More Testing:

Again, the results are very close in actual system performance, but the FP-IN9 SLI can squeeze out a bit more in scores due to the higher Front Side Bus overclock. The P5N-E SLI doesn't get completely blown away and typical performance is even or just a bit better. Basic users won't find anything lacking with the board or be disappointed by its level of performance.

As for the ASUS O.C. BIOS performance, adjusting the BIOS option to 20% Overclock didn't do a great deal for performance and resulted in an auto clocked CPU frequency of 2.6GHz. Setting the BIOS EPP options to Best gave the system a much larger boost. This setting completely depends on the stock frequency RAM used. Using the OCZ PC2-7200 900MHz memory resulted in a 2.8GHz when set to BEST in the BIOS. Due to the weak results of the ASUS O.C. feature, you are better off using the BEST setting or manually set it yourself.

ASUS O.C. @ 20%

Hot @ Idle

EPP Using BEST

If you recall in the beginning of the review, I mentioned there was a very large aluminum chipset cooler labeled ASUS. Handling the board during testing as jumpers were changed to clear the RTC (CMOS) was pretty easy right up until I touched that chipset heat sink. To my surprise, it gets very, very hot during normal and even warmer under any overclocking. It gets warm enough you can't leave your finger on it for more than a couple seconds. The motherboard system temp reported 51C during standard use and reached well above 65C during the overclocking portion. At least the heat sink is doing its job, because if there were anything smaller on the board, it would obviously not remain stable for long especially in warm climates.

Another feature that is suppose to work is the C.P.R., CPU Parameter Recall which is suppose to reset the processor frequency back to the previous working settings. This feature didn't work properly during testing. Out of 10 system errors and system resets, the board only booted back ot the BIOS using previous settings 5 of the times. This is basically a 50% success rate of the BIOS performing that function as it should. The CLRTC jumper had to be reset manually to get the system to boot back to a working BIOS. I'm sure ASUS can easily and quickly fix this issue with a small BIOS update in the near future since they have one of  the top Support records.

Conclusion:

Operating your system at a crazed max out maximum doesn't always present the best performance results. Since lower memory timings are where the best performance results are seen, there really isn't much of a big deal based on overclocking. One would expect a rock solid performer providing perfect stability and reliability. Fortunately, I haven't come across any 650-SLI systems that were anything but all these traits. It seems to come down to looks and bundle which are really almost miniscule features on budget board. The ASUS P5N-E SLI Motherboard provides an extremely reliable platform and a decent bundle which has a useful little Q-Connector for connecting your case to the motherboard's panel jumpers.

Performance is very comparable to any other 650-SLI boards tested to date and managed to just edge past the Abit FP-IN9 which also has an overclocked system Bus. Overclocking is a trade off on the motherboard in that you get the very capable Bus, but won't quite reach the same frequency. None the less, it's stable and performs quite well with only one small quirk with the BIOS. Since an extreme user won't be purchasing this level of motherboard, it will most like prove to be a negligible issue. If you need something a bit more extreme, then you will want to check out the flagship models which afford a great deal more of BIOS settings. If your wondering if purchasing this motherboard is a good move, rest assured it will provide great gaming platform and fill your desktop needs quite easily.

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