Motherboards 1366 x58 chipset ddr3. Huanan X58 and its clones are the most budget lga1366 boards. Studying BIOS Setup
In November 2008, Intel announced a new processor microarchitecture, a new family of processors with this microarchitecture, and a new socket for these processors. You can read about the details of all of the above in our special review, dedicated to the release of Nehalem. Here we will briefly mention that so far only older processors based on Nehalem have been announced, having 4 physical cores with SMT technology (Simultaneous Multi-Threading is a well-known Hyper-Threading technology that was present in Pentium 4 processors), which provides 8 virtual cores. This core, produced using a 45-nanometer process technology, is called Bloomfield. In addition to the natural restructuring of the processor microarchitecture (changes in the cache memory hierarchy, SMT, new processor instructions, etc.), the announced models are also distinguished by an integrated memory controller - now it has moved from the chipset closer to the main consumer. In the Bloomfield core, which was released earlier, the memory controller is three-channel, designed for DDR3-1066, and the junior cores based on Nehalem - Havendale (with an integrated entry-level graphics core) and Lynnfield - expected in the second half of 2009 will have a two-channel controller, familiar to today's chipsets .
Also, Havendale and Lynnfield will communicate with the chipset via the DMI bus (which in today's solutions connects the bridges of Intel chipsets), but Bloomfield uses for this purpose the new QPI bus, developed by Intel for connecting processors (sockets) with each other - functionally this is an approximate analogue of the HyperTransport bus , widely used in AMD solutions. To install on the board, the new processors announced under the Core i7 and Core i7 Extreme Edition trademarks require, of course, a new socket - Socket 1366 (instead of the current Socket 775). Quite expectedly, most of the new contacts in the socket are needed to ensure communication between the processor and memory modules; Power/ground contacts and some reserved contacts have also significantly increased their representation (probably responsible for the second QPI channel needed by server models based on Nehalem).
Naturally, to support all new processors, new chipsets will be required (since the old ones were connected to the processor via the FSB bus). In this article we will look at the top-end X58 Express, which is the beginning of the line of Intel 5x chipsets and is intended to be paired with processors based on the top-end Bloomfield core. Since there are not so many newly released Core i7 and Core i7 Extreme Edition models, and the new socket will not remain the only new one for long, this decision is quite logical: manufacturers Total Now we have the opportunity to make good money from enthusiasts. Well, by the time Nehalem enters the mass market segment, Intel will release chipsets that are more affordable in price and capabilities, the boards on which will use a new socket (after all, those processors will have a dual-channel memory controller and another bus for communicating with the chipset) - Socket 1156.
Intel X58 Express
The northbridge of the chipset can no longer be called MCH ( Memory Controller Hub), Intel had to use the abbreviation IOH (Input/Output Hub), although, to be honest, the name of the company's south bridges (ICH) means the same thing - I/O Controller Hub. Well, be that as it may, for the sake of clarity, let’s continue to call this chipset block a northbridge and take a look at its key characteristics (of which there are so few left!):
- support for new processors (presented at the time of the announcement of the article by the Core i7 and Core i7 Extreme Edition families) based on the Nehalem microarchitecture, when connected to these processors via the QPI bus;
- 2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 graphic interfaces, with the ability to split each into two graphic interfaces at half speed or even four at quarter speed;
- additional PCI Express 2.0 x4 interface, with the ability to split it into two interfaces at half speed;
- DMI bus (with a bandwidth of ~2 GB/s) to the ICH10/R southbridge.
Note that, quite traditionally, the top-end chipset of the new line, which was released first, uses the old south bridge, and the new one will appear only at the time of the release of mid-level chipsets. However, at the moment, there is objectively no need for new peripheral interfaces (unless USB 3.0 has already appeared at least on the horizon), so the use of ICH10/R is not a disadvantage even for a top-end chipset. Let us also recall the functionality of the used south bridges:
- up to 6 PCIEx1 ports (PCI-E 1.1);
- up to 4 PCI slots;
- 6 Serial ATA II ports for 6 SATA300 devices (SATA-II, second generation of the standard), with support for AHCI mode and functions like NCQ (for ICH10, this mode is guaranteed to work only under Windows Vista), with the possibility of individual shutdown, with support for eSATA and port splitters;
- the ability to organize a RAID array (only for ICH10R) levels 0, 1, 0+1 (10) and 5 with the Matrix RAID function (one set of disks can be used in several RAID modes at once - for example, RAID 0 and RAID can be organized on two disks 1, each array will have its own part of the disk allocated);
- 12 USB devices 2.0 (on two EHCI host controllers) with the ability to individually disable;
- Gigabit Ethernet MAC controller and a special interface (LCI/GLCI) for connecting a PHY controller (i82567 for Gigabit Ethernet implementation, i82562 for Fast Ethernet implementation);
- Intel Turbo Memory support (ICH10R only);
- High Definition Audio (7.1);
- harness for low-speed and outdated peripherals, etc.
Now let's talk about the changes and new technologies in the chipset.
Regarding processor support, everything is very simple: the chipset has a QPI port, and any processors using this bus (the current Bloomfield core) in boards based on Intel based X58 will work. However, the maximum throughput of a QPI port may differ: 4.8 or 6.4 GT/s (billion transfers per second), which corresponds to 9.6 or 12.8 GB/s in each of two directions simultaneously. The difference in throughput is determined by the type of processor used (more for Core i7 Extreme Edition), and greater throughput is provided not due to an increased base frequency (as was the case in the previous Quad-Pumped Bus FSB), but due to an increase in the multiplier relative to the base BCLK (133 MHz).
The X58 graphical interface provides the maximum configuration for today: 2 independent PCI port Express 2.0 x16. True, maximum does not mean unique: the X38 and X48, as well as older NVIDIA chipsets, had exactly the same capabilities - but, of course, under Nehalem this is the first chipset with such characteristics. Moreover, for Bloomfield this is not only the first, but most likely the only chipset at all: Intel will release low-end products in the 5x line only to support Havendale and Lynnfield. NVIDIA also abandoned the idea of developing a chipset for Bloomfield (although it seems to have a license for the QPI bus, so it is technically able to do this), but promises to release a new line for low-end processors of the Nehalem microarchitecture.
An important consequence of this refusal by NVIDIA was the long-awaited news for many: for the first time, a third-party chipset received a license to support SLI. True, this permission is subject to a number of conditions: a license will have to be obtained by a specific manufacturer for a specific model motherboard, for which a special complex procedure is provided with the introduction of identification information into the BIOS. An alternative solution that NVIDIA recommends is to install an nForce200 bridge (or even two bridges) on the board (from NVIDIA itself). However, given the already very high cost of motherboards for Socket 1366, the number of solutions with nForce200 is expected to be extremely low. Further, since Intel chipsets still support the CrossFireX configuration, the Intel X58 becomes an absolutely unique chipset - the first in the world with official simultaneous support for SLI and CrossFireX!
Now let’s step back a little from the specifications given and take a look at the big picture. Essentially, the northbridge of the X58 chipset is one large PCI Express controller for connecting external graphics. Yes, it also arbitrates data from/for the peripheral controllers of the south bridge (but is only an extra link in the chain), and also, just “so that space doesn’t go to waste,” it has an extra 4 PCI-E 2.0 lanes for connecting peripherals. It would seem logical to transfer the support function GUI one of the other logic blocks, and the processor + chipset combination is reduced to two elements. (Recall that system logic sets consisting of a single chip were regularly demonstrated by NVIDIA in the past.)
Why has this solution not been implemented? Well, firstly, this path is not at all necessary: the current AMD chipsets, which are doing great on the market, use a dual-bridge circuit with precisely such a distribution of functionality when the north bridge is needed only as a graphics bus controller. Secondly, in addition to the need to redesign the working ICH10 south bridge to support a large number of PCI Express 2.0 lanes, let’s also remember about heat dissipation: the bridges responsible for two PCIEx16 ports are themselves hot enough that their integration creates a number of problems.
Intel's current solution looks like this: X58, as the top chipset supporting 36 PCI-E 2.0 lanes, will be a two-chip, with a traditional architecture, but for mid-level platforms that will become available in the second half of 2009, the single-chip P55 (and his younger brothers). At the same time, the PCI-E 2.0 controller (although only 16 lanes, as, in general, befits a mid-level platform) will be integrated not into the former south bridge, but into the processors of that time (with a new socket). These processors will, however, be spared the need to contain a hot performance bus QPI - now it is needed for data exchange with video accelerators, because the throughput of one PCIEx16 (2.0) port is 16 GB/s, which is not much less than that of QPI when working with Core i7 processors , well, to simultaneously fully load both graphics ports, the QPI bandwidth is not enough when working with the Core i7 Extreme Edition. (Another thing is that at the moment there are no solutions at all that ensure full load of two PCIEx16 (2.0) ports, but this is not required, since such a gigantic bandwidth is not in demand by video cards.)
Since subsequent Intel chipsets (at least mid-level ones) will be a slightly modified current south bridge (and would well deserve the name ICH11 instead of P5x), the processor will communicate with them via the DMI bus that is very familiar to us, so it will be quite correct to say that the northbridge of the chipset has moved entirely into the processor.
The heat dissipation of the X58, of course, has decreased compared to previous top-end Intel chipsets due to the removal of the memory controller, but overall not so much (again, let's not forget about QPI). We have summarized the data on the latest Intel chipsets into a single table, although they do not create an unambiguous picture: heat dissipation is additionally affected by the chip production process, which, starting with the P45, has changed to 65 nm.
However, by and large, the most important consequence for us is that there are no special cooling requirements for the X58; this chipset heats up at the level of an average P45, although there is no doubt that motherboard manufacturers will try to outdo themselves in designing bulky and pompous cooling systems on their top boards.
Conclusion
It cannot be said that the Intel X58 introduces any useful innovations, which is why we recommend purchasing a motherboard based on this chipset. At the same time, of course, such boards will inevitably be purchased, because there is simply no alternative for systems for Socket 1366. Thus, if you are eager to build a computer on a top-end processor with the Nehalem microarchitecture (the current Bloomfield core), the choice is obvious, and after reading this article you can also imagine what basic capabilities the purchased board will have. We cannot voice any serious complaints about the X58: it is a very worthy top-level chipset with a unique feature - simultaneous official support for SLI and CrossFireX. The only drawback of systems with the Socket 1366 socket will be the inadequately high price (even despite the fairly affordable cost of junior Core i7 processors), but this is an attribute of top-end configurations. Let us remind you that we will see mass-produced systems based on Nehalem only in the second half of 2009.
Introduction
Sometimes it makes sense to be patient and wait. When they appeared last November high-end Intel Core i7 processors, the motherboards that supported them were expensive and relatively immature compared to today's models. Many manufacturers have taken the following approach to introducing support for the X58 architecture: the most expensive models enter the market first. And buyers who don't mind sacrificing some features will find that the latest mainstream motherboards are more reliable than their high-end predecessors.
We observed this development process when testing first high-end platforms based on the X58 chipset starting at $300 and then motherboards from mid-price category ($200-300), and hoped to see further progress in “budget” models costing around $200. But circumstances made adjustments to our plans: prices slowly crept up.
Testing the overclocking capabilities of seven motherboards dragged on for several weeks, but during this time the price fluctuations did not stop. Recent price increases on some motherboards would have eliminated two models from our roundup of sub-$200 platforms if the price increases had occurred before testing began. One of the companies even gave us two models to choose from, and the board we chose exceeded the price limit, but the second one did not. Since we were forced to add such a disclaimer, we took special care to evaluate the performance-to-cost ratio of these models.
comparison table
| ASRock X58 Extreme (Revision 1.01) | Asus P6T SE (Revision 1.01G) | ECS X58B-A (Revision 1.0) | |
| North Bridge | Intel X58 Express | Intel X58 Express | Intel X58 Express |
| South Bridge | Intel ICH10R | Intel ICH10R | Intel ICH10R |
| Voltage regulator | 8-phase | 8-phase | 6-phase |
| BIOS | 1.0 (06/11/2009) | 0403 (05/19/2009) | 080015 (03/23/2009) |
| Base frequency 133.3 MHz | 133.9 MHz (+0.425%) | 133.6 MHz (+0.20%) | 133.3 MHz (+0.00%) |
| Clock generator | ICS 9LPRS918JKLF | ICS 9LPRS918JKLF | IDT CV193CPAG |
| 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 | No | 1 |
| Parallel port | No | No | No |
| Drive | 1 | No | No |
| Ultra ATA-133 | 1 (2 drives) | 1 (2 drives) | No |
| SATA 3 Gb/s | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 4-pin for cooler | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 3-pin for fan | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| CD Audio Input | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| S/PDIF | Only way out | Only way out | Only way out |
| Power button | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reset button | Yes | No | Yes |
| Clear CMOS button | Jumper only | Jumper only | Jumper only |
| Diagnostic display | 2-character | No | 2-character |
| PS/2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| USB 2.0 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| IEEE-1394 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| RJ45 Ethernet | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| eSATA | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Clear CMOS button | Yes | No | Yes |
| Digital audio output | Optical + coaxial | Optical + coaxial | Optic |
| Digital audio input | No | No | No |
| Analog audio ports | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Drive controllers | |||
| Intel ICH10R | 6x SATA 3.0 Gb/s | 6x SATA 3.0 Gb/s | 6x SATA 3.0 Gb/s |
| RAID Modes | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| Additional SATA | JMB380 PCIe 1x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s |
JMB363 PCIe 1x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s |
JMB362 PCIe 2x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s |
| Optional Ultra ATA | VT6330 PCIe | JMB363 PCIe | No |
| IEEE-1394 | |||
| VT6330 PCIe 2x 400 Mbit/s |
VT6315N PCIe 2x 400 Mbit/s |
VT6308P PCI 2x 400 Mbit/s |
|
| Net | |||
| Primary Network Controller | RTL8111DL PCIe | RTL8111C PCIe | RTL8111C PCIe |
| Second network controller | No | No | RTL8111C PCIe |
| Sound | |||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC890B | ALC1200 | ALC888S |
| Foxconn FlamingBlade (Revision 1.0) | Gigabyte EX58-UD3R (Revision 1.6) | Jetway BI-600 (Revision 1.0) | MSI X58 Pro-E (Revision 3.1) | |
| North Bridge | Intel X58 Express | Intel X58 Express | Intel X58 Express | Intel X58 Express |
| South Bridge | Intel ICH10R | Intel ICH10R | Intel ICH10R | Intel ICH10R |
| Voltage regulator | 6-phase | 6-phase | 6-phase | 5-phase |
| BIOS | P05 (04/13/2009) | FB (05/04/2009) | A03 (05/15/2009) | 8.2 (04/20/2009) |
| Base frequency 133.3 MHz | 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 |
| Connectors and interfaces on the board | ||||
| 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 | No | 1 | No | 1 |
| Serial port | No | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Parallel port | No | No | No | No |
| Drive | 1 | 1 | 1 | No |
| 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 for cooler | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 3-pin for fan | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Front panel audio connectors | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CD Audio Input | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| S/PDIF | Only way out | Input + output | Only way out | Only way out |
| Power button | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Reset button | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Clear CMOS button | Yes | Jumper | Yes | Yes |
| Diagnostic display | 2-character | No | 2-character | No |
| Connectors and interfaces on the I/O panel | ||||
| PS/2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| USB 2.0 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| IEEE-1394 | No | 1 | No | 1 |
| RJ45 Ethernet | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| eSATA | 2 | No | 2 | 1 |
| Clear CMOS button | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Digital audio output | Optic | Optical + coaxial | Coaxial | Optic |
| Digital audio input | No | No | No | No |
| Analog audio ports | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Drive controllers | ||||
| Intel ICH10R | 6x SATA 3.0 Gb/s | 6x SATA 3.0 Gb/s | 6x SATA 3.0 Gb/s | 6x SATA 3.0 Gb/s |
| RAID Modes | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| Additional SATA | JMB363 PCIe 2x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s |
JMB363 PCIe 1x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s |
JMB363 PCIe 2x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s |
JMB363 PCIe 1x SATA 3.0 Gb/s 1x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s |
| Optional Ultra ATA | JMB363 PCIe | JMB363 PCIe | JMB363 PCIe | JMB363 PCIe |
| IEEE-1394 | ||||
| No | TSB43AB23 PCI 3x 400 Mbit/s |
No | JMB381 PCIe 2x 400 Mbit/s |
|
| Net | ||||
| Primary Network Controller | RTL8111C PCIe | RTL8111C PCIe | RTL8111C PCIe | RTL8111C PCIe |
| Second network controller | RTL8111C PCIe | No | RTL8111C PCIe | No |
| Sound | ||||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC888 | ALC888 | ALC888 | ALC889 |
Unlike the previously tested motherboard X58 SuperComputer, ASRock X58 Extreme can support up to two graphics cards in SLI or CrossFire mode. Both slots receive full PCI Express 2.0 x16 bandwidth.
Click on the picture to enlarge.
This combination gives the X58 Extreme motherboard amazing flexibility for expansion, as many of today's competitors have sacrificed this seven-slot design. ASRock has even made sure that the northbridge heatsink doesn't interfere with installing a long x1 card in the top slot, although you have to be careful to make sure that protruding parts of the card (like a resistor) don't come into contact with the heatsink.
By moving the memory slots, both power sockets, and several front panel connectors closer to the front top edge of the board, the X58 Extreme could have the most comfortable layout we've seen in years, with just one drawback: the drive connector is located in completely awkward lower back corner. But Windows XP users will certainly need a disk drive to install RAID drivers during installation of the operating system.
The two-character Port-80 diagnostic display and power and reset buttons are located in the lower front corner. Although these elements will not be available in a fully assembled system, they are very helpful during testing. ASRock has placed the clear CMOS button on back panel I/O so that it can be easily used even after installing the X58 Extreme motherboard in the case.
BIOS
The main frequencies and multipliers can be configured in the "Chipset Settings" submenu on the "Advanced" tab, although the choice XMP profile(Extreme Memory Profile) does not produce the expected effect. Profile information is convenient to use during manual configuration.
Enabling the "Flexibility Option" will allow the motherboard to override memory speed settings. The "ASRock VDrop Control" option is much more useful for overclockers, since it increases the CPU voltage whenever high loads cause it to drop.
The DRAM Timing Control menu is not as confusing as some of ASRock's competitors, although most users only need four basic delay settings. It is important that the automatic mode for each setting allows you to configure only those timings with which the user is familiar.
The CPU voltage can be set by adding to the standard processor voltage or specified directly. The list of customizable items is small, but contains all the settings that most overclockers need.
The ASRock X58 Extreme motherboard BIOS allows you to store three separate user profiles in "User Defaults".
Accessories
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Click on the picture to enlarge.
The ASRock X58 Extreme accessory set is one of the few indications that this motherboard costs only $170 (from 7 thousand rubles in Russia). ASRock included only four SATA cables with its six-port board, but added an SLI bridge.
Using the same PCB as the model P6T In the mid-range price range, the Asus P6T SE removes very few features but adds significant money savings.
Click on the picture to enlarge.
Asus P6T SE motherboard layout is as good as the model P6T, but we still think the board would have benefited if Asus had positioned the two (blue) PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots at least one more slot space away from each other. The white long slot is still limited to x4 bandwidth, but is ideal for a low-end graphics card or a high-bandwidth RAID controller.
We continue to take issue with the traditional bottom-rear placement of the front-panel audio ports, as it makes routing cables to the top bays of tower cases very difficult. Some of Asus's competitors, fortunately, have already moved away from this tradition.
Asus is one of the few companies that provides support for both LGA 1366 and LGA 775 CPU coolers. This could be a particularly valuable addition for all those users who want to upgrade from the LGA 775 socket without spending large sums of money on a replacement already existing water cooling system.
BIOS
All frequencies, voltages and BIOS delays are indicated in the summary table in the "Overclocking" section.
Using the same PCB as the more expensive P6T model allowed the P6T SE to also use the same BIOS, although Asus has updated it since we tested P6T .
Intel XMP Profile works exactly as we'd expect on all Asus motherboards we've tested, which isn't the case with some competing models. However, overclockers, even with little experience, can easily set the memory voltage and delays manually.
The voltage settings are more detailed than you'd expect from an X58 chipset board costing around $200, but most of the added settings are rarely used. Extreme overclockers will love this, but the settings for other components aren't as detailed.
In the "DRAM Timing Control" menu we again see unusually extensive memory settings. Fortunately, the user can set some settings manually and leave the rest in automatic mode.
Asus EZ Flash 2 supports updating BIOS firmware using its own interface, eliminating the need for boot disks. In contrast to this useful feature is the automatically enabled Express Gate feature, which increases boot time without adding functionality. Neither the P6T SE nor the P6T has an Express Gate module.
Accessories
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Click on the picture to enlarge.
The P6T SE doesn't come with any CrossFire or SLI bridges, and only four SATA cables.
Note: Asus recently updated the information on its website about the P6T SE board to remove references to SLI compatibility.
Before writing our review, the ECS X58B-A motherboard cost around $200, but now in online stores you can buy it for about $220 (from 6.5 thousand rubles in Russia). We still included this model in today's review, since we have already tested it. We hope the price drops below $200 again.
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Click on the picture to enlarge.
A quick look at the X58B-A model showed that it differs from a typical motherboard with Core i7 architecture no more than $200 only in the presence of a second network controller, although according to this criterion two more boards can be distinguished. Other enthusiast-oriented features, such as a two-character Port 80 diagnostic display, on-board power and reset buttons, and a clear CMOS button on the I/O panel, are found on several other competing models.
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Click on the picture to enlarge.
ECS has gotten rid of some legacy components that are still found on most motherboards, such as the Ultra ATA interface and the floppy drive connector. Ultra ATA is of no use in new builds, and getting rid of it saves money and space on the board, but the drive is still needed by Windows XP users to install RAID drivers when installing the operating system. It is also worth noting that the disk drive interface practically does not entail any costs, since the corresponding controller is still present in the multi-I/O chip.
The layout of the X58 Express northbridge limits the X58B-A to six expansion slots, and in the place of the topmost slot is an additional power connector. This allows the CPU socket and memory slots to be moved back about a centimeter from the top edge of the board, although the only advantage of this arrangement, in our opinion, may be easier routing of traces and additional space between the large CPU cooler and the power supply mounted on top.
The northbridge's thirty-six PCIe 2.0 lanes are split between two full-bandwidth x16 slots and one x4 slot. The x16 slots are spaced two slot positions apart to provide more ventilation for the graphics cards. The x4 slot becomes more practical if it can accommodate a long expansion card, but ECS disappointed us by using a slot with a "closed" end. If there was an “open” x4 slot here, then you could connect an x8 RAID card or a third video card in x4 mode to it.
The lack of an Ultra ATA interface and a floppy drive connector leaves us with less to complain about the X58B-A's layout, but we still don't like the placement of the front-panel audio ports in the bottom-rear corner. In addition, we must once again remind you that SATA ports, deployed at an angle of 90 degrees to the surface of the board, can be blocked by the lower bays of traditionally designed cases, although most ATX cases have already taken this problem into account and corrected it.
BIOS
All frequencies, voltages and BIOS delays are indicated in the summary table in the "Overclocking" section.
The ECS X58B-A motherboard's "M.I.B II" menu contains a fairly short list of overclocking settings, but some of them are confusing. For example, increasing the "Performance Level" setting can actually slow down the processor speed, as the "Ultra" setting reduces the CPU multiplier to 12x and locks the CPU voltage to 1.25V.
In fact, changing the "Performance Level" value is generally the only way to change the CPU multiplier, and we were forced to use this setting to evaluate the overclocking capabilities system bus X58B-A boards.
The X58B-A provides a full range of memory settings, but setting values above DDR3-1333 requires manually increasing the Uncore Ratio so that its value is at least twice as high as the memory frequency. Additionally, the board will not boot at memory frequencies below 1600 MHz unless the "eXtreme Memory Profile" is selected, and using one of these increases the memory voltage to a CPU-dangerous 1.76 V! The X58B-A is one of only two X58 motherboards we tested at DDR3-1600 instead of the DDR3-1866 typically used in Core i7 board reviews.
Accessories
The X58B-A supports both SLI and CrossFire, but surprisingly only includes a CrossFire bridge. The reason we're surprised is that SLI-capable video cards rarely (if ever) come with an SLI bridge, while CrossFire-capable video cards usually come with bridges.
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We were also surprised that the package included a full set of six SATA cables and an eSATA cable. Most manufacturers of boards in this price range remove several cables to save money.
Inexpensive overclockable motherboard Foxconn board Available in two versions: the one we took for testing, and the cheaper "FlamingBlade GTI". Foxconn gave us the opportunity to choose any version of the board for our review, but it seems we made the wrong choice, since the price of the model we tested increased from $199 to $210 - up to 7.1 thousand rubles in Russia).
Click on the picture to enlarge.
Similar to the ECS board, the Foxconn FlamingBlade supports two graphics cards that will be spaced two slots apart, increasing airflow to the top card's cooler. Like ECS, Foxconn uses a closed-ended x4 slot, which means it won't be able to connect a third graphics card or x8 RAID card in x4 mode. Unlike ECS, Foxconn retained the Ultra ATA interface and drive connector, sacrificing IEEE-1394 FireWire to reduce costs and save space.
It's been a while since we've seen straight-facing SATA connectors on Foxconn boards. This allows the FlamingBlade to be used in cramped ATX cases that place the hard drive bay close to the front edge of the motherboard. Foxconn has positioned the SATA ports so that they do not interfere with the connection of long video cards: above the center line of the top x16 slot. This arrangement limits the length of x1 slot cards to 20 cm, although this is usually sufficient.
Having mounts for both LGA 1366 and LGA 775 makes the FlamingBlade motherboard the best choice for upgrading older high-end systems.
However, it's not just FireWire support that's missing. FlamingBlade only supports three memory modules; the manufacturer has removed the second set of three DIMM slots that most competitors have. Simplified track layout can affect memory speed, so in overclocking tests we expect excellent speed from the FlamingBlade.
Speaking about the layout, we cannot fail to mention possible installation problems. The FlamingBlade has two such problems: the front-panel audio connector and floppy drive connector are located on the far bottom corner, making it difficult to route cables.
BIOS
All frequencies, voltages and BIOS delays are indicated in the summary table in the "Overclocking" section.
The "Quantum BIOS" menu contains CPU settings, memory latencies and voltage levels, distributed across different submenus; the main frequency settings are at home page. The "OC Gear" submenu provides eight profiles for saving custom BIOS configurations. The only major feature we didn't find was the PCI Express frequency setting.
FlamingBlade provides automatic options for all memory timings, so the user can only configure those he knows.
There are no automatic settings for voltage settings, but the default values listed in the right panel can help overclockers who inadvertently select the wrong value.
Accessories
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Click on the picture to enlarge.
The FlamingBlade ships with one angled and three straight SATA cables, but no drive cable. The included documentation only makes the kit more complete in appearance.
With three FireWire ports, four memory slots and seven expansion slots, the Gigabyte EX58-UD3R motherboard looks very much like a high-end Core 2 model. However, the LGA 1366 socket for Core i7 processors hints that this is something completely different." fruit".
Click on the picture to enlarge.
Both PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots support full bandwidth. Gigabyte even provides an "open" x4 slot. Unfortunately, the battery does not allow inserting a card longer than x4 into this open-ended slot. It's a shame that, unlike the EX58-UD3R, the X58B-A and FlamingBlade boards don't have such a slot, because they have room for long x4 interface cards, while the EX58-UD3R doesn't.
Another problem concerns the x1 slot: it is blocked by the heatsink of the X58 Express northbridge, so a seemingly seven-slot board in practice turns out to be a six-slot one, at least until someone releases a 7cm long PCIe x1 card that will fit there.
Windows XP users who need to install RAID drivers during installation of the operating system will complain that yet another manufacturer has pushed the drive connector to the far bottom corner. Another complaint is that the Ultra ATA connector is located too low on the board to allow the cable to reach the upper compartment for optical drive, however, the Ultra ATA interface is no longer so relevant.
The rest of the connectors are well placed, including the header for the front panel audio ports, which is located just before the rear I/O panel audio connectors.
Instead of eSATA, Gigabyte placed additional SATA ports on the front of the board. This allows builders to choose between front panel eSATA connectors and SATA to eSATA pigtail connectors. However, looking ahead, let's say that this time such a “pigtail” is not included in the EX58-UD3R package.
BIOS
All frequencies, voltages and BIOS delays are indicated in the summary table in the "Overclocking" section.
The "MB Intelligent Tweaker" menu provides access to wide range frequencies and voltages that can satisfy the requirements of most overclockers.
The "Advanced Clock Controls" menu contains the "drive strength" and "clock skew" settings.
In the "Advanced DRAM Features" menu there is an "XMP Profiles" setting, which does not work as we expected, but it is perfectly possible to configure the memory manually. Memory delays are adjustable on a per-channel basis, but if you want to save time, there are automatic values available for you.
Advanced voltage settings include the currently popular (among manufacturers) memory voltage references, although we doubt many users will need them.
Accessories
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Click on the picture to enlarge.
Like other motherboards priced in the $200 range, the EX58-UD3R's package could just as easily be described by what's not there. The board only comes with basic accessories, and those users who want eSATA will really miss the SATA to eSATA pigtail.
The cheapest motherboard in this review with two gigabit network ports, the Jetway BI-600, is the only one of the three whose price did not exceed $200 after the recent price increase. Another unexpected feature is two eSATA ports (instead of one), although Jetway has removed FireWire to save money.
Click on the picture to enlarge.
Thus, the user gets a variety of graphics options: from using the full bandwidth of 16 PCIe 2.0 lanes for one or two video cards (including CrossFire and SLI modes) to x8 lanes in 2.0 mode for four video cards (including Quad SLI and CrossFireX modes) to support a huge number of monitors with five cards. Different combinations can be used because this technology High-bandwidth PCIe also applies to high-end RAID controllers and other expansion cards. Builders just need to keep in mind that each black x16 long slot shares lines with the red slot above it, so if the black slot is not used, all 16 lines will be given to the corresponding red slot.
We're surprised Jetway can afford to use all these PCIe lane switches without increasing the cost of the BI-600 card, since none of its competitors have done so. It doesn't look like the manufacturer skimped on other components, as the BI-600 features a six-phase voltage regulator, six memory slots, a Port 80 diagnostic display, and on-board power/reset/clear CMOS buttons.
One odd thing about the layout is the large distance between the CPU socket and the X58 Express northbridge, which seems to be done to provide extra space for the ring-shaped heatpipe. The socket has been moved closer to the top edge of the motherboard, but the same cannot be said for the memory slots; There are concerns about this board's ability to support high-speed memory above Intel's stated maximum of DDR3-1333. We spent a lot of time on overclocking, and DDR3-1866 support is minimum requirement achieving the same performance as previously tested X58 motherboards.
All of our complaints about the layout concern the bottom edge of the board. Let's start with the far bottom corner: the front-panel audio connector causes cable connection difficulties in cases where the ports are located on the top panel. Further, the drive connector is located so far from the typical location of external 3.5" bays that many cables simply will not reach here. And finally, the Ultra ATA connector is located under the bottom x16 slot, which means that the cable will have to be pulled around the video card connected to this slot The Ultra ATA connector is unlikely to be used on new systems, but Windows XP is still used on some machines, so a disk drive will be needed to install RAID drivers.
BIOS
All frequencies, voltages and BIOS delays are indicated in the summary table in the "Overclocking" section.
The BIOS of the BI-600 motherboard is the most modest in this review: there is not even a CPU Uncore voltage setting. Due to the lack automatic settings, the "Uncore Frequency" value must be manually set to twice the "Memory Frequency" value for any changes to the memory frequency to be effective.
The lack of Uncore voltage setting makes it impossible (or nearly impossible) to go beyond DDR3-1600 on a BI-600 board. What's even more shocking is that CPU voltages above 1.275V appear to overload the motherboard's voltage regulators, causing the CPU to crash when under full load. hard reset systems. However, even 1.275V could not be achieved on the CPU core because the actual voltage was 0.20V lower than the set voltage.
Setting Jetway memory delays is an all-or-nothing process since the BI-600 does not provide automatic values for individual timings. If you are afraid to touch parameters such as tRRD and tRFC, you will have to leave everything in automatic mode.
Accessories
Click on the picture to enlarge.
Three x16 PCI Express 2.0 slots support two cards at full bandwidth and a third card in x4 mode. Unlike the similar Asus board layout, MSI has distributed its x16 slots in a x16-x4-x16 pattern to provide additional ventilation for the two large graphics cards in the slots at full bandwidth.
Like the Asus board, the MSI X58 Pro-E does not have a Port 80 diagnostic display.
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Click on the picture to enlarge.
MSI removed the “free” drive connector, but left the “costly” Ultra ATA controller, despite the fact that Windows XP is still popular in new builds, unlike Ultra ATA drives. MSI also added one eSATA port via the JMicron JMB363 controller, but while Asus doesn't have any header for this additional internal port, MSI puts it right behind the Ultra ATA connector.
On the X58 Pro-E motherboard, the connector for the front panel audio ports is located in the most inconvenient place (in the far bottom corner, where the cables from the ports located on the top panel of the cases do not reach). MSI added the ability to hardware adjust the bus frequency using three switches, leaving overclocking options through the BIOS. However, the X58 Pro-E does not support legacy LGA 775 coolers, which may cause problems for some users with liquid cooling systems.
BIOS
All frequencies, voltages and BIOS delays are indicated in the summary table in the "Overclocking" section.
MSI has never been a leader in BIOS functionality, but given the high competition in the market, it is not going to compromise on customization options for its inexpensive motherboard. Most of the settings found in best models MSI, transferred to the inexpensive X58 Pro-E board.
The "Cell Menu" contains, among others, most of the important voltage settings (VCore-Uncore-DRAM-IOH). Here you can also find key frequencies and speeds.
Memory latencies turned out to be basic, but you can configure several advanced features by switching to manual mode in advanced settings.
The X58 Pro-E can save up to four custom BIOS profiles, and a separate menu allows you to save copies of the BIOS and update it without boot disks.
Accessories
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Click on the picture to enlarge.
MSI has included additional documentation to visually enhance its basic package. The X58 Pro-E's specifications list SLI support, but there is no SLI bridge among the accessories. A CrossFire bridge is included, but is usually not needed since most CrossFire graphics cards already come with one.
We ran some old tests and used the same test configuration so that the results can be compared to previous X58 motherboards.
| System hardware | |
| CPU | Intel Core i7 920 (2.66 GHz, 8 MB cache) |
| CPU cooler | Swiftech Apogee GTZ Liquid Cooling |
| Memory | Kingston KHX16000D3ULT1K3/6GX (6 GB), DDR3-2000 in DDR3-1866 mode CAS 7-8-7-20 |
| Video card | XFX GeForce GTX 285 XXX Edition, 670 MHz GPU, GDDR3-2500 |
| HDD | Western Digital WD5000AAKS, 500 GB, 7200 rpm, SATA 3 Gbit/s, 16 MB cache |
| Sound | Built-in HD Audio |
| Net | Built-in Gigabit network controller |
| power unit | CoolerMaster RS850-EMBA, 850 W, ATX12V v2.2, EPS12V |
| System software and drivers | |
| OS | Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 |
| Graphics driver | Nvidia GeForce 181.20 WHQL |
| Platform Drivers | Intel INF 9.1.0.1007 |
Kingston DDR3-2000 memory is no longer the fastest we have, but these are the modules we have in stock in two three-channel kits for testing six-module memory configurations. In addition, using Kingston DDR3-2000 modules allowed us to compare the results of this memory overclock with the results of testing previous boards.
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Click on the picture to enlarge.
Zalman ZM-STF1 thermal paste was chosen due to its excellent thermal characteristics and convenient application method.
To reach the overclocking limit of our Core i7-920 processor, excellent cooling is required. The Swiftech Apogee GTZ cooling head quickly removes heat from the CPU using a powerful MCP-655b pump and a heat exchanger with three 120mm fans.
Click on the picture to enlarge.
Tests and settings
| Call of Duty: World at War | Patch 1.1, FRAPS/saved game, High Textures, No anti-aliasing (AA) / No anisotropic filtering (AF), vsync off, Ultra Textures, 4x AA / Max AF, vsync off |
| Crysis | Patch 1.2.1, DirectX 10, 64-bit executable, benchmark tool, Test Set 1: High Quality, No AA, Test Set 2: Very High Quality, 8x AA |
| Far Cry 2 | DirectX 10, Steam Version, in-game benchmark, Test Set 1: High Quality, No AA, Test Set 2: Ultra High Quality, 8x AA |
| World in Conflict | Patch 1009, DirectX 10, timedemo, Test 1: High Details, No AA / No AF, Test 2: Very High Details 4x AA / 16x AF |
| Audio | |
| iTunes | Version: 7.7.0.43, Audio CD (Terminator II SE), 53 min, Default format AAC |
| Lame MP3 | Version: 3.98 Beta 3 (05-22-2007), Audio CD "Terminator II" SE 53 min, wave to MP3 |
| Video | |
| TMPEG 4.5 | Version: 4.5.1.254, Import File: "Terminator 2" SE DVD (5 Minutes), Resolution: 720x576 (PAL) 16:9 |
| DivX 6.8.3 | Encoding mode: Insane Quality, Enhanced multi-threading enabled using SSE4, Quarter-pixel search |
| Xvid 1.1.3 | Display encoding status = off |
| Main concept 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 Kb/s), Mode: PAL (25 FPS) |
| 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, Compression = Best, Dictionary = 4,096 KB, Benchmark: THG-Workload (334 MB) |
| WinZIP 11 | Version 11.2, Compression = Best, Benchmark: THG-Workload (139 MB) |
| 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 |
Test results
The tests are sorted by descending average results, so it's not surprising that the fastest motherboard at the highest test resolution has a higher average result than the board with the highest frames per second at the lowest resolution. The Gigabyte motherboard edged out Foxconn in the Call of Duty gaming test, despite Foxconn slightly overclocking its base CPU clock speed.
At maximum settings Foxconn outperformed Gigabyte in terms of quality, but only by the difference in processor clock speed. It is noteworthy that all other motherboards lag far behind in this test. Repeated testing did not help identify the cause, but the difference in the BIOS can explain everything: all thanks to the implementation of the Intel Turbo mode.
The results of the Crysis test are almost the opposite of the Call of Duty results: ECS and Asus are fighting for the top spot with varying degrees of success.
Asus leads all Far Cry 2 tests, but what's impressive is the ECS's ability to hold second place without using an overclocked base clock frequency CPU.
In the World in Conflict gaming test, the boards change places all the time, but Asus remains in the leading position.
Apple iTunes inexplicably favors the EX58-UD3R. If it weren't for BIOS quirks, we might expect all today's samples to encode our soundtrack for 1 minute 11 seconds.
In Lame encoding, three leaders showed the same result, but Gigabyte mysteriously dropped to the penultimate line. It should be obvious by now that the Jetway BI-600 does not support Intel Turbo mode, a technology that increases the CPU multiplier by one (multi-core operations) or two (single-core operations) steps under high CPU load.
In video encoding in TMPGEnc, the Gigabyte motherboard again took the lead.
In MainConcept H.264, ASRock and Asus boards showed the same result as Gigabyte.
In the 3ds Max 9 application, Gigabyte and ECS motherboards took second place behind the top four.
In the AVG application, the ECS board rose to the top along with Foxconn, while Asus, for unknown reasons, fell even lower than Jetway without Turbo mode. We retested the P6T SE twice to ensure the results were correct.
In WinRAR, the difference in motherboard performance is the largest.
In WinZip, the results do not differ as much as in WinRAR: only the BI-600 board, which does not have this mode, lagged behind motherboards that support the Intel Turbo mode.
In the 3DMark Vantage synthetic test, there is not much difference between X58 motherboards.
The EX58-UD3R edged out the competition in PCMark Vantage. We tested the P6T SE again to double check the result, but it was the same.
In Sandra's synthetic CPU performance test, the top three leaders appear in order, reflecting differences in base clock speeds.
The Gigabyte motherboard's slight lead in memory bandwidth tests may explain some of the board's wins in other tests. ECS and Jetway were at a disadvantage due to the use of DDR3-1600 memory, since both boards were unable to properly run DDR3-1866 at a safe voltage level.
Due to lack of support Intel technologies Turbo Boost, and also due to weak voltage regulators that hold back the board's overclocking, the Jetway BI-600 came out on top in our power consumption tests.
The Gigabyte board has the lowest temperature of the voltage regulators, but the ECS X58B-A and ASRock X58 Extreme turned out to be really hot.
Since efficiency is measured as output per unit of energy, the average output must be determined before calculating average efficiency. In terms of overall performance, the Gigabyte board is in the lead, despite its CPU clock speed being underclocked by 0.25%, while Asus took second place, despite its initial overclocking by 0.20%. The ASRock motherboard was initially overclocked the most (by 0.425%), but only ranked third in overall performance.
Thanks to its lowest power consumption, Jetway BI-600 became the most efficient board despite the performance lag.
| Base CPU frequency | 100 - 300 MHz (1 MHz) | 100 - 500 MHz (1 MHz) | 133 - 511 MHz (1 MHz) |
| Multiplier adjustment | Yes | Yes | No |
| Memory frequency | BCLK x6 - x16 (x2) | BCLK x6 - x16 (x2) | BCLK x6- x12 (x2) |
| PCIe frequency | 50 - 150 MHz (1 MHz) | 100 - 200 MHz (1 MHz) | 100 - 200 MHz (1 MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | 0.84 - 2.00 V (6.25 mV) | 0.85 - 2.10 V (6.25 mV) | 0.50 - 1.60 V (6.25 mV) |
| Voltage Uncore | 1.20 - 1.90 V (70 mV) | 1.20 - 1.90 V (6.25 mV) | +481 mV (12.5 mV) |
| 1.10 - 1.49 V (6.25 mV) | 1.10 - 1.70 V (20 mV) | +693 mV (11 mV) | |
| 1.12 - 1.56 V (20 mV) | 1.10 - 1.40 V (10 mV) | +150 mV (50 mV) | |
| Memory voltage | 1.56 - 2.00 V (15 mV) | 1.50 - 2.46 V (20 mV) | +945 mV (15 mV) |
| CAS delay range | 6 - 11 | 3 - 11 | 3 - 11 |
| tRCD | 3 - 15 | 3 - 10 | 3 - 15 |
| tRP | 3 - 15 | 3 - 10 | 3 - 15 |
| tRAS | 9 - 31 | 3 - 31 | 9 - 30 |
| Frequencies and voltages in BIOS (for overclocking) | ||||
| Base CPU frequency | 66 - 500 MHz (1 MHz) | 100 - 1200 MHz (1 MHz) | 133 - 500 MHz (1 MHz) | 133 - 400 MHz (1 MHz) |
| Multiplier adjustment | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Memory frequency | BCLK x6 - x16 (x2) | BCLK x6 - x18 (x2) | BCLK x6 - x16 (x2) | BCLK x6 - x16 (x2) |
| PCIe frequency | Not regulated | 90 - 150 MHz (1 MHz) | Not regulated | 100 - 200 MHz (1 MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | +1260 mV (10 mV) | 0.50 - 1.90 V (6.25 mV) | 0.80 - 1.55 V (10 mV) | -0.32 - +0.63 V (10 mV) |
| Voltage Uncore | +1260 mV (10 mV) | 1.08 - 2.02 V (20 mV) | Not regulated | 0.88 - 1.83 V (10 mV) |
| North Bridge Voltage (IOH) | 1.10 - 2.36 V (20 mV) | 1.0 - 2.0 V (20 mV) | 1.10 - 1.25 V (50 mV) | 0.80 - 2.35 V (10 mV) |
| South Bridge Voltage (ICH) | 1.40 - 1.80 V (12 mV) | 0.92 - 2.38 V (20 mV) | Not regulated | 0.70 - 2.13 V (10 mV) |
| Memory voltage | 1.50 - 2.86 V (10 mV) | 1.30 - 2.60 V (20 mV) | 1.50 - 1.65 V (25 mV) | 1.20 - 2.477 V (10 mV) |
| CAS delay range | 5 - 15 | 6 - 15 | 3 - 18 | 6 - 12 |
| tRCD | 5 - 15 | 1 - 15 | 3 - 15 | 3 - 15 |
| tRP | 5 - 15 | 1 - 15 | 3 - 15 | 3 - 15 |
| tRAS | 10 - 31 | 1 - 31 | 9 - 30 | 9 - 31 |
Most enthusiasts do not want to put up with the desire of manufacturers to sell their products at the highest possible prices; for them, the main criterion is that the board must provide stability after overclocking (and, preferably, at the same time cost as little as possible). Let's see how cheap motherboards perform.
If you're willing to put up with some limitations, such as support for a maximum of three memory modules, then the Foxconn FlamingBlade will provide you with exceptional overclocking. If you're looking for more traditional features, you'll love the MSI X58 Pro-E, which came in second place by a small margin when overclocked. The result of overclocking the Jetway BI-600 was affected by the limitations that we have already discussed in detail.
A difference of 2 MHz separates the ECS X58B-A from most competitors in terms of maximum base frequency.
Foxconn and Gigabyte motherboards had the highest memory frequencies, but their inability to support six memory modules placed them at the bottom of the table. Any of these motherboards will be a good choice for those users who are going to use only one set of memory, but in a configuration with six memory modules, the MSI X58 Pro-E board is the leader.
Conclusion
The top-ranked Foxconn FlamingBlade motherboard in terms of overclocking is inferior to the second-place MSI X58 Pro-E when requiring more than three memory slots. When comparing functionality, the FlamingBlade supports a second gigabit network port, and the X58 Pro-E allows you to connect a third x16 card via the x4 slot. Both boards support two PCIe 2.0 x16 slots at full bandwidth, but that's true of any X58 chipset motherboard.
If you're more interested in performance than top-end overclocking, the Gigabyte X58-UD3R is worth a look, with its eight-phase voltage regulator and two ounces of copper layers that help run cooler. It costs the same as the X58 Pro-E model, although it provides slightly less space for memory modules and expansion cards, but the lower operating temperature makes it a reliable board under high loads.
Perhaps the most surprising board for us was the ASRock X58 Extreme, which took third place in both overclocking and performance, although it is the cheapest on the international market. Compared to the MSI X58 Pro-E, the X58 Extreme lacks features, but ASRock has placed greater emphasis on ease of installation by placing the front panel connectors above the centerline of the motherboard. ASRock even included a floppy drive connector to make it easier to install RAID drivers during OS installation Windows systems XP. Additionally, unlike the X58 Pro-E, the X58 Extreme board has a Port 80 diagnostic display.
Supporting up to five graphics cards, the Jetway BI-600 motherboard provides the best combination of features and cost. In addition, this board is the most efficient in terms of performance and power consumption, but only when using a CPU voltage lower than stated. In terms of functionality, this is a very good value board, but we can't recommend it until Jetway seriously works on its BIOS and hopes that the manufacturer will fix the voltage issues.
Since the BI-600 board is out of the game, we give the "site recommend" award to the ASRock X58 Extreme motherboard for its combination of excellent overclocking capabilities, good performance and the lowest cost.
Click on the picture to enlarge.
The LGA1366 platform has already entered our IT life, and the corresponding Intel processors have firmly established themselves at the top of the performance ratings in almost all applications. The problem is that these systems are still quite expensive. It would seem that the novelty of the new processor architecture has already faded, and manufacturers have skimmed the cream and had to switch to producing cheaper and more accessible products. This is happening, but not as quickly as we would like. Firstly, the range of the Core i7 processor family has remained unchanged for a long time, and the cheapest model (Core i7 920) costs more than 10 thousand rubles. Secondly, prices for motherboards are also not pleasing to the eyes of buyers and exceed the same 10 thousand rubles. The reason for this is that only one Intel X58 chipset has been released for the LGA1366 platform, which in most cases determines the high price of the finished board. In addition, to assemble this system you will need a good LGA1366 cooler, as well as a set of DDR3 memory. Moreover, DDR3 memory itself is already quite affordable, and for a system on X58 you can get by with not the fastest DDR3-1066 memory. But there is one feature - for this system, Intel recommends a set of three modules with the same characteristics. Accordingly, memory manufacturers take advantage of the opportunity and set slightly inflated prices for three-channel kits. However, if we leave marketing nuances aside, for systems with Nehalem processors it is quite possible to use cheaper dual-channel RAM kits, and you will not see a significant drop in performance.
All this is superimposed on Russian reality, which is characterized by a high exchange rate of both the euro and the US dollar. But there is also encouraging news. In particular, in recent months, motherboards based on the Intel X58 chipset costing about $200 have appeared on the market, and one of these boards is included in this comparative testing. By the way, the purpose of this review is both to sum up the first results on motherboards based on the X58 chipset (we have been testing them for almost six months), and to determine some guidelines by which all subsequent models will be evaluated.
But, before moving on to the boards, let's say a few words about the Intel X58 chipset itself. From a technical point of view, the X58 northbridge is much simpler than its predecessors, the X48 and X38. The fact is that this chip does not have a built-in memory controller, which is integrated into LGA1366 processors. Instead, the X58 introduced a QPI bus controller for communication with the processor. As for PCI Express v2.0 bus support, there are no fundamental changes in this area - X58 supports only 36 lanes and supports 2x16, 4x8, and some intermediate configurations. This allows developers to integrate technology support into motherboards AMD CrossFire. In addition, a long-awaited event happened - some motherboards with the X58 chipset now have support for NVIDIA SLI technology. However, the merits of Intel engineers are not here, since SLI support is implemented in graphics drivers NVIDIA and some enthusiasts were already running SLI on the X48 a year ago by using modified drivers. As for X58 boards, almost all boards presented in this review officially support SLI. Although there is one board that does not mention SLI in its specifications, this little detail did not stop us from launching it in this mode.
The X58 north bridge is equipped with an ICH10(R) south bridge, with which it is connected via the DMI bus. And since the characteristics of this chip are already well known, we will not dwell on them in detail, but will only briefly list:
- support for six SerialATA II channels
- 12 USB 2.0 ports
- Gigabit network connection support
- High Definition Audio sound subsystem.
Comparison table of motherboard characteristics
| Name | ASRock X58 Super Computer | ASUS P6T Deluxe/OC Palm | ECS X58B-A | |||
| Chipset | Intel X58+ICH10R | |||||
| Number of DIMM slots | 6 (DDR3) | |||||
| Chipset cooling (points) | Passive (3+) | Passive/active (5-) | Passive/active (5) | Passive (3+) | Passive (5-) | Passive (3) |
| PCIE x16/PCIE (>x1)/PCIE x1/PCI | 4/0/0/3 | 3/1 (x4)/0/2 | 3/0/2/1 | 2/1 (x4)/2/1 | 3/1 (x4)/1/2 | 3/0/2/2 |
| AMD CrossFire / NVIDIA SLI | + / + (16+0+16+0; 8+8+8+8) | + / + (16+16; 16+8+8) | + / + (16+16; 16+8+8) | + / + (16+16) | + / + (16+16; 16+8+8) | + / ? (16+16; 16+8+8) |
| Power scheme | 8-phase | 16-phase; 2-phase memory controller | 16-phase; 3-phase memory controller | 6-phase | 12-phase; 2-phase memory controller | 5-phase |
| Power connectors | 24 + 8 | 24 + 8 | 24 + 8 | 24+8+Molex | 24 + 8 | 24 + 8 |
| Number of capacitors | 13x 820 µF and 4x 270 µF | 15x 560 µF and 4x 270 µF | 12x 560 µF, 2x 270 µF and 1x 1000 µF | 11x 820 µF and 4x 270 µF | 17x 820 µF and 4x 270 µF | 11x 820 µF and 4x 470 µF |
| Sound | ALC890B | AD2000B | AD2000B on a separate board | ALC888S | ALC889A | ALC888S |
| Network (Gigabit Ethernet; bus type) | 2x Realtek RTL8111DL (PCI Express x1) | 2x Marvell 88E8056 (PCI Express x1) | 2x Realtek RTL8111C (PCI Express x1) | Realtek RTL8111C (PCI Express x1) | ||
| SerialATA | 7: 6 channels ICH10R + 1 channel (JMB362) | 9: 6 channels ICH10R + 2 channels SATA/SAS (Marvell 88SE6320) + 1 channel (Marvell 88SE6111) | 8: 6 channels ICH10R + 2 channels (JMB362) | 10: 6 channels ICH10R + 4 channels (JMB363 + 2 x JMB322) | 8: 6 channels ICH10R + 2 channels (JMB363) | |
| ParallelATA | 1 channel (VT6330) | 1 channel (Marvell 88SE6111) | 1 channel (JMB363) | - | 1 channel (JMB363) | 1 channel (JMB363) |
| USB2.0 (built-in/optional) | 7 / 5 | 8/6; (NEC 720114)* | 6 / 6 | 6 / 6 | 8 / 4 | 6 / 6 |
| IEEE-1394 (embedded/optional) | 1 / 1 | 1 / 1 | 1 / 1 | 1 / 1 | 1 / 2 | 1 / 1 |
| Size, mm | 245x305 | 245x305 | 269x305 | 245x305 | 245x305 | 245x305 |
| BIOS | AMI BIOS | AMI BIOS | AMI BIOS | AMI BIOS | Award BIOS | AMI BIOS |
| Vcore | 0.84375 V to 1.6 V (0.00625 V) | 0.85 V to 2.1 V (0.00625 V) | 0.85 V to 2.5 V (0.00625 V) | 0.5V to 1.6V (0.00625V) | 0.5 V to 1.9 V (0.00625 V) | |
| Vmem | 1.53 V to 2.451 V (0.015 V) | 1.5 V to 2.46 V (0.02 V) | 1.5 V to 2.5 V (0.01325 V) | +0 to +0.63 V (0.01 V) | 1.3V to 2.6V (0.02-0.1V) | 1.2 V to 2.77 V (0.01 V) |
| Vsb/Vsb-io | 1.12 V to 1.56 V (0.02 V) | 1.1 V to 1.4 V (0.02 V) | 1.1 V to 2.0 V (0.01325 V) | +0.05 V to +0.15 V (0.05 V) | 0.92 V to 2.38 V (0.02 V) | 0.7 V to 2.13 V (0.01-0.05 V) |
| Vtt | +0 to +0.3 V (0.1 V) | 1.2 V to 1.9 V (0.00625 V) | 1.2 V to 2.5 V (0.00625 V) | +0 to +0.63 V (0.01 V) | 1.075 V to 2.015 V (0.02 V) | -0.32 V to +0.63 V (0.01 V) |
| Vioh | 1.11 V to 1.49 V (0.12 V) | 1.1 V to 1.7 V (0.02 V) | 1.1 V to 2.2 V (0.01325 V) | +0 to +0.63 V (0.01 V) | 1.1 V to 2.0 V (0.02 V) | - |
| Vpll | 1.82 V to 2.5 V (0.02 V) | 1.8 V to 2.5 V (0.02 V) | 1.8 V to 2.5 V (0.01325 V) | - | 1.8 V to 2.52 V (0.02 V) | 1.0V to 2.43V (0.01-0.05V) |
| QPI; MHz (step) | 100 to 300 MHz (1) | 100 to 500 MHz (1) | 100 to 500 MHz (1) | 133 to 511 MHz (1) | 100 to 1200 MHz (1) | 100 to 400 MHz (1) |
| Real overclocking (Core i7 920), MHz | 180 | 200 | 212 * | 180 | 200 | 200 |
| Dynamic overclocking | - | - | - | - | C.I.A 2 | - |
| Memory subsystem (points) | 3+ | 5 | 5+ | 3- | 5+ | 3+ |
| System monitoring (points; fan-control) | 4 (Quiet Fan) | 5- (Q-Fan 2) | 5+ (Q-Fan 2) | 3 (Smart Fan) | 4 (Smart Fan) | 4 (Smart Fan) |
| Equipment (features) | 4+ | 4+ | 5 | 2+ | n/a | 2+ |
| Number of FANs | 5 | 5 | 8 * | 4 | 6 | 3 |
| Peculiarities | Combi eSATA/USB port; BIOS profiles (3) | AI Proactive support (AI Overclock, AI Net 2, OC. Profile (2), EZ Flash 2, CrashFree BIOS 3, MyLogo 3); ASUS Express Gate; Power and Reset buttons; | AI Proactive support (+); there are no LPT and COM ports on the rear panel, no PS/2 for a mouse; Power, Reset, CMOS buttons; ProbeIT; TweakIT; LCD Poster module; DieHard BIOS; | Power / Reset / CMOS buttons; seven-segment POST indicator; there are no LPT and COM ports on the rear panel; | Supports DualBIOS, EasyTune Center, FaceWizard, @BIOS, BIOS profiles (8); Power / Reset / CMOS buttons; seven-segment POST indicator; | Supports Dual CoreCenter, LiveUpdate, DigiCell; Power / Reset / CMOS buttons; there are no LPT and COM ports on the rear panel; |
| Average price according to Market.3DNews, rubles: | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data |
In the table, we used the symbol * to indicate a feature or record value. Before moving on to the tests, let's look at the features of the participants in this summary review in a little more detail.
ASRock X58 SuperComputer
The first impression of the ASRock X58 SuperComputer board was quite positive. Firstly, I liked the box, and even more - its contents, which include connecting bridges for both AMD and NVIDIA video cards. The kit includes two CrossFire “bridges”, which allows you to combine three AMD video cards into an array. And if the user has two or three NVIDIA video cards, then he can also combine them into an SLI bundle using the appropriate “bridges”. Since SLI technology with two video cards can operate in several slots, the box contains connecting “bridges” of different lengths (the total number of SLI “bridges” is three pieces).
Thus, we smoothly move on to another distinctive feature of the ASRock X58 SuperComputer board - it has four PCI Express x16 slots. Of course, the total number of PCI-E bus lines remains unchanged, but the user has a unique opportunity to use three video cards for a powerful graphics subsystem + the ability to operate a fourth video card.
Four PEG slots are the main advantage of this board, since all other participants in the review have, at best, three PEG slots.
The remaining expansion capabilities of the ASRock X58 SuperComputer correspond to the high-end level of the board and include two Gigabit network controllers, built-in HD audio, USB ports and FireWire, as well as support for seven SerialATA II channels.
ASRock engineers have always been famous for their non-trivial approaches to the development of motherboards. They distinguished themselves this time too. In particular, we installed an additional JMB362 controller on the board, which supports two SerialATA II channels. But at the same time, only one port is implemented, which is located on the rear panel of the board.
Moreover, this port is physically and electrically compatible with the USB interface. Thus, this connector can be used to connect both SATA and USB devices. Another oddity is the use of a rather rare VIA VT6330 controller, which provides support for the ParallelATA interface and the FireWire serial bus.
With the BIOS settings, everything also turned out to be a little different from other manufacturers. For example, to get into the BIOS, you need to press not the usual Del key, but for some reason F2. As for the interface and grouping of settings, in this regard the ASRock X58 SuperComputer board is a great original. However, the main functions are easy to find, such as memory settings and system monitoring.
As for overclocking functions, they are present on the board:
And they work quite well. In particular, we have achieved a frequency of QPI=180 MHz. However, there is also a drawback, which is that with optimistic settings the system freezes completely. In this case, it only helps full reset CMOS. However, this shortcoming is somewhat compensated for by support for CMOS profiles:
We also note a fairly good processor power converter, the power elements of which are located under the additional radiator.
Preliminary conclusion - in general, the ASRock X58 SuperComputer board is a very interesting product based on the Intel X58 chipset. However, its main advantage - four PCI Express x16 slots - is, apparently, the only one. The fact is that ASRock set a fairly high price for this board, which is comparable to similar ASUS boards. As a result, we have come to the conclusion that the ASRock X58 SuperComputer is a niche product and we recommend it only to those users who absolutely need an LGA1366 platform with four PCI Express x16 slots. Pros:
- 8-phase processor power supply;
- the presence of four PCI Express x16 v2.0 slots;
- SerialATA II/RAID support (seven channels; ICH10R + JMB362);
- support for one P-ATA channel (VIA VT6330);
- a wide range of proprietary ASRock technologies (OC Tuner, IES, CMOS profiles, Quiet Fan, etc.);
- passive cooling system for the chipset and power module.
- overcharge.
- there are no LPT and COM ports on the rear panel;
- combined eSATA/USB port.
ASUS P6T Deluxe/OC Palm
As befits a leader in the motherboard market, ASUS has the widest range of products based on the Intel X58 chipset, which includes nine (!) models. Two of them belong to the professional series (Professional), two to the gaming series (Republic of Gamers) and as many as five models are intended for the rest of the users. Of these, the P6T Deluxe/OC Palm board is the most powerful and functional and is the embodiment of all the advanced ASUS technologies. The company's engineers tried to make the board as versatile and interesting as possible.
Let's start with the package, which includes the OC Palm module, which is the already familiar ASUS ScreenDUO device, which we reviewed in detail a year and a half ago. However, the board does not fully utilize its potential - only overclocking functions are implemented. The package also includes a pair of SAS cables, and the board itself supports two corresponding channels using an additional Marvell 88SE6320 controller. In total, the board supports nine SerialATA channels, six of which are implemented using the ICH10R southbridge capabilities, and another one (the corresponding port is located on the rear panel) is implemented using the 88SE6111 controller.
SAS technology stands for Serial Attached SCSI and is a transitional interface from parallel SCSI to a more convenient and productive serial one. The main difference between SAS and SATA is two independent channels for data transfer, but SAS is backward compatible with SATA. This means that you can easily connect SATA drives to the SAS controller.
The board has HD audio, two gigabit network controllers, and a FireWire serial bus controller on board. Separately, it is worth mentioning the support for the USB 2.0 bus, the number of ports of which, in most cases, is determined by the capabilities of the south bridge. For the ICH10R, this number is 12, but ASUS engineers “used up” two ports to install the ExpressGate hardware module (an embedded stripped-down version of Linux), and the number of free ports was reduced to ten, which is completely unacceptable for a high-end board. Therefore, an additional NEC 720114 controller is installed on the board, which supports four additional USB port 2.0.
As for the graphics subsystem, the board has three PEG slots:
Another PCI Express slot has four lanes, and its rear wall is cut out. Theoretically, this allows you to install a fourth video card, but in practice the card will run into the cooling system.
A special feature of the rear panel is one PS/2 port, which allows you to connect either a corresponding mouse or keyboard.
We also mention the power and reset buttons, which are located near the “south bridge”.
The memory settings section will please computer enthusiasts big amount timings:
The system monitoring section, on the contrary, contains only a standard set of sensors and functions.
About Board BIOS ASUS P6T Deluxe can be talked about for a long time. There is a function for saving/loading CMOS profiles (OC Profile), and emergency firmware recovery technology (CrashFree BIOS 3), and the EZ Flash 2 utility. The story about the energy-saving hardware and software technology EPU can take even more time. But we’d better move on to overclocking:
The board's overclocking potential is quite high, which is not least explained by the rather powerful 16-phase power converter.
Moreover, the memory controller built into the LGA1366 processor has an independent 2-phase converter, which also increases stability at non-standard frequencies. In practice, we achieved a stable QPI frequency of 200 MHz, but with the latest BIOS firmware this result can be 10 MHz higher.
Preliminary conclusion - the ASUS P6T Deluxe/OC Palm board is a computer analogue of a universal swiss knife, and in any field this product is among the leaders. The only thing that seemed unnecessary to us on the board was the OC Palm module. Therefore, if you have a choice, we recommend purchasing the board without it, unless the board is purchased as a gift.
Pros:
- high stability and performance;
- 2-phase power supply circuit for the memory controller;
- SAS/SerialATA II/RAID support (nine channels; ICH10R+Marvell 88SE6320+Marvell 88SE6111);
- support for one P-ATA channel (Marvell 88SE6111);
- High Definition Audio 7.1 sound + two Gigabit Ethernet network controllers;
- support for USB 2.0 interface (14 ports) and IEEE-1394 (FireWire; two ports);
- a wide range of proprietary ASUS technologies (PC Probe II, EZ Flash 2, CrashFree BIOS 3, MyLogo 3, Q-Fan 2, etc.);
- additional set of AI Proactive technologies (AI Overclock, OC Profile, AI Net 2, etc.);
- passive/active cooling system for the chipset and power module;
- Power and Reset buttons;
- support for ASUS Express Gate technology.
- not detected.
- there are no LPT and COM ports on the rear panel; PS/2 combo connector.
The Extreme version of the ASUS Rampage II board fully lives up to its name - it is truly “extreme”. Firstly, it is the largest (269x305 mm) and, thanks to the massive cooling system, the heaviest. Secondly, it is the most expensive of the products reviewed ($350-370). Thirdly, the board allows extreme overclock the processor and reach its technological limit. In particular, we reached FSB frequency = 212 MHz, and also overclocked the test processor to 4.0 GHz.
This board belongs to the Republic of Gamers series, which is becoming more and more aimed at overclockers. The previous generation of this series had several key features. In particular, the expansion capabilities were somewhat weaker than those of similar high-end ASUS boards, the equipment was slightly richer (including a disk with a popular game), and the cooling system was much more powerful. Almost half of the boards from the ROG series had a built-in water block on the “north bridge” of the chipset, which was perfectly combined with very powerful overclocking functions.
As for the Rampage II Extreme board, it is worth noting some changes to the ROG concept. Firstly, in terms of expansion capabilities, the board is almost as good as the P6T Deluxe. Secondly, the game disc is excluded from the package and thirdly, there is no water block.
The last point is explained by the fact that the thermal load on the X58 northbridge is much lower and is not so critical for overclocking, since the memory controller has moved from the chipset directly to the processor.
However, ASUS engineers left the technical possibility of installing a liquid cooling system. But for overclocking this is not the main thing - the design of the PCB, the corresponding overclocking functions and power converters are much more important. In particular, the PWM of the processor is made according to a 16-phase circuit, and the power converters of the memory controller, the memory modules themselves and the “north bridge” are made according to a three-phase circuit.
Let's list the expansion possibilities - two gigabit network controllers, two FireWire ports and an additional SerialATA/ParallelATA/RAID controller.
We also note support for 12 USB 2.0 ports and an 8-channel audio subsystem on a separate SupremeFX II card. In addition, the board has three PCI Express x16 slots, two PCI Express x1 slots and one PCI slot.
As you can see, ASUS engineers have completely abandoned support for LPT ports and COM ports. There is also no PS/2 connector for connecting a mouse. But there are plenty of USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, a SATAII port, a button for resetting CMOS settings (works only when certain position switch CLRTC_SW), as well as a connector for connecting an LCD Poster.
In addition, the board has buttons for turning on the system and rebooting, as well as a joystick and a couple of buttons for the LCD Poster.
We also mention the jumper for forcing the selection of the BIOS chip. The fact is that the board has two BIOS chips installed and, if necessary, the user can set the active one.
For overclockers who constantly experiment with different BIOS firmware, a backup chip is a big plus.
As for the BIOS itself, the board boasts a very large set of RAM settings.
System monitoring is also carried out to a very high standard high level. In particular, the board displays the current values of the processor and system temperatures, the temperatures of the “north” and “south” “bridges,” as well as temperatures from three additional temperature sensors that are included in the kit. In addition, the board monitors the voltages and rotation speeds of all eight fans, six of which support the Q-Fan2 function to adjust the rotation of the cooler depending on the temperature of various components.
In addition, ASUS Rampage II Extreme can save all BIOS settings in memory and load them when necessary. It supports eight (!) independent profiles:
Overclocking capabilities are concentrated in the "Extreme Tweaker" section and are free of any disadvantages:
On the ASUS Rampage II Extreme board, we achieved stable system operation at a record (for our testlab) frequency QPI=212 MHz.
To summarize, we can compare the ASUS Rampage II Extreme motherboard, with a Formula 1 car, which is designed to achieve highest speed. However, in our case, this car is equipped with air conditioning, a TV and a trunk for bags of potatoes, and can also cook borscht. In other words, you can use Rampage II Extreme to build a computer for any task, and in any case this board will show its best side. However, its main purpose is overclocking and stable operation at ultra-high frequencies. That is why it costs $70 more than the almost identical ASUS P6T Deluxe board. Pros:
- high stability and performance;
- 16-phase processor power supply;
- 3-phase power supply circuit for the memory controller, north bridge and memory modules;
- support for NVIDIA SLI/3-Way SLI and AMD CrossFireX technologies;
- SerialATA II/RAID support (eight channels; ICH10R+JMicron JMB363);
- support for one P-ATA channel (JMicron JMB363);
- High Definition Audio 7.1 sound (on a separate card) + two Gigabit Ethernet network controllers;
- support for USB 2.0 interface (12 ports) and IEEE-1394 (FireWire; two ports);
- a wide range of proprietary ASUS technologies (PC Probe II, EZ Flash 2, CrashFree BIOS 3, MyLogo 3, Fan Xpert, etc.);
- additional set of AI Proactive technologies (AI Overclock, OC Profile (eight profiles), AI Net 2, Turbo-V, EPU, etc.);
- ProbeIT technology; TweakIT technology, LCD Poster module and on-board controls;
- DieHard BIOS technology (two BIOS chips);
- overcharge.
- powerful overclocking functions and excellent results;
- there are no LPT and COM ports on the rear panel, no PS/2 for a mouse;
- non-standard dimensions of the board.
ECS X58B-A
When we received and tested the ECS X58B-A board, we concluded that this product is a good implementation of the potential of the Intel X58 chipset.
The board has quite powerful expansion capabilities, which include two Gigabit network controllers, HD audio, two FireWire ports and an additional dual-channel SerialATA controller.
As the latter, ECS engineers used the JMB362 chip, with the corresponding ports located on the rear panel of the board. And let’s immediately note that the board does not support ParallelATA and FDD interfaces.
In addition, the board has two PCI Express x16 slots, two PCI Express x1 slots, one PCI Express x4 slot and one PCI slot.
The rear panel of the board has the following configuration:
Pay attention to the button designed to reset the CMOS settings. In addition to it, the board has a couple more buttons - Power, Reset, as well as a seven-segment POST code indicator.
In terms of BIOS settings, the ECS X58B-A board is somewhat inferior to its competitors. This applies to both RAM settings,
So does the system monitoring section.
The overclocking capabilities are implemented more efficiently, which, despite the rather modest power converter, allowed us to increase the QPI bus frequency to 180 MHz.
Before this board appeared in open sale We assumed it would be a cheap alternative to the high-end boards of the Big Three. However, at the time of this comparative testing (end of April 2009), it turned out that there are cheaper X58 boards with similar technical characteristics. Pros:
- presence of two PCI Express x16 v2.0 slots;
- support for NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFire technologies;
- SerialATA II/RAID support (eight channels; ICH10R + JMB362);
- High Definition Audio 7.1 sound + two Gigabit Ethernet network controllers;
- support for USB 2.0 interface (12 ports) and IEEE-1394 (FireWire; two ports);
- passive cooling system for the chipset and power module;
- Power and Reset buttons; Reset CMOS button;
- seven-segment POST code indicator.
- not detected.
- there are no LPT and COM ports on the rear panel;
- no support for ParallelATA, FDD.
Traditionally, high-end motherboards from Gigabyte have had the best expansion capabilities, which is why they have received our awards more than once. In this regard, the Gigabyte EX58-UD5 may well continue this tradition.
Let's start with the fact that the board has a record number of SerialATA channels - ten. Six of them are implemented using the capabilities of the ICH10R “south bridge”, and the remaining four are implemented using a combination of a Gigabyte SATA2 controller (JMB363) and two JMB322 controllers. This scheme provides users with significant flexibility in organizing RAID arrays and, in particular, allows the implementation of very interesting SAFE50 and SAFE33 modes. In total, 12 hard drives (ten SATA II + two PATA) can be connected to the Gigabyte EX58-UD5 board.
Approximately the same can be said about the number of FireWire bus ports - there are three of them. This is not a record, but still more than that of competitors. The rest of the features are almost standard - two gigabit network controllers, 12 USB 2.0 ports and built-in HD audio.
The slot configuration is richer than standard - three PCI Express x16 slots, a pair of PCI slots, one PCI Express x4 slot and one PCI Express x1 slot.
We liked the back panel for its functionality. In particular, it has eight (!) USB 2.0 ports, optical and coaxial SP-DIF outputs, a FireWire port and a CMOS reset button.
Also on the board there are buttons for turning on and rebooting the system. However, Gigabyte's marketers spared a couple of cents for the latter, and its pitiful appearance spoils the impression of the entire board. This little detail is more than compensated for by the presence of a seven-segment POST code indicator on the board, as well as extremely extensive RAM settings.
System monitoring, on the contrary, is much more modest.
In particular, we did not like the lack of information on voltages +12 V and +3.3 V. But we liked that the Gigabyte EX58-UD5 board allows you to save all BIOS settings in memory and load them if necessary. In total, it supports eight independent profiles:
The overclocking capabilities are implemented well, without any significant drawbacks:
This was confirmed in practice when we reached a stable frequency QPI=200 MHz. And, concluding the topic of overclocking, we note two significant points. Firstly, the board has a fairly powerful processor power converter, which is made according to a 12-phase circuit.
Secondly, the Gigabyte EX58-UD5 board is the only one of the tested models that implements a dynamic overclocking mechanism.
In general, this board is made at a fairly high level, has no significant flaws, but has the best expansion capabilities in its class. I was very pleased with the retail price, which at the time of testing was around $275, which is $25 cheaper than the ASUS P6T Deluxe board. Pros:
- high stability and performance;
- 12-phase processor power supply;
- 2-phase power supply circuit for the north bridge and memory modules;
- presence of three PCI Express x16 v2.0 slots;
- support for NVIDIA SLI/3-Way SLI and AMD CrossFireX technologies;
- SerialATA II/RAID support (ten channels; ICH10R+2 x JMicron JMB322);
- support for one P-ATA channel (Gigabyte SATA2);
- High Definition Audio 7.1 sound + two Gigabit Ethernet network controllers;
- support for USB 2.0 interface (12 ports) and IEEE-1394 (FireWire; three ports);
- a wide range of Gigabyte proprietary technologies (C.I.A2, EasyTune 6, FaceWizard, @BIOS, etc.);
- support for Ultra Durable 3, Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced technologies, BIOS profiles;
- passive cooling system for the chipset and power module;
- Power and Reset buttons; CMOS reset button;
- seven-segment POST code indicator;
- Virtual Dual BIOS technology (two BIOS chips).
- not detected.
- powerful overclocking features and excellent results;
- no support for LPT and COM ports.
So, we move on to the latest, but very interesting board - MSI X58 Pro. First of all, it attracts with its price of $200, and externally the board gives the impression of a more expensive product.
That’s right, MSI engineers saved money “secretly” - they installed only one gigabit network controller and software “disabled” NVIDIA SLI technology. This is either childish naivety or a subtle marketing calculation, since SLI technology is “turned on” back by flashing the BIOS from the MSI X58 Pro SLI model.
So, the board has three PCI Express x16 slots, two PCI Express x1 slots and two PCI slots.
Other expansion options include the already mentioned network controller, two FireWire ports, an additional SerialATA/ParallelATA/RAID controller (for a total of eight SATA channels + one PATA channel), as well as 12 USB 2.0 ports and built-in 8-channel audio.
The rear panel configuration does not contain legacy LPT and COM ports. However, one COM port is implemented using a bracket that is not included in the kit.
There are no traditional jumpers on the MSI X58 Pro board, and the corresponding button (located on the left edge of the board) is used to reset the CMOS settings. There are also buttons for starting and rebooting the system, as well as a block of three dip switches that are responsible for the starting frequency of the QPI bus.
As for the BIOS, we had no complaints about the RAM settings,
as well as to the system monitoring section.
We especially note that the MSI X58 Pro board allows you to save all BIOS settings into memory and load them if necessary. It supports four independent profiles:
Overclocking turned out to be surprisingly good - the board worked stably at QPI=200 MHz. And this despite the fact that this MSI board has the most modest cooling system for the chipset and power converter, and the PWM itself is made using a cheap 5-phase circuit.
Separately, we note that the successful launch of SLI will not be reflected in the conclusions in any way, since it is a non-standard function of the MSI X58 Pro motherboard. However, this product is good even without SLI, since it matches the characteristics of most X58 motherboards and at the same time costs $200, which is noticeably cheaper than other competitors, the price of which starts at $250. Pros:
- high stability and performance;
- presence of three PCI Express x16 v2.0 slots;
- support for AMD CrossFireX technologies;
- SerialATA II/RAID support (eight channels; ICH10R + JMB363);
- support for one P-ATA channel (JMB363);
- High Definition Audio 7.1 sound + Gigabit Ethernet network controller;
- support for USB 2.0 interface (12 ports) and IEEE-1394 (FireWire; two ports);
conclusions
Summing up the results of comparative testing is complicated by the fact that there was no comparison as such, since all the presented motherboards are in different price categories. The exceptions are the ASRock X58 SuperComputer and ASUS P6T Deluxe models, the average price of which is $300. In this case, the choice between them is quite simple - if there is a need for four PCI Express x16 slots, then we buy ASRock. In all other cases, the ASUS board looks preferable.
The next alternative to the ASUS P6T Deluxe is the Gigabyte EX58-UD5, which has slightly better expansion capabilities and costs a little less (about $275). There is no fundamental difference between the boards, and we find it difficult to choose the best one. Most likely, the choice should be made based on personal experience and preferences, as well as taking into account the need for additional proprietary technologies (ASUS has a slight advantage here).
For the next board - ECS X58B-A, we did not experience any fluctuations. At a price of $250, we do not recommend purchasing it. The fact is that the MSI X58 Pro board with almost the same technical characteristics and a price of only $200 is widely available.
The differences between them are in the details - the MSI board does not have a second network controller, and the ECS board does not support ParallelATA and FDD. In addition, the MSI board overclocks better and shows results comparable to the Gigabyte EX58-UD5 and ASUS P6T Deluxe.
And since we're talking about overclocking, let's move on to the most expensive board - ASUS Rampage II Extreme, costing $350-370.
In fact, this is the best motherboard designed for overclocking. There are also very good X58 overclocking boards made by DFI and EVGA, but they are not available in Russian stores. We also note that overclocking is the main advantage of Rampage II Extreme, but it is far from the only one. And in all other areas this product is very, very competitive. But we cannot forget about one drawback - it is a very stingy package. For $360, the box with the board should be large and heavy, and the list of components should take more than one page. In addition, this board belongs to the Republic of Gamers series and just because of the name it simply must be included in the kit popular game(all previous ROG series boards were equipped with the game STALKER or Company of Heroes).
General conclusions for all boards - among the models we reviewed, we did not find an outright bad product. And even those boards that we do not recommend buying are technically quite suitable for use. But the problem is that they cost much more than their direct competitors - i.e. The problem is not in terms of stability or functionality, but in the "wrong" pricing. In addition, manufacturers do not reduce prices simultaneously, but based on their own plans. And it is quite possible that in a couple of months other models will become more attractive in terms of price/quality ratio.
Preface
We all know that, in addition to regular motherboards, ASUSTeK produces a special series of “RoG” (Republic Of Gamers) boards with extended functionality. However, not everyone still knows that last year a new series “TUF” (The Ultimate Force) appeared in the company’s product range. The boards in this series, in addition to the characteristic design reminiscent of camouflage colors, are distinguished by a cooling system made using a special technology and the use of highly reliable components, which made it possible to increase the warranty period to five years. However, until recently the “TUF” series could only be called conditionally, since it included a single model - the board Asus Sabertooth 55i, based on the Intel P55 Express chipset. Today we have to study new board"TUF" series - Asus Sabertooth X58. From the name it is clear that the board is based on a kit Intel chips X58 Express and is designed for LGA1366 processors. However, it is unknown what is new in the design of the board, what are the differences in the BIOS settings, how does the board behave when overclocking the processor and memory, what level of performance and power consumption does it demonstrate? We will now begin to find out the answers to these questions.Packaging and equipment
Thanks to the color design, the box with motherboard Asus Sabertooth X58 looks like a metal one, but is made of ordinary cardboard.Inside, in addition to the board itself, there is the following set of components:
four SATA cables with metal latches, two of them with L-shaped connectors, and two more cables with straight ones, one pair is specifically designed for connecting SATA 6 GB/s devices (distinguished by white inserts on the connectors);
flexible bridge for combining two video cards in SLI mode;
plug for the rear panel (I/O Shield);
a set of “Asus Q-Connector” adapters, including modules to simplify the connection of buttons and indicators on the front panel of the system unit and the USB connector;
user guide;
notification of a five-year warranty period in several languages, including Russian;
reliability certificate indicating the testing methods for components;
DVD with software and drivers;
“Powered by ASUS” sticker on system unit.
Design and features
We have already mentioned the unique color scheme used by the “TUF” series boards. The winged logo of the series could easily belong to a special forces unit, and the combination of shades of black, green and brown is reminiscent of camouflage.
The unusual appearance of the radiators of the cooling system immediately attracts attention. They don't just feel rough, they actually feel rough to the touch! According to the manufacturer, the special ceramic coating of CeraM!X radiators dissipates heat better than conventional metal radiators, due to a larger dispersion area.
Basically, the board's capabilities are determined by the Intel X58 Express chipset on which it is based. All modern LGA1366 processors and three-channel RAM architecture are supported. The total amount of memory that can be gained using six modules reaches 24 GB. Two video card slots work at full capacity PCI speed Express 2.0 x16, combining cards in SLI and CrossFireX modes is supported, the third connector retains four PCI-E lines. The Intel ICH10R south bridge with the ability to build RAID arrays 0, 1, 5 or 10 provides the connection of six SATA 3 GB/s drives.
The capabilities of the still flagship, but already quite old by the standards of the computer industry, logic set are expanded by a whole range of additional controllers. The Marvell 88SE9128 chip adds two SATA port 6 GB/s, IEEE1394 (FireWire) support is provided by the VIA VT6308P, with the help of the NEC D720200F1 two USB 3.0 ports appeared on the rear panel, and eSATA and Power eSATA ports are implemented on the JMicron JMB362 base. By the way, we have already seen Power eSATA ports on different motherboards more than once, and they were all combined. Power for the external SATA device was supplied via the USB bus and, if desired, the Combo eSATA/USB connector can be used to connect not only eSATA, but also USB devices. On Asus boards, the Power eSATA connector is not a combined connector; it allows you to connect only external SATA devices, but not USB.
The complete list of connectors on the rear panel of the board is as follows:
PS/2 connector for connecting a keyboard or mouse;
eight USB ports, including a pair of USB 3.0 (blue connectors), implemented thanks to the NEC D720200F1 controller, and six more can be connected to three internal connectors on the board;
optical S/PDIF, as well as six analog audio connectors, which are provided by the eight-channel Realtek ALC892 codec;
IEEE1394 (FireWire) port, implemented on the basis of the VIA VT6308P controller, the second port can be found as a connector on the board;
Power eSATA 3 GB/s (green) and eSATA 3 GB/s ports, made possible by the JMicron JMB362 controller;
connector local network (network adapter built on a Realtek RTL8110SC gigabit controller).
The diagram allows us to notice a number of characteristic features of Asus motherboards, which the Asus Sabertooth X58 was not deprived of. Jumpers that expand the voltage ranges on the processor and memory; the MemOK! button, which allows you to overcome memory-related problems when starting the board; Q-Led LEDs, with the help of which it is easy to determine the source of problems at startup. Summary list technical characteristics The boards are represented by the following table:
Studying BIOS Setup
Only a relatively small group of readers are interested in the capabilities that motherboard BIOS provide, the list of available options and the intervals for changing parameters. Most people simply skip this chapter of the article. Therefore, BIOS snapshots with our comments are placed on a separate page, where everyone interested can familiarize themselves with them without any problems, and the rest can safely continue reading the next chapter of this review.
Review of BIOS capabilities of the Asus Sabertooth X58 board
Test system configuration
All experiments were carried out on a test system including the following set of components:
Motherboard - Asus Sabertooth X58, rev. 1.02 (LGA1366, Intel X58 Express, BIOS version 0603);
Processor - Intel Core i7-930 (2.8 GHz, Bloomfield D0);
Memory - 3 x 1024 MB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1866, KHX14900D3T1K3/3GX, (1866 MHz, 9-9-9-27, supply voltage 1.65 V);
Video card - HIS HD 5850, H585F1GDG (ATI Radeon HD 5850, Cypress, 40nm, 725/4000 MHz, 256-bit GDDR5 1024 MB);
Disk subsystem - Kingston SSD Now V+ Series (SNVP325-S2, 128 GB);
Optical drives - DVD±RW Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7173A;
Cooling system - Scythe Mugen 2 Revision B (SCMG-2100);
Thermal paste - Zalman CSL 850;
Power supply - CoolerMaster RealPower M850 (RS-850-ESBA);
The case is an open test bench based on the Antec Skeleton case.
The operating system used was Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit (Microsoft Windows, Version 6.1, Build 7600), a set of drivers for the Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility 9.1.1.1025, and a video card driver - ATI Catalyst 10.9.
Features of operation and overclocking
How to use the Asus Sabertooth X58 board nominal mode We didn't have any comments. The assembly of the test system was successful and without difficulties, the operating system was installed, and at rest the processor reduced the frequency and voltage.
For full functionality of energy-saving modes and Intel Turbo Boost technology, we enabled the “Intel C-STATE Tech” parameter in the BIOS, so with a light load on only one core, the processor multiplier increased to x23, and with a higher load, up to x22.
However, already in the initial phase of overclocking the processor, we encountered serious difficulties - the board always started and successfully passed POST, but invariably restarted at the stage of loading the operating system. At first, we believed that the problem lay in the incorrect function of increasing the voltage on the processor in the “Offset” mode, when it is not fixed at a constant value, as in the “Manual” mode, but is only added to the nominal one, which allows Intel’s processor energy-saving technologies to continue to function. The fact is that it was not even necessary to overclock the processor. It was possible to leave all the parameters at their nominal values, but only raise the voltage on the processor by just one minimal step - just 0.00625 V, as the board could no longer load operating system and spontaneously went to restart. Subsequently, we figured out that the voltage increase in the “Offset” mode is carried out by the board quite correctly, and the source of the problems is the “Load-Line Calibration” parameter. If you disable it, the board quietly loads the operating system even when the voltage on the processor increases, but it reboots if the parameter is enabled or set to “Auto”. A separate rhetorical question for the BIOS developers - why is “Load-Line Calibration” turned on when all parameters are at their nominal values and only the processor voltage is increased by the minimum possible step?
Here, by the way, we can mention a couple of characteristic shortcomings of the BIOS of Asus motherboards. First of all, the boards do not allow you to find out the nominal voltage of the processor; it does not appear explicitly anywhere. The boards correctly set it in the “Auto” mode, but we can only indirectly judge its actual value based on monitoring readings. The second drawback is that we cannot correctly record the voltage on the processor at its standard value. Formally, we can if we specify the required voltage in the “Manual” mode, but then it will always be maintained constant, regardless of the current load level, and will stop decreasing during moments of rest, that is, Intel’s energy-saving technologies will stop working. You can set the voltage increase on the processor to “Offset” mode, but it will be automatically increased by the board when overclocking the processor if left at “Auto”. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the voltage on the processor by the smallest possible step, in this case it is an almost imperceptible 0.00625 V, in order to leave it as close to the nominal as possible. Unfortunately, even such a tiny increase in voltage led to the board's inoperability.
The function of counteracting the voltage drop on the processor under load - “Load-Line Calibration” - is a very convenient and useful feature, but not at all necessary for overclocking. By trying to keep the voltage on the processor when it is busy with calculations, and in these attempts often even exceeding the standard values, this function allows us to avoid unnecessary increase in voltage on the processor. At rest, when Intel's energy-saving technologies operate, the voltage decreases, but it is always sufficient even during overclocking, because the processor frequency also decreases and there is no load on it. We only need increased voltage when the processor is loaded with work, it is at this moment that the “Load-Line Calibration” technology comes into effect, preventing the voltage from decreasing, ensuring stability during overclocking. It was thanks to this function that we were able to overclock the processor on other boards to a frequency of 3.9 GHz, without formally increasing the voltage on it. In fact, it was increased by the Load-Line Calibration technology, but not always, but only under load, exactly when it was really needed.
This means that we can refuse to use Load-Line Calibration technology when overclocking, but in return we will need to manually increase the voltage on the processor, that’s all. Tests have shown that to ensure stable operation of our processor instance at 3.9 GHz, when increasing the base frequency to 177 MHz, it is necessary to add 0.075 V to the nominal voltage. Since the voltage was increased in the "Offset" mode, the full functionality of Intel's processor energy-saving technologies was maintained; at rest, the voltage was reduced and the processor frequency was reduced.
However, there was new problem- no increase in voltages allowed the board to ensure stable memory operation at a frequency of 1770 MHz with timings of 8-8-8-22-1T. These are the indicators that were previously successfully achieved on boards and . Therefore, we had to limit ourselves to a memory frequency of 1416 MHz, and the final overclocking results are presented in the following picture.
It must be said that the inability of the board to ensure the performance of our memory modules at high frequencies is not a very pleasant, but not a catastrophic fact. We compensated for the reduction in frequency by one step by correspondingly reducing memory timings and setting more aggressive values 7-7-7-20-1T. This allows us to hope that the difference in performance compared to Gigabyte boards, where the memory worked at 1770 MHz with timings of 8-8-8-22-1T, will not be very large. In addition, there is a positive aspect to be found in this failure of the board. To ensure memory performance at high frequencies with relatively low timings on Gigabyte boards, we had to significantly increase the voltage on the memory controller integrated into the processor, which significantly affects the processor's power consumption. And for stable memory operation for more low frequencies on the Asus Sabertooth X58 board there was no need to increase this voltage at all; it remained nominal and equal to 1.2 V. As a result, we can assume that under other operating modes of the processor and memory during overclocking Asus board will not differ too much in performance from Gigabyte boards, but will be more economical. The following chapters of the review will show whether our expectations were correct.
Performance measurements
We traditionally compare motherboards in terms of speed in two modes: when the system operates under nominal conditions and when the processor and memory are overclocked. The first mode is interesting from the point of view that it allows you to find out how well motherboards work by default. It is known that a significant portion of users do not engage fine tuning systems, they only set the optimal parameters in the BIOS and do not change anything else. So we carry out the test, almost without interfering with the default values set by the boards. In this case, we still enabled the full functionality of energy-saving modes and Intel Turbo Boost technology. For comparison, we used the results obtained earlier during motherboard tests Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD5 (rev. 2.0) And Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R (rev. 2.0). For clarity, the indicators of the Asus Sabertooth X58 board are highlighted in a darker shade of color.In Cinebench 11.5, we run CPU tests five times and average the results.
The Fritz Chess Benchmark utility has been used in tests for a very long time and has proven itself to be excellent. It produces highly repeatable results, and performance scales well depending on the number of computational threads used.
In the x264 HD Benchmark 3.0, a small video clip is encoded in two passes and the entire process is repeated four times. The average results of the second pass are presented in the diagram.
In the data archiving test, a one-gigabyte file is compressed using LZMA2 algorithms, while other compression parameters are left at default values.
As with the compression test, the faster the calculation of 16 million digits of pi is completed, the better. This is the only test where the number of processor cores does not play any role; the load is single-threaded.
Comprehensive performance tests are both good and bad in that they are complex, but the 3DMark Vantage test has gained widespread popularity. The diagram shows the result of passing the test cycle three times.
Since the video card in our reviews is not overclocked, the following diagram uses only the results of 3DMark Vantage processor tests.
Using the built-in FC2 Benchmark Tool, we run the Ranch Small card ten times at a resolution of 1280x1024 with medium and high settings quality and use of DirectX 10.
Resident Evil 5 also has a built-in benchmark for measuring performance. Her specialty is that she makes excellent use of opportunities. multi-core processors. Tests are carried out in DirectX 10 mode, at a resolution of 1280x1024 with medium quality settings, the results of five passes are averaged.
Everyone knows that the performance of similar systems operating in similar modes is usually almost the same. This time too, the difference in speed between the boards is small, but it is somehow very suspicious that the Asus Sabertooth X58 board for some reason always lags behind the Gigabyte boards in any tests. However, the point is not that the Asus board is so slow or the Gigabyte boards are so fast. It should be recalled that Gigabyte boards by default increase the base frequency, and with it all other associated frequencies, from the nominal 133 to almost 135 MHz, while the Asus board is not noticed in such frauds. The difference in frequency is approximately 1% and the performance of the boards differs by about the same amount. Sometimes less, when the speed depends not only on the processor or memory, but also on the video card. So there is no need to worry about this; in fact, in nominal mode, the Asus Sabertooth X58 board demonstrates completely normal performance. Let's see what happens if the same tests are carried out when overclocking systems by increasing the frequency of the clock generator.
This time, the last place of the Asus Sabertooth X58 board in the tests is quite natural, because it turned out to be unable to ensure memory performance at the same high frequencies as Gigabyte boards. Sometimes, when the speed mainly depends only on the frequency of the processor or the video card, the lag is small and is within one percent, or even less. But sometimes the difference in speed is very significant if the performance of the application is determined, among other things, by the operating parameters of the memory subsystem. An example is the Resident Evil 5 Benchmark game, where the Asus board lags behind by more than 4%, and even more indicative is the archiving test in the 7-Zip program, where it is already 7.5% slower. Such a lag can no longer be called symbolic; it can be noticed even during everyday work, and not just in tests. Thus, the importance of high memory frequencies and low timings should not be exaggerated; several articles on our website are devoted to highlighting this fact; however, the importance of optimal operating parameters of the memory subsystem cannot be underestimated.
Energy consumption measurements
Energy consumption was measured using an Extech Power Analyzer 380803. The device is turned on in front of the computer's power supply, that is, it measures the consumption of the entire system “from the outlet,” with the exception of the monitor, but including losses in the power supply itself. When measuring consumption at rest, the system is inactive, we wait for the complete cessation of post-start activity and the absence of access to the hard drive. The load on the Intel Core i7-930 processor is created using the “LinX” program. For greater clarity, diagrams of the growth of energy consumption were constructed when the systems were operating in nominal mode and during overclocking, depending on the increase in the level of load on the processor when changing the number of computational threads of the “LinX” utility. The measurements were carried out in four states: rest, load in one thread, in four and eight threads, in the diagrams the boards are arranged in alphabetical order.
As you can see, our assumptions were completely justified. When operating in nominal mode, the power consumption of the boards is almost the same under any load or no load, because the boards are very similar. However, when overclocked, the Asus board turned out to be noticeably more economical, which is fully explained by the rated voltage on the memory controller integrated into the processor, while on Gigabyte boards this voltage had to be increased to ensure stable memory operation at high frequencies. True, we remember that the Asus motherboard has to pay for the gain in power consumption with a loss in performance.
Afterword
The quality and reliability of the motherboard are extremely important, cornerstone characteristics, since they determine the durability and stability of the entire computer as a whole. It is no coincidence that MSI emphasizes the use of “military grade” components in its products, and Gigabyte’s set of measures aimed at increasing the reliability of boards - “Ultra Durable” - has already reached its third version. Therefore, the emergence of a new series of “TUF” (The Ultimate Force) motherboards from Asus, providing increased reliability and durability, is quite natural, but they have one very significant advantage. Unlike all competitors, Asus does not limit itself to just words or test results to confirm the reliability of its products. And the certificate indicating the methods of testing components, which is included in the boxes of the “TUF” series boards, is just an additional touch, and not the main proof.The test results showed that the Asus Sabertooth X58 board is not much different from regular Asus boards, except for a different color design, and if it differs, it is not by cutting down, but by expanding functions and capabilities. In terms of packaging methods and configuration, the boards are almost identical, the capabilities of the logic set are fully used, it is possible to combine video cards in multi-GPU modes, the functionality is expanded with the help of additional controllers that add support for SATA 6 GB/s, USB 3.0 and IEEE1394 (FireWire). In addition, selected components are used in the production of the board, and the radiators are coated with “CeraM!X” coating, which supposedly improves heat transfer. It would not be at all surprising if the price of the board was one and a half times higher than usual, but no, it is at the average level for LGA1366 and is approximately 8 thousand rubles. The only missing feature we could find is that the BIOS does not support the “Express Gate” function, which allows you to quickly load a Linux-based operating system with a number of basic capabilities for work and entertainment, which is available on most Asus boards, but this is a very insignificant difference .
Some potential users of the board may be upset by the difficulties we encountered when overclocking the processor and memory, but this fact should not be given too much importance. First of all, because overclocking on the board is still possible. In addition, possible errors may be fixed in upcoming BIOS updates. And in the end, it is not difficult to find a board from Asus or another manufacturer that does not cause any difficulties when overclocking, but the combination of advanced features and low price is a very interesting offer, since it turns out that the Asus Sabertooth X58 board is purchased for its entire service life computer: at least the use of high-reliability components and a full set of additional controllers allow you to hope that you will not have to change this board before you decide to upgrade the entire system unit
Other materials on this topic
Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R (rev. 2.0) - wide range of functions and low price
Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD5 (rev. 2.0) - modern LGA1366 board of the “second wave”
Review of Socket AM3 boards based on AMD 870 - Asus, Biostar, Gigabyte and MSI
The well-known version of the Chinese motherboard produced by Huanan is positioned as the most a budget option for assembling a system on socket 1366. Although the board is made on the Intel X58 chipset, it lacks three-channel memory (only 2 slots) and some other advantages. The main advantage is the price. Compared to most other boards for this socket, Huanan is almost 2 times cheaper.
Characteristics
In fact, several similar models of Chinese mothers are sold with this name. Which of them is the original Juanan and which is his clone is now almost impossible to understand, but they are all very similar, both in appearance and in specifications.
The most popular clones are labeled x58 v311 and v108. No significant differences from the original could be found.
The parameters are not at all outstanding, but for home use this will be enough. Here's what the manufacturer says:
4 or 6 (for x58 v311) phases are responsible for powering the processor, and power is supplied through an 8-pin connector. Support for both four and six-core processors is declared, including , but it is not recommended to install anything more powerful than 95 W on Chinese products.
The equipment is not rich: a disk with drivers, instructions in Chinese and a sata cable
The cooling in the form of two radiators is rather weak; it is recommended to place at least 1 small cooler in the center of the board. By the way, there are only two connectors for them: 1 processor and 1 for a case fan.
Rear Panel Connectors
With the rest of the connectors, everything is quite standard for budget boards: 1 pci-e x16, 1 pci-e x1, 4 sata second version and 1 pci slot. There are as many as 10 USBs, of which there can be up to 2 USB version 3.0 (again, on the revision with dark radiators). IN different versions the number of slots may vary.
Version with yellow radiators, 4 phases and a different arrangement and number of slots
For RAM, as mentioned above, there are only two connectors, but there is support for ECC strips. Supports ddr3 frequencies 1066/1333/1600 and a total of maximum 16 gigabytes of RAM.
Bios and overclocking
The board runs on the usual BIOS from American megatrends, but there are practically no settings for overclocking. In this case, it would be reasonable to install a processor with a fairly high stock frequency in the board, for example.
Bios boot screen
There are no complaints about the work itself, Windows 10 itself selected all the necessary drivers, and no errors were found in testing. The throttle whistles a little, but over the noise of the coolers this is almost inaudible. The video card from Nvidia was detected and worked quite correctly, but with AMD there may be problems.