Conclusions
The ASRock P55 Extreme hung right in there with the Asus board on every test, a totally negligible difference in the numbers. The two boards are very similar, both in configuration and features, and I suppose that it is only right that they be similar in performance too.
I like the ASRock P55 Extreme, it could very well be my favorite of all ASRock motherboards I’ve reviewed, which is an even dozen if I’m not mistaken. It just feels right, if that makes any sense. Layout is excellent, setup was simple, and it was rock solid stable out of the box.
ASRock’s EX OC makes overclocking a breeze, the only tweaking I did was actually lower the CPU voltages a little just because they were higher than they needed to be. I’m sure I could have overclocked the CPU a little farther, but just over 40% was the goal I had in mind.
I found absolutely nothing I didn’t like about the board. I suppose that some might miss the second LAN port found on the ASRock P55 Deluxe, and in some situations I might, but those instances are usually few and far between. I do miss ASRock’s excellent WiFi, which a couple of years ago was included with nearly all of their motherboards. I didn’t use wireless at the time and didn’t care that much about it, but now I do. I know that they probably eliminated the WiFi to keep their prices low, but I’d be willing to pay more now for the option.
The ASRock P55 Extreme runs $139.99 at my favorite online retailer. That is 40 bucks cheaper than the P55 Deluxe, which includes a second LAN port and an SATA 6GB/s, and 55 bucks cheaper than the Asus P7P55D EVO, which does have a nicer bundle and some Asus unique features not found on the P55 Extreme, mainly in the EVO package. If you are looking for a stable, well performing P55 board with plenty of features and don’t need the extra frills, you need look no further than the ASRock P55 Extreme.
ThinkComputers.org gives the ASRock P55 Extreme motherboard a 10 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Maybe the most stable board out of the box I’ve seen
– All the features and bundle that most people need
– Priced right
Cons:
– None