Mainstream Or Hardcore? Two X58 Motherboards Compared
Features
By
Patrick Schmid and Achim Roos
Published
You need Intel’s LGA 1366 interface and an X58-based platform in order to run the latest six-core processors, but which board should you pick? We're comparing a mainstream and flagship platform from the same company to explore the worth of high-end X58.
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Overclocking And Feature Comparison
Platform Overclocking Results
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| Motherboard | MSI X58 Pro-E | MSI Big Bang Xpower |
|---|---|---|
| Core i7-980X Clock | 4134 MHz | 4134 MHz |
| Multiplier | 31x | 31x |
| Turbo Multi-Core | 32x | 32x |
| Turbo Single-Core | 33x | 33x |
| Base Frequency | 133 MHz | 133 MHz |
| Turbo Boost | Yes | Yes |
| System Idle Power | 99 W | 108 W |
| System Peak Power | 349 W | 351 W |
| BIOS Vcore | +0.250 V | 1.50 V |
| CPU-Z VT idle | 1.216 V | 1.472 V |
| CPU-Z VT load | 1.448 V | 1.416 V |
| PLL | 1.880 V | 1.900 V |
| PCH | 1.8 V | 1.8 V |
| RAM | 1.5 V | 1.5 V |
| Fritz chess benchmark | 22018 | 21851 |
| Stable | Yes | Yes |
Feature Comparison Table
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| Board Setup | MSI X58 Pro-E | MSI Big Bang Xpower |
|---|---|---|
| Power Connector | 1 x 8-Pin | 2 x 8-Pin |
| PCIe Power | - | 1 x 6-Pin |
| Port 80 Debug | No | Yes |
| PCI-E x16 Slots | 3x | 6x |
| PCI 32 bit | 2x | - |
| CPU PWM Phases | 6 | 16 |
| HD Sound | Realtek | Realtek ALC889 EAX 5.0-compliant |
| SATA | 6 x 3Gb /s | 6 x 3Gb/s2 x 6Gb/s |
| eSATA | 1x | 1x |
| Combinded USB/eSATA | - | 1x |
| USB 3.0 | - | 2x |
| USB 2.0 | 6 x panel | 6 x panel |
| 6 x connector | 4 x connector | |
| Gigabit Ethernet | 1x | 2x |
| UltraATA/133 | 1x | - |
| Fan Headers | 1 x CPU, 3 x Sys | 1 x CPU, 4 x Sys |
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