SATA and eSATA Performance

Website: HD Tach 3.0

We tested the SATA and eSATA performance with an Intel X25-M SSD to maximise the use of the SATA connections and reveal any differences in performance.


The SATA performance is moderate. It's interesting to see the 6Gbps sockets generating a better result than the native 3Gbps ones, while the eSATA is just pathetic at under half the bandwidth it should offer. Overclocked and the effect is much more positive for the native 3Gbps ports - yielding a 230MB/s throughput - and even the SATA 6Gbps gets a better result, despite the PCI-Express frequency remaining the same. The eSATA also sees an increase, but it still sits well below at the bottom of the table.

USB 2.0 Performance

Website: HD Tach 3.0

We tested the USB performance with an Intel X25-M SSD and a SATA to USB adapter to saturate the USB bus in order to look for any performance drops.


USB 2.0 performance is consistent with the other boards tested, so P55, H55 or H57 makes no difference here.