Intel X58 Roundup: Six $300+ Platforms Compared

X58 3X SLI BIOS, Software, And Accessories

EVGA opened up a wider range of values for several of its BIOS settings, particularly in the area of memory ratios. Yet, the processors it supports are still limited to base clocks of around 215 MHz and memory data rates of around 2,100 MHz, so excessive settings are of little use.

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BIOS Frequency and Voltage Settings
CPU Reference Clock133 to 500 MHz (1 MHz)
Clock Multiplier AdjustmentYes
DRAM RatiosDDR3-800 to DDR3-4000 (266 MHz)
PCIe Clock100 to 140 MHz (1 MHz)
CPU Vcore1.00 to 2.30 volts (0.00625 volts),
CPU VTT (Uncore) VoltageStock to +0.775 volts (0.025 volts)
IOH (Northbridge) Vcore1.10 to 1.875 volts (0.025 volts)
IOH (Southbridge) Vcore1.05 to 1.825 volts (0.025 volts)
DRAM Voltage0.70 to 3.075 volts (0.025 volts)
CAS Latency RangetCAS: 1-18; tRCD: 1-15; tRP: 1-15; tRAS: 1-31

EVGA's BIOS provides access to all the important voltage levels and clock speed controls, but without any reference to clock skew or VREF.

EVGA also provides eight different registers for storing BIOS values, allowing builders to experiment excessively without losing previous configurations.

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Based on the familiar CPU-Z interface, EVGA E-LEET Tuning Utility adds controls for on-the-fly adjustment of base clock, PCIe clock, CPU multiplier, and voltage levels. We found the program to be completely adequate for fine tuning, but a return to BIOS for memory adjustment is still required for any large increases in CPU base clock.

Accessories

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Accessories
Documentation and SoftwareMotherboard Manual
Quick Installation guide
Motherboard Driver DVD
Hardware1 x I/O Panel Shield
1 x 80-conductor Ultra-ATA Cable (Round)
3 x 4-pin to 2-drive SATA Power Adapter
6 x SATA Cable
1 x Nvidia SLI Bridge
1 x 3-way SLI Bridge
1 x Serial Port Breakout Adapter
1 x IEEE-1394 Port Breakout Adapter
1 x 4-port USB 2.0 Breakout Adapter

EVGA is deeply entrenched in the SLI camp. The lack of any CrossFire bridges isn’t surprising, but inclusion of a legacy nine-pin serial port breakout plate is. EVGA spaces its PCIe 2.0 slots in a 1-3-2 order to allow extra airflow when two extra-hot graphics units, such as a pair of its dual-card GTX 295s, are installed.

Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.