The P55 PCH - Platform Controller Hub

So the P55 chipset itself and the Lynnfield processors embargo was lifted. Weirdest thing to see physically the P55 motherboard chipset is just one chip, there's no more North and Southbridge and if you can save on a chip, you are saving money as well. Interesting to learn is that the P55 chipset connects to the processor directly through DMI (Direct Media Interface) interface bus, and that's different from X58 where it connects directly to the QPI link.

The P55 chip has embedded a lot of goodness in it: we see an all-time first integrated PCIe controller for x16 or two eight-speed PCIe cards, when it comes to input / output capabilities we are talking about support for 14 USB 2.0 ports with integrated USB 2.0 Rate matching hubs, 6 SATA 3.0 GB/s ports and an integrated Gigabit LAN Ethernet.

The chipset will also supports Integrated Clocking Buffer Through Mode, provides Thermal Sensor Data via SMBUS for discrete Fan Control Solutions and Intel Matrix Storage Technology 9.0. New Intel matrix storage has a new user interface for managing all storage related tasks, support for RAID 0,1,5 and 10, Rapid recover technology.

DDR3 wise 1333 MHz is supported straight out of the box, but running the memory at 1600 MHz should be no issue either. Speaking of memory, with the arrival of Core i7 870, 860 and i5 750 Intel made the decision to go back to a dual-channel memory interface. Don't get too worried here, the controller is so much faster than the old limited FSB based controllers. You'll have 64-bit memory wide controllers which are connected directly with the processors silicon. As a result this design brings a bandwidth utilization of as much as 90%, a nice jump from the FSB based 50-60% utilization for sure.

So the P55 based Jetway HIO5 motherboard definitely has delightful looks and comes with quite a features. I know a lot of you are craving the need for the `older´ PCI bus, well three (!) PCI slots are supported and you'll spot two physical PCIe 2.0 x16 graphics slots. A somewhat weird config though, one is x16, one is x8 and the lower one is x4. Should you opt Crossfire then your PCIe lanes will be divided into a 8x/8x configuration.

The Jetway HIO5 motherboard comes with:

• Intel P55 Express Chipset
• Support INTEL® LGA1156 Processors
• Supports PCI-Express 2.0
• Supports Dual Channel DDR3 1333/1066
• Onboard 2 x Gigabit LAN
• Onboard 1 e-SATA port
• Integrated ALC888 HD Audio CODEC with 8.0 CH
• Integrated 6 SATA2 3Gb/s with RAID function
• Support G.P.I Technology
• CPU Vcore x-Shift
• Ready for Windows® Vista™
• ATX Form Factor(305mm X 245mm)

Features (Courtesy of Jetway):

OC-CON high-polymer solid electrolysis aluminum capacitors
The working temperature is from 55 degrees Centigrade below zero to 125 degrees Centigrade, OC_CON capacitors possess superior physical characteristics that can be while reducing the working temperature between 20 degrees Centigrade each time, intact extension 10 times of effective product operation lives, at not rising degrees Centigrade of working temperatures each time a relative one, life of product decline 10% only too.

DIY Clear CMOS Functions
Initiate the DIY-Clear button, set on the IO back panel especially when enjoying over-clocking, the users can clear the CMOS without opening the case.

Debug Port / The Professional Hardware Diagnosis System
Being bugged of abnormal system failure through the tossed and turned nights no more, the embedded Hardware Debug Port offers you the real-time visual system healthy for the demanding usage of computing. No more bugging by unknown system failure and no more time wasted in the first moment of 24-hour nonstop ping business computing, the embedded Debug Port will turn you into a well training hardware professional with the seeing system situation.

CPU Vcore X-Shift / Shift to the scalabilities and flexibilities
The adjustable voltage for CPU Vcore can be upgraded in 64 stages for the precisely hardware dynamic over-clocking of demanding computing performance.

PCI-Express Gigabit LAN
Delivers transfer speed ten times faster than conventional 10/ 100 Ethernet connections, supporting a high transfer rate up to Gigabit/s. Gigabit LAN is the networking standards for the future and is ideal for handing large amount of data such as video, audio, and voice

As standard the board has eight USB 2.0 ports and additional USB headers to add extra USB ports should you want to. Extra's can be found in an eSATA port, a Clear CMOS, power and reset micro switches, Optical and Coaxial SPDIF audio output controlled by 8 Channel Realtek AL888 HD Audio.

Pricing should be roughly 125 USD or 100 EUR, which seems fair. Anyway there's a lot going on on this motherboard, let's just head on over to the photo-shoot and show you what we are talking about.