We all know that Asus is one of the largest manufacturers, known for its reliable and high quality products in motherboards, in a highly competitive market. However, Asus has also attained the reputation for creating high performance, feature packed motherboards.

In our previous review, we tested the P5WD2 Premium Asus motherboard which is based on the 955X Intel chipset. This time round, the P5LD2 Deluxe motherboard employs the 945P chipset and since both boards have almost identical components, it would be rather interesting to see what differences exist between them, based on the two new chipsets from Intel.

- Features

AI Life Series AI Life Series motherboards bring lifestyle and personal computing together. They entertain you with TV, radio and Dolby support, and link you to the rest of the world via wireless connection(WiFi-TV bundle edition only). To create a peaceful environment, several new and improved innovations are also included to reduce noise and temperature. Don't change your way of life for a computer. Instead let the ASUS Life Series improve the quality of your life.
Stack Cool 2 Stack Cool 2 is a fan-less and zero-noise cooling solution. It effectively transfers heat generated by the critical components to the other side of the specially designed PCB (printed circuit board) for effective heat dissipation.
AI Quiet With PCs serving as the entertainment centerpiece and playing a bigger role in our lives, quiet operation is in high demand. No one wants to hear the cooling fan spinning when watching a movie or listening to music. The ASUS AI Quiet function dynamically controls CPU speed and reduces temperature and fan speeds when peace and quiet are what you desire.
Wifi-TV PCI Card Connectivity and entertainment are the key words of personal computing in the 21st Century, and the AI Life Series delivers both. (Note: Optional, the WiFi-TV card has to be purchased separately)
Total Wireless Solution Offering IEEE 802.11a/b/g standards all in one add-on card, the WiFi-TV PCI card allows convenient wireless connection to the Internet and other digital devices. Share photos, videos and MP3 music files between the wireless devices at home without the tangling wires. Moreover, the unique setup wizard makes establishing a wireless environment a piece of cake. - Easily sync up with Centrino notebooks and other wireless devices - 802.11a standard offers less signal interference and better performance - Setup wizard simplifies wireless network establishment
TV-Tuner No need to spend extra money to own PVR (personal video recording). The ASUS TV-tuner lets you watch, record, pause and even replay your favorite scenes and sport plays! The WiFi-TV Card offers TV tuner and FM radio! The analog TV/digital TV combo presents the most flexible way to enjoy regular and digital TV (DVB-T only) with a single on screen switch! - Television, FM radio - Edit video recorded on your camcorder with the bundled Cyberlink Power Director. - Enjoy great multimedia experience with the bundled Cyberlink Power Cinema
SATA on the Go The motherboard supports the next-generation hard drives based on the Serial ATA (SATA) 3Gb/s storage specification, delivering enhanced scalability and doubling the bus bandwidth for high-speed data retrieval and saves. The external SATA ports located at the back I/O provide smart setup and hot-plug functions. Easily backup photos, videos and other entertainment contents on external devices.

	Intel 945 chipset The Intel 945P is the latest and one of the most powerful chipsets in personal computing. It supports 1066MHz FSB (front-side-bus), PCI Express graphics and dual-channel DDR2 memory, and Intel's dual-core CPU for fast multi-tasking. Combined with the Intel ICH7R that provides four Serial ATA II ports with various RAID options and PCI Express interface, the motherboard is an excellent foundation for a powerful desktop.
	Intel LGA775 Pentium 4 CPU This motherboard supports the latest Pentium 4 CPU from Intel in LGA775 package. With 1066/ 800/ 533MHz FSB, Hyper-Threading Technology and core-speeds up to 3.6GHz and beyond, Intel's LGA775 Pentium 4 is one of the fastest desktop processors to date.
	Theatre-Level Audio with Dolby Master Studio A person who truly knows good entertainment appreciates good acoustic presence. AI Life Series motherboards offer 8-channel audio output and sound spec higher than that of DVD. Enjoy true home theatre experience with the supreme Dolby Master Studio and hear your movies in 7.1 surround sound. With the P5LD2 Deluxe, appreciate the quality of sound, and indulge your sense of hearing.
	- Dolby Prologic IIx - Dolby Digital EX - Dolby Headphone - Dolby Virtual speaker - Dolby Digital Live
	Dual-Core CPU Enjoy the extraordinary CPU power from the latest dual-core CPU. The advanced processing technology contains two physical CPU cores with individually dedicated L2 Caches to satisfy the rising demand for more powerful processing capability.
	Universal PCI Express The Universal PCI Express technology offers utilization flexibility of the Southbridge PCI Express interface. It enables users to plug in an additional PCI Express graphics card to set up a dual graphics card platform on a single motherboard. ASUS' own smart quick switch further detects how users installed their PCI Express devices, and intelligently reroutes the PCI Express lanes for optimized bandwidth allocation.
	Hyper Path 3 Data transfers within the system are made possible by various mechanisms that synchronize the sending and receiving of commends among components. Unfortunately, these mechanisms cause data transfer delays known as latency time. This unique feature significantly shortens latency time during data transfers, allowing users to experience the real power of their computers.
	Fanless Design Cooling fans, though a popular thermal solution, also come with noise and malfunction likelihood. ASUS Motherboard's fanless concept is specifically created to provide a cool environment without all the baggage. ASUS has devoted special efforts to address the thermal issues across the motherboard, and most notably the areas that reside the CPU, power, Northbridge and Southbridge. The heat sinks and strategic board layout are tailor made to dissipate heat in the most efficient manner. With the addition of Stack Cool 2, users can even overclock without a noisy, bulky fan.

You can see the full specifications in the table below: