ASUS changes course, unveils 'first' USB 3.0 / SATA 6Gbps motherboards

Can it be? Has the same company that dashed dreams by axing its USB 3.0-laden P6X58 motherboard back in July really just revived our hope in humanity? Out of nowhere, ASUS has just unveiled the first range of motherboards to support USB 3.0 and the newest SATA specifications, the latter of which brings along 6Gbps data throughput. The one-two punch belongs to the Xtreme Design P7P55D-E series of mainboards, which support the latest Core i5 and Core i7 processors. Sadly, just two USB 3.0 ports are onboard, while a total of ten dedicated USB 2.0 sockets are scattered about. Feel free to pore over the detailed specs in the release past the break, and get ready to find the P7P55D-E Premium mobo ($299) and U3S6 expansion card ($29) at retailers next month.

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

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

Fremont, CA; Oct. 27th, 2009 - ASUS today announces a range of enhanced motherboard solutions that deliver true USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s data throughput. The ASUS Xtreme Design P7P55D-E Series motherboards feature onboard support while the ASUS Xtreme Design P7P55D Series utilize ASUS U3S6 PCIe x4 expansion cards to deliver the latest USB and SATA data transfer capabilities. Equipped with the Intel® P55 Express chipset, the P7P55D-E / P7P55D Series support 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-offering intelligent performance enhancements, 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* 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 than 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 high definition movie now takes less than 70 seconds, while a 4MB song requires less than 0.01 sec. 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 6 Gb/s 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 processing power and speeds associated with a higher-end CPUs. 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 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.

North American Availability

The P7P55D-E Premium and U3S6 expansion cards will be available at ASUS authorized retailers early November at $299 and $29 respectively.

[RKN Posted Oct 28th 2009 1:41PM]

Shut up.

[ilh Posted Oct 28th 2009 3:30PM]

Gigabyte 5 days ago at least...

http://www.tweaktown.com/news/13357/video_preview_of_gigabyte_p55a_mobos_sata3_usb3_and_3x_usb_power/index.html

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 28th 2009 4:35PM]

All of this won't matter......in the fall of 2010, the entrire connection landscape will change, 2 words LIGHT PEAK.

USB is old technology

[Entourage Posted Oct 28th 2009 8:41PM]

Is that true?

I was thinking it was a proprietary port for Apple.

[SiXiam Posted Oct 28th 2009 5:12PM]

Gotta love Asus!

I'm digging my P6T Deluxe and i7 920 and even bought my mom an Asus lcd.

[Bruf Posted Oct 28th 2009 7:38PM]

When USB3 and SATA 6Gbps will be useful and a couple devices will take advantage of it, we can all add a PCI-e addon card in our PCs and we'll be all set.

It's nice to see those 2 features on a mobo in 2009, but I don't find it really useful right now. The price premium isn't worth it, addon cards will not be that expensive and will probably offer more than 2 ports (hopefully). ;)

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 28th 2009 8:05PM]

@mike
I completely agree, light peak will undoubtedly outshine USB. HOWEVER, I do think that It is going to take a while for any light peak devices to be made. Why you ask? Light peak WILL cost much more than USB 3.0 at launch.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 2nd 2009 12:24PM]

so what does it really matter if the company has awful customer service? not much right? really be careful buying ASUS products. http://www.ephman.com/article/official-asus-notebook-computer-review

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 2nd 2009 12:22PM]

so what if they have cool ideas for products. their customer service is so awful. http://www.ephman.com/article/official-asus-notebook-computer-review

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 2nd 2009 12:22PM]

whatever. so what if it's supposed to be a good board. their customer service is so bad it makes NOT buying it worth it. http://www.ephman.com/article/official-asus-notebook-computer-review

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 4th 2009 5:14AM]

I am waiting on a 1366-socket board to build a new i7 machine, and I'm chomping at the bit for Asus to get one or two to market. The 1156 is a HDDVD and the 1366 is a Blu-Ray, simple as that. Both have perfectly good results initially, but I'm betting that down the road the 1156 boards will be roof-tested en masse. That and the four (1156) vs. six (1366) RAM slots comparison leave me willing to wait a month or two more for a 1366-equipped board packing some 3.0/6.0 functionality.

I figure on doing a new build in 12-18 months after I get this coming one finished, so if the limited 3.0/6.0 functionality isn't sufficient, a new board (for $300 or so) isn't the end of the world. The PC world keeps moving so being "stuck" with only two 3.0 USB ports and limited 6.0 SATA functionality won't be much of a problem, especially given the incoming i9's or whatever will replace the i7's.

S'all relative, methinks.

[crumby99 Posted Dec 4th 2009 10:07AM]

Well, mine is arriving on Tuesday (12/8). I'll let 'yall know how it goes.

[crumby99 Posted Dec 12th 2009 2:25PM]

Well, I bought it, threw it in a haf 922 case and plugging everything in .... works fine. No complaints. I don't have any devices that I can test the USB 3.0 or a HDD that can get close to testing the saturation point of SATA II, so its tough to tell how those ports behave.

Well, I guess I'll just sit here with my fancy motherboard (and empty wallet), twiddle my thumbs, and wait for the future, because I've apparently showed up prematurely.