JUST OVER A YEAR has passed since we last reviewed an LGA775-based motherboard here at TR. Interest in the platform just wasn't there, but that's changed since Intel released its Core 2 processors. With Conroe the undisputed king of performance—and more importantly performance per watt—enthusiasts are finally looking at LGA775 motherboards. There are plenty to choose from, too, but only a select few are compatible with Intel's new chips.

Asus is in the enviable position of having a trio of high-end enthusiast boards primed for the Core 2. More impressively, each board brings something unique to the table. The P5B Deluxe Wifi-AP Edition, for example, is Asus's first stab at Intel's new P965 Express chipset. The P5W DH Deluxe relies on an older 975X Express chipset, but it boasts a suite of new "Digital Home" accessories in addition to CrossFire support. For those who prefer their multi-GPU graphics tinted green, there's the P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe, which leverages Nvidia's nForce4 SLI X16 chipset for what may be the fastest desktop graphics platform around.

Which of Asus's new Core 2 boards is right for your Conroe build? Is the LGA775 platform even ready for the fickle tastes of enthusiasts migrating from familiar Athlon 64 territory? Read on to find out.