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| by FiXT | September 30, 2009 | ||
| Test Setup & Methodology Test Setup & Methodology    Click on image to enlarge Test Setup  Testing will occur on a Highspeed PC Standard Top Deck Tech Station and not in a traditional case. This allows easier access to the motherboard for the constant poking and prodding that is required during the reviewing process. The setup remained as pictured during the duration of the benchmarking and stability overclocking process. Overclocking MethodologyAlthough not necessarily an enthusiast-oriented motherboard, the P7P55D Deluxe is a high-end model, and we plan to thoroughly test out its overclocking capabilities and find out what this motherboard is truly capable of. The overclocking section is definitely the part of our reviews that we take the most pride in, and we spend an excruciating numbers of hours testing, tweaking, failing, and succeeding in order to give you the best possible insight into each motherboard’s overclocking capabilities. After all, if you are anything like us, the overclocking section is the first (and often last!) part that you read when checking out a motherboard review. For the purposes of this review, our overclocking efforts will primarily focus on five main areas: highest stable BCLK overclock, highest stable CPU overclock, highest stable memory overclock, overall system overclock. However, given the increasing prevalence of automatic overclocking solutions, we have also included an "auto overclocking results" section, in which we will see how good these manufacture-provided technologies really are. In these overclocking tests we put an emphasis on stability. While the question “What is stable?” could be debated endlessly, we have devised a methodology that combines a wide range of programs that test the stability of the entire system. Here are some of the applications that will be run in order to validate each of the overclocks:
Altogether, the above suite should provide enough stress testing to ensure a completely stable overclock, however we are always up for new suggestions. As always, no two systems are ever alike, so your results may vary. Also, overclock at your own risk! The Lynnfield/P55 platform is brand new, and although we are somewhat conservative with our voltage estimates, there is always the possibility that you could damage any and all of your components. If you aren’t fully confident in what you are doing, feel free to stop by our forums and our helpful community will be glad to offer some assistance. Benchmark MethodologyFor this review, we have compared the ASUS P7P55D Deluxe with the Intel DP55KG "Kingsberg" motherboard, in stock configuration, using the Core i7-870 processor. We have also included an overclocked configuration for the ASUS, just to demonstrate this platform's overclocked performance potential.  We have outlined the three setups in the sample graph above. The blue results will indicate the ASUS P7P55D Deluxe's stock results. The red results are from the Intel DP55KG, also at stock. The green results are from the highest stable overall system overclock for the ASUS motherboard. For all of the benchmarks, appropriate lengths are taken to ensure an equal comparison through methodical setup, installation, and testing. The following outlines our testing methodology: A) Windows is installed using a full format. B) Intel Chipset drivers and accessory hardware drivers (audio, network, GPU) are installed followed by a defragment and a reboot. C) Programs and games are then installed followed by another defragment. D) Windows updates are then completed installing all available updates followed by a defragment. E) Benchmarks are each ran three times after a clean reboot for every iteration of the benchmark unless otherwise stated, the results are then averaged. We have listed the benchmark versions above each graph as results can vary between updates. That should about cover everything so let's see what kind of numbers this motherboard puts up in the overclocking section and in our chosen suite of benchmarks. | ||
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