Because Core i7 was meant to target high-end buyers, LGA-1366 motherboards are designed to satisfy both enthusiast and workstation markets. Xeon is the way forward for the current socket, as a new interface will accompany later mainstream products based on similar Core technology. With an upscale market locked-in, motherboard makers have concentrated development efforts mostly on their highest-priced models.
We waited nearly three months for manufacturers to fix the bugs in their highest-priced parts before we began testing for our $300+ X58 Motherboard Roundup, and our patience was rewarded with trouble-free operation of most samples. Certainly those few weeks that have passed since our previous comparison would be enough time for the $200-300 parts to present a similar experience...or so we thought.
But this instead turned out to be one of the most interesting roundups in recent memory, and for all the wrong reasons. Of the ten candidates previously committed to today’s feature, one manufacturer forgot to send a sample, another missed our submission deadline, and the sample from a third manufacturer never even reached POST (Power-On Self-Test) in spite of several attempts to get it running with different processors, RAM, and graphics cards. If those sound like mundane issues, perhaps you’ll find it interesting that one of the remaining samples wasn't quite up to overclocking with Intel's Core i7 and endlessly reset. Another model that lacked such protection suffered catastrophic failure, and a third sample died, taking our Core i7 920 with it in the process.
Anyone who thought spending $200 or more on a motherboard would assure premium quality will certainly be surprised by the realities of the Core i7 market, where one typically pays an additional $100 compared to previous-generation boards simply to obtain the new socket. Yet there were a few gems, and today we’ll try to separate these from the rubble that has become the new “mid-budget” enthusiast market.
Features and Layout
ASRock’s entry is likely the most distinct of today’s competitors, as it’s the only model to properly support four double-slot graphics cards. Support for the fourth card is, of course, dependent on the builder using a case with the appropriate additional space below the motherboard’s bottom edge.
Special features don’t end with the slot positions, as ASRock is also one of only two new products in today’s comparison to support pathway splitting among its PCI Express x16 slots. Electronic switches work via auto-detection to enable each secondary slot, borrowing eight pathways from the slot above it. Providing this feature on two sets of slots requires twice as many switches compared to the more expensive “3-way SLI” motherboards we’ve previously tested, and ASRock tops those by supporting 4-way in addition to 3-way configurations.
ASRock makes it easier for owners of top-panel-port cases to connect “front-panel” audio cables by placing the header forward of rear-panel jacks--a design we first saw on competing Gigabyte models. ASRock again goes a step farther by placing its front-panel USB, IEEE-1394, and LED/Switch headers above the center line of the X58 SuperComputer’s front edge. Conversely, the company also puts its floppy header in the dreaded bottom-rear corner, which should deter Windows XP users who might otherwise install AHCI or RAID drives the traditional way during OS installation.
Six SATA ports point forward from the X58 SuperComputer’s front edge, allowing the cables to fit easily under the leading edge of full-length expansion cards. Many newer ATX tower cases are designed to accommodate this feature, but buyers must still be aware of possible installation issue in order to select a proper enclosure.
Good power cable placement makes cable management almost ideal, but close proximity to the VRM heat sink makes grabbing and releasing the 8-pin EPS12V latch problematic when it comes time to take the system apart.
ASRock X58 SuperComputer (Revision 1.04) | |
|---|---|
Northbridge | Intel X58 Express |
Southbridge | Intel ICH10R |
Voltage Regulator | Eight Phases |
BIOS | 1.40 (02/04/2009) |
133.3 MHz Base Clock | 133.0 (-0.25%) |
Clock Generator | ICS 9LPRS918JKLF |
Connectors and Interfaces | |
Onboard | 4 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (Pathways Shared in Pairs) |
| 3 x PCI |
| 2 x USB 2.0 2-port (9-pin) header |
| 1 x USB 2.0 1-port (4-pin) header |
| 1 x IEEE-1394 FireWire |
| 1 x Serial Communications Port |
| 1 x Floppy |
| 1 x Ultra ATA (2 drives) |
| 6 x Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s |
| 1 x Fan 4-pin (CPU) |
| 4 x Fan 3-pins (Chassis, Power) |
| 1 x Front Panel Audio connector |
| 1 x CD-Audio In |
| 1 x S/P-DIF Out |
IO panel | 2 x PS2 (keyboard and mouse) |
| 2 x Digital Audio Out (Coaxial + Optical) |
| 1 x External SATA (eSATA) connector |
| 2 x RJ45 Ethernet |
| 6 x USB 2.0 |
| 1 x IEEE-1394 FireWire |
| 6 x Analog Audio Jacks (8-ch. out, 4-ch. in) |
Mass Storage Controllers | |
Intel ICH10R | 6 x SATA 3.0Gb/s (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10) |
VIA VT6330 PCIe | 1 x Ultra ATA-133 (2-drives) |
| 2 x FireWire 400 (1x Internal, 1x I/O Panel) |
JMicron JMB362 PCIe | 1 x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s |
Network | |
2x Realtek RTL8111DL PCIe | Dual Gigabit LAN with Teaming |
Audio | |
Realtek ALC890B HD Audio Codec | Eight-Channel (7.1 Surround) Output |
The ASRock X58 SuperComputer is the first X58 enthusiast motherboard we’ve seen to omit any internal power or reset buttons. This is a good way to reduce manufacturing cost, since the buttons normally become useless once the board is mounted in a system. We’re still certain a few bench testers will be disappointed.
Two Realtek RTL8111DL gigabit network controllers get more than enough bandwidth from their twin 2.5 Gb PCIe interfaces, while a similarly-sized ALC890B HD Audio codec is connected to the ICH10R’s digital audio interface.
A VIA VT6330 controller provides one Ultra ATA and two FireWire interfaces. This combination sounds odd at first, but it actually makes sense to combine several low-bandwidth interfaces on a single medium-bandwidth PCIe link.
A JMB362 controller supports the single eSATA port, its 2.5 Gb/s PCIe connection nearly as fast as the port’s rated 3.0 Gb/s maximum speed.
Check prices for ASRock's X58 Supercomputer
The X58 SuperComputer motherboard offers a reasonably-broad range of voltages to satisfy the needs of overclocking novices, though relatively large increments will often prevent tuners from finding the “perfect” setting.
BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for overclocking) | |
|---|---|
CPU Reference Clock | 100 to 500 MHz (1 MHz) |
Clock Multiplier Adjustment | Yes |
DRAM Ratios | DDR3-800 to DDR3-2133 (266 MHz) |
PCIe Clock | 100 to 200 MHz (1 MHz) |
CPU Vcore | 0.84375v to 1.600v (0.00625v) |
VTT Offset (CPU Uncore) Voltage | Stock to +0.300v (0.10v) |
IOH (Northbridge) Core | 1.11v, 1.23v, 1.36v, 1.49v |
ICH (Southbridge) Core | 1.12v to 1.56v (0.02v) |
DRAM Voltage | 1.50v to 2.451v (0.014v) |
CASLatencyRange | tCAS:6-11; tRCD: 3-15; tRP: 3-15; tRAS: 9-31 |
Overclockers who prefer to do their fine-tuning from within Windows will be pleased to read that the ASRock OC Tuner program is completely functional with this motherboard model.
Anyone who’s more interested in performance per watt than maximum speed will find that the ASRock Intelligent Energy Saver utility can trim around five watts in power use when paired with Intel’s Core i7 power saving features, compared to the processor's stand-alone capability.
Accessories
ASRock X58 SuperComputer Accessories | |
|---|---|
Documentation & Software | Motherboard Manual |
| Motherboard Driver DVD |
Hardware | 1 x ATI CrossFire Bridge |
| 2 x Nvidia SLI Bridge (4-space, 2-space) |
| 1 x 3-way SLIBridge |
| 1 x Floppy Cable |
| 1 x 80-Conductor Ultra-ATA Cable |
| 6 x Serial ATA Cable |
| 2 x 4-pin to SATA Power Adapter |
| 1 x I/O Panel Shield |
The X58 SuperComputer accessory kit impresses, with both 2-slot and 4-slot SLI bridges in addition to a pair of CrossFire bridges and a 3-way SLI bridge. ASRock also stands apart from several competitors by including the oft-disregarded floppy cable, which is still a valuable asset during some types of Windows XP installations.
By now many readers are probably wondering where our BIOS screenshots are. We normally test our motherboard before taking any BIOS screenshots, and the X58 SuperComputer failed during our overclocking tests. A second board exhibited the same behavior, preventing us from including BIOS screens.
Check prices for ASRock's X58 Supercomputer
Features and Layout
The P6t represents Asus’ attempt to cut cost without reducing quality. Most visible of its cost-saving measures is the simplified heatpipe with aluminum sinks, but like most other sub-$300 motherboards it also has reduced bandwidth to its third x16-length PCI-Express 2.0 slot.
The X58 northbridge features 36 PCIe 2.0 lanes, which Asus divides into two x16 and one x4 pathway set to feed three graphics card slots. An x4 slot using this second-generation bandwidth-doubling technology has the same performance as previous x8 slots, so it’s probably barely adequate for a single-GPU Radeon HD 4870 graphics card and nothing more. Other, more practical uses for this slot include PCIe x8 RAID controllers or an even faster x4 Fusion-io ioDrive.
The most disconcerting problem for us is that Asus didn’t put its x4-bandwidth PCIe 2.0 slot between the two x16 slots. By separating the two full-bandwidth slots by only two spaces, Asus leaves only the tiniest of room for airflow between two double-slot graphics cards when both are installed in the “proper” slots. This airflow reduction is significant enough to severely limit the first card’s overclocking capability.
We also took issue with the bottom-rear-corner floppy and front-panel audio header placement, which complicates cable routing to middle and upper bays of tower cases. Floppy drives may only be useful when installing Windows XP in AHCI or RAID disk modes, but front-panel audio connector placement affects a great number of case designs. Both of these problems are typical of current products from other vendors as well.
Anyone who can look past those few quirks will be pleased with the P6T's other features. One particularly notable addition is its ability to support either LGA-1366 or LGA-775 CPU coolers--a feature that opens the board to a great number of enthusiasts who already own top cooling solutions and have little desire to spend large sums of money on similar hardware.
Four of the ICH10R’s six SATA ports point forward, along with two from an add-on controller. This popular design makes room for extra-long expansion cards, but also requires additional space between the motherboard’s leading edge and any nearby drive cages. The other two ICH10R ports face outward, avoiding any such clearance issues.
Power and reset buttons have become common on enthusiast-class motherboards in most price ranges, but the P6T is one of only a few to move these to the top of the front edge. That makes them easier to reach once the motherboard is installed in a case.
Asus P6T (Revision 1.01G) | |
|---|---|
Northbridge | Intel X58 Express |
Southbridge | Intel ICH10R |
Voltage Regulator | Eight Phases |
BIOS | 0306 (02/03/2009) |
133.3 MHz Base Clock | 133.6 MHz (+0.20%) |
Clock Generator | ICS 9LPRS918JKLF |
Connectors and Interfaces | |
Onboard | 3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (Modes: x16, x16, x4) |
| 1 x PCIe x1 |
| 2 x PCI |
| 3 x USB 2.0 (2 ports per connector). |
| 1 x IEEE-1394 FireWire |
| 1 x Floppy |
| 1 x Ultra ATA (2 drives) |
| 8 x Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s |
| 1 x Fan 4-pin (CPU) |
| 3 x Fan 3-pins (Chassis, Power) |
| 1 x Front Panel Audio connector |
| 1 x CD-Audio In |
| 1 x S/P-DIF Out |
| 1 x Power Button |
| 1 x Reset Button |
IO panel | 2 x PS2 (keyboard and mouse) |
| 6 x USB 2.0 |
| 2 x Digital Audio Out (Coaxial + Optical) |
| 1 x IEEE-1394 FireWire |
| 1 x External SATA (eSATA) 3.0Gb/s |
| 1 x RJ45 Ethernet |
| 6 x Analog Audio Jacks (8-ch. out, 4-ch. in) |
Mass Storage Controllers | |
Intel ICH10R | 6 x SATA 3.0Gb/s (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10) |
JMicron JMB363 PCIe | 1 x Ultra ATA-133 (2-drives) |
| 1 x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s |
| 1 x SATA Interface for JMB322 Hub |
JMicron JMB322 Port Multiplier | 2 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s |
Network | |
Realtek RTL8111C PCIe | Gigabit LAN |
Audio | |
Realtek ALC1200 HD Audio Codec | Eight-Channel (7.1 Surround) Output |
IEEE-1394 FireWire | |
VIA VT6315N PCIe | 2 x FireWire 400 (1x Internal, 1x I/O Panel) |
The JMB363 controller supports up to two Ultra ATA 133 drives, an eSATA 3.0 Gb/s port, and two internal SATA 3.0 Gb/s drives via a JMB322 port multiplier. Performance should drop dramatically during multi-device access, since the JMB363 uses only a single 2.5 Gb PCIe pathway.
Conversely, independent PCIe links provide over twice the required bandwidth to the RTL8111C network and VT6315N FireWire controllers.
Check prices for Asus' P6T
The P6T BIOS has a wide enough range for each setting to achieve the ultimate clock speed of nearly any processor and RAM combination, in small enough increments to allow extreme overclockers to reach component limits without exceeding them.
BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for overclocking) | |
|---|---|
CPU Reference Clock | 133 to 500 MHz (1 MHz) |
Clock Multiplier Adjustment | Yes |
DRAM Ratios | DDR3-800 to DDR3-2133 (266 MHz) |
PCIe Clock | 100 to 200 MHz (1 MHz) |
CPU Vcore | 0.85v to 2.10v (0.00625v), |
QPI/DRAM (CPU Uncore) Voltage | 1.20v to 1.90v (0.00625v) |
IOH (Northbridge) Core | 1.10v to 1.70v (0.020v) |
ICH (Southbridge) Core | 1.010v to 1.40v (0.10v) |
DRAM Voltage | 1.50v to 2.46v (0.02v) |
CASLatencyRange | tCAS: 3-11; tRCD: 3-10; tRP: 3-10; tRAS: 3-31 |
CPU core voltage “droop” can be fairly significant under full CPU load, but enabling “Load-Line Calibration” helps. Unfortunately, the setting also boosts base voltage well beyond the intended setting, forcing us to set 1.4375 volts to achieve an actual 1.45 to 1.46 volts.
The P6T has a variety of memory settings that would be unfamiliar to most overclockers, and allows individual timings to be left in automatic mode.
We enable power-saving features and Intel Turbo mode for our performance and power consumption tests, but disable them for our overclocking assessment.
Asus EZ Flash 2 supports BIOS flashing from its own command prompt, eliminating the need for bootable media.
Asus O.C. Profile allows up to two custom BIOS configurations to be saved onboard as profiles, and also supports transferring these profiles externally via USB flash drives.
Accessories
Accessories | |
|---|---|
Documentation & Software | Motherboard Manual |
| Asus case badge |
| Motherboard driver DVD |
Hardware | 4 x Serial ATA Cable |
| 1 x 80-conductor Ultra-ATA Cable |
| 1 x Quick Connector Kit |
| 1 x I/O Panel Shield |
| 1 x NVIDIA SLI Bridge |
| 1 x 3-way SLIBridge |
It’s hard to believe that a motherboard priced well over $200 is now considered mid-range, but the “better value” P6T comes with an installation kit typical of the middle market. The only stand-out accessory is its 3-way SLI bridge, which has questionable value when one of the slots employs x4 lane width.
Check prices for Asus' P6T
Features and Layout
Biostar has made lots of noise in recent months about the overclocking capabilities of its motherboards, but before we put any claims to superiority to the test in a fair comparison we’ll first consider its more obvious characteristics.
The TPower X58 (also labeled T-Power X58) has three x16-length slots, but unlike many of its “mid-range” competition, this motherboard doesn’t come with 3-way SLI pretensions. Because the third PCIe 2.0 slots has only four PCIe lanes, placing it at the bottom isn’t a major concern even though it would require a special case to mount a double-thick graphics solution there. More practical uses would be a single-slot card for additional displays or a x8 RAID card, and performance fanatics might find it the perfect place for their Fusion-io ioDrive.
Moving its third x16-length slot to the bottom position allowed Biostar to spread its two full-bandwidth x16 slots apart by one additional space, allowing for improved ventilation around the top card’s fan intake when multiple cards are installed, such as 2-way SLI or Crossfire configurations.
Most of the layout is perfect for cable management, with highlights including traditional power and ultra ATA connector placement and improved FP-Audio header positioning. Previously seen on several generations of Gigabyte motherboards, Biostar has moved the front-panel connector significantly northward, putting it immediately forward of the rear-panel jacks for easier cabling to top-mounted and upper-bay front-panel connectors.
Our only major layout complaint is that the floppy connector, located under the bottom expansion slot, will be extremely hard to get to. The best solution for Windows XP users who want a floppy for loading AHCI or RAID drivers would be to use an extra-long flat cable and wrap it under the board, so that it can exit at the “proper” location in front of the TPower X58’s main power connector. That is, after all, where most cases have a 3.5” external bay.
One small caveat concerns the forward-facing SATA connectors, which point the cables towards the hard drive cage of most cases. This design is common enough now that most cases are designed with the needed space to plug cables here, but buyers will still need to pay close attention during case selection.
A Port 80 display is found just above the internal reset and power buttons, the combination of these making bench testing easier. Unfortunately, the display will be difficult to see when long graphics cards are installed in the second x16 slot.
Biostar TPower X58 (Revision 5.1) | |
|---|---|
Northbridge | Intel X58 Express |
Southbridge | Intel ICH10R |
Voltage Regulator | Twelve Phases |
BIOS | 080015 (01/15/2009) |
133.3 MHz Base Clock | 133.3 (+0.0%) |
Clock Generator | Realtek RTM885N-914 |
Connectors and Interfaces | |
Onboard | 3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (Modes: x16, x16, x4) |
| 1 x PCIe x1 |
| 2 x PCI |
| 2 x USB 2.0 (2 ports per connector) |
| 1 x IEEE-1394 FireWire |
| 1 x Ultra ATA (2 drives) |
| 6 x Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s |
| 1 x Fan 4-pin (CPU) |
| 2 x Fan 3-pins (Chassis, Power) |
| 1 x Front Panel Audio connector |
| 1 x CD-Audio In |
| 1 x S/P-DIF Out |
| 1 x Power Button |
| 1 x Reset Button |
| 1 x Port-80 Diagnostics Display |
IO panel | 1 x PS2 (keyboard) |
| 8 x USB 2.0 |
| 1 x IEEE-1394 FireWire |
| 2 x External SATA (eSATA) 3.0Gb/s |
| 2 x Digital Audio Out (Coaxial + Optical) |
| 2 x RJ45 Ethernet |
| 6 x Analog Audio Jacks (8-ch. out, 4-ch. in) |
Mass Storage Controllers | |
Intel ICH10R | 6 x SATA 3.0Gb/s (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10) |
JMicron JMB363 PCIe | 1 x Ultra ATA-133 (2-drives) |
| 2 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s |
Network | |
2x Realtek RTL8111C PCIe | Dual Gigabit LAN |
Audio | |
Realtek ALC888S HD Audio Codec | Eight-Channel (7.1 Surround) Output |
IEEE-1394 FireWire | |
Texas Instruments TSB43AB22A | 2 x FireWire 400 (1x Internal, 1x I/O Panel) |
Biostar’s unusual placement of a JMB363 Ultra ATA/SATA controller allowed the company to more easily put its Ultra ATA header at the top of the TPower X58’s front edge, for easier cabling to upper-bay devices such as legacy optical drives. The controller's SATA ports are both wired to rear-panel eSATA connectors. Combined bandwidth is limited to 2.5 Gb/s by the controller’s PCIe x1 connection
Unlike the added drive controller, both RTL8111C Gigabit network controllers get more than enough bandwidth from independent PCIe x1 lanes.
Supporting two 400 Mb FireWire ports, the TSB43AB22A controller needs nothing more than a legacy PCI connection.
An ALC888S codec interfaces Intel’s ICH10R HD Audio capabilities to provide up to 7.1-channel surround and independent front-panel stereo output simultaneously via multi-streaming technology.
Check prices for Biostar's TPower X58
Biostar’s claim to overclocking fame is supported by the TPower X58’s wide range of voltage settings in small increments.
BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for overclocking) | |
|---|---|
CPU Reference Clock | 100 to 800 MHz (1 MHz) |
Clock Multiplier Adjustment | Yes |
DRAM Ratios | DDR3-800 to DDR3-2133* (266 MHz) |
PCIe Clock | 100 to 150 MHz (1 MHz) |
CPU Vcore | Stock to +1.260v (0.0020v) |
CPU VTT (CPU Uncore) Voltage | 1.20v to 1.900v (0.020v) |
IOH (Northbridge) Core | 1.10v to 1.72v (0.010v) |
ICH (Southbridge) Core | 1.50v to 2.10v (0.010v) |
DRAM Voltage | 1.50v to 2.76v (0.020v) |
CASLatencyRange | tCAS: 3-18; tRCD: 3-15; tRP: 3-15; tRAS: 9-30 |
A legacy AMI interface may seem unfamiliar to recent enthusiasts, but the required overclock settings are still easily found. The most significant controls are located in sub-menus of Biostar’s “O.N.E.” main menu.
Adjusting memory timings is an all-or-nothing task, since individual settings do not have independent auto-detect options. For most users, that means altering the four main timings will require a lengthy process of figuring out what the other timings do, and what settings will work.
Advanced clock control and voltage levels are also found in submenus. TPower X58 BIOS has all the voltage controls that most overclockers need, but advanced users might be disappointed.
The TPower X58 flash ROM has enough space to store up to ten configurations as custom profiles, and Biostar even makes it possible to give those profiles distinct names. These are stored in a non-volatile area to allow restoration of settings after the volatile area has been cleared.
The Biostar Green Power Utility appears to be nothing more than a monitor.
Biostar’s T-Power 2 overclocking utility allows fine tuning of clock speed and voltage levels from within windows, but isn’t very responsive to voltage change attempts. Built-in OC Tweaker profiles set the base clock to 135, 139, 141, and 143 MHz.
Other T-Power 2 menus include an e-mail scratchpad for technical support, system monitoring, and a BIOS update utility.
Accessories
Accessories | |
|---|---|
Documentation & Software | Motherboard Manual |
| Motherboard Driver DVD |
Hardware | 6 x Serial ATA Cable |
| 1 x 80-conductor Ultra-ATA Cable |
| 1 x NVIDIA SLI Bridge |
| 1 x SLIBridge Retention Bracket |
| 6 x 4-pin to 2-drive SATA Power Adapter |
| 1 x I/O Panel Shield |
The TPower X58 includes enough SATA cables for a complete configuration, though there aren’t many additional accessories to make it stand apart from less expensive products. The SLI bridge retention bracket is something we haven’t seen in a while, but the installation kit provides only a single SLI and no CrossFire bridges.
Check prices for Biostar's TPower X58
Features and Layout
DFI’s primary focus could be the overclocking community, but its LANParty DK X58-T3eH6 appears to be a traditional 3-way SLI gaming platform at a glance. Don’t let that glance fool you, as the middle slot is locked in x4 transfer mode just like the bottom slot of so many sub-$300 competitors.
By putting the reduced-bandwidth slot in the middle, DFI spreads the graphics cards an extra two slots apart in 2-way SLI and CrossFire configuration, achieving better cooling and allowing for enhanced overclocking capability.
With the same bandwidth as previous-generation x8 slots, the PCIe 2.0 x4 slot is still good enough for lower performance cards such as the Radeon HD 4850, so buyers who already own an older triple-card CrossFireX configuration could potentially use the X58-T3eH6 in their processor/motherboard upgrade. The slot is otherwise useful for a number of high-bandwidth expansion cards such as a PCIe x8 RAID controller or Fusion-io ioDrive.
Another PCIe x4 slot is located beneath top x16 slot, but this one uses an actual x4 connector. It’s also limited to first-generation transfer speeds by its connection to the ICH10R southbridge, but that’s more than fast enough for the majority of non-graphics needs. Most builders won’t be able to access it however, since enthusiast-level graphics cards typically have double-slot coolers.
One particularly interesting feature of the X58-T3eH6 is the presence of three USB 2.0 double-port headers internally, rather than the standard two. Because many builders load their front panels with USB breakout connectors and devices, this is a good idea in spite of the fact that it reduces rear panel ports to six from the now-common eight.
This LANParty DK also lacks any I/O panel-based eSATA, but still has eight ports internally. Easier to design and less expensive to produce, builders can instead connect the top two ports to front-panel eSATA breakouts for added convenience compared to rear-panel ports. Anyone who had already planned to add such a device should be especially pleased.
Our only major quibbles with the X58-T3eH6 are that its IEEE 1394 FireWire internal header is in the difficult-to-reach bottom rear corner and that the floppy header is located at the bottom edge. But while the FireWire port may be in the worst possible location, the floppy connector is still easier to access than that of most competitors. Windows Vista users will of course laugh at this last XP-centric comment.
While many manufacturers have put their Front-Panel audio header in that same dreaded bottom rear corner location for generations, DFI did us a favor by moving it several slots up the rear edge. This makes cable management for top-panel or upper-bay FP-Audio panels far easier, but those connector sets typically also include a FireWire port. Though similar to EVGA’s X58 3X SLI design, DFI put it’s FP-Audio connection slightly farther from the top x16 graphics card slot to prevent any cable from pushing up against the bottom of a graphics card cooler.
Power and Reset buttons are handy for bench testing, while the nearby Port 80 diagnostics display can clue overclockers into the source of any problem they may encounter. Both of these will typically be inaccessible in a completely configured system.
DFI LANParty DK X58-T3eH6 (Revision A) | |
|---|---|
Northbridge | Intel X58 Express |
Southbridge | Intel ICH10R |
Voltage Regulator | Six Phases |
BIOS | DX58D219 (02/192009) |
133.3 MHz Base Clock | 133.0 (-0.25%) |
Clock Generator | ICS 9LPRS918JKLF |
Connectors and Interfaces | |
Onboard | 3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (Modes: x16, x16, x4) |
| 1 x PCIe x4 |
| 2 x PCI |
| 3 x USB 2.0 (2 ports per connector). |
| 1 x IEEE-1394 FireWire |
| 1 x Serial Communications Port |
| 1 x Floppy |
| 1 x Ultra ATA (2 drives) |
| 8 x Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s |
| 1 x Fan 4-pin (CPU) |
| 5 x Fan 3-pins (Chassis, Power) |
| 1 x Front Panel Audio connector |
| 1 x CD-Audio In |
| 1 x Power Switch |
| 1 x Reset Switch |
IO panel | 2 x PS2 (keyboard and mouse) |
| 2 x Digital Audio Out (Coaxial + Optical) |
| 6 x USB 2.0 |
| 1 x IEEE-1394 FireWire |
| 1 x RJ45 Ethernet |
| 6 x Analog Audio Jacks (8-ch. out, 4-ch. in) |
Mass Storage Controllers | |
Intel ICH10R | 6 x SATA 3.0Gb/s (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10) |
JMIcron JMB363 PCI-E | 1 x Ultra ATA-133 (2-drives) |
| 2 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s |
Network | |
Marvell 88E8053 PCI-E | Gigabit LAN Interface |
Audio | |
Realtek ALC889 HD Codec | Eight-Channel (7.1 Surround) Output |
IEEE-1394 FireWire | |
Via VT6308P PCI | 2 x FireWire 400 (1x Internal, 1x I/O Panel) |
A JMicron JMB363 controller adds two SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports and an Ultra ATA 133 cable header, but overall throughput is limited somewhat by its 2.5 Gb/s PCIe x1 chipset connection.
Also using a 2.5 Gigabit PCIe connection, the Marvell 88E8053 network controller has more than enough bandwidth to support its single Gigabit Ethernet port.
DFI finds the VT6308P FireWire controller a perfect place for its LANParty logo. With two 400 Mb ports, the controller is served well by legacy PCI.
The ALC889 HD Audio codec has advanced features such as multi-streaming of separate front-panel (stereo) and rear-panel (7.1-channel surround) audio signals from different sources. It’s also rated at up to 108dB signal-to-noise ratio, which is around 10dB better than the next model down featured on several similarly-priced motherboards.
Check prices for DFI's LANParty DK X58
Wide voltage ranges and small increments are a good sign of DFI’s LANParty overclocking support. An X58-T3eH6 reference clock limit of 250 MHz might appear restrictive in light of what a few other products list, but experienced overclockers know this is still far higher than the speed current Core i7 processors can tolerate.
BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for overclocking) | |
|---|---|
CPU Reference Clock | 133 to 250 MHz (1 MHz) |
Clock Multiplier Adjustment | Yes |
DRAM Ratios | DDR3-800 to DDR3-2133 (266 MHz) |
PCIe Clock | 100 to 250 MHz (1 MHz) |
CPU Vcore | 1.00 v to 2.00 v (0.0125 Volts) |
CPU VTT (CPU Uncore) Voltage | 1.21 to 1.61 Volts (0.02 Volts) |
VTT Special Add | +0.0125 v to +0.1875 v (0.0125v) |
IOH (Northbridge) Core | 1.10 to 1.45 volts (0.05 Volts) |
ICH (Southbridge) Core | 1.50v to 2.1 v (0.20v) |
DRAM Voltage | 1.455v to 2.400v (0.015v) |
CASLatencyRange | tCAS:1-11; tRCD: 1-31; tRP: 1-10; tRAS: 1-31 |
Clock controls are found on the main page of DFI Genie BIOS, while added features, timings and voltages can be found under sub-menus.
Selecting “Disabled” for “Set VR Current Max” does not prevent the motherboard from rebooting under high amperage loads, since the X58-T3eH6 has its own over-current protection.
Tuners can change only the memory timings they’re most familiar with and leave others in auto-detect mode.
An Over-Current Protection (OCP) setting allows builders to select a current limit up to 180 amps. At this maximum setting, our X58-T3eH6 would reset whenever we did a full load test at CPU settings higher than 3.9 GHz and 1.325 volts. Our problem was that we needed more than 1.325 volts to prevent blue screens at higher speeds, but the board would only tolerate higher voltage levels at lower CPU speeds. This reset feature may be an annoyance, but at least it prevented catastrophic failure (see our ASRock X58-SuperComputer comments).
DFI also includes its Auto Boost applications for the loading and saving of BIOS profiles from within Windows. Unfortunately, accessing those profiles requires a reboot, which makes the program no more valuable to us than the BIOS profile feature of competing manufacturers.
Accessories
Accessories | |
|---|---|
Documentation & Software | Motherboard Manual |
| Software installation guide |
| Motherboard Driver DVD |
Hardware | 2 x Serial ATA Cable |
| 1 x 4-pin to 2x SATA power adapter cable |
| 4 x Easy-Grip Jumpers |
| 1 x 80-conductor Ultra-ATA Cable (Round) |
| 1 x Floppy Cable (Round) |
| 1 x ATI CrossFire Bridge |
| 1 x NVIDIA SLI Bridge |
| 1 x Quick Connector Kit |
| 1 x I/O Panel Shield |
Knowing that an x16 slot with x4 pathways isn’t much good for 3-way SLI, DFI includes only traditional 2-card SLI and CrossFire adapters with its X58-T3eH6. The biggest disappointment for us was the relative lack of SATA cables, which puts this particular installation kit on par with those of several previous-generation sub-$100 motherboards.
Check prices for DFI's LANParty DK X58
We already reviewed the X58 3X SLI in our $300+ motherboard comparison, but EVGA now offers the same motherboard under a different model number at a lower price.
The difference between the $300+ and sub-$300 model numbers is that the more expensive package includes a lifetime warranty and EVGA trade-up program, while the cheaper package comes with a 1-year warranty (extends to 2-years with registration) and no trade-up program.
This is a true 3-way SLI board with automatic switches to change it from x16/x0/x16 to x8/x8/x16 PCI-Express 2.0 pathways, providing twice the bandwidth to the slowest slot compared to competing x16/x16/x4 configurations. We’re including its test results in today’s comparison, but you’ll have to read the original article for complete details on its layout, features, BIOS, and software.
Check prices for EVGA's X58 3X SLI
Features and Layout
The Renaissance motherboard is packed with advanced features with which Foxconn hopes to build value for its customers. For example, it’s the only board in its price class to use an audio riser card for reduced noise, the only board in today’s comparison to provide Serial Attached SCSI, and one of only two in this price class to support up to four PCI Express graphics cards.
Electronic pathway switches cost money, but that didn’t prevent Foxconn from using them on two slots to provide graphics cards with either x16/x16 or x8/x8/x8/x8 transfer modes. For multi-graphics users, Foxconn really stands out.
On the other hand, slot spacing prevents the Renaissance from being taken seriously as a quad-CrossFire or 3-way SLI product, since high-performance cards normally require two slots of space. Instead, this might be an ideal low-end workstation board, or the perfect solution for a high-end multitasking system. It still supports 2-way SLI using double-slot cards of course, but a builder might feel somewhat silly for covering the up the extra graphics card slots.
With so much attention paid to the features list, we can’t quite figure out why Foxconn didn’t use an open-ended x4 slot in the middle. Using the left-over PCIe 2.0 pathways of the X58 northbridge, the slot would have made an ideal place to put a fifth graphics card in a wild multi-display configuration. It still supports hot performance cards, but the closed end also prevents PCIe x8 RAID controllers from fitting.
Windows Vista users who don’t have a problem with the slightly odd slot placement will find the remaining connectors almost perfectly placed. Our only caveat for them is to choose a case that can accept forward-facing SATA ports, since a few have drive cages in the way.
The reason we limited our last comment to a specific OS is that XP users will find no floppy header for loading AHCI or RAID drivers. This can still be accomplished by slipstreaming drivers onto the OS CD or by purchasing a USB floppy drive.
The Port 80 diagnostics display is surrounded by a CLR_CMOS, Power and Reset buttons, two SATA-compatible SAS ports, and the PCIe x1 SAS controller. As with any x1 device, total bandwidth is limited by the interface to 2.5 Gb/s.
Foxconn Renaissance (Initial Revision) | |
|---|---|
Northbridge | Intel X58 Express |
Southbridge | Intel ICH10R |
Voltage Regulator | Six Phases |
BIOS | 080015 (2/18/2009) |
133.3 MHz Base Clock | 133.3 (+0.0%) |
Clock Generator | ICS 9LPRS139AKLF |
Connectors and Interfaces | |
Onboard | 4 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (Pathways Shared in Pairs) |
| 1 x PCIe 2.0 x4 |
| 1 x PCI |
| 1 x Foxconn Audio Riser (Proprietary) |
| 2 x USB 2.0 (2 ports per connector). |
| 1 x IEEE-1394 FireWire |
| 1 x Ultra ATA (2 drives) |
| 6 x Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s |
| 2 x SAS 3.0Gb/s |
| 1 x Fan 4-pin (CPU) |
| 3 x Fan 3-pins (Chassis, Power) |
| 1 x Power button |
| 1 x Reset button |
| 1 x Clear CMOS button |
| 1 x Port-80 Diagnostics Display |
IO panel | 1 x PS2 (keyboard) |
| 8 x USB 2.0 |
| 2 x Digital Audio Out (Optical, Coaxial) |
| 1 x RJ45 Ethernet |
| 1 x IEEE-1394 FireWire |
| 2 x External SATA (eSATA) 3.0Gb/s |
Mass Storage Controllers | |
Intel ICH10R | 6 x SATA 3.0Gb/s (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10) |
JMicron JMB363 PCIe | 1 x Ultra ATA-133 (2-drives) |
| 2 x External SATA (eSATA) 3.0 Gb/s |
Marvell 88SE6320 PCIe | 2 x SAS 3.0Gb/s (RAID 0, 1) |
Network | |
Broadcom BCM5706 PCIe | Dual Gigabit LAN with Teaming |
Audio | |
Foxconn Harp Riser Card | Eight-Channel (7.1 Surround) Output |
| IEEE-1394 FireWire | |
Texas Instruments TSB43AB22A | 2 x FireWire 400 (1x Internal, 1x I/O Panel) |
Limited by its PCIe x1 interface to a combined bandwidth of 2.5 Gb/s, the JMicron JMB363 provides the Renaissance with two eSATA ports and an internal Ultra ATA-133 connector.
A PCIe x1 chipset link doesn’t impose such limits on Broadcom’s BCM5706 controller, simply because it has only one Gigabit network port.
One of the more interesting Renaissance features is its Harp riser card. Using the same hardware as the Sonar X-Fi of Foxconn’s pricier BloodRage motherboard, the Harp doesn’t include Creative’s audio software. Its ALC889 codec does support other advanced features such as 8+2 channel multi-streaming. Two competing technologies, DTS Connect and Dolby Digital Live, allow on-the-fly compression of live multi-channel audio to a single digital output.
Check prices for Foxconn's Renaissance
The Renaissance has wide enough frequency and voltage ranges in small enough setting increments to push most hardware combinations to the limit, though PCIe clock isn’t adjustable.
BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for overclocking) | |
|---|---|
CPU Reference Clock | 133 to 260 MHz (1 MHz) |
Clock Multiplier Adjustment | Yes |
DRAM Ratios | DDR3-800 to DDR3-2133 (266 MHz) |
PCIe Clock | Not Adjustable |
CPU Vcore | Stock -0.6 v to +1.260 v (0.010 v), |
CPU VTT (CPU Uncore) Voltage | Stock -0.4 v to +0.5 v (0.010 v), |
IOH (Northbridge) Core | 1.017 v to 1.936 v (0.0275 v) |
ICH (Southbridge) Core | Not Adjustable |
DRAM Voltage | 1.3875 v to 2.794 v (0.0375 v) |
CASLatencyRange | tCAS:3-18; tRCD: 3-15; tRP: 3-15; tRAS: 9-30 |
The Fox Central Control Unit menu provide basic clock control along with several submenus for CPU features, memory timings and voltage levels
Manual memory tuning mode requires adjustment of every available timing, since individual settings have no auto-detect feature. Voltage control is also significantly less elaborate than the menus found in several competing products.
We didn’t find any tuning software for Windows, but Foxconn was kind enough to include Norton Internet Security on the Renaissance support DVD.
Accessories
Accessories | |
|---|---|
Documentation & Software | Motherboard Manual |
| Reference Guide |
| Motherboard Driver DVD |
Hardware | 3 x SATA Data Cable |
| 1 x Foxconn Harp Riser Card |
| 1 x 80-conductor Ultra ATA cable |
| 4 x 4-pin to 2-drive SATA Power Adapter |
| 1 x SATA Data with Power Adapter Cable |
| 1 x I/O Panel Shield |
A few things that stand out in the Renaissance installation kit are its audio riser card and two SAS data/power combination cables. Four standard SATA cables are also included.
Check prices for Foxconn's Renaissance
MSI’s MS-7522 motherboard is available in both SLI and non-SLI versions, because Nvidia charges per-motherboard to add an SLI driver hook to BIOS code. The version we received is aptly named X58 Platinum SLI.
MSI doesn’t pretend that reduced-cost motherboards will be adequate 3-way SLI solutions, and instead omits any third slot from the X58 Platinum SLI layout. It’s still perfect for SLI or CrossFire configurations that use only two graphics units, including four-GPU solutions using two high-end GTX 295 or HD 4870 X2 cards.
MSI puts an extra space between its two x16 slots to allow better cooling for the top card, but it does bother us a little that the company didn’t take advantage of the X58 northbridge's four left-over PCIe 2.0 lanes. We don’t believe substituting an x1 slot for an x4 slot would have had a very large effect on pricing. A full seven expansion slots provide tremendous flexibility, but this is a situation where the “missing” x4 slot could have seriously boosted the motherboard’s specification sheet.
Power cables connections are exactly where we want them, but the Ultra ATA connector is a little low in the X58 Platinum’s front edge for use with upper drive bays. Bottom-rear corner placement of Front-Panel Audio and IEEE 1394 FireWire headers make cable management a challenge for owners of top-panel-access cases.
As with every board in today’s comparison, forward-facing Serial ATA ports allow cables to slip easily under the leading edge of long expansion cards while also requiring additional space around any nearby hard drive cage. Most cases are designed with these types of connectors in mind. Two additonal SATA ports that face outward from the X58 Platinum SLI’s surface are located far enough below the top PCIe x16 slot to fit under any oversized graphics card coolers.
Power and Reset buttons located under the bottom PCI slot make bench testing a little easier. A third button near the motherboard’s front edge is intended to switch modes for the optional D-LED2 diagnostics display.
MSI X58 Platinum SLI (Revision 1.0) | |
|---|---|
Northbridge | Intel X58 Express |
Southbridge | Intel ICH10R |
Voltage Regulator | Six Phases |
BIOS | V3.1 (01/21/2009) |
133.3 MHz Base Clock | 133.7 (+0.28%) |
Clock Generator | ICS 9LPRS133BKLF |
Connectors and Interfaces | |
Onboard | 2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (Full Bandwidth) |
| 3 x PCIe x1 |
| 2 x PCI |
| 2 x USB 2.0 (2 ports per connector). |
| 1 x IEEE-1394 FireWire |
| 1 x Serial Communications Port |
| 1 x Ultra ATA (2 drives) |
| 8 x Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s |
| 1 x Fan 4-pin (CPU, System) |
| 5 x Fan 3-pins (Chassis, Power) |
| 1 x D-LED2 Diagnostics Module Header |
| 1x Front Panel Audio connector |
| 1 x CD-Audio In |
| 1 x Power Switch |
| 1 x Reset Switch |
| 1 x D-LED2 Function Switch |
IO panel | 2 x PS2 (keyboard, mouse) |
| 8 x USB 2.0 |
| 1 x IEEE-1394 FireWire |
| 1 x Digital Audio Out (optical) |
| 1 x External SATA (eSATA) 3.0Gb/s |
| 1 x CLR_CMOS button |
| 2 x RJ45 Ethernet |
| 6 x Analog Audio Jack (8 ch. out + line, mic in) |
Mass Storage Controllers | |
Intel ICH10R | 6 x SATA 3.0Gb/s (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10) |
JMicron JMB363 PCIe | 1 x Ultra ATA-133 (2-drives) |
| 1 x External SATA (eSATA) 3.0Gb/s |
| 1 x SATA Interface for JMB322 Port Multiplier |
JMicron JMB322 on SATA | 2 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s to 4x SATA 3.0 Gb/s |
Network | |
2x Realtek RTL8111C PCIe | Dual Gigabit LAN with Teaming |
Audio | |
Realtek ALC888 HD Audio Codec | Eight-Channel (7.1 Surround) Output |
IEEE-1394 FireWire | |
JMicron JMB381 PCIe | 2 x FireWire 400 (1x Internal, 1x I/O Panel) |
Just as with the competing Asus model, the MSI X58 Platinum SLI uses a JMicron JMB322 port multiplier to provide two internal ports from a single JMB363 connection, sending the controller’s other connection to an eSATA port. Everything on that controller, including any Ultra ATA drives, must then share a single 2.5 Gigabit PCIe pathway to the chipset. MSI labels its two red SATA ports “Double Speed” in spite of this huge bottleneck, a marketing slogan that refers to the port multiplier’s built-in RAID 0 capability.
Networking faces no such bottlenecks, as each Realtek RTL8111C Gigabit Ethernet controller is fed by its own 2.5 Gb PCIe link.
FireWire 400 ports have no need for the bandwidth of PCIe, but the newer interface allows JMicron’s JMB381 controller to use less motherboard real estate.
Rated at 97dB signal-to-noise ratio, the RTL888 HD Audio codec provides 7.1-channel surround audio and is capable of multi-streaming a separate stereo signal to the front-panel headphone jack.
Check prices for MSI's X58 Platinum SLI
The X58 Platinum SLI provides an excellent range of frequency and voltage levels in small increments, allowing overclockers to seek out the highest stable speed of any hardware configuration.
BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for overclocking) | |
|---|---|
CPU Reference Clock | 133 to 400 MHz (1 MHz) |
Clock Multiplier Adjustment | Yes |
DRAM Ratios | DDR3-800 to DDR3-2133 |
PCIe Clock | 100 to 200 MHz (1 MHz) |
CPU Vcore | Stock -0.32 to +0.63 Volts (0.010 Volts) |
QPI (CPU Uncore) Voltage | Stock -0.32 to +0.63 Volts (0.010 Volts) |
IOH (Northbridge) Core | 0.78 to 1.73 Volts (0.010 Volts) |
ICH (Southbridge) Core | 0.70 to 2.13 Volts (0.010 Volts) |
DRAM Voltage | 1.20 to 2.77 Volts (0.010 Volts) |
CASLatencyRange | tCAS:6-12; tRCD: 3-15; tRP: 3-15; tRAS: 9-31 |
MSI's Cell Menu provides major clock and voltage controls, with several sub-menus to adjust advanced controls and timings.
The X58 Platinum SLI Advanced DRAM Configuration sub-menu has both basic and advanced controls, with automatic detection available for individual settings.
The X58 Platinum SLI also provides amplitude and skew controls.
Up to four BIOS configurations can be saved to non-volatile memory as user profiles.
MSI M-Flash allows saving or flashing BIOS without the need for bootable media.
The X58 Platinum SLI also includes MSI’s click-to-crash OverclockingCenter and GreenPowerCenter utilities, exactly as described in our Eclipse SLI review. Perhaps users of other hardware will find these utilities useful.
Accessories
Accessories | |
|---|---|
Documentation & Software | Motherboard Facts Sheet |
| HDD Backup Guide |
| Motherboard Manual |
| Quick Installation Guide |
| Driver CD (Windows Vista) |
| Driver CD (Windows XP) |
| MSI HDD Backup DVD |
Hardware | 4 x Serial ATA Data Cable |
| 2 x 4-pin to SATA Power Adapter |
| 1 x 80-conductor Ultra ATA Cable |
| 1 x Floppy Cable |
| 1 x Quick Connector Kit |
| 2 x CrossFire Bridge |
| 1 x SLI Bridge |
| 1 x USB 2.0 Breakout Plate (2-ports) |
| 1 x I/O Panel Shield |
MSI spreads its documentation, drivers and software across many pamphlets and CD’s, most likely to boost the visual impact of its accessory kit. The floppy cable appears to be a thoughtful addition, except that the motherboard doesn’t have a floppy interface.
Check prices for MSI's X58 Platinum SLI
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 | Coolermaster RS850-EMBA |
Software | |
OS | Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 |
Graphics | Nvidia Forceware 181.20 WHQL |
Chipset | Intel INF 9.1.0.1007 |
We left power-savings features and Turbo mode enabled for our Core i7 processor during benchmarks and power tests, since most users can benefit from these in daily use. We then disabled EIST and enhanced C-States during our overclocking tests to assure all motherboards would be stressed equally and continuously.
Kingston won our 6GB DDR3 overclocking shootout with memory that can actually clock farther than the memory controller of our Core i7 processors, making it the perfect choice for testing the overclocking stability of each motherboard. The company even sent a second set so we could test six-module stability in addition to our standard three-module test. For benchmarks, we set six of the seven motherboards to DDR3-1866 CAS 7-8-7-20 where possible: The Biostar TPower X58 would not boot at any DDR3-1866 settings, so we had to choose DDR3-1600 mode instead. Also, the MSI X58 Platinum SLI was unstable at a DDR3-1866 CAS 7 setting, so we had to use 8-8-7-20 timings with this motherboard sample.
Quick set-in time, excellent thermal characteristics, and no-mess/no-waste application make Zalman’s ZM-STG1 the perfect thermal compound for bench testing. The company sent enough for us to equip the entire U.S. hardware team with two bottles per tester.
Swiftech’s Apogee GTZ allows us to maintain low temperatures, even during our Core i7 overclocking tests. An MCP-655b pumps the warm liquid into Swiftech’s 3x120mm radiator.
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) |
TMPEG 4.5 | 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 Commandline 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) |
Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | |
3DMark Vantage | Version: 1.02, GPU and CPU scores |
PCMark Vantage | Version: 1.00, System, Memory, Hard Disk Drive benchmarks, Windows Media Player 10.00.00.3646 |
SiSoftware Sandra XII SP2 | Version 2008.5.14.24, CPU Test = CPU Arithmetic / Multimedia, Memory Test = Bandwidth Benchmark |
Call of Duty: World at War shows noticeable differences between various motherboards, most likely reflecting how aggressively each board uses Intel Turbo Mode.




Performance differences are diminished greatly when the graphics cards becomes a bottleneck. This is most noticeable at high resolutions in Crysis.


Far Cry 2 shows an unexpected amount of variability at higher resolutions, but we should be learning by now to expect the unexpected with EIST and Turbo Mode enabled.


Asus and MSI nudge their performance forward a little by using slightly elevated base clocks, yet World In Conflict performance gains appear disproportionately larger than the clock speed difference.
Apple iTunes appears to favor Asus’ slightly higher-than-standard base clock, though it doesn’t give MSI the same advantage.


ASRock’s X58 SuperComputer was last in iTunes but tied for first in Lame MP3 encoding. This could be a Turbo mode issue, with single-threaded application using the 22x single-core maximum multiplier on some boards and the 21x multi-core limit of others.


Asus again finds the lead in video encoding, with surprising results in TMPGenc.
Several motherboards fall slightly behind in 3ds Max 9.

AVG Anti-virus shows little difference between various X58 models, with Asus and Foxconn taking the smallest of leads.

The slightly-overclocked P6T has a higher-than-anticipated lead in WinRAR, though similar tricks appear to give the X58 Platinum no advantage.


MSI ties Foxconn for the win in Winzip compression.
3DMark hands EVGA’s X58 3X SLI a lead that’s so small most readers won’t be able to see it in the charts.

PCMark prefers the P6T, while the TPower X58’s inability to run our memory at DDR3-1866 pushes it to the bottom.

Putting aside any differences in base clock, Sandra’s CPU test should be a great indicator of any BIOS affect on Intel Turbo mode implementation.


Of course base clock is important too, so Asus and MSI take first and second place in Sandra’s Arithmetic and Multimedia benchmarks. The boards with the lowest base clock, the X58 SuperComputer and LANParty DK X58-T3eH6 fall to the bottom.

With its slightly overclocked base clock, the P6T leads in memory bandwidth. Unable to run our RAM at its full timings, the X58 Platinum SLI falls to the middle in spite of its higher-than-standard clock. Biostar’s TPower X58 memory bandwidth shows the handicap of its required DDR3-1600 setting.



Biostar, DFI, and MSI tie for first in base clock overclocking, a fact that anyone with a multiplier-handicapped processor can appreciate. ASRock didn’t place, since two samples of its X58 SuperComputer suffered catastrophic failure in our overclocking tests.

Base-clock aside, the voltage regulator has a greater affect on the achievable speed of most processors. The EVGA X58 3X SLI comes out on top.

DFI takes the lead in memory overclocking with three modules, while EVGA does slightly better with six. The LANParty DK X58-T3eH6 was also able use the DDR3-2133 multiplier (memory clock 8x base clock), but the choices at that multiplier were DDR3-2144 (stable) or DDR3-2160 (unstable). We had to instead use the 7x multiplier at 154 MHz base clock to achieve this 2156 MHz data rate.
We calculated average performance levels for each application test suite (games, encoding, and productivity). Averaging these results allows us to consider the combined performance of each motherboard, with the fastest model chosen as a baseline.
With a base clock of 133.7 MHz, the MSI X58 Platinum comes in second place for overall performance. Asus’ P6T wins, in spite of its smaller 0.20% base-clock "nudge" (133.6 MHz). With a performance advantage of over 2% over the Foxconn, DFI, ASRock, Biostar, and EVGA products, Asus could have easily won the performance comparison even without its 0.20% base clock advantage. Exceptional performance at its stock settings earns Asus' P6T a spot in each Tom's Hardware lab as our reference platform for 2009.

Overclockers will of course seek even greater performance benefits from added clock speed, a fact that allows EVGA’s top CPU overclock to more than offset its last-place performance finish.
Foxconn’s Renaissance offers the most features for the money, though its slot configuration isn’t favorable to multiple double-slot graphics cards. For that we again choose EVGA, a product that supports splitting of one set of slot pathways across two slots for better 3-way SLI performance. The X58 3X SLI also better-supports overclocking of two graphics cards, since the added space between its full-x16 slots allows better cooling.
EVGA’s X58 3X SLI is thus our preferred choice among sub-$300 motherboards for use in overclocked, high-end gaming configurations. Anyone taking score can call that a win.
With a similar slot layout to EVGA, DFI’s LANParty DK X58-T3eH6 provides a similar cooling advantage in two-card graphics configurations. And while it doesn’t offer the same level of 3-way SLI support as EVGA, its lower price keeps it in the running.
The cheapest of today’s competitors, the MSI X58 Platinum SLI is also a great choice for value-conscious SLI system builders, though we choke a little when trying to put “value-conscious” and “SLI” in the same sentence.
Enough differences in features and price exist between all of today’s motherboards that each builder should carefully reconsider such items as onboard controllers, slot type, and slot placement before taking any of our recommendations as a cause to buy. Everyone has slightly different needs, and while some builders may choose to load up the Foxconn Renaissance with four single-slot graphics cards to support eight displays, others will pack the EVGA 3X SLI with three GTX 285’s for a single display. Whatever your needs, we’re almost certain that one of today’s sub-$300 products can suit them.




























































































