Intel DP55WG and DP55KG P55 Motherboards Benchmarked

By jason December 18, 2009

Introduction

Intel boards have always been known for their dependability and solid performance. With those qualities, it is no wonder that there is a loyalty from a certain segment of the market. There are some people that will buy nothing but Intel boards. The new Core i5 and P55 chipset are Intel’s latest attempt to increase that segment of the market that is so loyal to them. We have the opportunity today to look at two of Intel’s latest and greatest that are outfitted with the P55 chipset: the DP55WG and DP55KG boards are on the test bench and ready to go! First off, let’s take a look at the specs of each board.

Intel DP55KG Specs

Form factor	ATX (12.00 inches by 9.60 inches [304.80 millimeters by 243.84 millimeters])
Processor	View supported processors for the most current list of compatible processors. At product launch, this desktop board supports: Intel Core i7-800 processor series in an LGA1156 socket Intel Core i5-700 processor series in an LGA1156 socket
Memory	Four 240-pin DDR3 SDRAM Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) sockets Support for DDR3 1600+/1333/1066 MHz DIMMs Support for up to 16 GB of system memory
Chipset	Intel P55 Express Chipset
Audio	Intel High Definition Audio subsystem in the following configuration: 10-channel (7.1+ 2 independent multi-streaming) audio subsystem with five analog audio outputs and two optical S/PDIF digital audio for input and output using the Realtek * ALC889 audio codec
Video	Nvidia SLI* and ATI CrossFire* technology support enables two graphics cards to work together for ultimate 3D gaming performance and visual quality
LAN support	Intel PRO 10/100/1000 Network Connection (82578DC)
Peripheral Interfaces	Thirteen USB 2.0 ports (8 external ports, 1 onboard, 2 internal headers) Eight Serial ATA 3.0 GB/s ports including 2 eSATA ports Two IEEE-1394a ports (1 external port, 1 internal header) Consumer IR receiver and emitter (via internal headers) Integrated Bluetooth Technology Module
Expansion capabilities	One primary PCI Express* 2.0 x16 bus add-in card connector One PCI Express* 2.0 x8 bus add-in card connector, bifurcated from the primary PCI Express 2.0 x16 One PCI Express* 2.0 x4 connector Two PCI Express* 2.0 x1 connectors Two PCI Conventional bus connectors

Intel DP55WG Specs

Form factor	ATX (12.00 inches by 9.60 inches [304.80 millimeters by 243.84 millimeters])
AA number (Altered Assembly)	E57269-XXX
BIOS ID string	KGIBX10J.86A
Processor	View supported processors for the most current list of compatible processors. At product launch, this desktop board supports: Intel Core i7-800 processor series in an LGA1156 socket Intel Core i5-700 processor series in an LGA1156 socket
Memory	Four 240-pin DDR3 SDRAM Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) sockets Support for DDR3 1600+/1333/1066 MHz DIMMs Support for up to 16 GB of system memory
Chipset	Intel P55 Express Chipset
Audio	Intel High Definition Audio subsystem in the following configuration: 10-channel (7.1+ 2 independent multi-streaming) audio subsystem with five analog audio outputs and two optical S/PDIF digital audio for input and output using the Realtek * ALC889 audio codec
Video	Nvidia SLI* and ATI CrossFire* technology support enables two graphics cards to work together for ultimate 3D gaming performance and visual quality
LAN support	Intel PRO 10/100/1000 Network Connection (82578DC)
Peripheral Interfaces	Fourteen USB 2.0 ports (8 external ports, 3 internal headers) Six Serial ATA 3.0 GB/s ports Two IEEE-1394a ports (1 external port, 1 internal header) Consumer IR receiver and emitter (via internal headers)
Expansion capabilities	One primary PCI Express* 2.0 x 16 bus add-in card connector One PCI Express* 2.0 x8 bus add-in card connector, bifurcated from the primary PCI Express 2.0 x16 One PCI Express 2.0 x4 connector Two PCI Express 2.0 x 1 connectors Two PCI Conventional bus connectors

As you can see both of these motherboards are nearly identical, but there are a few small differences. For starters the Intel DP55KG costs $199.99 shipped. This is $60 higher than the Intel DP55WG motherboard as it costs just $139.99 shipped. These two boards might have the same form factor, chipset and processor support, but the price difference shows something bigger must be happening. When Legit Reviews first saw these motherboards at Quakecon 2009 we discovered that the Intel DP55WG ‘Warrensburg’ motherboard is based off the same PCB as the Intel DP55KG ‘Kinsberg’ motherboard, but has been stripped down. The main thing we noticed is that Intel removed two of the power phases so the DP55WG has just four total power phases. Intel also removed the eSATA ports from the back panel, two of the SATA ports, the onboard USB port and other features like the Bluetooth and the cool LED skull. Intel also removed some of the overclocking features from the BIOS on the Intel DP55WG motherboard. The end result is a board that is $60 less expensive, but how will that impact performance and overclocking? Let’s read on to take a look at that.

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