An In-depth Evaluation: ASUS P7P55D Deluxe

Value
Value is a subjective topic. It is comprised of two parts. On the one hand you have the simple monetary cost. On the other you have the more difficult task of figuring out if the cost is worth what you get in terms of performance and actual hardware/accessories. For this reason we at BSN have an odd way to determining the value of a product. We do not check pricing until after all tests have been completed. This way we can easily see if what we have experienced with the product meets the asking price. Now I know some will say that other sites do this but on the whole they usually check only to make sure they have the most current pricing.  We try to avoid checking price at all on the product until the end.

For the Asus P7P55D Deluxe we found that the performance and product did meet up to the $219.99 price you can get it for on NewEgg. It is not the top of the line but also does not demand a top of the line price. The features that are packed into the board are excellent and the addition of The TurboV and remote make it a great choice for the mid-range enthusiast that might want to get their feet wet with overclocking.

Support
Asus has had some issues with their support in the past. If you asked the average Asus owner they would be able to go on at length about how bad the Asus support site was and how difficult it was to get anyone at Asus technical support to help you.  Now I am not going to tell you that all of that is in the past. Unfortunately it is not; Asus has been making improvements though. Their support site is working much better and the drivers seem to be updated more frequently [although maintaining older products is still hit and miss]. Phone support is a little better but can be a handful to get your point across to the tech you are talking to. Still we have to admit that compared to Asus support of two years ago it is a serious improvement.

Conclusion
Overall we found the Asus P7P55D Deluxe to be an excellent performer. It is not going to get you world record overclocks but it is capable of keeping up and exceeding the performance of other boards in its price range. The P7P55D Deluxe also showed that it is a good value for the price with the large number of features ad extras that Asus always throws into the pot. We did have a few issues with the layout but those are mostly one time problems [watch your knuckles] and once out of the way will not hurt performance. On the other side some of the changes Asus has made to their board are quite welcome. The removal of the lower latch on the RAM slots is a nice touch, and one that consumers have been asking for. The audio on the board is better than most and in many cases can remove the need to purchase an add-in board for sound. The TurboV function is simply great, with this even if you have never overclocked a CPU before you can be certain to get a good solid OC with a simple click, while the TurboV remote only adds to the flexibility of the system. And finally the Asus EPU hardware and software rounds out this excellent package. So if you are looking for a good mid-range enthusiast motherboard with a ton of features and extras, the Asus P7P55D Deluxe is one that seems tailor made for you. With the attention to detail and the innovative features that the P7P55D Deluxe has we are happy to award it with our Prosumer Innovation Award.