Intel DP55KG and DP55SB - Two P55s Reviewed

It’s been few months since AnandTech featured a P55 board review, but while Intel is expanding on their high-end with $1,100 Core i7 980X CPU’s, their low-to-mid-range P55 platform is still the one on most people’s radars.

Today we’re looking at two Intel P55 boards that fall under Intel’s “Extreme” series, the DP55KG and DP55SB.

The “Extreme” series has historically produced one board per chipset so that Intel has an offering for those consumers with overclocking high on their agenda. This time round, Intel has gone for a couple of boards, their separating feature being the form factor – one ATX and one MicroATX.

Overview/Conclusion

In the DP55KG and the DP55SB we have two almost identical boards, separated only by the visual and physical difference of their form factors. The extra expansion slots and SATA/E-SATA ports of the DP55KG are very much tacked onto the same foundation of the DP55SB board and unsurprisingly, there is little to separate the two in terms of performance, power consumption or price. This is very much a case of one design filling two spaces in the Intel product line-up.

The vast range of ATX-based P55 boards proves to be tough competition for the DP55KG. While the layout of the BIOS is good in general, it lacks experience in the overclocking section. The board misses out on certain features as well as the quality of components that rival boards offer in direct comparison. On sale at $199, its direct competition includes EVGA's excellent P55 FTW and even looking $20-25 cheaper, the Asus P7P55D Deluxe and Biostar’s TPOWER i55 both make stronger cases. Move away from P55, and you‘ve got the option of running with H57 instead, specifically at the $200 mark, ASUS’s P7H57D-V EVO, offering SATA 6G and USB 3 capabilities and excellent overclocking potential.

The DP55SB comes in ~$5 cheaper than the DP55KG at $195 which puts it right at the top of the M-ATX price bracket with only the ASUS Maximus III Gene as competition. Unfortunately, the Gene offers a lot more in terms of features and overclocking potential so you're left wondering where you money is going. While both the driver install and BIOS updating procedures are so simple that a 5-year old could manage it in their sleep and the on-board Intel NIC is a positive addition, it's not enough to paper over the cracks.

In our testing, both boards ran into problems with automated overclocking, memory overclocking on the 2:10 ratio and S3 resume over 170 bclk. While these are all problems that could be argued to be ‘bonuses’ on Intel’s standard desktop boards, when you step up into the $150-200 range of overclocking-focussed boards, it doesn't cut the mustard. EVGA’s E-Leet, Asus’ Turbo-V and ROG Connect and even MSI’s OC Genie make Intel’s IDCC look distinctly average.

Rumors Have Apple Already Working on a Smaller iPad

The Apple rumors have switched to a possible smaller version of the iPad, with a five- to seven-inch touchscreen. The reports from Apple suppliers suggest an "iPad Nano" with a focus on e-books and a price below $400. An analyst suggested Apple's iPhone could get a screen up to 1.5 inches larger. A new Apple iPhone is expected this summer.

A cottage industry of rumors surrounded Apple's iPad until it was unveiled in late January. And now, only a few days out from the device's launch, a new report says the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is planning to release a mini-iPad.

DigiTimes, a publication that focuses on the electronics industries in China and Taiwan, is reporting that Apple is working on a smaller iPad that features a five- to seven-inch screen. The iPad currently has a 9.7-inch display.

'iPad Nano'?

According to the publication, the device will retail for under $400 and is planned for release during the first quarter next year. The least expensive iPad, the 16GB Wi-Fi, lists for $499.

A device of this size might be geared more toward users wanting to read e-books and consume various types of media than toward the users who want to write and conduct some computing Relevant Products/Services activities. If an "iPad Nano" did emerge, it would likely be positioned directly against Amazon.com's Kindle, the Sony Reader, and Barnes & Noble's nook, among other e-readers.

The report is based on unnamed sources at components manufacturers, which, given the publication's focus and Apple's manufacturing structure, may be based in Asia.

Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for consumer technology at the NPD Group, said he "wouldn't say it couldn't happen, but it would be unusual for Apple to release a 'tweener' product" not that long after the iPad's launch.

If Apple's plan had been to cover that end of the market, he added, "we probably would have seen the initial iPad being released with a seven-inch screen" instead of the 9.7-inch screen.

Five Inches and Under

However, Rubin did say we might see an iPhone with a slightly larger screen. While the differences are literally measured within a few inches, an iPhone with a screen up to 1.5 inches larger might still be considered a smartphone.

The key distinction, Rubin said, is whether the device would be able to be easily used as a handset against the user's ear, or to readily fit into an average pocket. He noted that, although one could use a Bluetooth headset to deal with the ear issue, most observers see five inches as the maximum size for a smartphone.

There have been reports and speculation that a new iPhone will be released within the next few months, possibly as early as this summer. Much of the speculation to date, however, has focused on connectivity Relevant Products/Services rather than the screen size and uses.

Verizon Wireless CEO Ivan Seidenberg said Tuesday that he hopes to carry the iPhone at some point, preferably one supporting the network Relevant Products/Services's next-generation LTE 4G technology. Various news media have reported that a CDMA iPhone is in the works, although it would not work with Verizon's LTE technology.