Extreme X58 Motherboards - All Hail the Ultimates!
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All Hail the Ultimates!
All Hail the Ultimates!
Ever since the 6-core Intel Core i7-980X hit the market in March, we have seen a mini-revival of sorts for Intel X58 motherboards. Of course, the reality is that mainstream boards using Intel's LGA1156 package dominate the retail shelves and demand for such boards is unlikely to change. That however doesn't seem to deter board manufacturers. Vendors have been re-releasing boards based on the X58 Express chipset, integrating both SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 support. We reviewed a couple of these refreshed X58 boards, but who knew that there were more to come.
Not only have vendors refreshed their offerings, they have really worked hard on putting the X58 on the pedestal. Gigabyte and MSI have both released updated flagship versions of this chipset recently, which we previewed here. We have tested both in our lab and will be reporting the results in this article. To add more spice to the mix, we also brought in EVGA's X58 SLI Classified, which is one of the earliest, 'extreme' X58 boards. While it was launched mid last year and lacks the new SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 interfaces that have swept the motherboard industry, the EVGA remains a prime example of the excesses that the enthusiast segment is capable of.
All the three boards here are among the most expensive of motherboards. The most 'affordable' of the lot, the MSI Big Bang-XPower, costs slightly more than S$500, while the Gigabyte UD9, hits the wallet like a gang of pickpockets at a staggering retail price of S$839. Even the older EVGA X58 SLI Classified will set you back by around S$749. In short, if you're hunting for a mainstream motherboard, you can skip these boards. If however, you're here to gawk at over-the-top designs and larger than life (and ATX) motherboards, this is just what you have to read. Let's start with the specifications below, where among all the many listings, the form factor of two of these boards will certainly raise a few eyebrows. Yes, the EVGA and Gigabyte boards are "super-sized".
EVGA X58 SLI Classified (SKU E760) | Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD9 | MSI Big Bang-XPower | ||
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CPU Support | Support for Socket LGA1366 Core i7 processors | |||
Chipset | Intel X58 and ICH10R | |||
Graphics | Supports NVIDIA 3-way SLI with PhysX and ATI CrossFireX | Support for up to 4-way NVIDIA SLI and ATI CrossFireX | Support for up to 4-way NVIDIA SLI and ATI CrossFireX | |
Memory |
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Storage |
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Audio | Realtek ALC889 HD CODEC | Realtek ALC889 HD CODEC |
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Networking | 2 x Realtek RTL8111D Gigabit LAN controllers | 2 x Realtek RTL8111E Gigabit LAN controllers | 2 x Realtek RTL8111DL Gigabit LAN controllers | |
IEEE 1394 (FireWire) | Up to 2 x IEEE 1394a ports (1 rear, 1 header) |
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I/O Interface |
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Internal Connectors |
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Expansion Slots |
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Special Features |
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PCB | EATX Form Factor (30.5 x 26.4cm) | XL-ATX Form Factor (34.5 x 26.2cm) |
ATX Form Factor (30.5 x 24.4cm) |
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