X58 To The Max: Three New Flagship LGA 1366 Motherboards

Features
By Thomas Soderstrom
published

Supporting Intel’s highest-performance processors with twice the bandwidth of its mainstream counterpart, the X58 chipset proves the staying power of good ideas. We take a closer look at what makes the latest generation of premium motherboards special.

Features Comparison

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X58 Motherboard Features
Row 0 - Cell 0 Asus Rampage III ExtremeGigabyte X58A-UD9MSI Big Bang XPower
PCB Revision1.00GT1.01.0
ChipsetIntel X58 ExpressIntel X58 ExpressIntel X58 Express
Voltage Regulator8 Phases24 Phases16 Phases
BIOS0602 (05/18/2010)F3 (05/28/2010)V1.2 (06/09/2010)
133.3 MHz BCLK133.4 MHz (+0.05%)132.9 MHz (-0.32%)133.2 MHz (-0.1%)
Clock GeneratorICS 9LPRS918JKLFICS 9LPRS914EKLFICS 9LPRS134BKLF
Internal Interfaces
PCIe x1632 lanes to 4 slots (x16/x0/x16/x0, x8/x8/x8/x8)64 lanes to 7 slots (x16/x0/x16/x0/x16/x0/x16, x8/x8/x8/x8/x8/x8/x16)32 lanes to 6 slots (x16/x0/x0/x16/x0/x0, x8/x0/x8/x8/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4/x8/x4/x4)
PCIe x1/x40/10/01/0
Legacy PCI1NoneNone
USB 2.01 (2 ports)3 (6 ports)2 (4 ports)
IEEE-1394111
Serial PortRow 13 - Cell 1 NoneNone
Parallel PortNoneNoneNone
FloppyNoneYesNone
Ultra-ATA 133NoneYesNone
SATA 3.0 Gb/s786
SATA 6.0 Gb/s222
4-Pin Fan821
3-Pin Fan043
FP-AudioYesYesOn Riser Card
CD-AudioYesYesOn Riser Card
S/PDIF I/OOutput OnlyBothOutput Only
Power ButtonYesYesTouch Sensor
Reset ButtonYesYesTouch Sensor
CLR_CMOS ButtonYesNoJumper Only
Diagnostics PanelPass/Fail LEDsNumericPass/Fail LEDs
I/O Panel Connectors
P/S 2122
USB 2.066 (2 shared w/eSATA)6 (1 shared w/eSATA)
USB 3.0222
IEEE-1394121
NetworkSingleDualDual
eSATA12 (Shared with USB)2 (1 Shared w/USB)
CLR_CMOS ButtonYesYesYes
Digital Audio OutOpticalOptical + CoaxialOptical + Coaxial
Digital Audio InNoneNoneNone
Analog Audio666
Mass Storage Controllers
Chipset SATA6 x SATA 3Gb/s6 x SATA 3Gb/s6 x SATA 3Gb/s
Chipset RAID Modes0, 1, 5, 100, 1, 5, 100, 1, 5, 10
Add-In SATAMarvell 9128 PCIe 2 x SATA 6 Gb/sJMB363 PCIe 1 x SATA 3 Gb/s 1 x eSATA 3 Gb/sMarvell 9128 PCIe 2 x SATA 6 Gb/sJMB363 PCIe 2 x SATA 3 Gb/sJMB362 PCIe 2 x eSATA 3 Gb/sMarvell 9128 PCIe 2 x SATA 6 Gb/sJMB362 PCIe 2 x eSATA 3 Gb/s
Add-In Ultra ATAJMB363 PCIeJMB363 PCIeNone
USB 3.0NEC D720200F1NEC D720200F1NEC D720200F1
IEEE-1394VT6308P PCI 2 x 400 Mb/sTSB43AB23 PCI 3 x 400 Mb/sVT6315N PCIe 2 x 400 Mb/s
Gigabit Ethernet
Primary LANIntel WG82567V PHYRTL8111E PCIeRTL8111DL PCIe
Secondary LANNoneRTL8111E PCIeRTL8111DL PCIe
Audio
HD Audio CodecALC889ALC889ALC889
DDL/DTS ConnectUnspecifiedDolby Digital LiveUnspecified
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
67 Comments Comment from the forums
  • one-shot
    No EVGA SR-2? :(

    Ok, Hold on. Three Flagship LGA 1366 Boards and no overclocked power consumption results? These boards are obviously made for overclocking and those results would be very interesting to see.
    Reply
  • Tamz_msc
    A good 250$ X58 board is enough for most people.
    Reply
  • Lmeow
    9498281 said:
    No EVGA SR-2? :(

    The EVGA Classified SR-2 is based on the Intel 5520 chipset and uses Xeons, so it's not an X58 board technically speaking which is why it doesn't qualify. ;)

    If I could spend that much on a motherboard I'd have chosen the Rampage III Extreme, not only does it have good features it also has the best colour scheme. ^^

    Does anyone know why I try to submit a comment it doesn't show up, and I have to use the forums instead to post a comment instead?
    Reply
  • lashabane
    I want more.
    Reply
  • sudeshc
    I am totally impressed by ASUS they always come up with best solution in every category, but the price is a killer for me :(
    Reply
  • rottingsheep
    IMO, the only interesting part about motherboard reviews is the overclocking and power consumption portion.
    Reply
  • avatar_raq
    Nice article..I have only catch: Of all the mobos tested, Quad SLI is not possible on the ASUS R3E, courtesy of nVIDIA's drivers
    http://www.guru3d.com/news/quad-sli-on-asus-rampage-iii-extreme-is-not-possible/
    Reply
  • dragonfang18
    Whats the point when Intel will come out with new processors with different sockets next year?
    Reply
  • Crashman
    avatar_raqNice article..I have only catch: Of all the mobos tested, Quad SLI is not possible on the ASUS R3E, courtesy of nVIDIA's drivershttp://www.guru3d.com/news/quad-sl -possible/Awesome, thanks. Manufacturers don't actually discuss this stuff.
    dragonfang18Whats the point when Intel will come out with new processors with different sockets next year?That's what people like you were saying months before LGA 1156 was released. We see which direction that went.
    Reply
  • dragonfang18
    That's what people like you were saying months before LGA 1156 was released. We see which direction that went.

    Yeah... they are changing 1366 to some socket R... Well... At least I can look forward to these motherboards going down in price by next year when they go to Socket R's for performance than 1366's. I guess ill be happy with 1366's. Hopefully they go down by at least $100.
    Reply