CeBIT overnight testing - Gigabyte GA-P55-UD5
Author: Vedran Dakic
Date: 04 Mar 2010

Socket 1156 has been around for a while. Unlike the previous generation, where mainstream and high-end CPUs had the same socket, Intel decided that the expensive S1366 platform was too expensive for the average buyer. Socket 1156 platform was stripped of almost all high-end features, from the triple channel memory controller to the QPI interface.  Since it’s inception, there have been quite a few processors released for this socket, from the initial i7 and i5 to the later i3 and Pentium branded CPUs.  The chipset that first sported this socket was the P55, and today we are going to review a motherboard based on it.

Unlike the P35 and P45, the new P55 has been radically redesigned. Most of the standard features are gone, including the memory controller. The chipset now only has SATA and USB controllers, and support for 8 PCI-E lanes. Of course, you will not be deprived of the full 16 lane PCI-E support, as the Socket 1156 CPUs have not only a memory controller, but a 16 lane PCI-E controller as well. Also, unlike the previous inceptions of the chipset that only had Crossfire support, the P55 also supports NVIDIA’s SLI pairing technology. However, you will not have the 2x 16 lanes that are recommended for modern graphics cards, and some P55 motherboards also don’t even have two physical x16 PCI-E slots.