A 5 star board with great features! (Asus P5K/EPU)

Member Name: jodyv

Product:	Asus P5K/EPU
Date:	26/02/09 (138 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Energy efficient

Disadvantages: None

* My Configuration

Antec Three Hundred Case
Hiper PSU
Intel Q6600 Quad Core Processor
4 GB Reaper X Memory
2 x 250gb hard drives
XFX 8800GTX

* General

I read a large amount of reviews when trying to build my pc on a budget. Asus being a brand I trust and know produce good quality boards, I decided I must have one from their range. I viewed the Asus website which is a great source of information, listed a number of different models and their benefits and started hitting Google for the cheapest.

* The reasons I bought this board

1. This board is the EPU model, which has a number of energy efficient features including fine-tuning of power sent to various components including CPU. It also amends the speeds of the fans depending on performance and heat.

2. It has High Definition Audio which works superbly when watching films. A composite connector is provided on the back panel.

The other features are also extremely useful, but the above 2 features are what attracted me the most.

* In the box

Instructions, software/utilities, back plate, board, and stickers.

* Fitting

This was no different to any other board, everything from the case matched the connectors on the board. Spare USB connectors catered for the case and more... Fitting the ram was a bit tricky due to the big heat sinks on the modules, but nothing too time consuming.

* Functionality

The utilities provide me with a decent amount of information including energy saved, energy used over a chosen period of time. You can also allow the computer to go into standby called AI Nap, which leaves tasks running but reduces the electricity usage of the board overall.

* Conclusion

I haven't reviewed the chipset etc... on this board as it's not really cutting edge, however the other features are what make this board a great purchase. If you're considering the environment and your electricity bills, this is a step in the right direction.

Summary: A board with a whole host of utlities which will have you playiong all day

Processing/Quality:
Reliability:
Installation:
Speed:
Features: