The Intel X38 Express Chipset supports new technologies such as 1333 MHz System Bus speed, next-generation 45nm dual- and quad-core processors, and DDR3 memory to deliver increased system bandwidth and improved performance. This chipset also supports the PCI Express 2.0 interface to deliver two fully capable PCI x16 slots for maximum performance when operating in Crossfire mode.

In order to support the latest DDR2 and DDR3 memory types, the Memory Controller Hub (MCH) features wider buses that support Dual-Channel DDR2 at 533/677/800MHz, while official DDR3 memory support goes as high as 1333MHz. ASUS also supports native DDR3-1800 memory with the P5E3 Deluxe through overclocking. While the X38 chipset does support both DDR2 and DDR3 memory, only one type can be used at once and most motherboards will support one or the other, in this case the P5E3 Deluxe exclusively supports DDR3.

Another chipset feature is the Intel High Definition Audio (Intel HD Audio). This technology features eight independent DMA audio engines that support multiple audio streams with audio codecs. This integrated audio solution should rival the performance of high-end sound cards. The onboard 8-channel HD audio (High Definition Audio, previously codenamed Azalia) codec enables high-quality 192KHz/24-bit audio output.

In an effort to remove the conventional IDE ATA standard, the X38 chipset removes IDE support all together. The ICH9R Southbridge offers up to six Serial II ATA ports, boasting data transfer rates up to 300MB/s. Intel also offers RAID functions for these four SATA ports, supporting RAID 0 for performance and RAID 1 for protection, along with RAID 5 and RAID10. Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) further boosts performance with Native Command Queuing (NCQ), and provides native hot plug for drive swaps.