ASUS P5QC motherboard review: verification, configuration, firmware

In the market of computer hardware motherboards for the platform socket 775 is not considered. All the famous manufacturers tried to please their fans both in the budget class, and in the middle and game categories. That's just not all users know that some manufacturers have been able to look into the future and offer the market universal motherboards that can combine several eras of the development of the computer industry.

In the focus of this article, one of the best devices on the world market from ASUS is the P5QC motherboard. It is in this model that the manufacturer has laid the support for technologies that relate to different generations of computer technologies. The reader will get acquainted not only with the technical characteristics, but also learn how to properly service the ASUS P5QC board. Checking, tuning, flashing - all these questions will be covered in the review.

Product Features

On the basis of one motherboard the manufacturer was able to combine all existing technologies (at the time of presentation). This is the main feature that distinguishes the product on the world market among its competitors.

1. Support for all existing processors for socket 775, including server Xeon crystals.
2. The ability to work with two types of memory: DDRII and DDRIII (although, the combined mode is not supported).
3. Disk subsystem is able to work with a large number of drives (13 pieces). This includes not only the SATA and IDE controllers , but also the installation of three solid-state disks PCIex1.
4. Possibility of overclocking by increasing the frequencies and voltages of all installed components in the system.

ASUS P5QC board is really unique, because such extensive functionality allows the owner to save many years to buy a new computer. Acquiring first-hand powerful components, you can build a fairly productive platform.

Little oddities in the market

It is worth noting that under the same marking, a well-known Taiwanese producer managed to produce two completely different products. This fact did not go unnoticed by users, so among enthusiasts it is customary to specify which product is being spoken of - incomplete or better. So, a unique model of the motherboard with all existing interfaces received the highest rating of users, and a weaker representative - P5GC MX - was awarded a humiliating title.

But not everything is as bad as the owners try to present in their reviews. Simplified modification, unlike its counterpart, has a very attractive value and is quite suitable for building a workstation for an office or a home:

• Two slots for DDRII memory;
• One PCIex1 interface, four SATAII ports and one IDE for connecting hard disks;
• Support for single- and dual-core Intel processors (socket 775);
• The presence of a PCIex16 slot for installing a video game adapter and an integrated video card, as a video system.

Comparison of two products

The review of motherboards with the same labeling may seem strange to many potential buyers, because they are two completely different market representatives who are in different segments. But the sense in such comparison is - on the example of one product having different characteristics, you can determine the user's need to build a workstation for a certain range of tasks.

The buyer just needs to concentrate and answer himself to a number of questions related to improving the computer's performance. In the media, a lot of feedback from users, who assure that the upgrade for them - is a complete replacement of the system unit, no change of processor or RAM is not a speech. The question then arises: "Why buy such an expensive fee?", Because with the basic tasks the budget representative P5GC MX will manage.

Basic device configuration

For the motherboard ASUS P5QC performance characteristics are in the first place, since the device is focused primarily on the gaming segment. Therefore, it is not surprising that at the hardware level the system bus supports crystals created using the 45nm process, operating at higher frequencies, up to 1600 MHz. With the RAM, the situation is not even worse - DDRII works with memory at 1066 MHz, and DDRIII supports 1333 MHz.

A built-in RAID controller deserves special attention to the potential buyer, which supports all existing modes. At this the manufacturer did not stop and provided the board with an additional device for working with arrays. True, it is implemented at the RAID level (0 and 1), but this is not so important. As for multimedia, then there are questions to the manufacturer. Eight-channel audio with an optical output is good, that's just embarrassing the lack of an integrated video adapter. The built-in video card is very popular in systems that undergo overclocking, because it's quite easy to disconnect a discrete graphics accelerator, and a spare version is not provided.

User guide

A well-known Taiwanese manufacturer has always been scrupulous and honest in terms of bundling their products, so ASUS P5QC did not become an exception. The instruction on assembling, tuning and controlling overclock deserves the highest praise. The only drawback, which all users mention in their reviews, is the lack of Russian in the leadership. As practice shows, there are no serious problems in connecting and setting up the equipment, the questions arise only in the process of managing the basic input-output system. The matter is that each item of the menu BIOS has the expanded description, and is not limited to inclusion and switching-off. This creates difficulties for many card owners.

Problems with memory

Any symbiosis of two platforms always leads to the fact that, in addition to the merits, there are some problems. So, on all models of the ASUS P5QC motherboard, DDRIII memory from some manufacturers does not start. Having dealt with the problem, many enthusiasts came to the conclusion that at the hardware level the system does not want to work with modules operating at higher frequencies (1600 MHz and more).

In the media, there are a lot of recommendations regarding the purchase of Kingston-1333 DDRIII memory. In their responses, many owners confirm the full compatibility of these modules with the motherboard ASUS P5QC.

As for the DDRII format, there are no difficulties. The frequencies declared by the manufacturer (800-1066 MHz) are not only maintained. It is possible to overclock with a significant increase in performance up to 1333 MHz. It is very strange that the manufacturer did not perform testing at the plant and provided the customers with a raw product.

Solving all problems

Dancing with RAM on the motherboard ASUS P5QC can continue indefinitely, but it's better to listen to experts and update the BIOS of the device. To do this, you need to go to the official website of the manufacturer and download the firmware and the program for updating. Yes, the software supplied on the disk to the device allows you to install the BIOS from the Windows operating system, at least the manufacturer guarantees this. But many experts recommend doing this from OS DOS - so reliable, and in the media, there are enough precedents for damage to the motherboard when upgrading with Windows utilities.

Increase platform performance

Fans of dynamic games who decided to overclock ASUS P5QC by raising the frequencies of the processor, you need to know something about the features of the power system. The problem is that over the long years of the system board's operation, the capacitors placed near the socket are wearing out. When running an old (low-power) processor, the defect is invisible, but when installing a resource-intensive crystal (Exrteme or Xeon), the problem will immediately appear - the computer will not start. Fortunately nothing in the system does not burn, you just need to replace the capacitors.

Attention should be paid to decent cooling. The fact is that the aluminum radiators on the board, painted in copper color, are installed more for beauty and with heat removal are not particularly suitable. Therefore, before building a powerful platform, the user should be concerned about the large chassis for the system unit and the quality cooler for cooling the processor.

Finally

It turns out that the product ASUS P5QC is not so wonderful already, as it seems at first glance. Support for all existing processors on the market for socket 775 and the presence of slots for installing DDRII and DDRIII do not make the motherboard ideal. Along with the amenities, there are a number of problems that the owner will have to deal with personally.

Naturally, before buying a future user, you need to accept the fact that in order to achieve maximum platform performance, he needs knowledge in the field of electronics and a lot of free time to solve minor problems that were not eliminated by the manufacturer at the factory.

As for the functionality and versatility of the motherboard, there is nothing to complain about - the presence of interfaces, the possibility of connecting peripherals and the excellent overclocking potential make the ASUS P5QC motherboard a very attractive purchase for many users.