Core i7 processor launch paralleled with the X58-Express motherboard chipset in November of 2008.Ten months later and with the September of 2009 into, Intel has returned with the P55-Express chipset for mainstream users who pair it with the new LGA1156 socket. From the outside point of view little more than the processor socket and memory configuration has changed, replacing dual-channel for triple.

PCI-Express now offers only single 16 x lanes instead of two, while the number of SATA and USB ports continues to give more expansion room than the average user might need.The consumer might not know what to expect while choosing between the two products, other than one is mainstream (P55) and the other is for extreme enthusiasts (X58).

Benchmark Reviews tests includes the Lynnfield Core i7-870 and Core i5-750 processors, and they also had inspection of Intel's P55-Express motherboard chipset in other articles, but they have yet to have a good apples-for-apples look at P55 versus X58. Comparing the 2.8GHz Core i7-860 LGA1156 Lynnfield CPU against Intel's 2.67GHz Core i7-920 LGA1366 with P55-Express mainstream or X58-Express enthusiast motherboards.

The new Core i7 and i5 processors are the first Intel processors to introduce integrated both a 16-lane PCI Express 2.0 graphics along with a dual-channel memory controller, enabling all input/output and manageability functions to be handled by the single-chip Intel P55 Express. Older Intel chipsets required two separate chips hence the 'set 'word derived.

Hence Gigabyte GA-P55-UD6 was designed specially to take advantage of the new socket LGA1156-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors using the Intel P55-Express chipset. Similar to X58-Express motherboard, Quick Path Interconnect (QPI), replaces the Front Side Bus and this is meant to eliminate the communication bottleneck between the processor and chipset. Beginnings with the P55 ‘Ibex peak’ platform, Intel renew the term 'chipset' in place of Platform Controller Hub (PCH).