ASUS Unveils First Motherboards to Feature True USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s Performance

    ASUS P7P55D-E / P7P55D Series Delivers Blazing Data Performance with Onboard Expansion Bridge or Expansion Card

    Taipei, Taiwan, Oct 28, 2009 – ASUS today announced a range of enhanced motherboard solutions that deliver true USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s data throughput performance. The ASUS Xtreme Design P7P55D-E Series motherboard has onboard support while the ASUS Xtreme Design P7P55D Series utilizes the ASUS U3S6 PCIe x4 expansion card to deliver the latest USB and SATA data transfer capabilities. Equipped with the Intel® P55 Express chipset, the P7P55D-E / P7P55D Series supports the latest LGA 1156 socket for Intel® Core™ i7/Core™ i5 Processors. Additionally, they also feature exclusive Hybrid Technology—Hybrid Processor, Hybrid Phase, and Hybrid OS—to give users intelligent performance enhancement, active cooling, and rapid online access.

    Faster than Ever—True USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s Performance with Bridge Chip

    ASUS’ unique expansion bridge* design fully unleashes USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s transfer rates for both the P7P55D-E Series and the U3S6 expansion card. This specially-designed onboard IC doubles the bandwidth of the PCIe interface from Gen 1 to Gen 2, delivering ten times faster USB 3.0 throughput compared to the previous USB 2.0 standard. Additionally, by eliminating transmission bottlenecks, the expansion bridge increases hard disk read and write speeds by up to 50%**. Transferring a 20GB HD movie now takes less than 70 seconds, while a 4MB song requires less than 0.01sec. Similarly, by inserting the ASUS U3S6 PCIe x4 expansion card into P7P55D Series motherboards, users can achieve the same rapid throughput with the latest USB 3.0 devices and SATA hard disks.

    Hybrid Features for Optimized Performance, Dynamic Cooling, and Rapid Online Access

    The ASUS P7P55D-E/P7P55D Series includes new Xtreme Design innovations—Hybrid Processors, Hybrid Phase Technology and Hybrid OS for optimized performance and enhanced stability. Hybrid Processors enable intuitive, real-time overclocking and automatic performance tuning for users to gain the processing power and speeds associated with a higher-end CPU. For enhanced stability, the P7P55D-E and P7P55D Series include the world’s leading Hybrid Phase power feature, which combines multi-phase power delivery with real-time phase balancing to improve cooling of active components. Users can also rapidly access online applications such as Skype, Instant Messaging, and over 1,000 Flash-based games with Express Gate. Additionally, with Windows® 7 drivers included, users can conveniently start using Windows® 7 and experience its benefits.

    Specifications
    ASUS P7P55D-E Premium Motherboard
    CPU Socket LGA1156 socket for Intel® Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3*** Processors
    Chipset Intel® P55 Express Chipset
    Memory DDR3 2200 (O.C.)/1600/1333/1066MHz
    Power Phase 48 Hybrid Phase****
    PCIex16 Slots 2
    Multi-GPU CrossFireX/SLI
    Gbit LAN x 2
    Audio 10-ch HD, DTS
    Storage 6x SATA 3Gb/s
    1 x eSATA (by bracket)
    1 x Ultra DMA
    2 x SATA 6Gb/s
    USB 10 x USB2.0/1.1
    (6 ports at back panel, 4 ports at mid-board)
    2 x USB 3.0/2.0 (Rear)
    1394a 2 ports (one at mid-board, one at back panel)

    ASUS U3S6 Expansion Card
    Internal Connectors 2 x SATA 6Gb/s ports for up to 2 SATA hard disk drives
    Backward compatible with SATA 3Gb/s and SATA 1.5Gb/s hard disk drives
    External Connectors
    Interface
    2 x USB 3.0 ports.
    Backward compatible with USB 2.0/1.1 interface
    Interface
    Configuration Supported
    PCIe x4 interface
    Compatible with PCIe x4, x8, and x16 slots
    Operating Systems Supported AHCI Mode
    Compatibility Windows® 7/Vista/XP 32/64bit
    Compatible Models Maximus III Formula
    P7P55D Deluxe
    P7P55D EVO
    P7P55D PRO
    P7P55D
    P7P55D LE
    P7P55D LX
    Features and
    Accessories
    True SATA 6Gb/s and USB 3.0 Throughput: Native support for PCIe Gen2 bandwidth
    Supports Hot Plug function
    Supports Native Command Queuing (NCQ)
    Accessories 2 x Serial ATA 6Gb/s cables
    1 x Support CD
    1 x User manual
    Form Factor 4.8” x 3” (12.2cm x 7.6cm)

    Specifications are subject to change without prior notice. Please visit www.asus.com for more details.
    * Product specifications and features may vary according to models.
    ** Performance may vary due to different system configurations.
    *** Core™ i3 processors to be launched in Q4, 2009.
    **** Hybrid Phase = Xtreme Phase x T.Probe. Hybrid Phase equates power efficiency achieved in other power phase designs.