
We used Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate (Microsoft Windows, Version 6.1, Build 7600) operating system, Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility version 9.1.1.1019, ATI Catalyst 9.9 graphics card driver.
When we started working with DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard we experienced a number of small and insignificant, but nevertheless, unpleasant issues. You may have noticed that the board has an integrated beeper-speaker. It beeps four times on every boot-up, although the sound is not too loud and not too annoying (in my opinion). I didn’t find any way of disabling this beeping, neither on the board, nor anywhere in the BIOS. This is when I recalled the Biostar TPower I55 mainboard that didn’t have a speaker, but offered options for disabling it in the BIOS.
I have already mentioned in the previous part of our article that the BIOS of DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 can’t tell us the correct memory frequency during overclocking or base clock increase. We see the same on system boot-up. The screenshot below the Intel Core i7-860 CPU frequency is 3.74 GHz instead of 2.8 GHz, i.e. the CPU has been overclocked. In nominal mode the board does report the correct memory timings, but only tells us that the memory controller integrated into the processor uses a divider that could generate 1333 MHz memory frequency. However, this is only true for the nominal processor mode. In reality, the memory frequency is way higher than that.
We praised DFI for giving up Clear CMOS jumper, but the button turned out also pretty difficult to work with, because it also resets the current date and time. However, we only used it to check out how it works, because the board does track over-overclocking nicely and we didn’t need to resort to the button at all. After three failed booting attempts the board restarts in safe mode without resetting anything on its own. However, things are not too rosy here either. At first I thought that the board simply stopped at that point without informing the user of anything. I even took a screenshot to prove it and only then noticed a message. And do you actually see it?
Take a closer look: at the very top there is “O.C.Fail. Please resetting CPU clock” written in a faded green color. Things don’t get any better even when you do not disable the boot-up logo. In this case it is a little easier to notice that there is a message, but it will still be pretty hard to make out.
As for overclocking, I have to remind you that we have already discussed the basics, terminology and approximate overclocking algorithms in our earlier article called “Guide: Lynnfield Overclocking on Asus P7P55D Deluxe Mainboard”. Of course, we mostly focused on Asus mainboard and Intel Core i7-860 processor, but the basic overclocking principles typical of LGA1156 platform are the same on every mainboard and you will easily find the corresponding equivalents among the parameters of your mainboard and CPU.
DFI mainboard BIOS has never been especially informative, the user manuals are also pretty shy on appropriate comments. However, the company has been working a lot of special BIOS instructions lately. In this case it would be highly recommended to download and check out “DK P55-T3eH9 BIOS Setting Guide”. There is a warning written in all caps on DFI official web-site: “THIS SITE IS BEST VIEWED AT 1024X768 WITH IE 7 OR FIREFOX 3.0 ABOVE.”. I have to admit that it is true: with IE 8 or Opera you will come across errors every now and then.
When we lowered the CPU clock frequency multiplier and memory frequency and increased the processor core voltage and the voltage of the North Bridge part integrated into the CPU, DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard worked at 210 MHz base clock. We could not overclock our Intel Core i7-860 processor on this board to the same heights as on Asus or Gigabyte mainboards, so we had to stick to 177 MHz base clock, like on ASRock and Biostar mainboards.
We had to increase the CPU Vcore a little more than we normally would, but the board still kept all Intel processor power-saving technologies up and running. To ensure it stays this way you have to enable “Super VID” parameter in the mainboard BIOS, because it is disabled by default.
We were a little concerned about the adjustment of the processor fan rotation speed, because it wouldn’t speed up to the maximum 2200 RPM and stopped at 1850 RPM. However, our tests showed that it was more than enough to ensure sufficient processor cooling not only in the nominal mode but also during overclocking. Besides, you can always change the adjustment settings right in the mainboard BIOS, without installing any special applications or tools, although there is no fan calibration option like on Biostar TPower I55.
Time has come to check out the performance numbers and compare the results in two different system modes: in nominal mode and during CPU and memory overclocking. First we are going to talk about the results in nominal mode, when the boards set the most optimal parameters on their own, without any help from the user. Due to Turbo Boost technology the clock frequency multiplier of our Intel Core i7-860 processor could increase to 26x. Our today’s hero will be competing against previously tested ASRock P55 Deluxe, Asus P7P55D Deluxe, Biostar TPower I55, Gigabyte GA-P55-UD6 and GA-P55-UD3R. The mainboards are listed on the diagrams according to their performance (from high to low). The results of DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard are marked with a little darker color for your convenience.
The results shown by DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboards are usually on the last or the one but last place, but this isn’t the reason to be upset or frustrated with DFI. Gigabyte mainboards by default increase their base clock, ASRock P55 Deluxe does an even less modest job increasing the base clock that is why no wonder these solutions are faster than the others. Biostar TPower I55 also has peculiarities of its own, even with Turbo Boost working it doesn’t always increase the processor clock frequency multiplier that is why it falls behind the others. So, it turns out that despite a seemingly significant number of competitors in this test, DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 can only fairly compete against Asus P7P55D Deluxe, which is also just as honest as DFI solution in the nominal mode, as it doesn’t increase the base clock like Gigabyte or ASRock and doesn’t lower the processor clock frequency multiplier, like Biostar solution. If you look at the test results one more time, you will see that DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard is most often next to Asus P7P55D Deluxe, i.e. its performance is not low, but quite normal. Yes, it is always behind Asus board, which is not a very good sign, but the difference is usually minor.
The second comparison was performed during maximum processor overclocking. This time we disabled extended processor power-saving modes in the mainboard BIOS using “C-STATE” parameter, which limited the maximum processor clock frequency multiplier setting with 22x. In this case the CPU could work at higher base clock than with 26x multiplier, which means that we end up with higher resulting performance although it happens at the expense of higher power consumption in idle mode.
This time, however, slow performance of DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 is a reason for concern. The lag behind Asus and Gigabyte boards is not surprising, because our board didn’t overclock the CPU to 3.95 GHz. However, we were very upset to see it fall behind ASRock and Biostar solutions, which overclocked the processor to 3.9 GHz. Again, just like in the nominal mode the performance difference between the DFI boards and its competitors is insignificant, but the permanency of this lag is troubling. Only in those benchmarks where the graphics card matters more, DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 results look better for some reason. However, we didn’t overclock the graphics card, we overclocked the CPU and in processor tests the board falls behind, which is not good.
We measured power consumption using Extech Power Analyzer 380803 device. This device was connected before the system PSU, i.e. it measured the power consumption of the entire system without the monitor, including the power losses that occur in the PSU itself. When we took the power readings in idle mode, the system was completely idle: there were even no requests sent to the hard drive at that time. We used LinX program to load the Intel Core i7-860 CPU. For more illustrative picture we created a graph showing the power consumption growth depending on the increase in CPU utilization as the number of active computational threads in LinX changed in nominal mode as well as during overclocking. Besides DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 we also included the results for all previously tested LGA1156 mainboards.
Overall, DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard demonstrates comparable results with other solutions except Biostar, which is the most energy-efficient of all but at the expense of lower performance. Only under maximum processor load DFI board for some reason starts to consume about 10 W more.
We see almost the same situation during processor overclocking – the same power consumption as by other mainboards in idle mode or under small processor load and a defeat under maximum load. However, this time this result is quite easy to explain because we had to increase the processor Vcore higher than normal in order to catch up with ASRock and Biostar.
We always reflash the latest BIOS version before getting to actual mainboard tests to make sure that we don’t have to fight issues and problems that may have been long fixed. Therefore, it isn’t surprising that we started our study of DFI’s brand name applications and tools with DFI Ez-Flash utility designed to allow BIOS reflashing from Windows. This is a very simple program; it is easy and intuitive to learn how to work with it. The first icon allows saving the current BIOS version on the drive, the second one will load the presaved version from the drive; the third one reflashes the BIOS.
The issue is that we had to postpone our DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 review because of the things we discovered when working with DFI Ez-Flash utility. There were two things that concerned us. First, 4 MB BIOS was saved as a 2 MB file. Moreover, during the reflashing procedure the utility required to check “Update Boot Block” and then reported an error.
I would like to remind you that it when we decided to ignore the warning message from the M-Flash utility built into the MSI P55-GD65 mainboard BIOS that this mainboard died and refused to boot. We ran the update right from the BIOS, that is why we noticed too late that the current BIOS version was saved into a 2 MB file, while the file we were trying to reflash was 4 MB big. Of course, when we noticed similar symptoms during DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 BIOS reflashing we decided not to “kill” this one and turned to DFI for help. We got a quick response that advised us that we should carefully study the DFI Ez-Flash instructions from the official DFI web-site. It turned out that we had to check “Update Boot Block” and in this case reflashing would go smoothly, without any issues or problems.
So, the intuitively simple DFI Ez-Flash utility in reality turned out not so intuitive after all. To use it without any problems, you should carefully read the manual first – this is the first inconvenience. If you absolutely have to check the “Update Boot Block” anyway, then maybe it should have been checked by default to save the user time and trouble figuring this one out? The second drawback is the report of an error once you have completed the utility requirements. If we did check what was necessary after all, why didn’t the utility work? Why did we have to check this item in advance? The third drawback is that we still don’t know why this utility can’t save the full current BIOS version correctly.
Since the pretty routine procedure like BIOS reflashing turned out so complicated, we were extremely pleased with the unique option that allows you to restore the corrupt BIOS using DFI BIOSecure function and the corresponding utility. By connecting a USB cable to a different computer DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard is recognized as an unknown USB device that requires a driver included with the program. In this case, studying the utility manual may in fact confuse you even more, because the installation process in Windows 7 goes on not exactly the way it’s described in the manual. However, it is fairly easy to use this program.
With the first icon we load the previously saved BIOS version, with the second one we will reflash it into the DFI board. The third icon reads the current BIOS version from the board, while the fourth one saves it on the hard drive. Here I have to say that unlike DFI Ez-Flash, this program does save the current BIOS version correctly: the resulting file was 4 MB big. It would be even simpler to work with this utility if it weren’t for the extra windows that open during the saving and reflashing procedures. For example, I don’t think a regular user can find anything useful by looking at the contents of the BIOS file.
The program was easy to work with, but we did have some bad taste after our experience. Suddenly, there appeared some ntport.dll file on the drive and once we removed it there appeared “drivers” folder with a file like zntport.sys or something like that. These files come from Zeal SoftStudio and they must have been created after the installation of the utility drivers, because once we uninstalled the program all unsanctioned activity in the file system stopped.
We are already familiar with the ABS (Auto Boost System) program from our previous reviews of DFI boards. It allows saving, loading and exchanging BIOS settings profiles. It is pretty complicated and unintuitive, so you must check out the manual first. However, DFI did do a few things to make it easier to work with this utility. Now when you roll the mouse pointer over the menu items you can see brief contextual help topic (yellow text on the right).
In my opinion, ASRock OC DNA was a good example of a program like that: easy, simple, didn’t require any long-term preparation. The integrated options for saving and loading BIOS settings profiles in Asus and Gigabyte mainboards are even more convenient. DFI’s implementation is a little too confusing, although you can still work with it.
The last program we are going to discuss today is DFI Ez-Tuner. The only thing it can do is increase the base clock.
I don’t think I have to say that I am not ultimately impressed with DFI’s brand name software. The inaccurate installation software also does not add to the positive impression. All applications can create desktop shortcuts, but they will all be as ABS.exe, EZ_Flash.exe and EZ_Tuner.exe – a trifle, but doesn’t look good. Why would anyone need a file extension? Of course, DFI utilities look way neater than Biostar applications, but it doesn’t change the case. So, if you don’t really need any of these tools, you might be better off without them.
You may have already guessed why our today’s DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard review got a “sporty” title like that. A step forward is DFI BIOSecure technology that allows any user to revive their mainboard after a failed BIOS reflashing. A few months ago I would consider this option to be unnecessary luxury, like Dual BIOS by Gigabyte mainboards, but the problems I have gone through lately during BIOS reflashing procedures made me change my mind completely. I wish MSI P55-GD65 had a remedy like that, so that we could hopefully bring it back to life and complete the review. So, DFI BIOSecure is a truly unique, innovative technology, for which we should definitely thank DFI. Therefore, we are proud to give them our new Ultimate Innovation award.
A step to the left in my opinion is the transition to AMI BIOS. I am sure they must have good reasons for that and with the time we should be able to see some advantages of this change, but at this point we only got a few extra drawbacks. A jump up is the total score that DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard gets from us.
Looking back at our today’s discussion we have to admit that we didn’t find any really serious drawbacks with DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 mainboard. The excessively complex cooling system is not really such a big deal: the good thing is that it is not too simple. We can’t disable the speaker, but it is not vitally important. Hard to distinguish Power On and Reset buttons, but there are very few people who actually use them often. Date and time get reset during CMOS clearing, so don’t abuse this option. So what if the board doesn’t display the memory frequency correctly during overclocking neither in the BIOS, nor during system boot-up? The CPU could be overclocked 50 MHz less than on Asus or Gigabyte mainboards, which is also a minor issue. Hard to notice and read messages about over-overclocking – not an issue: just be more careful when checking for them and adjusting the BIOS settings. Not very convenient and user-friendly software? – Don’t use it if you don’t like it.
There is not a single serious issue, but the whole bunch of minor problems, inconveniences and disadvantages combined together create one big deal - DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9. This solution is very similar to the recently reviewed ASRock and Biostar mainboards, even their prices are about the same – around $185, which is in fact quite a lot. In my opinion, the board is partially a victim of being in the LANPARTY DK series. Had it been a LANPARTY BI series solution, it could have got a simpler cooling system and a more attractive price around $140, where you are more eager to overlook certain things. At this point, however, there no real reason to decide particularly on DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 over a similar solution from ASRock or Biostar. We could only recommend DFI LANPARTY DK P55-T3eH9 to those DFI fans, who are still under the impression from the excellent DFI LANPARTY UT and LT products.