Thread: Asus Sabertooth 55i Motherboard

The Ultimate Force (TUF) is Asus' new lineup of motherboards designed for durability and extreme performance. Based on the Intel P55 chipset, the Asus Sabertooth 55i is the first TUF motherboard built for Intel's latest generation of Core is and Core i7 processors. What makes this board special is a slew of innovative features that Asus claims enhance component life and performance. Since the new LGA 1156 processors feature on-die memory and PCI Express controllers, the P55 chipset sports a simpler chipset design with only a single southbridge chip. The large heatsink for this chip and the finned heatsinks for the voltage regulators around the CPU socket are coated with pitted ceramic material that boosts surface area by more than 50 percent. The capacitors fitted are all-solid and are labelled 'TUF'. Like all high-end boards by Asus, the Sabertooth 55i features a very good layout. The CPU socket has ample breathing area around it and you can easily fit large heatsinks without any capacitors coming in the way. The RAM slots have only a single clip-the modules slide into the notch at one end and snap into place by the clip at the other end. The chipset supports both CrossFire X and SLI in dual-8x mode. Three PCle xl and two PCI slots are provided for add-on cards. Out of the six SATA ports supported by the chipset, four are stacked vertically at the right edge of the board and two are placed at the base inline with three USB headers (each supporting two ports). Two additional SATA ports and two eSATA ports are courtesy JMicron JMB322 controller. A bracket with two USB ports and an eSATA port is bundled in the package.