If you are looking for a motherboard that will support Intel’s 45nm CPU technology that will also support a green existence, then the ASUS P5K should fit the bill. The P5K uses ASUS’ EPU technology—the first hardware based, on demand, power saving IC controller. Used in conjunction with AI Gear—another ASUS power saving technology—the P5K can provide energy savings up to 80 percent. The P5K also includes Precision Tweaker 2, a software interface that allows users to manually set different voltage levels for maximum capability at minimum heat dispersion and energy consumption. This makes the P5K one of the most energy efficient, tunable boards on the marketplace.

System Specs

The P5K has a LGA 775 socket and supports all of Intel’s 45nm processors with the stock BIOS. Running on Intel’s P35 chipset, the P5K offers a 1333/1066/800 front side bus. It supports 4 dual channel DDR2 1066/800 (overclocked to 1200) RAM sticks for a total of eight GB of system RAM. The P5K also includes ASUS’ third generation eight-phase power design which allows up to 95 percent efficiency to aid in cooling. It has a full ATX footprint and requires a 24 power pin.

Expansion Slots

The P5K has two PCI Express x16 slots, two PCI Express x1 slots, and two standard PCI slots. There are three USB headers allowing for six more USB ports as well as a IEEE 1394 header. There is a single PATA connector and a single floppy connector (although it is located in a poor place.) There are four SATA connectors that do not support RAID.

Onboard Ports

Six USB 2.0 and one IEEE 1394 port allow for high speed transfer devices. The eight channel audio ports offer High Definition audio out along with the S/PDIF coax output. There is a single Gigabit Ethernet port as well.