The new Intel Core i5 and i7 mainstream quad-core Processors use the LGA1156 socket, provided only by the P55 chipset. We have two high-end P55 motherboards facing off here, both with their own approach to design and features.

To prevent bottlenecks, we use the best possible components on our test rig. All tests were run using a Core i7 870 (2.93 GHz with HT) Processor, ThermalTake CPU cooler, Intel X25-M 80GB SSD, two modules of DDR3 2000MHz Kingston HyperX RAM and Radeon HD4870X2 graphics, powered by a Tagan BZ-1300 PSU. Performance in benchmarks was quite similar since both boards are based on the same chipset and the memory controller is integrated into the Processor. So while running PC Mark Vantage at default clock speeds, we saw scores that hovered around 8950 with a variance of only 10 points, and CineBench scores around 14800. Other system benchmarks and HDD/RAM tests also gave almost identical scores.