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Intel P55 chipset architecture
To start out, below you can see the block diagram for the Intel P55 Express chipset which gives us an overview of the specification it offers.
As we've discussed previously in our Intel Core i5 review, the company's new range of Lynnfield processors sport some quite radical changes from their bigger Nehalem-based brothers, and this is of course also reflected in the design of the P55 motherboard chipset sported here.
Lynnfield does away with Nehalem's triple-channel memory controller for a dual-channel derivative, and thus P55 motherboards only require the more typical four DIMM slot configuration, while Lynnfield's on-die memory controller actually handles memory support itself of course, with support for DDR3 alone the order of the day. Also added to the CPU die itself is a PCI Express 2.0 controller with sixteen lanes of bandwidth, which also alleviates this requirement from the motherboard chipset itself from a discrete graphics perspective, although the P55 chipset still supports eight PCI Express lanes itself for additional expansion slots and devices.
The P55 chipset connects to Lynnfield CPUs via a DMI interface as per Core 2 CPUs, and as opposed to the QuickPath Interconnect used by X58 chipset parts and Nehalem CPUs - This helps to reduce cost, with QPI's hefty bandwidth capabilities not required for a single CPU system, particularly now that the majority of PCI Express traffic is handled by the CPU itself thanks to that aforementioned on-die controller.
Away from these core changes for the P55 express chipset compared to previous Intel offerings, this new part also offers support for up to twelve USB 2.0 ports, those eight additional PCI Express 2.0 lanes we've already mentioned, a Gigabit Ethernet controller, eight-channel HD audio support and six Serial ATA 3.0Gbps ports - Everything you'd expect from a current generation motherboard chipset in other words.
Packaging and bundle
So with the chipset details out of the way, let's take a look at the retail packaging for this motherboard.
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As we're really quite used to by now, the Maximus III Formula ships in ASUS' recognisable Republic of Gamers packaging - A simply yet hefty box that makes note of its core marketing features as you'd expect.
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The rear of the packaging goes into far more detail about the motherboard's feature set, with a rather nice break-down of what you're getting for your money.
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As per usual for this level of motherboard there are cables aplenty bundled with this offering, with additional USB ports and Serial ATA cables to suit your needs as well as cable ties, an SLI inter-GPU connector for running multiple NVIDIA GPUs, a USB cable for the board's RoG Connect functionality and the motherboard's shielding plate. Throw in a driver DVD and manual, and you're all set!
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