Return of the X58 - The Best from ASUS and Gigabyte
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Return of the King
Return of the King
The arrival of Intel's first 6-core processor, the Core i7-980X, has renewed interest in a chipset that is largely forgotten with the wave of more affordable P55 motherboards. Despite being Intel's premier chipset for the Core i7, the X58 Express chipset was always going to be a niche product due to the cost, especially once you factor in the processor and the relatively high price of triple-channel DDR3 memory then.
As the only Socket LGA1366 chipset from Intel however, those looking to upgrade to the first 32nm Gulftown 6-core processor are restricted to an Intel X58 motherboard. Fortunately, these motherboards, most of which have been available for more than a year, will support the Core i7-980X with just a BIOS update. And some vendors have also upgraded their high-end models with the latest features, like SATA 6Gbit/s and USB 3.0, making them competitive with market alternatives.
Today, we examine two of these updated Intel X58 motherboards from major vendors, ASUS and Gigabyte. Each of them represents the highest end product from these companies and they have spared no expense in outfitting them with some of their top features and technologies. We have hence equipped them with appropriately enthusiast level components during our testing, including the 6-core Core i7-980X and a Radeon HD 5870 graphics card, the better to showcase the performance you'll find on these boards.
ASUS P6X58D Premium | Gigabyte X58A-UD7 | |
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CPU Support | Support for Socket LGA1366 Core i7 processors | |
Chipset | Intel X58 and ICH10R | |
Graphics | Supports NVIDIA 3-way SLI and ATI Quad-GPU CrossFireX | Support for 3-way ATI CrossFire and 3-way NVIDIA SLI |
Memory |
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Storage |
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Audio | Realtek ALC889 HD CODEC | Realtek ALC889 HD CODEC |
Networking | 2 x Marvell 88E8056 PCIe Gigabit LAN controllers | 2 x Realtek RTL8111D Gigabit LAN controllers |
IEEE 1394 (FireWire) |
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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 | ATX Form Factor (30.5 x 24.4cm) |
ATX Form Factor (30.5 x 24.4cm) |
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