Often on reviews there are motherboards that occupied a low price segment, as these are the most popular products. At the same time, there are also descriptions of the models that blew up the market. The motherboard from ASUS P5KPL-AM got high-end specifications, but due to its cost it was available to many customers. Now it’s difficult to say whether this model can be called the “golden mean,” since the capabilities of the PCs of 2008 and current ones are noticeably different.
Improvement
Often this new motherboard is called multimedia. For what reason, we find out further. It should be said right away that it was based on the Intel G31 Express, which was then considered a budget system logic. The main advantage of the motherboard was considered overclocking the bus and support for a new type of memory.
One cannot but mention the younger model ASUS P5KPL-VM. It was also based on the above chipset, but had not very high performance and average capabilities. Therefore, this board is often used in the assembly of office PCs.
Packaging
As always, the models that came out in 2008 did not stand out with a particularly rich box. Now the attention to packaging is close. Manufacturers want to create a brighter, stylish, attractive box, while there was no such goal, since the competition was not as serious as it is now.
On the front of the package was the model ASUS P5KPL-AM. Specifications are in abbreviated format. There is information about overclocking, the type of memory supported and the presence of eight-channel sound.
There is a bit more information on the back. There is an image of the motherboard itself, as well as some technologies, the presence of certain interfaces, and more. The complete set is complete. There is, as usual, a disk with drivers and software for Windows Vista. Manual and user manual.
You can immediately find the three loops for Serial ATA, UltraDMA and FDD. There is an adapter for SATA, a proprietary sticker, and, as always, a dummy can be placed on the rear panel.
Appearance
Before we figure out which motherboard ASUS P5KPL-AM received the characteristics, we will examine the design of the product. Of course, this one has nothing special and radically different from previous models. Textolite is made in MicroATX form factor format. Any problems with the installation of this “uterus” should not arise: all elements are located conveniently for connecting peripherals.
Several capacitors fit on the board. There are not many polymer ones, although they are durable, the manufacturer located them in the area of power supply stabilization nodes. In other places there are capacitors with liquid electrolytes. But they, unfortunately, cannot boast of impeccable work.
For RAM, only two slots are visible on the board. You can expand the RAM up to a maximum of 4 GB. Small aluminum radiators are responsible for cooling on this model. For some reason they decided to disguise themselves as copper ones. Although a person who understands all this will say that such a substitution does not affect efficiency in any way. Radiators heat up quite noticeably during inspections and analysis.
Elemental base
Approaching the answer to the question about what ASUS P5KPL-AM features, you need to touch on the interface panel and the overall presence of slots on the card. The system panel has not received multi-colored markings. On the other hand, there is a manual in the kit, albeit an English one. Nevertheless, thanks to it, you can deal with the connection, in case of emergency there is also a guide on the Internet.
The green indicator from the LED changed its place and is located at the bottom of the board. There are two slots for the PCI format, one refers to the PCIE x1 type, and the second is designed for PCIE x16 video cards. There are also enough USB connectors on this model - eight pieces.
The interface panel does not stand out. Ports for the mouse and keyboard are available here, which are now rarely seen. There are also 6 slots for the audio system. There are only 4 ports for USB, which at present is sometimes not enough. There is a connector for an Internet cable. Nice to have a COM port, VGA video output and parallel LPT.
You can install a cooling system on the board, with a maximum of three fans. One of them is a processor with 4 contacts, the rest - for a case with 3 contacts. The slot for connecting the cooler is located in the lower right corner, this is where the processor fan should be located. In "BIOS" there is a setting of its rotation speed and automatic adjustment.
Specification
As mentioned earlier, the characteristics of the ASUS P5KPL-AM motherboard are nothing special, but due to overclocking they transfer it to the category of multimedia models. As mentioned earlier, the supported format is the Intel G31 chipset . RAM has only two slots and can increase to a maximum of 4 GB.
The supported memory type is DDR2-1066, which is an interesting solution in a budget model. The system bus was able to overclock to 1.6 GHz. Although Intel claimed that this value can reach 1333 MHz. And the memory can be overclocked to 800 MHz.
The south bridge on the board is installed in Intel ICH7 format and can support four SATA II connectors . It is worth noting that they cannot be combined into an array. Nearby is also the port for Ultra DMA.
The sound subsystem on the board has an 8-channel VIA VT1708B codec. The audio jack can accept two ports at once: HDA and AC'97. But I did not have to rely on high sound quality, since the network controller was not gigabit, but worked in the 10/100 Mb / s mode.
The motherboard ASUS P5KPL-AM power characteristics also did not get very powerful. The stabilizer has only 3 phases, but operates on field effect transistors with channel type N. There are also polymer capacitors and chokes with a ferromagnet core.
Well, in the end it is worth mentioning the compatibility of this model with processors. Slot for it is LGA775 format. At the same time, the motherboard can function with Intel Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Extreme, Pentium 4, Pentium D and Pentium Extreme.
Opportunities
I must say that this model of the motherboard has ample opportunities. It is, of course, about the settings in the "BIOS". For those who want to try additional overclocking, there is a special section where you can increase the frequencies proportionally to 30%. If you go to the user settings, then manually the FSB clock frequency increases to 600 MHz.
Food is a bit more difficult. Its settings have five categories, while the name is sometimes even difficult to guess what is at stake. In addition, the voltage varies slightly, but at the same time with a large step.
In BIOS, it is possible to monitor the temperature of the board and processor, fan speed, and voltage indicators. You can also enable technology that automatically regulates the operation of the cooler.
Variety
At one time, the motherboard ASUS P5KPL-AM SE also entered the market. Its characteristics were slightly different from the previous model. It was still based on the Intel G31 chip. Socket for processor LGA775 format. The system bus could have a frequency from 533 MHz to 1.6 GHz.
Celeron E1000 and 400 series were added to the supported processors. The memory type changed to DDR2 DIMM and it was possible to increase its frequency to 1066 MHz. But the number of slots was still only two, and the maximum amount of RAM was 4 GB.
In general, the motherboard ASUS P5KPL-AM SE specifications got a little weaker. There still had a built-in Intel GMA 3100 video adapter. But the sound circuit had a version weaker than 5.1. There are also fewer PCI, SATA 3GB / S, and SATA slots. The minimum bus frequency was 533 MHz, and in the previous model - 800 MHz.
Modification
Another interesting option for the reviewed motherboard was the ASUS P5KPL-AM IN / ROEM / SI. The characteristics are again almost identical. The processor is still Intel G31. The chip support is also identical. Possible bus frequencies have not changed: the minimum is 800 MHz, and the maximum is 1.6 GHz.
With memory, things are the same. The only thing that catches your eye is the change of eight-channel sound to six-channel. Accordingly, another codec is installed - VIA VT1705. The network controller also changes its version, but it still stays with 10/100 Mb / s. In addition, there is a noticeable difference in the number of ports. There are fewer USB-connectors, and the audio system got rid of the slots. There is no COM port here.
As a result, ASUS P5KPL-AM IN / ROEM / SI got almost the same characteristics as the reference version: it is difficult to find differences for those who do not understand. Yes, and the model under review was still the most bought, since few people wanted to understand a huge variety of modifications.
Variation
Among all the others, there is, of course, another ASUS P5KPL-AM EPU model. Characteristics again barely changed. There are more SATA 3Gb / s slots. Extension ports also received replenishment. The set of connectors as a whole has not changed much. Still, the main transformation of this option is that the network controller has finally become gigabit. Otherwise, there are no changes.
Reviews
Most praised in the motherboard ASUS P5KPL-AM SE specifications. For the cost that users had to give, you could get a great average PC. At the same time, thanks to a bunch of connectors, slots and ports, it was possible to install any peripherals without compatibility problems.
The motherboard ASUS P5KPL-AM IN / ROEM features really got decent. Any modification of this series is praised for overclocking, which shows a good result, as well as for the almost perfect arrangement of the elements of the board. The company did not fail in general. Many boards have served users for a very long time.
Of course, by 2012 it already demanded a change, as technology moved forward, and some ports ceased to be needed. Also appeared new processors, which were more productive. But the board became for many an excellent product that had a built-in video adapter, audio codec and network controller.