X58 In 2010: Four LGA 1366 Boards With USB 3.0 And SATA 6Gb/s

[Guest]

Crashman: I have a Xeon 3520 here together with some Kingston ecc, wonder what budget board would fit it best (don't need any of the remote management or pcix stuff, just stable and durable)

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]antalya_[/nom]Crashman: I have a Xeon 3520 here together with some Kingston ecc, wonder what budget board would fit it best (don't need any of the remote management or pcix stuff, just stable and durable)[/citation]

I'm not really sure which board would be best for you, because I don't have a list of boards that have ECC support. I've noticed a couple companies have ADDED support for ECC to capture the interest of Xeon owners, however.

 

[Guest]

Crashman: thanks for the input. I believe ecc is something that needs to be wired in hardware. The asrock one advertises ecc support, but not everyone seems to be a fan of that company.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]antaya[/nom]Crashman: thanks for the input. I believe ecc is something that needs to be wired in hardware. The asrock one advertises ecc support, but not everyone seems to be a fan of that company.[/citation]

I believe it is wired in hardware for a bunch of boards, but not enabled in BIOS. Remember, the CPU has the memory controller.

 

[blacksun]

From ASRock, ECC function works well for Xeon W3520 on all their X58 M/B.

 

[notty22]

Do I need ECC or non-ECC Memory?
http://www.computer-memory-upgrade-stick.com/ecc-vs-non-ecc.htm

Currently the primary source of soft errors in SDRAM is electrical disturbance caused by cosmic rays, which are very high-energy subatomic particles originating in outer space

 

[sascuas]

I used to have the Asus P6T Deluxe V2 and I sell it out to upgrade it to the Gigabyte X58A-UD7, same configuration but different mobo: i7 920, 6GB DDR3 1333 (triple channel), Gigabyte ATI 4850 1GB DDR5 (the silent model), 3 WD 2TB hard drives, PSU BeQuiet 650W, DVDRW LG.
Since I changed it I hear a noise coming from the inside, not sure from where, but I try change the ATI for other one, unplug the HDs, change the PSU, the noise is still there. Is like a whining, very high pitch. I look for this problem in the internet but no one notice it, I contact Gigabyte and they answer me that I need to get in tocuh with my retail store. Since I bought it alone they don't care about it, they try it and with teir components it doesn't sound at all.
Please if someone has an answer I will appresiated. Thank you.

 

[sascuas]

I suppose is understand but with the Asus it didn't sound at all. Thank you.

 

[blacksun]

VT2020 which ASRock uses is the only one which can support Dolby TrueHD & DTS HD Master Audio up to 7.1channel 192KHz/24-bit. ALC889 can only support 2ch 192KHz/24-bit Dolby TrueHD & DTS HD Master Audio.

 

[Guest]

ok Now we have this audio along with much better placement pci expansion slots, over 20 dollars cheaper. I am still undecided so please can we have a little info on what exactly besides company name makes the gigabyte board a better value so i can better understand why i should pass on the asrock for the gigabyte. please not well if thats what you want. please what makes the gigabyte board better. thanks

 

[cartmanrules]

[citation][nom]Sihastru[/nom]AsRock is one of the manufacturers that is best to be avoided, anyway, the article is interesting at least in comparing the UD3R with the UD7, and while there is a price difference, there isn't really any performance difference. UD3R should also allow for OK overclocks, even if not quite on par with UD7... The small lead the Asus board has is because of it's almost 1MHz bus speed advantage.[/citation]

I'm talking from my own experience, but since I started assembling computers in 2003 I've had 1 (YES, ONE) RMA board from AsRock out of, approximately, 900 units. When we began on business we were 80% Asus and 20% AsRock/Gigabyte/MSI but from 2007 we realised about the high number of returning Asus owners with all kind of issues in their MoBos so we started to try other makers. Since then, we sell 50% Gigabyte and 50% AsRock and the RMAs are forgotten in the past. Next time I sell this AsRock model I'll take a little time to do the tests explained in this article, but at the moment all my customers didn't tell me anything wrong about their new computers... In fact, about AsRock reliability, I still receive the visit of my first customers with their old machines to clean up viruses or upgrade them, so it's a proof that it's a great brand.

 

[tigershark]

For the Gigabyte UDR3 board: "Marvell’s 88SE9128 provides the two SATA 6Gb/s ports via a single 5.0 Gb/s PCIe 2.0 interface." HUH? 12 > 5 or is there some multiplier I'm forgetting?

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]tigershark[/nom]For the Gigabyte UDR3 board: "Marvell’s 88SE9128 provides the two SATA 6Gb/s ports via a single 5.0 Gb/s PCIe 2.0 interface." HUH? 12 > 5 or is there some multiplier I'm forgetting?[/citation]Nope, you're just missing the marketing stuff. PCIe 2.0 is 5.0 gigabits per lane, just like PCIe 1.1 was 2.5 gigabits per lane. Now you can see how ludicrous some of these add-in-controller configurations are.

6 gigabits might be possible in drive-to-drive copying using that controller's two ports, but copying something to two drives is going to drag you down in the opposite direction.

If you look back at some of the "super" features of previous-generation boards you'll also find that several manufacturers added SATA hubs to their PCIe 1.1 controllers, serving up to 4x 3 gigabit (SATA) plus 2x 1.3 gigabit (UATA 133) drives from a 1x 2.5 gigabit lane. People should be infuriated by the suggestion that these "super" ports were faster. Some companies even told their buyers to use these ports first, yet few people complained about the nonsense.

Welcome to the world of marketing

 

[tigershark]

This will make a big difference for me because I'm thinking about using a RAID 0 setup on 2 SATA 6Gb/s SSD's. With the least common multiple of 5 and 6 being 30, it would seem that adding 5 SATA 6Gb/s ports using 6 PCIe x 2.0 lanes would be the non-wasteful (bandwidth speaking) sweet spot. I would love to see an X58 based setup like that on say a mATX board which has less need for add in card lanes. Then again, maybe I just need to be patient and wait for another Intel chip refresh...

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]tigershark[/nom]This will make a big difference for me because I'm thinking about using a RAID 0 setup on 2 SATA 6Gb/s SSD's. With the least common multiple of 5 and 6 being 30, it would seem that adding 5 SATA 6Gb/s ports using 6 PCIe x 2.0 lanes would be the non-wasteful (bandwidth speaking) sweet spot. I would love to see an X58 based setup like that on say a mATX board which has less need for add in card lanes. Then again, maybe I just need to be patient and wait for another Intel chip refresh...[/citation]Or, get this, use SATA 3Gb/s ports already in the chipset. Seriously, have you noticed that the fastest 6Gb/s drives are only around 3.5Gb/s?

 

[oleahy]

These boards seem very similar in architecture and components. Can one assume that the build quality, materials, and architecture of the underlying PCB are also pretty much equivalent between all of these vendors?

 

[Guest]

I was keen on the Asrock, but after this review I am again at the crossroads! I want a MOBO that will keep me going for at least 3-5years without selling a boady part to buy a MOBO.

Should I wait to take the plung

 

[Clinker42]

I have been using an ASROCK X58 Extreme board for 6 months now, its been really good. Anyway I needed another board so I just purchased a GA-X58A-UDR3, big mistake that was.
The Gigabyte board is rubbish, complete and utter rubbish, In fact it is frikken useless and I probably wont use it.

1. The memory location is not near the edge of the board, it is 1 inch closer to the CPU so gues what, thats correct, a decent air cooler wont fit on.

2. I have dual ATI cards, Gigabyte have put the two x16 slots so close that when you install dual cards there is zero room between the two cards. Previously, my cards ran at 51 C with the fan speed set at 47%. When I restarted the cards are now running at 87C. I have had to turn the fan up to 80% to get the temp down to 55C and now I cant hear a thing as the fans are so noisy.

3. Sata 6 gb/s, ye right, they may advertise that, but when you read the user manual you find out that 8 ports are Sata 3 gb/s and only 2 ports are at 6gb/s.

4. USB 3, thats also bullshit, according to the user manual USB 1, 2 and 3 on the motherboard are USB 2.0, the only USB 3.0 is the back panel port. Bit hard to connect the case front panel USB 3.0 connectore to the motherboard back panel.

Overall I am disgusted in this board, very very poorly thought out and designed.

Id advise you guys to look at a different board.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]clinker42[/nom]The memory location is not near the edge of the board, it is 1 inch closer to the CPU so gues what, thats correct, a decent air cooler wont fit on.[/citation] If you really did own the board, you'd know that the difference is about 1/2 of what you stated. If you really did own a few big air coolers, you'd know that standard memory fits under the fans of most of the "really" big ones. I find it unlikely that anything you've said is trustworthy, and more likely that you're a plant.

 

[Clinker42]

Will hero, go and have a look at the picture of the board and then compare it to the ASROCK picture, you can see the difference. I have the Megahalem cooler and Corsair dominator ram and it will not fit, not even close.
So Crashman, your full of crap,
In fact I will go one better, I will put some pics on Photobucket and you can see for yourself the problems.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/clinker42/SDC10504816x612.jpg

This Pic you can see the height problem, you cant see how close it is to the ram as I have the cooler turned sideways but you can see it wont fit in height wise.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/clinker42/1-4.jpg

This pic you can see the cooler sitting in sideways
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/clinker42/2-4.jpg

This pic you can see how the x-fire cards sit and how close they are.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/clinker42/3-2.jpg

Crashman,What do you have to say now. Do you want me to pull the board out and take better pics so you can see that Im correct and you are wrong.

 

[Clinker42]

Here ya go, this is how far the ram is inwards, its not aligned perfectly but its close enough for you too see, when lined up perfect the 1st ram slot on the Gigabyte board is level with the 3rd ram slot on the ASROCK.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/clinker42/SDC10505816x612.jpg

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]clinker42[/nom]I have the Megahalem cooler and Corsair dominator ram and it will not fit, not even close. So Crashman, your full of crap...Im correct and you are wrong.[/citation]Wait, you're trying to put SIX oversized modules AND an oversized cooler on at the same time, and you're saying I'm wrong? How about I simply prove that I'm right?

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/overclock-cpu-gpu,2643-6.html

BTW, I love the way you hold the board in the last photo to exaggerate the 1/2" difference.

 

[Clinker42]

Whoopdee doo, I know that can be done like in the link, as its exactly how I have mine set up right now. But you obviously know nothing. You have to mount the cooler sideways for it to fit, in the link they have their cooler sideways as well. Then if you put a fan on the cooler you cannot put a fan on the ram. The fan cannot go on the other side as it hits the case. Then you cannot put a lid on the case that has a fan in it as because the cooler is sideways it hits the fan before the lid can be closed. Now you havent mentioned how close the Graphics cards are either, look at em, nearly touching, what do you say about my card temps going from 51 degrees to 87 degrees just by the motherboard change. Even in that link you provided, there is now way those two graphics cards will last when they are that close.

I did say the line up in the pic wasnt perfect, but just for you I measured the difference with the verniers, The Gigabyte RAM is 22 mm,s closer to the CPU than it is on an ASROCK board. Are you going to mention the USB 3.0 and SATA 6 GB,s issue as well.

Maybe you are the plant and are from Gigabyte. People who buy these boards do so, so that they can fit big ram, big coolers, big fans and big graphics cards. Not put little stuff on them.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]clinker42[/nom]Whoopdee doo, I know that can be done like in the link, as its exactly how I have mine set up right now. But you obviously know nothing. You have to mount the cooler sideways for it to fit, in the link they have their cooler sideways as well. Then if you put a fan on the cooler you cannot put a fan on the ram. The fan cannot go on the other side as it hits the case. Then you cannot put a lid on the case that has a fan in it as because the cooler is sideways it hits the fan before the lid can be closed. Now you havent mentioned how close the Graphics cards are either, look at em, nearly touching, what do you say about my card temps going from 51 degrees to 87 degrees just by the motherboard change. Even in that link you provided, there is now way those two graphics cards will last when they are that close.I did say the line up in the pic wasnt perfect, but just for you I measured the difference with the verniers, The Gigabyte RAM is 22 mm,s closer to the CPU than it is on an ASROCK board. Are you going to mention the USB 3.0 and SATA 6 GB,s issue as well.Maybe you are the plant and are from Gigabyte. People who buy these boards do so, so that they can fit big ram, big coolers, big fans and big graphics cards. Not put little stuff on them.[/citation]No, I'm just going to mention that the space between the outline on your ASRock motherboard and the RAM is the only extra space you get, it's about 13mm. If you want USB3 and SATA 6Gb/s on ASRock, you get the same ads with the same limitations, but half the time its via an expansion card. So, in other words, you started out by claiming something that wasn't true, went on to prove that you don't even know the proper direction for a CPU cooler, and the only two things that were even close to being honest is that your 6-DIMM memory cooler doesn't fit, and that Gigabyte's slots are one space closer together.

 

[avatar_raq]

@ Crashman and Clinker:
I personally installed the megahalems on both P6X58D premium and the extra wide Rampage II Extreme with 1 and 2 fans and 6 GB (3x2GB) G.Skill PI Ram sticks and it was a close fit in both, I also noticed, by comparing the pics that the UD3 has the ram closer to the CPU than the P6X58D by 1 slot, so I believe it is problematic if you use tall rams and a fan pushing towards the rear of the case..The SBM photos you linked doesn't exclude that simply becasue you have used the naked (heatsink-less) award-winning crucial sticks!
One more point: To install a fan at the side panel of my antec 902, I had to remove about 4 cm of the upper part of the fan frame, otherwise the case wasn't wide enough to fit both the tall megahalems and the side fan!!! It was a nightmare !!