X58 Roundup: Seven $200-300 Core i7 Boards

[Guest]

I would really like to know how the MSI X58 Pro LGA 1366 compares to the SLI version. It is a good priced board, and a LOT of people are enthusiasts but don't go SLI, but instead revise their GPU more often.

 

[avatar_raq]

For me it's a tie between ASUS and MSI boards..ASUS couls have been easily the sole winner but it failed me in its overclockability..
I hate gigabyte, they have poor customer support.

 

[Jim0615]

I'd like to know which manufactures where late or absent minded about sending you a review sample. It seems somewhat dishonest not to include all the information.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]Jim0615[/nom]I'd like to know which manufactures where late or absent minded about sending you a review sample. It seems somewhat dishonest not to include all the information.[/citation]

It seems somewhat dishonest to question the integrity of a site that disclosed as much as it could. Not including the missing products is punishment enough, the site isn't seeking retribution against companies who miss deadlines.

 

[bobiseverywhere]

Doh I was waiting in anticipation to see how my Gigabyte EX58-UD5 did in the gauntlet of Tests TH does, do you guys have any feedback on it if you happen to have any experience with it

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]bobiseverywhere[/nom]Doh I was waiting in anticipation to see how my Gigabyte EX58-UD5 did in the gauntlet of Tests TH does, do you guys have any feedback on it if you happen to have any experience with it[/citation]

All major manufacturers were invited, from Tier 1 to Tier 3. If you don't see it...

 

[machone]

I want to pass one little detail about the Asus P6T. I've built a PC around this board only to discover that the 4-pin CPU fan connector doesn't support 3-pin CPU fans when it comes to speed control. Trouble is, the highly acclaimed Noctua NH-U12P is supplied with 3-pin fans, and there's no way in the P6T's BIOS to set the CPU fan control to analog as opposed to PWM that the 4-pin fans use.

I asked Asus about this and just got back a canned "only supports 4-pin fans". If you use the stock cooler, no problem as it's a 4-pin. Use the Noctua and expect your fans to run all the time at one set speed.

The reviews (such as this one) all mention the fan speed control this board has, but all fail to mention this one little detail.

So far too, the 2 3-wire Chassis fan connectors seem to either run my chassis fans at full speed or turn them off. No effective speed control, and I've tried 2 different 3-wire fans so far with same results.

I'd be interested hearing about other's experiences with fan speed control on the Asus P6T.

 

[avatar_raq]

[citation][nom]machone[/nom]I want to pass one little detail about the Asus P6T. I've built a PC around this board only to discover that the 4-pin CPU fan connector doesn't support 3-pin CPU fans when it comes to speed control. Trouble is, the highly acclaimed Noctua NH-U12P is supplied with 3-pin fans, and there's no way in the P6T's BIOS to set the CPU fan control to analog as opposed to PWM that the 4-pin fans use.[/citation]
That's correct. I faced the same problem with a cheap ASUS mobo (P5K SE) and Zalman CNPS 9500, first I thought it's an issue for low-end mobos but I was surprized that most (if not all ASUS) mobos suffer from the same problem!!

 

[arkadi]

Well i don't know what got wrong with gigabyte, but i have build 5 rigs based on x58 from gigabyte with no problems what so ever. And i some what feel this article incomplete without them. It same as you make article on hard drives and exclude Segate, WD, Hitachi or Samsung.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]arkadi[/nom]Well i don't know what got wrong with gigabyte, but i have build 5 rigs based on x58 from gigabyte with no problems what so ever. And i some what feel this article incomplete without them. It same as you make article on hard drives and exclude Segate, WD, Hitachi or Samsung.[/citation]

So far as this article went, whoever chose not to participate didn't. You can't force anyone to participate.

 

[NuclearShadow]

Its strange how Gigabyte never sent their board. Since they advertise on this site right now there is a advertisement for one of their motherboards on the top of this page as I type this. Now your comparison doesn't even include them on the list and it certainly could assist the sales of Asus and MSI. Well sucks for Gigabyte I guess.

 

[rand777]

Any feedback on the i7 SuperMicro motherboards you are using? I'm planning to purchase one for it's supposed stability.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]rand777[/nom]Any feedback on the i7 SuperMicro motherboards you are using? I'm planning to purchase one for it's supposed stability.[/citation]

It's a good board. Unfortunately Supermicro wasn't able to deliver one on time. They also had concerns about putting a workstation-targeted board in an enthusiast board comparison, since it doesn't have the OC settings the other boards have.

Really, you have to go by features and price, all the boards were perfectly stable at stock speed.

 

[Karlsbad]

Am I missing the chart with list prices that seems relevant?

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]Karlsbad[/nom]Am I missing the chart with list prices that seems relevant?[/citation]

The prices become irrelevant within days, so everyone has to check the prices of all products they are considering imediately prior to purchase to actually get the best bang-for-the-buck. The only thing that remains relatively consistent is the order of which is least expensive.

 

[Guest]

I have been reading a ton of issues with all of these X58 boards and the BIOS problem.

My question to you is which one of these boards was easiest for you to get up and running stable with the least amount of BIOS headaches. This MOBO issue is the one thing holding me back from starting my I7 build. I just don't have the money to be splurging on a system and then have to worry about throwing money away on RMAs. I have just seen way too many reviews of DOAs and BIOS problems and I'm not going to be over clocking for a while because it will run all the games I currently play just fine.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]MLC[/nom]I have been reading a ton of issues with all of these X58 boards and the BIOS problem. My question to you is which one of these boards was easiest for you to get up and running stable with the least amount of BIOS headaches. This MOBO issue is the one thing holding me back from starting my I7 build. I just don't have the money to be splurging on a system and then have to worry about throwing money away on RMAs. I have just seen way too many reviews of DOAs and BIOS problems and I'm not going to be over clocking for a while because it will run all the games I currently play just fine.[/citation]
Here are the BIOS problems:
1.) One of the boards would not boot up. You don't see the motherboard in this comparison because the company behind it would not have had time to ship another sample. So that company was excluded.

2.) The BIOSTAR board required a publicly-available Beta BIOS to enable memory ratios higher than 4x (8x data rate, or DDR3-1066 at stock base clock). The Beta BIOS allowed ratios up to 8x (16x data rate) to be selected, but the board would not support memory speeds higher than DDR3-1838. Because 1838 is less than 1866, getting to 1838 required using the 1600 setting and overclocking base clock frequency.

 

[gorilla_cooch]

I think toms probably just got unlucky, I have this board and I hit 4.0 gigahertz stock voltage, and its rock solid, ran prime 95 for 29 hours stable.

 

[gorilla_cooch]

I have the asrock supercomputer board

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]gorilla_cooch[/nom]I think toms probably just got unlucky, I have this board and I hit 4.0 gigahertz stock voltage, and its rock solid, ran prime 95 for 29 hours stable.[/citation]

That's the reason yours didn't fail: You used stock voltage. Not everyone can really on a "lucky find" processor that reaches 4.0 GHz at stock voltage. Increased voltage also increases amperage, which can overload a voltage regulator.

 

[harlequin6791]

Sadly I decided not to chance it with the Asrock X58 that I had in hand after reading this review. I instead went with the EVGA x58 since it overclocked well and didn't fry the cpu on 2 boards. It depressed me to find out about this but I'm greatful. I just have to wait a few days for the new board thats all.

Thank god for newegg.

 

[Son_ganon]

Nice. But I am having a little problem with the msi board I bought. Please check it out.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/258221-30-platinum-problems-help

 

[spearhead]

[citation][nom]ART-T[/nom]Tom's; I know there are more MB manufacturer's out there. I don't expect you (or anyone) to do all of them. It may be that I am about to mention 1 of the 3 you said died. But what about the Intel board DX58SO.I would really love to know where the Intel board stacks up in this.[/citation]

Yes i wonder if it can be compatative. Intel is known to have reliable motherboards which are stable but also known for not being overclock friendly. Smackover seems to be quite a reasonable overclocker but i just beleve its more of an way to pricy entry range ment board rather then a good overclocker. for example look at its electrolyte caps those will smoke within a time limit :S i mean i would expact 100% solid for a price above €200,- still i dont say the board its self is bad its a great board really but its price is to high compared to compatative solutions.

 

[Guest]

i want to build a PC with core i7 920, can anybody tell me the suitable mother board and graphics card,

i am still thinking of this,,

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]sathishk[/nom]i want to build a PC with core i7 920, can anybody tell me the suitable mother board and graphics card,i am still thinking of this,,[/citation]

These were all good boards. I like the layout of DFI's LANParty DK X58-T3eH6 among the "under $250" boards, while EVGA offers a similar layout and pathway splitting for better performance on a third card. If you don't plan on 3-way SLI, the DFI board is a better deal.

If you really want to use just one card, the Asus P6T offers slightly better performance. Having its two x16 slots only two spaces apart doesn't make for the best SLI layout however.

So it really depends on what you want the board to do. Obviously if you're a day-trader and want eight monitors for tracking stocks and making trades, you could toss four single-slot cards in the Foxconn board. But anyone using just one or two graphics cards has many very good options.