Introduction

When Intel launched the Lynnfield CPU and the P55 chipset, it was just as the specifications for SATA 3.0 and USB 3.0 were being finalized. Too much was in the works to change the chipset and to integrate SATA 3.0 and USB 3.0 (not that we can do that yet anyway). This left Intel behind in terms of getting SATA 3.0 to the market. Companies like ASUS, GIGABYTE and MSI were forced to work with Marvell and NEC to bring this to the table. However, in almost all cases you ended up with a pair of SATA 3.0 ports and a pair of USB 3.0 ports. With AMD based boards (at least at the 890 level) you can get up to six SATA 3.0 ports for your HDD enjoyment.

The pairing of two and two (SATA 3.0 and USB 3.0) is what you normally get with Intel and their products; at least that is until ASRock dropped the P55 Extreme4 on the market. This board boasts four SATA 3.0 ports and four USB 3.0 ports (two on the back and two on the front). This is in addition to a few other nice features that we are sure will come in handy; items like THX audio, eSATA 3.0, OC DNA and mounting holes to fit both 1156 and 775 coolers.

You get all of this for only $149.99 at NewEgg.com. Sounds like quite a deal, right? Well, we are sure going to find out.