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- Date:
- Sunday , August 20, 2006
- Author:
- Daniel Dobrowolski
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
ASUS P5B Deluxe WiFi-AP
ASUS brings us an Intel P965 chipset in the form of the P5B Deluxe WiFi-AP motherboard. It features Intel Core 2 Extreme and Core 2 Duo support as well as many other features. But how does it fare from the enthusiast’s point of view?
ASUS Utilities
The ASUS P5B Deluxe comes with ASUS’ bundled utilities. There are several utilities that make up the suite. The utilities are; PC Probe II; My Logo; Ai Gear; and Ai Booster. PC Probe II hasn't changed since I started seeing it packaged with ASUS branded motherboards, and My Logo which again is unchanged. Ai Gear is fairly new, and is very simple in form and function. It is basically only used for setting performance modes, and putting the unit into a sleep mode if you choose to do so. Ai Booster hasn't really changed either since I began covering it with ASUS motherboard reviews. That utility is for overclocking through Windows and does little else. Since not everyone has read every ASUS review that I've done in the past, I'll cover each utility again.
ASUS Ai Booster is a utility allowing overclocking in Windows. This isn't a new tool or even a new feature. That being said the utility is adequate for getting the job done, and I have used it many times during the review process on many ASUS motherboards since I starting writing for the [H] nearly a year ago. Since that time I have seen little to no changes in the form or function of the program. I did install the utility on this motherboard and for the first time ever, I found that the utility didn't work at all. Still I will cover the utility because I have used it in the past, and there is no reason to cheat the readers out of coverage simply because I had a problem with the tool this time. I looked on the internet for updates to the software, and I tried re-installing the software, before and after re-imaging the machine and had no luck. The installer clearly states that the P5B Deluxe is not supported by the software. It did allow me to continue with the installation, but it didn’t work as stated above.
As stated before, Ai Booster is ASUS’ Windows based utility for real time monitoring of voltages, FSB values and memory settings, and CPU clock speeds for the purpose of overclocking. The utility has several settings. Ai NOS for example is a dynamic overclocking feature that allows the system to decide the best and safest overclock based on current system demands and needs. You set the percentage of the overclock you desire from 3% to 20% and the system takes care of the rest. The successfulness of this utility seems to vary greatly depending on the motherboard. Some boards the Ai NOS function works well on and others it does not. Since I was not able to test this function of Ai Booster with this motherboard, I can't honestly say how well it works here. This reduces the likely hood of a crash due to improper overclock, as well as providing a cooler running system, in much the same way Intel's thermal management inside their CPU's does. The CPU clock speeds will remain at the default values, and then when demand is placed on the system, the clock speed increases past the default clock speed based on what the Ai Booster thinks is safe. As a result, extreme overclocking is not going to be found this way, as the program is somewhat conservative in how far it will push the system. The application also shows CPU FSB, and voltage readings, as PC Probe II does. The difference is that these settings can be adjusted with Ai Booster. One thing I didn't like about this utility is that it required a reboot for almost any setting change. Even a minor 5MHz FSB increase.
The ASUS PC Probe II utility allows the user to monitor voltages, temperatures of the CPU and other monitored temperature zones. By default, power, chassis, and CPU fans are monitored. Voltage status for VCore, and all 3v, 5v, and 12v, voltage ranges are all monitored. CPU and motherboard temperature ranges are monitored within this utility just as you would expect. Voltages and thermal readings are displayed in rectangular boxes. They have tiny magnet icons in their corners and when clicked, they disconnect and the status displays can be re-arranged or moved around in any way you desire.
The main part of the PC Probe application is displayed in a hexagonal window and when the green arrow tab is clicked, the hexagon expands to allow the configuration of the utility itself. Just to the right of that is where all the DMI, WMI, and PCI information is displayed. The usage information is displayed in the form of pie charts that are almost exactly like the Windows drive space usage pie charts. Under the ASUS logo is a reporting tool. This tool shows detailed system information for the purpose of assisting ASUS tech support should they need more information concerning your systems configuration. There is also log reporting as well as alerts that show any kind of errors reported by the motherboard such as abnormal thermal and fan control readings.
ASUS Ai Gear is a relatively new utility that I have only started seeing over the last few months. The program is simple. It is an applet that simulates a gear shift of sorts. You can adjust the gear shift lever into positions for max performance and max power saving and several options in between. In this latest addition of Ai Gear, they added the Ai Nap button to the interface. When Ai Nap is selected, you get a confirmation dialogue box, and then the program will put the machine into a suspend state.
ASUS Update, like most of the other utilities covered in this review hasn't changed in the last year to any significant degree. The utility is basic and offers several methods of performing a BIOS update. You can browse to it manually on your hard drive, you can connect to ASUS’ FTP site and download it. You can also update the BIOS via the web or browse to a downloaded file, and then update from that.
The ASUS My Logo utility really hasn't changed since its introduction. I am not complaining mind you, the utility is simple and easy to use. The only caveat to using this program is that you must download a copy of the BIOS you would like to use in advance in order for this utility to edit that BIOS file and output usable BIOS that you can flash your board with that contains the logo you have added to it. The logo gives the end user or OEM's the ability to customize the motherboards boot logo with any bitmap they choose, provided the images are formatted correctly. Only images no greater than 640x480 in 256 colors can be used. This utility is easy to use and novice and advanced users alike will find it simplistic. The use of My Logo does require having a copy of the original BIOS to alter in addition to the image. This is easily obtained from the ASUS website. Merging the customized logo with the BIOS is very easy and the utility steps the users through the process.