ASRock P45X3 Deluxe Intel P45 Motherboard Review

Conclusions

All of the test results were pretty much as expected, I’ve benchmarked and overclocked this processor many times, and on I guess six or seven different P45 motherboards, so I seldom get any surprises. The ASRock P45X3 Deluxe performed as well as any of them, and is as nice or nicer than any of them too.

[ad]I’m glad to see ASRock building boards with features more like the mainstream boards of the big companies. I’ve never had a problem recommending ASRock’s motherboards, and I really think their utilities are written better than those of the two biggest mobo manufacturers, but they are an easier sell when you are able to point out niceties like the onboard I/O switches and CCMOS button. ASRock boards are built better than they were a year or two ago, and features like 8-phase CPU power, and the use of all Japanese-built solid capacitors put them right up there with the best. Their B.F.G crash-free BIOS is still the most effective one I’ve used yet.

Most of my ASRock motherboards overclocked well, and though I didn’t get my highest overclock on the E8400 used in the testing with this board, it was in the top few. And considering the BIOS used was the initial release BIOS, there very well could be higher overclocks in store with a more mature BIOS.

I found nothing that I didn’t like about the P45X3, though it is missing one thing found on nearly all other ASRock motherboards, the capability of installing one of ASRock’s WiFi modules on it. This rig will end up being a multimedia rig, and I really would have liked to have used the extra ASRock WiFi module I have on it. But, this motherboard doesn’t feature WiFi, and I’m sure that the cost is lower by not having that extra circuitry on the board.

The ASRock P45X3 sells for $99.99 at my favorite online retailer. For a nice, stable board that overclocks well and has lots of features, that is definitely a value. ThinkComputers.org gives the ASRock P45X3 Deluxe a 9 out of 10 score.

rating9 10 small

Pros:

– Excellent Price
– Full-Featured, has features not normally found on ASRock motherboards
– EZ Overclocking in the BIOS works well

Cons:

– First ASRock board I’ve owned that had no header for an ASRock WiFi module
– Overclock relevant BIOS settings spread out over several submenus

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