EVGA X58 SLI Article - Enjoy

Heavy Gear March 2009 • Vol.9 Issue 3 Page(s) 48 in print issue

Evga X58 3X SLI

Evga X58 3X SLI

X58 3X SLI
$299.99
Evga
www.evga.com
CPUs: 3.5

Specs: Intel X58/ICH10-R, triple-channel DDR3-1600, Slots: 3 PCI-E x16, 1 PCI-E x1, 2 PCI, CrossFireX/SLI support; Ports: 10 3Gbps SATA, 1 eSATA, 2 Gigabit Ethernet, 12 USB 2.0

Since the launch of the new Intel Core i7 processor and X58 Express chipset, a steady stream of X58-based motherboards has been hitting the market from the usual suspects. Of course, Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte stepped up at launch with their offerings, but some of you might not have thought of Evga right out of the gate. Evga is widely known as an Nvidia partner for both graphics cards and motherboards. However, with the official sanction of the Intel X58 Express chipset for SLI support, Evga recently introduced its first Intel-based motherboard offering. In typical Evga fashion, the board’s part number is a traditional jumble of cryptic numbers and letters, but the model name is crystal clear to the consumer. The Evga X58 3X SLI motherboard makes no bones about its genetic makeup and target audience of enthusiasts and gamers.

The X58 3X SLI is a nicely equipped design with three full-speed PCI-E x16 slots (Gen 2.0 capable), a single PCI-E x1, and a pair of standard PCI slots. In the lead No. 1 slot position is an eSATA port, as well; we would have preferred Evga put the PCI-E x1 slot there for better accessibility. Across its I/O backplane are a pair of GigE ports, eight USB 2.0 ports (four more internal), SPDIF optical and coaxial audio output ports, eSATA, FireWire, PS2 keyboard, and 8-channel HD Audio ports. The board also supports both AMD ATI CrossFireX graphics, as well as Nvidia 2- and 3-Way SLI configurations. For cooling, Evga employed a modest heatpipe design across the X58 chipset and another taller, stacked-fin heatpipe cooler on its CPU power array. Other design choices included internal power on, reset and clear CMOS, and external clear CMOS (located on the back I/O panel and wonderfully helpful) switches. However, we weren’t fond of the location of the 8-pin ATX power connector, which was wedged between the I/O backplane and power array heatsink.

For the overclocker, the X58 3X SLI’s BIOS has just about any option you’d want, including multiple voltage and frequency settings for CPU, memory, and chipset, as well as Intel’s new QPI serial link for the Core i7 processor. In addition, Evga bundles in its “Eleet” performance tuning software, which supplied a nice control panel interface courtesy of CPUID, developer of the CPU-Z diagnostic package. This private label version of CPU-Z let us adjust clock speeds, multipliers, and voltages, all via the comfort of a very intuitive and familiar interface that we’re sure many enthusiasts will recognize and appreciate. On standard air cooling alone, the board mustered a solid 4GHz overclock, up 800MHz from the stock speed of our Core i7-965 Extreme processor.

Benchmark-wise, this Evga board fell in the middle of the pack of X58-based motherboards we tested, besting Intel's own DX58S0 on occasion and trading victories with Gigabyte's GA-EX58 Extreme and Asus’ P6T Deluxe.

For a first effort out of the gate with an Intel design, Evga picked a winner with the Core i7 and the X58 Express chipset, and the end result is a motherboard worthy of your consideration.

by Dave Altavilla