The Intel Core i5 launch which was held at The Establishment last week was not only witnessed by the local media, but also by delegates from major motherboard manufacturers, namely ASUS, MSI and Gigabyte. Nonetheless, another interesting spectacle that we spotted was the showcase of motherboards that are based on the Intel P55 chipset. The said chipset has been making noise at the same intensity as the Intel Core i5 processor for the past few months.

 

 

 

 The introduction of the Intel P55 chipset is in line with Intel’s campaign of making the Nehalem architecture more reachable for the mainstream market. Among the P55-basedmotherboards that we caught sight of during the Intel Core i5 launch, the ECS P55H-A Black Edition, is anticipated to be one of the less expensive alternatives available.

 

 

 

 Opening the box of the P55H-A motherboard reveals a predictable set of accessories, but we didn’t expect it to come with a quadruplet of SATA cables. There is also the eJiffy CD. It allows users to boot into a Linux-based environment which provides access to basic applications such as eWeb (Internet access), ePix (picture viewer), and ePal (instant messenger client) within seconds after turning on the computer. The concept is quite similar to ASUS’s Express Gate.

 

 

 

 Putting it side by side with the ECS Black Edition’s offering for the Intel X58 chipset, the X58B-A, one can instantly feel the diffidence of the P55H-A. This design consideration explicitly reflects the kind of market each motherboard is targeting. The amount of solid capacitors and ferrite chokes is modest, making the P55H-A look fairly spacious and giving it head room for elaborate cooling modifications.

 

 

 

 Aluminum heatsinks, attached with copper components, cool the integrated components surrounding the processor region.

 

 

 

The processor area when the heatsinks are removed.

 

 

 

These four DIMM slots are capable of supporting DDR3 memory modules at 1333MHz straight out of the box. Overclockers can go higher up to 1600MHz and 1866MHz memory clocks.

 

 

 

 Beneath the heatsink that shows off the Black Series logo is the Intel P55 chipset.

 

 

 

Formerly known as Ibex Peak, its complete designation is Intel BD82P55 Platform Controller Hub (PCH). It is neither the Northbridge nor the Southbridge as these elements have never become part of the Nehalem architecture. The processor talks straight to the chipset and vice versa. If this kind of communication is called Quick Path Interconnect (QPI) in the case of Bloomfield processors and the Intel X58 chipset, for Lynnfield processors and the Intel P55 chipset, this is done through Direct Media Interface (DMI).

 

 

 

The diagram shows the functions handled by the processor and the Intel P55 chipset. Based on the illustration, the P55 communicates with the integrated chips (ICs) that directly control important features and functions such as SATA/PATA connectivity, high definition audio, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0 connectivity, and PCI-Express (PCI-E) peripheral interfaces.

 

 

 

The rear profile of the P55H-A is comprised of the legacy PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports, clear CMOS switch, eight USB 2.0 interfaces, external SATA, Gigabit Ethernet, optical S/PDIF, and audio jacks.

 

 

 

For expansion, the P55H-A is equipped with two PCI-E x16 2.0, PCI-E x1, PCI-E x4, and two PCI slots. The above photo also shows the IDE connector and a few of the onboard headers.

 

 

 

Looking over the P55H-A, we identified some of its important ICs and the function of each. Starting off with the JMicron JMB361, this IC is designed to provide SATA II and PATA connectivity.

 

 

 

 8-channel high definition audio is handled by the Realtek ALC888S chip.

 

 

 

Another chip from Realtek is the RTL8111DL which controls the motherboard’s Gigabit Ethernet interface.

 

 

 

Adjacent to the six SATA connectors are onboard power and reset buttons, useful when one’s working on the overclocking bench.

 

 

 

The debug LED is an important diagnostic tool that indicates whether the attached peripherals are functioning or not.

 

 

 

Similar to ASUS’s Stack Cool, this unnamed metal plate is designed not only to hold the processor socket assembly firmly, but to provide additional cooling for the processor in some way as well.

 

 

 

Taking into account that the Lynnfield processors, particularly the Intel Core i5, are relatively new at the moment, you can expect more P55-based motherboards coming your way. Of course, we are willing to allot space, here on HardwareZone and HWM Philippines for these great options for you to consider. Our word of advice? Just stay tuned!