Sometimes it pays to be patient. When Intel’s high-end Core i7 processors burst onto the scene last fall, motherboards that supported them were both expensive and relatively less mature than they are today. As a consequence of the top-down approach many vendors used in introducing X58, shipping their most-expensive products first, buyers willing to sacrifice a few features will sometimes find that the newest mainstream parts are less troublesome than high-end predecessors.
We saw this type of maturation between last winter’s $300+ X58 motherboard roundup and this spring’s $200-300 follow up, and we expected further progress in small items such as BIOS implementation for today’s planned sub-$200 comparison. But something happened to alter our plan: prices slowly crept back up.
Extended stability tests for overclocking lead to weeks of testing in a seven-motherboard roundup, but prices don’t stop fluctuating during that time. Recent increases in the price of several models would have excluded two of today’s products from a sub-$200 roundup had those increases occurred before testing began. One company had even given us a choice between two models, and the board we chose went over the limit while the other did not. Forced to add a caveat to our “sub-$200” title, we’ve kept an eagle’s eye on value in these sensibly-priced parts.
| Sub-$200 X58 Motherboard Features | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ASRock X58 Extreme | Asus P6T SE | ECS X58B-A |
| PCB Revision | 1.01 | 1.01G | 1.0 |
| Northbridge | Intel X58 Express | Intel X58 Express | Intel X58 Express |
| Southbridge | Intel ICH10R | Intel ICH10R | Intel ICH10R |
| Voltage Regulator | Eight Phases | Eight Phases | Six Phases |
| BIOS | 1.0 (06/11/2009) | 0403 (05/19/2009) | 080015 (03/23/2009) |
| 133.3MHz Bclk | 133.9 MHz (+0.425%) | 133.6 MHz (+0.20%) | 133.3 MHz (+0.00%) |
| Clock Generator | ICS 9LPRS918JKLF | ICS 9LPRS918JKLF | IDT CV193CPAG |
Internal Interfaces | |||
| PCIe 2.0 x16 | 3 (x16/x16/x4) | 3 (x16/x16/x4) | 2 (x16/x16) |
| PCIe x1/x4 | 2/0 | 1/0 | 2/1 |
| PCI | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| USB 2.0 | 2 (4-ports) | 3 (6-ports) | 3 (6-ports) |
| IEEE-1394 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Serial Port | 1 | None | 1 |
| Parallel Port | 0 | None | None |
| Floppy | 1 | None | None |
| Ultra ATA-133 | 1 (2-drives) | 1 (2-drives) | None |
| SATA 3 Gb/s | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 4-pin Fan | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 3-pin Fan | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| FP-Audio | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CD Audio | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| S/PDIF I/O | Output Only | Output Only | Output Only |
| Power Button | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reset Button | Yes | No | Yes |
| CLR_CMOS Button | Jumper Only | Jumper Only | Jumper Only |
| Diagnostics Panel | 2-Character | None | 2-Character |
I/O Panel Connectors | |||
| PS/2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| USB 2.0 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| IEEE-1394 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Networking | Single | Single | Single |
| eSATA | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| CLR_CMOS Button | Yes | No | Yes |
| Digital Audio Out | Optical + Coaxial | Optical + Coaxial | Optical |
| Digital Audio In | None | None | None |
| Analog Aufio | 6 | 6 | 5 |
Mass Storage Controllers | |||
| Chipset SATA | 6x SATA 3.0 Gb/s | 6x SATA 3.0 Gb/s | 6x SATA 3.0 Gb/s |
| Chipset RAID Modes | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| Add-in SATA | JMB380 PCIe | JMB363 PCIe | JMB362 PCIe |
| Add-in Ultra ATA | VT6330 PCIe | JMB363 PCIe | None |
| IEEE-1394 | VT6330 PCIe | VT6315N PCIe | VT6308P PCI |
Gigabit Ethernet | |||
| Primary LAN | RTL8111DL PCIe | RTL8111C PCIe | RTL8111C PCIe |
| Secondary LAN | None | None | RTL8111C PCIe |
Audio | |||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC890B | ALC1200 | ALC888S |
| Sub-$200 X58 Motherboard Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foxconn | Gigabyte | Jetway BI-600 | MSI X58 Pro-E |
| PCB Revision | 1.0 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 3.1 |
| Northbridge | Intel X58 Express | Intel X58 Express | Intel X58 Express | Intel X58 Express |
| Southbridge | Intel ICH10R | Intel ICH10R | Intel ICH10R | Intel ICH10R |
| Voltage Regulator | Six Phases | Six Phases | Six Phases | Five Phases |
| BIOS | P05 (04/13/2009) | FB (05/04/2009) | A03 (05/15/2009) | 8.2 (04/20/2009) |
| 133.3 MHz Bclk | 133.7 MHz (+0.28%) | 133.0 MHz (-0.25%) | 133.0 MHz (-0.25%) | 133.8 MHz (+0.35%) |
| Clock Generator | ICS 9LPRS139AKLF | ICS 9LPRS914EKLF | ICS 9LPRS139AKLF | ICS 9LPRS133BKLF |
Internal Interfaces | ||||
| PCIe 2.0 x16 | 2 (x16/x16) | 2 (x16/x16) | 4 (2x x16 or 4x x8) | 3 (x16/x16/x4) |
| PCIe x1/x4 | 1/1 | 2/1 | 0/1 | 2/0 |
| PCI | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| USB 2.0 | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 3 (6-ports) |
| IEEE-1394 | None | 1 | None | 1 |
| Serial Port | None | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Parallel Port | None | None | None | None |
| Floppy | 1 | 1 | 1 | None |
| Ultra ATA-133 | 1 (2-drives) | 1 (2-drives) | 1 (2-drives) | 1 (2-drives) |
| SATA 3 Gb/s | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 |
| 4-pin Fan | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 3-pin Fan | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| FP-Audio | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CD Audio | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| S/PDIF I/O | Output Only | Input + Output | Output Only | Output Only |
| Power Button | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Reset Button | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| CLR_CMOS Button | Yes | Jumper Only | Yes | Yes |
| Diagnostics Panel | 2-character | None | 2-Character | None |
I/O Panel Connectors | ||||
| PS/2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| USB 2.0 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| IEEE-1394 | None | 1 | None | 1 |
| Networking | Dual | Dual | Dual | Single |
| eSATA | 2 | None | 2 | 1 |
| CLR_CMOS Button | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Digital Audio Out | Optical | Optical + Coaxial | Coaxial | Optical |
| Digital Audio In | None | None | None | None |
| Analog Audio | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Mass Storage Controllers | ||||
| Chipset SATA | 6x SATA 3.0 Gb/s | 6x SATA 3.0 Gb/s | 6x SATA 3.0 Gb/s | 6x SATA 3.0 Gb/s |
| Chipset RAID Modes | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| Add-in SATA | JMB363 PCIe | JMB363 PCIe | JMB363 PCIe | JMB363 PCIe |
| Add-in Ultra ATA | JMB363 PCIe | JMB363 PCIe | JMB363 PCIe | JMB363 PCIe |
| IEEE-1394 | None | TSB43AB23 PCI | None | JMB381 PCIe |
Gigabit Ethernet | ||||
| Primary LAN | RTL8111C PCIe | RTL8111C PCIe | RTL8111C PCIe | RTL8111C PCIe |
| Secondary LAN | RTL8111C PCIe | None | RTL8111C PCIe | None |
Audio | ||||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC888 | ALC888 | ALC888 | ALC889 |
Unlike it’s previously-tested X58 SuperComputer, ASRock’s X58 Extreme is designed to support up to two graphics cards in SLI or CrossFire mode. Both slots receive full PCI Express 2.0 x16 bandwidth.
A third x16-length slot utilizes the four remaining PCIe 2.0 pathways from Intel’s X58 Express northbridge, making it a good place to put a lower-performance graphics card or high-bandwidth RAID controller. Two x1 slots and several onboard PCIe devices are instead tied to the ICH10R southbridge, along with two legacy PCI slots.
That combination gives the X58 Extreme amazing flexibility for expansion among modern motherboards, since so many competing products have sacrificed this seven-slot design. ASRock even made sure to keep the northbridge heat sink out-of-the-way so that a long x1 card can be installed in the top slot, though care must be taken to make sure nothing (such as a resistor) protruding from the back side of a card so placed makes contact with the sink.
With its DIMM slots, both power connectors, and several front-panel connector blocks all moved conveniently towards the top edge, the X58 Extreme might have the most convenient layout we’ve seen in recent years with one exception: the floppy connector is shoved into the lower rear corner. We’re certain that some Windows XP “hangers-on” will lament the need for a floppy to load RAID drivers during OS installation.
Other features include a two-digit Port-80 diagnostics display, power, and reset buttons all located in the lower front corner. Though potentially inaccessible in a completely configured system, these are extremely handy for bench testing. ASRock instead places its CLR_CMOS button on the rear I/O panel, so that it can be easily reached, even after installing the X58 Extreme into a case.
BIOS
BIOS clock, timing, and voltage ranges can be found on Page 17’s overclocking comparison.
Major frequencies and ratios are adjustable using the “Chipset Settings” submenu of the Advanced tab, though selecting an XMP profile doesn’t seem to change everything it’s supposed to. Profile information display is a handy reminder that can be used during manual configuration.
Enabling the “Flexibility Option” allows the motherboard to disregard memory speed settings. “ASRock VDrop Control” is far more useful to overclockers, as it boosts CPU voltage whenever a heavy load has caused it to sag.
DRAM Timing Control isn’t quite as intricate as some of ASRock’s competitors, though most users won’t need access to anything more than the four primary timings and command rate. More importantly, “automatic” mode for each setting makes it possible to configure only those timings of which the user is familiar.
CPU Voltage can be adjusted at an offset to the processor’s original voltage, or as direct control. The list of controllable items isn’t long, but it still contains all the settings that most overclockers require.
ASRock's X58 Extreme BIOS also allows users to save three separate profiles as “User Defaults.”
Accessories
ASRock’s X58 Extreme accessory kit is one of the few places buyers can actually see economization at work for this $170 motherboard. Only four SATA cables are included for this six-port motherboard, but ASRock does include an SLI bridge.
Using the same circuit board as the mid-range P6T, Asus’ P6T SE eliminates very few features but adds significant cost savings.
In fact, the only things we noticed missing were an SATA port multiplier (along with the two ports it supplied), the internal reset button (though the internal power button is still there), and the floppy connector. Of these, the eliminated floppy connector seems most questionable, since the floppy controller is still present as part of the multi-I/O interface IC.
Buyers still get the same good layout we praised in the P6T Review, and we still think the board could have been improved had Asus provided at least one more space between the two (blue) PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots. The white x16-length slot is still handicapped by x4 lane width, though it’s perfect for a lower-performance graphics card or high-bandwidth RAID controller.
One of our most frequent layout complaints concerns the traditional bottom-rear-corner placement of the P6T SE front-panel audio header, which can be extremely hard to reach with the cables of top-panel jacks. Several of Asus’ competitors have already broken away from this tradition.
Asus is one of the few companies to offer dual mounting patters for LGA 1366 and LGA 775 coolers. This could be a key value addition for anyone upgrading from LGA 775 while trying to keep their liquid-cooling kit intact.
BIOS
BIOS clock, timing, and voltage ranges can be found on Page 17’s overclocking comparison.
Use of the same circuit board as the more-expensive P6T allows the P6T SE to also use the same BIOS, though Asus has updated it since our original P6T review.
Intel XMP Profile selection works exactly as expected on every Asus motherboard we’ve tested, and that’s something we can’t say about several of the firm’s competitors. Yet overclockers with even the least amount of experience can almost-as-easily set their memory voltage and timings manually.
Voltage controls appear a little more meticulous than one might expect on a $200 X58 motherboard, but most of the added settings are little-used DRAM reference voltage levels. Extreme overclockers might appreciate these, but other component settings lack this level of detail.
In the DRAM Timing Control menu we again see an unusual focus on memory performance. Fortunately, users can decide which timings to set manually while leaving others in automatic mode.
Asus EZ Flash 2 allows saving and flashing BIOS from within a special GUI, negating the need for bootable media. Opposite that level of usefulness is the automatically-enabled Express Gate function, which slows boot times without adding functionality. Neither the P6T SE nor the P6T upon which it’s based include an Express Gate module.
Two custom BIOS configurations can be stored as user profiles on the Asus P6T SE.
Accessories
The P6T SE includes no CrossFire or SLI bridges and comes with four SATA cables. NOTE: Asus has recently updated its P6T SE web page, removing references to SLI compatibility.
The ECS X58B-A briefly dropped below $200 prior to today’s comparison, but is now found for around $220 online. We’re including it today since it was received and tested while still within budget limits, with hopes that it will once again drop below $200.
A quick look at its feature set shows that a second network controller is all that separates the X58B-A from a typical sub-$200 Core i7 motherboard, though by that standard two other contenders are above-average. Other enthusiast-oriented features, such as its two-digit Port 80 diagnostics display, onboard power/reset buttons, and I/O panel CLR_CMOS button are matched by several competing models.
ECS has done away with some of the legacy clutter still found on most motherboards, such as Ultra ATA and Floppy interfaces. Ultra ATA is no longer useful in new builds, and its removal saves both money and motherboard space, but floppies are still required in many XP installations for adding RAID drivers. It’s also worth noting that floppy interfaces are nearly cost-free, since the controller is still present through the motherboard’s multi-I/O IC.
Positioning of the X58 Express northbridge limits the X58B-A to six expansion slots, with an auxiliary power connector found where the uppermost expansion slot would have been. This allowed the CPU socket and DIMM slots to also be moved around half an inch farther from the top edge, though the only benefits we can think of are easier trace routing and added clearance between an oversized CPU cooler and top-mounted power supply.
The northbridge’s 36 PCIe 2.0 lanes are divided among two full-bandwith x16 slots and a single x4 slot, with three spaces separating the two x16 slots for improved graphics card airflow. Making the x4 slot more practical is room for full-length expansion cards, though ECS frustrates us by using a closed-end slot. Though not present, an open-ended x4 slot could have supported a x8 RAID card or a third graphics card in x4 mode.
Removing the Ultra ATA and floppy headers gave us less to complain about concerning X58B-A layout, though we’re still disappointed to se the front-panel audio connector in the bottom-rear corner. We should also note at least once in every comparison that forward-facing SATA ports can potentially be blocked by the lower drive cage of legacy case designs, though most ATX cases have already been updated to prevent any such issues.
BIOS
BIOS clock, timing, and voltage ranges can be found on Page 17’s overclocking comparison.
ECS’s X58B-A “M.I.B II” menu has a fairly short list of overclocking controls, and some are somewhat confusing. For example, increasing “Performance Level” can actually decrease CPU speed, as the “Ultra” option drops CPU multiplier to 12x and locks CPU Voltage at 1.25V.
In fact, changing the “Performance Level” setting is the only way to alter the CPU multiplier at all, and we were forced to use this setting to evaluate X58B-A FSB-overclocking capabilities.
A full set of DRAM ratios are also available, but altering them above DDR3-1333 requires manually increasing the Uncore Ratio to at least twice the DRAM Frequency setting. Furthermore, the motherboard is unbootable at DRAM ratios above the “1600” setting unless an “eXtreme Memory Profile” is chosen, and using one of those boosts the memory voltage to a CPU-risking 1.76V! The X58B-A is one of only two X58 motherboards we had to test at DDR3-1600, rather than the DDR3-1866 setting normally used in Core i7 motherboard roundups.
Accessories
The X58B-A supports both SLI and CrossFire, but we were surprised to find only a CrossFire bridge in the box. The reason for this surprise is that SLI-capable graphics cards rarely if ever include an SLI bridge, while CrossFire-cable graphics cards usually do.
Other surprises include a full set of six SATA cables and an eSATA cable. Most other manufacturers in this price class leave out a few cables to economize.
Labeled with both the condensed “FlamingBlade” and the longer “Flaming Blade” names, Foxconn’s reduced-price overclocking motherboard is also available in two versions, the one shown and a cheaper “FlamingBlade GTI.” Foxconn gave us the option to use either version in today’s comparison, and a recent price increase (from $199 to $210) proves that we might have made the wrong one for this “sub-$200” comparison.
The FlamingBlade is one of three motherboards in the “$200 Core i7” price class to provide dual gigabit networking. The $180 GTI version removes the second network controller, eSATA, and onboard power/reset/CLR_CMOS buttons. The cheaper version also uses electrolytic capacitors rather than the solid polymer versions seen here.
Like the previously-detailed ECS competitor, Foxconn’s FlamingBlade is designed to support exactly two graphics cards with three spaces of separation enhancing airflow to the top card’s cooler. Also like ECS, Foxconn doesn't use an open-ended slot for its x4 interface, which could have otherwise held a third graphics card or x8 RAID card in x4 mode. But unlike ECS, Foxconn includes both Ultra ATA and Floppy interfaces, instead sacrificing IEEE-1394 FireWire to reduce clutter and expense.
One feature we haven’t seen in a while is Foxconn’s use of all outward-facing SATA connectors. This opens the opportunity to use the FlamingBlade in “tight” ATX cases that have a hard drive cage close to the motherboard’s front edge. Foxconn avoids collision between SATA cables and graphics cards by positioning the SATA ports above the top x16 slot’s center line, limiting cards in the x1 slot to a usually-adequate eight-inch maximum length.
Dual mounting holes for LGA 1366 and LGA 775 add to those other features to make the FlamingBlade a potentially better motherboard for upgrading older high-end systems.
Yet something other than FireWire is missing, and that “something” can actually be viewed as three things. The FlamingBlade supports only three memory modules, eliminating the second set of three slots present on most competing models. Simplified memory trace design could result in superior memory speed, and that’s something we look forward to testing on Page 17’s overclocking comparison.
No layout analysis is complete without mentioning potential installation problems, and the FlamingBlade has two: both the front-panel audio and floppy header are located near the motherboard’s bottom-rear corner, potentially making cable management more difficult.
BIOS
BIOS clock, timing, and voltage ranges can be found on Page 17’s overclocking comparison.
Foxconn's Quantum BIOS spreads CPU features, memory timings, and voltage levels across separate submenus, with major clock controls found on its main page. The OC Gear submenu provides eight registers to save custom BIOS configurations, and the only major feature we found missing is PCI Express clock control.
The FlamingBlade includes “automatic” settings for each memory timing, so that users can adjust only those of which they are familiar.
There are no “automatic” settings for voltage levels, but default values listed in the right-hand help box aid overclockers who may have inadvertently changed the wrong item.
Accessories
The FlamingBlade includes one 90° and three straight SATA cables, but no floppy cable. Added documentation makes the installation kit more complete in appearance only.
With three FireWire ports, four DIMM and seven expansion slots, Gigabyte’s EX58-UD3R almost resembles a high-end Core 2-class part. Its Core i7-compatible LGA 1366 socket tells a different story, however.
Those four memory slots are somewhat of a distraction on a triple-channel motherboard. The EX58-UD3R manual claims that triple-channel mode still operates with four DIMMs installed, though.
Both PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots support full bandwidth, and Gigabyte even provides an open-ended connector on its x4 slot. The real-time clock battery unfortunately prevents insertion of anything longer than an x4 card in that open-ended slot. It’s frustrating that the X58B-A and FlamingBlade don’t have this type of slot while the EX58-UD3R does, since the other two boards have room for longer cards on the x4 interface while the EX58-UD3R does not.
Another point on the subject of expansion slots is that the x1 slot is blocked by the X58 Express northbridge heat sink, making what appears-to-be a seven-slot motherboard in theory become a six-slot motherboard in practice, at least until someone produces a three-inch long PCIe x1 card that’s worth installing.
Windows XP users who need to load RAID drivers from floppy during installation will find that yet another manufacturer relegates its floppy header to a bottom-rear-corner position. We could also complain that the Ultra ATA connector is too low on the motherboard to support upper bay optical drives, but Ultra ATA has become far less relevant than Windows XP.
Remaining connectors are well-placed, including the front-panel audio header immediately forward of the rear audio jacks.
Gigabyte puts its extra SATA ports up front, rather than provide eSATA. This allows builders to choose between front-panel eSATA jacks or an SATA to eSATA breakout plate. But anyone willing to jump ahead to the accessory photo will notice that the EX58-UD3R doesn’t include the SATA to eSATA breakout adapter that has recently become a Gigabyte value-add.
BIOS
BIOS clock, timing, and voltage ranges can be found on Page 17’s overclocking comparison.
Gigabyte’s MB Intelligent Tweaker menu provides access to a wide range of clock and voltage controls suitable to meet the demands of most overclockers.
Advanced Clock Controls include drive strength and clock skew.
Advanced DRAM features include an “XMP Profiles” setting that doesn’t appear to work the way we expected, but we’re perfectly capable of configuring memory manually. Memory timings are adjustable per-channel, but anyone looking to save a little time will still find per-timing automatic settings.
Advanced voltage controls include the now-popular (among manufacturers) DRAM reference voltage settings, though we’re not sure how many users require these.
Accessories
Like most motherboards in the $200 X58 class, the EX58-UD3R’s installation kit could be just as easily described by what it doesn’t include. Only the basics are found here, and Gigabyte’s signature SATA to eSATA adapter will be sorely missed by anyone who wanted eSATA on this motherboard.
Listed at big-seller Newegg as the JBI-600-LF, Jetway’s BI-600 hasn’t gotten much attention on the U.S. market. Perhaps today’s comparison will help.
The least expensive motherboard of today’s comparison to offer dual gigabit networking, Jetway’s BI-600 is the only one of these three to retain a sub-$200 price in spite of recent increases. Another unexpected feature is its dual—rather than single—eSATA ports, though the company did eliminate FireWire to keep costs down.
Most surprising is the BI-600’s support for up to five graphics cards, with automatic switching from 2 x x16 (red slots) to 4 x x8 (red+black slots) to share or unshared PCI Express lanes. Support for a fifth graphics card comes by way of an open-ended x4 slot, which still has enough bandwidth for just about everything except high-detail 3D games.
And so the user gets lots of graphics options, from a full 16 PCIe 2.0 lanes to one or two cards (including CrossFire and SLI modes), to x8 pathways in 2.0 mode on four cards (including Quad SLI and CrossFireX modes), to the ultimate multi-monitor support with five cards. Anyone who would like to mix and match is also welcome to do so, since this high-bandwidth technology also applies to high-end RAID controllers and other expansion cards. Builders need only keep in mind that each black x16-length slot shares bandwidth with the red slot above it, so that not using a black slot allows all sixteen lanes to be directed to the corresponding red slot.
We’re not certain how Jetway can afford to include all those PCIe lane switches without raising the BI-600’s price, since none of its competitors have done so. It’s not like they scaled back in other areas, since the six-phase voltage regulator, six memory slots, Port 80 diagnostics display, and onboard power/reset/CRL_CMOS switches so prized by its competitors are still found on this more feature-laden product.
One layout curiosity is the greater distance between the CPU socket and X58 Express northbridge, which appears to have been designed to make additional room for the motherboard’s loop-shaped heat-pipe cooler. The socket has been moved closer to the motherboard’s upper edge, but the DIMM slots have not, raising some concerns about the motherboard’s capability to support high-speed memory above Intel’s specified DDR3-1333 maximum. Overclocking is a big part of today’s comparison, with DDR3-1866 support a minimum requirement to reach the same benchmark performance as previously-tested X58 motherboards.
All of our layout complaints focus on the motherboard’s bottom edge. Starting from the bottom-rear corner, the front-panel audio connector presents a cable installation challenge for cases that have top-panel jacks. Next, the floppy connector is so far away from the typical location of 3.5” external bays that many cables won’t reach. Finally, the Ultra ATA connector is located under the bottom x16-length slot, where its cable will need to reach around any graphics card that could be placed into that slot. The Ultra ATA connector is least likely of these to be used in a new system build, since Windows XP is still loaded on some machines using RAID drivers on floppy diskettes.
BIOS
BIOS clock, timing, and voltage ranges can be found on Page 17’s overclocking comparison.
The BI-600's BIOS is the most restrictive in today’s comparison, lacking even so much as a CPU Uncore voltage control. Lacking any dynamic adjustment under its “auto” setting, “Uncore Frequency” must be manually set to twice the “Memory Frequency” setting in order for any changes in DRAM data rate to be effective.
The lack of any Uncore voltage adjustment makes going beyond DDR3-1600 impossible, or nearly impossible, on the BI-600. What’s more shocking is that CPU voltage settings above 1.275 V appeared to overload the motherboard’s voltage regulator, resetting the system at full CPU load. But getting even so much as 1.275 volts to the CPU core was impossible, as the actual voltage was 0.20 volts below set voltage.
Memory timing adjustment is all-or-nothing with Jetway, its BI-600 lacking any “automatic” setting for individual timings. Anyone afraid to adjust such items as tRRD and tRFC must configure the entire menu to “automatic” mode.
Accessories
Jetway’s cable kit is typical of reduced-price motherboards, but at least the company includes a floppy cable for those unfortunately Windows XP users who still use a floppy to load RAID drivers.
The MSI X58 Pro-E is one of only two motherboards in today’s roundup to properly support seven expansion cards.
Three x16-length PCI Express 2.0 slots support two cards at full bandwidth and a third with x4 pathways. Unlike the similar layout from Asus, MSI spaces its x16 slots as x16-x4-x16, to provide additional airflow when two oversized graphics cards are used in the full-bandwidth slots.
Also similar to Asus is the lack of any Port 80 diagnostics display, which is something we’ve come to expect from enthusiast-oriented products of several smaller-yet-nimbler competitors.
MSI eliminates the “free” floppy interface but keeps the “added price” Ultra ATA controller, even though Windows XP is still more popular in new system builds than are Ultra ATA drives. MSI also does eSATA with a single port on the rear supported through a JMicron JMB363 combination controller, but while Asus lacks any connector for its added internal port, MSI’s can be found directly behind the Ultra ATA header.
The X58 Pro-E places the front-panel-audio connector in the worst possible place (the bottom-rear corner, where the cables of top-panel jacks occasionally won’t reach). MSI also adds a three-switch bus speed manipulation panel, while keeping the BIOS overclocking option. But its offering lacks support for legacy LGA 775 coolers which might be important to some liquid-cooling users.
BIOS
BIOS clock, timing, and voltage ranges can be found on Page 17’s overclocking comparison.
MSI isn’t known to be a leader in BIOS options, but it’s not going to let its less-expensive product suffer from a lack of controls in such a competitive market. Most of the settings found on its best boards are carried into the lower-cost X58 Pro-E.
The most important voltage levels, VCore-Uncore-DRAM-IOH, are found along with several others in the X58 Pro-E’s Cell menu. Key frequencies and ratios are also found here.
Memory timing controls appear basic, but several advanced settings can also be adjusted by switching “Advanced Memory Setting” to manual mode.
The X58 Pro-E can store up to four custom BIOS profiles, while a separate menu allows flashing and saving BIOS from within the GUI using non-bootable media.
Accessories
MSI uses added documentation to visually improve a very basic installation kit. The X58 Pro-E Specifications page lists SLI support, but no SLI bridge is provided. A CrossFire bridge is provided but usually unneeded, since most CrossFire-capable graphics cards already include one.
We carried forward several older benchmarks and hardware to make today’s benchmark results comparable to those of previous X58 motherboard roundups.
| Test System Configuration | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7-920 (2.66 GHz, 8.0 MB Cache) |
| CPU Cooler | Swiftech Apogee GTZ Liquid Cooling |
| RAM | Kingston KHX16000D3ULT1K3/6GX (6.0 GB) |
| Graphics | XFX GeForce GTX 285 XXX Edition |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital WD5000AAKS, 500 GB |
| Sound | Integrated HD Audio |
| Network | Integrated Gigabit Networking |
| Power | Cooler Master RS850-EMBA |
Software | |
| OS | Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 |
| Graphics | NVidia Forceware 181.20 WHQL |
| Chipset | Intel INF 9.1.0.1007 |
Kingston’s DDR3-2000 is no longer the fastest memory we have, but it is the only model of which we have two triple-channel sets for testing six-DIMM configurations. Using it also allows us to compare today’s DRAM overclocking results to those of previously-tested models.
Zalman’s ZM-STF1 thermal grease was chosen for its quick set-in time, low thermal resistance, and mess-free application.
Excellent cooling is required to reach our Core i7-920’s overclocking limit. Swiftech’s Apogee GTZ moves heat quickly away from the CPU, via its MCP-655b high-volume pump and 3 x 120mm radiator.
XFX’s mildly-overclocked GTX 285 XXX Edition was our card of choice in the first X58 motherboard shootout, and retaining it allows readers to compare today’s benchmark results to those of former roundups.
| Benchmark Configuration | |
|---|---|
3D Games | |
| Call of Duty: World at War | Patch 1.1, FRAPS/saved game |
| Crysis | Patch 1.2.1, DirectX 10, 64-bit executable, benchmark tool |
| Far Cry 2 | DirectX 10, Steam Version, in-game benchmark |
| World in Conflict | Patch 1009, DirectX 10, timedemo |
Audio/Video Encoding | |
| iTunes | Version: 7.7.0.43 |
| Lame MP3 | Version: 3.98 Beta 3 (05-22-2007) |
| TMPGEnc | Version: 4.5.1.254 |
| DivX 6.8.3 | Encoding mode: Insane Quality |
| Xvid 1.1.3 | Display encoding status = off |
| MainConcept Reference 1.5.1 | MPEG2 to MPEG2 (H.264), MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec, 28 sec HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG2), Audio: MPEG2 (44.1 kHz, 2 Channel, 16-Bit, 224 kbp/s), Mode: PAL (25 FPS) |
Productivity | |
| Autodesk 3ds Max 9 | Version: 9.0, Rendering Dragon Image at 1920x1080 (HDTV) |
| Grisoft AVG Anti-Virus 8 | Version: 8.0.134, Virus base: 270.4.5/1533, Benchmark: Scan 334 MB Folder of ZIP/RAR compressed files |
| WinRAR 3.80 | Version 3.70 BETA 8, WinZip Command line Version 2.3, Compression = Best, Dictionary = 4,096 KB, Benchmark: THG-Workload (334 MB) |
| WinZip 11 | Version 11.2, Compression = Best, Benchmark: THG-Workload (139 MB) |
Sythetic Benchmarks and Settings | |
| 3DMark Vantage | Version: 1.0.1, GPU and CPU scores |
| PCMark Vantage | Version: 1.00, System, Memory, Hard Disk Drive benchmarks, Windows Media Player 10.00.00.3646 |
| SiSoft Sandra XII SP2 | Version 2008.5.14.24, CPU Test = CPU Arithmetic / MultiMedia, Memory Test = Bandwidth Benchmark |
Benchmarks are sorted by the highest average result, so it’s no surprise when the fastest motherboard at our highest test resolution also has a higher average result than the one with the highest low-resolution frame rate. Gigabyte edged out Foxconn in Call of Duty, even though Foxconn overclocks its CPU base clock slightly.


At higher details, Foxconn beat Gigabyte, but only by about the difference in clock speed. It’s more noticeable that every other motherboard fell significantly behind in this bench. Retesting did not reveal a problem, but differences in BIOS can explain it, thanks to implementations of Intel's Turbo mode.


Crysis performance is almost the opposite-order from Call of Duty, with ECS and Asus swapping the top position.
Asus leads through all Far Cry 2 tests, but ECS’s ability to hold second place without using an over-spec CPU base clock is somewhat impressive.




World in Conflict mixes up the field a little, though Asus remains at or near the top.
Apple iTunes inexplicably favors the EX58-UD3R. If not for BIOS oddities we’d expect all of today’s samples to encode our soundtrack in one minute, eleven seconds.


With a three-way tie at the top of Lame encoding, Gigabyte mysteriously falls almost to the bottom. It should be apparent by now that Jetway’s BI-600 doesn’t support Intel Turbo mode, a technology that increases CPU multiplier by one (multi-core operations) or two (single-core operations) speed bins under high CPU load.

Gigabyte again finds the top position in TMPGEnc.

ASRock and Asus match Gigabyte in MainConcept H.264 encoding.
3ds Max 9 finds Gigabyte and ECS falling only a second behind four performance leaders.


ECS shoots to the top with Foxconn in AVG, while Asus strangely drops below even the turbo-free Jetway. We retested the P6T SE twice to make sure this result was accurate.

WinRAR shows the largest-yet-seen performance variation between motherboard models.

WinZip results are more consistent than WinRAR, with the turboless BI-600 lagging behind motherboards that support Intel Turbo mode.
3DMark Vantage shows no discernable difference between various X58 motherboards.


The EX58-UD3R edges out competitors in PCMark Vantage. We again retested the P6T SE to make sure its results were accurate, finding the results consistent.


The top three contenders in Sandra CPU tests follow an order-of-performance identical to the difference in base clock.

Gigabyte’s slight lead in memory performance could explain several of its benchmark wins. ECS and Jetway were both handicapped by their use of DDR3-1600 memory speed, as both were unable to properly support DDR3-1866 when using safe voltage levels.
Lacking Intel Turbo Boost technology support and handicapped in overclocking by a “sagging” VRM, Jetway’s BI-600 came out on top of our power consumption test.


Gigabyte kept the coolest VRM, though the only really warm models were the ECS X58B-A and ASRock X58 Extreme.

Because efficiency is a measure of work per unit of energy, an average performance value is required before average efficiency can be calculated. Gigabyte leads in overall performance in spite of its 0.25% under-spec CPU Bclik, while Asus falls to second place in spite of its 0.20% overclock. ASRock was the worst offender with a 0.425% overclock, yet falls to third place in overall performance.

Jetway’s extra-low power consumption gives the BI-600 an efficiency lead in spite of its performance deficit.
| BIOS Frequency And Voltage Settings For Overclocking | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ASRock X58 Extreme | Asus P6T SE | ECS X58B-A |
| CPU Base Clock | 100 - 300 MHz (1 MHz) | 100 - 500 MHz (1 MHz) | 133 - 511 MHz (1 MHz) |
| CPU Multiplier | Yes | Yes | No |
| DRAM Data Rates | BCLK x6 - x16 (x2) | BCLK x6 - x16 (x2) | BCLK x6- x12 (x2) |
| PCIe Clocks | 50 - 150 MHz (1 MHz) | 100 - 200 MHz (1 MHz) | 100 - 200 MHz (1 MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | 0.84 - 2.00V (6.25 mV) | 0.85 - 2.10V (6.25mV) | 0.50 - 1.60V (6.25mV) |
| Uncore Voltage | 1.20 - 1.90V (70mV) | 1.20 - 1.90V (6.25mV) | +481mV (12.5mV) |
| IOH Core | 1.10 - 1.49V (6.25mV) | 1.10 - 1.70V (20mV) | +693mV (11mV) |
| ICH Core | 1.12 - 1.56V (20mV) | 1.10 - 1.40V (10mV) | +150mV (50mV) |
| DRAM Voltage | 1.56 - 2.00V (15mV) | 1.50 - 2.46V (20mV) | +945mV ((15mV) |
| CAS Latency | 6 - 11 Cycles | 3 - 11 Cycles | 3 - 11 Cycles |
| tRCD | 3 - 15 Cycles | 3 - 10 Cycles | 3 - 15 Cycles |
| tRP | 3 - 15 Cycles | 3 - 10 Cycles | 3 - 15 Cycles |
| tRAS | 9 - 31 Cycles | 3 - 31 Cycles | 9 - 30 Cycles |
| BIOS Frequency And Voltage Settings For Overclocking | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foxconn | Gigabyte | Jetway BI-600 | MSI X58 Pro-E |
| CPU Base Clock | 66 - 500 MHz (1 MHz) | 100 - 1200 MHz (1 MHz) | 133 - 500 MHz (1 MHz) | 133 - 400 MHz (1 MHz) |
| CPU Multiplier | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DRAM Data Rates | BCLK x6 - x16 (x2) | BCLK x6 - x18 (x2) | BCLK x6 - x16 (x2) | BCLK x6 - x16 (x2) |
| PCIe Clock | Not Adjustable | 90 - 150 MHz (1 MHz) | Not Adjustable | 100 - 200 MHz (1 MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | +1260mV (10mV) | 0.50 - 1.90V (6.25mV) | 0.80 - 1.55V (10mV) | -0.32 - +0.63V (10mV) |
| Uncore Voltage | +1260mV (10mV) | 1.08 - 2.02V (20mV) | Not Adjustable | 0.88 - 1.83V (10mV) |
| IOH Core | 1.10 - 2.36V (20mV) | 1.0 - 2.0V (20mV) | 1.10 - 1.25V (50mV) | 0.80 - 2.35V (10mV) |
| ICH Core | 1.40 - 1.80V (12mV) | 0.92 - 2.38V (20mV) | Not Adjustable | 0.70 - 2.13V (10mV) |
| DRAM Voltage | 1.50 - 2.86V (10mV) | 1.30 - 2.60V (20mV) | 1.50 - 1.65V (25mV) | 1.20 - 2.477V (10mV) |
| CAS Latency | 5 - 15 Cycles | 6 - 15 Cycles | 3 - 18 Cycles | 6 - 12 Cycles |
| tRCD | 5 - 15 Cycles | 1 - 15 Cycles | 3 - 15 Cycles | 3 - 15 Cycles |
| tRP | 5 - 15 Cycles | 1 - 15 Cycles | 3 - 15 Cycles | 3 - 15 Cycles |
| tRAS | 10 - 31 Cycles | 1 - 31 Cycles | 9 - 30 Cycles | 9 - 31 Cycles |
Most enthusiasts are unwilling to settle for the hardware manufacturers desire to sell us at the prices they want us to pay, a fact that makes overclocking stability a big factor in many of our purchasing decisions. Let’s see how the “cheap” boards stack up.

Anyone willing to cope with a few limitations, such as its support for a maximum of three memory modules, will find Foxconn’s FlamingBlade an exceptional overclocker, while those looking for more traditional features should be able to appreciate the MSI X58 Pro-E’s close second place. Jetway’s BI-600 was limited by issues discussed in its page-eight description.

A difference of two megahertz puts the ECS X58B-A ahead of most contenders in achievable base clock.

Foxconn and Gigabyte had the highest memory clocks, but fall to the bottom of our chart due to their inability to support six modules. While either of those motherboards would make a good choice for anyone who will never use more than one matched set of memory, the MSI X58 Pro-E forges ahead in a six-DIMM configuration.
First place overclocker Foxconn FlamingBlade gives way to second-place overclocker MSI X58 Pro-E when more than three memory slots are required. Comparing features, the FlamingBlade supports a second Gigabit Ethernet connection, while the X58 Pro-E supports a third x16-length card in its x4 slot. Both also support two full-bandwidth PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, but the same can be said of any X58-chipset motherboard.
Anyone more interested in performance leadership than top overclocking might instead choose the Gigabyte X58-UD3R, its higher-spec eight-phase voltage regulator and two ounce copper PCB providing cooler VRM operation rather than an overclocking crown. Equally priced to the X58 Pro-E but with slightly less room for memory and expansion cards, its lower operating temperatures might make it a more reliable choice in high-stress environments.
Perhaps the most surprising board in today’s comparison, ASRock’s X58 Extreme came in third place in both overclocking and performance while also having the lowest price. Lacking no features compared to MSI’s high-flying X58 Pro-E, the X58 Extreme puts a little more emphasis on easy installation with front panel connections located above the board’s center line. ASRock even includes a floppy header to ease RAID driver access during Windows XP installation, and its Port 80 diagnostics display is unmatched by the X58 Pro-E.
Supporting up to five graphics cards, Jetway’s BI-600 provides the best combinations of features for the price. It also won our efficiency comparison, but only by using lower-than-specified CPU voltage. From a features perspective it’s a terrific bargain, but we won’t be able to recommend it until Jetway does some serious work on its BIOS, and we’re hoping improved BIOS might also address its severe core voltage droop.
With the BI-600 out of the running in recommended value, the ASRock X58 Extreme’s combination of great overclocking, good performance, and lowest price earn it our “Recommended Buy” award.






















































