Product Listing

ASUS P5N32-SLI Premium (nForce 590 SLI Intel Edition - Core 2 Ready)

By Zachary Chan - 28 Oct 2006

Introduction

Introduction

If you weren't all too impressed with the Intel Edition of the nForce 570 SLI in our last review of the ECS NFORCE 570 SLIT-A motherboard, we wouldn't blame you. After all, the nForce 570 SLI Intel Edition is basically a rehash of the nForce 4 SLI XE to support Core 2 Duos. The current C19 chipset has also been widely known to be less than reliable with ultra high-speed DDR2 memory and its low overclockability with the Core 2 processors won't be a threat to Intel's Broadwater as well. So, with NVIDIA's upcoming C55 supposedly coming out of the woodwork soon, would you hold your upgrade or is there another way to get some SLI action now. Well, the new ASUS P5N32-SLI Premium may be the answer you're looking for.

Deja vu? If the name sounds familiar, it's because it is a follow up to the older nForce 4 SLI X16 Intel Edition-based P5N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard. The P5N32-SLI Premium is based on the nForce 590 SLI Intel Edition, a notch higher than the nForce 570 SLI and bears more similarities towards its AMD counterpart, so much so that it actually looks very promising. The SPP core is still based on a variation of the C19 though, so it will be interesting to see what ASUS can conjure up with the board.

ASUS P5N32-SLI Premium motherboard.

As always, ASUS premium motherboard bundles pack a punch. Our board came with the following peripherals included in the box:-

  • 6 x SATA data cables
  • 3 x SATA power converter cables (dual plugs)
  • 1 x 80-conductor Ultra ATA data cable
  • 1 x 40-conductor IDE data cable
  • 1 x floppy drive data cable
  • 1 x SLI bridge
  • IEEE 1394a port bracket
  • USB 2.0 (2 ports) bracket
  • WiFi-AP Solo antenna
  • ASUS Array Mic set
  • ASUS Q-Connector set
  • Optional heat-pipe fan
  • I/O shield
  • Driver and support CD
  • InterVideo Media Launcher Suite (OEM)
  • User guide

With its analog audio jacks on a separate riser card and no legacy connectors, the rear I/O panel looks almost spartan. Look closely and you'll still get S/PDIF audio ports, FireWire, eSATA, RJ45 Gb LAN, USB 2.0 and a WiFi antenna port to use.

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