For most system builders, motherboards come in two flavors—Intel or AMD. Otherwise they are pretty much considered a commodity item. Sure, some system builders will pick one vendor over another or show some loyalty to a particular brand, but for the most part, price and availability are the two major factors used when selecting a motherboard for building white-box PCs.

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Asustek Computer is aiming to change that perception by focusing on value, along with features, to bring choice back to the world of motherboards. A tough objective, when one considers that a few dollars in price can have an impact on margins, and Asus' products often cost a few dollars more than products from some of the bottom-tier vendors. Asus hopes that system builders understand that you often get what you pay for and exemplifies that adage with the P5Q Deluxe Green motherboard, which has a street price of around $150.

While the P5Q Deluxe does come in at a few dollars more than some competing LGA775 motherboards, it is loaded with features that benefit both the system builder and the user. For example, the P5Q includes Asus' innovative Express Gate technology, which allows users to boot instantly into a Web browser, Skype session or photo editor.