Today we are going to be checking out a brand new motherboard from ASUS and surprisingly it is not designed for Intel’s latest Core i7 processor, nor does it support the AMD Phenom II processors. Rather, what we have here is a good old Core 2 motherboard sporting the Intel P45 chipset called the ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo…

Those building a new computer or upgrading an old one are spoiled for options right now, and from both sides. While AMD has their ultra affordable Phenom X4 processors along with their newer Phenom II X4 processors, Intel on the other hand still has a strong line up with the Core 2 series. Of course those that are not limited by set budget will just go straight for the Core i7 stuff, and why not, it’s the fastest desktop platform available.
That said, the vast majority of us are limited to a certain budget, and that budget usual does not allow for $500 US plus processors and $300 US motherboards and memory kits, which pretty much rules out the Core i7 as a viable option. Still, those wanting to build an Intel system still have the Core 2 processors, and in my opinion when it comes to gaming they are every bit as good, at least for now.

In fact, when it comes to gaming I have found that a Core 2 Duo E8600 is impossible to distinguish from a high-end Core 2 Quad or even Core i7 processor when using a graphics card such as the GeForce GTX 295, for example. Those that read our “CPU Scaling With The GeForce GTX 295” article will already know that a Core 2 Duo E8600 can perform on par with the Core i7 processors in a wide range of games when using the world’s most powerful graphics card. Continue reading →