Gigabyte EX58-UD4P Motherboard

Part Number	EX58-UD4P
Manufacturer	Gigabyte
Chipset	Intel X58
North Bridge	X58
Socket	LGA-1366
Processor Types	Core i7
Number of CPUs	1
Base Clock	1333MHz
Memory Type	DDR3
Memory Channels	Triple
Maximum Memory	24GB
External Graphics	PCI Express x16 x2 PCI Express x8
IGP	N/A
South Bridge	ICH10R
Audio	8-channel
IDE	133/100/66/33
SCSI	None
SATA	3.0 GB/s
RAID	0, 1, 5, 10
LAN	10/100/1000
Firewire	None
USB	USB 2.0
BIOS	Award
Form Factor	ATX

The board is designed to work with the latest Intel Core i7 processors. With the launch of the Core i7 975 CPU, the board needs new BIOS to support the new CPU. The board supports up to a 6.4GT/s Quick Path Interconnect. The QPI provides up to 25.6GB/second of transfer rate double that of the 1600MHz FSB of earlier Intel CPUs.

With the release of the Intel Core i7 CPUs the memory controller has been moved to the CPU instead of the Southbridge as on earlier CPUs. The new CPUs support triple channel memory compared to dual channel memory on earlier Intel CPUs. The EX58-UD4P supports up to 24GB of DDR3-2100MHz memory with XMP eXtended Memory Profile.

The X58 chipset is the first to support SLI and Crossfire on the same board natively. SLI works by having two of the same NVIDIA based video cards or three in the same motherboard. It improves application performance by up to 3x (with three cards). ATI’s equivalent is called CrossfireX. CrossfireX can have up to four ATI cards working together to improve performance. The EX58-UD4P supports 3-way Crossfire or SLI.

Ultra Durable 3 lowers system temperatures by delivering more efficient spreading of heat from critical areas of the motherboard. The board features 2 ounces of copper for both the Power and Ground layers which enhances durability improves energy efficiency and has greater margins of overclocking. Gigabyte uses solid capacitors with a 50000 hour lifespan to provide stable reliable and long lasting motherboards.

Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced provides better energy saving capabilities and enhanced system performance using the built in energy saving capabilities of the VRD 11.1 CPUs to save the maximum amount of energy over other solutions that do not support these features. DES has been retooled to work even when the user overclocks the system providing ultra stable ultra smooth overclocking performance. Gigabyte offers DualBIOS protection, allowing the user to safely update the BIOS.

The EX58-UD4P offers a Hardware OverVoltage Control IC which offers a higher range of voltage control options than other solutions. The OV controller also provides hardware linear real-time voltage control which means that there is no delay compared to the GPIO in past implementations. The OV ICs also allow for much finer voltage control allowing users to adjust the voltage by as little as 20mV allowing for better overclocking. The board has an OV Alert LED, an OC Alert LED, two sets of temperature LEDs, and onboard Power, Reset and Clear CMOS switches to make overclocking easier.

MSI 790GX-G65 Motherboard

Part Number	790GX-G65
Manufacturer	MSI
Chipset	AMD 790GX
North Bridge	790GX
Socket	Socket AM2+, Socket AM3
Memory speed	1066/800/667/533
Processor Types	Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core/Athlon 64/ Sempron/Phenom/Phenom II
Number of CPUs	1
HT Speed	Up to 5200MT/second
Memory Type	DDR3
Memory Channels	Double
Maximum Memory	16GB
External Graphics	PCI Express x16 x2
IGP	ATI 790GX
South Bridge	SB750
Audio	8-channel
IDE	133/100/66
SCSI	None
SATA	3.0 GB/s
RAID	0, 1, 0+1, 5, 10
LAN	10/100/1000 4 LAN Ports
Firewire	IEEE 1394a
USB	USB 2.0
BIOS	AMI
Form Factor	ATX

The MSI board is based upon AMD's 790GX chipset. There are three things that this chipset has support for AM3 CPUs, DDR3 memory and integrated graphics. The Socket AM3 is a 938-pin package designed to support the latest AM3 CPUs. The memory controller is on the processor, meaning that the AM3 CPUs support DDR3 memory and this board supports it as well. Integrated HD 3300 graphics are the top of the heap in terms of performance for integrated graphics solutions.

AMD has launched several AM3 CPUs including the 810 we are using in this review, the 720 X3 and 710 X3 CPUs and more to come later this month. Due to the nature of the interface, AM3 CPUs will work on AM2+ boards, but AM2+ CPUs will not work on AM3 boards due to the missing pins and the use of DDR3 memory for system memory that is not supported by the AM2+ CPU.

APS stands for Active Phase Switching. APS uses the lower power modes of the CPU, memory and Chipset PWM when the system is not under load. Power savings of up to 27.6% are observed with APS enabled compared to a motherboard without APS. Auto Max FSB allows the overclocker to overclock quickly and automatically.

M-Flash allows the user to update the BIOS simply by using a USB drive. You can also sboot from a USB drive by using M-Flash if the BIOS crashes. MSI uses all Solid capacitors as is the custom with most motherboard manufacturers. Solid capacitors have a longer lifespan than regular capacitors and are much less likely to leak than the older capacitors. Chokes are inductors responsible for storing power and regulating current. Shielded chokes reduce core power loss and offer lower EMI emissions.

The integrated graphics core on the board is the HD 3300 from ATI. The HD 3300 has a core clock speed of 700MHz compared to the 500MHz core clock speed found on the HD 3200 on the earlier 780GX motherboard chipsets. The HD 3300 supports all features of DirectX 10.0 and in fact is a HD 2400XT modified for the motherboard with 40 SPs. MSI outfits their 790GX-G65 with 1 Gigabit for SidePort memory. SidePort memory works with your system memory to provide integrated graphics and can improve performance 15% over using the system memory alone.

ASUS M4N72-E Motherboard

Part Number	M4N72-E
Manufacturer	ASUS
Chipset	NVIDIA nForce 750a
North Bridge	nForce 750a
Socket	Socket AM2+, Socket AM3
Memory speed	1066/800/667/533
Processor Types	Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core/Athlon 64/ Sempron/Phenom/Phenom II
Number of CPUs	1
HT Speed	Up to 5200MT/second
Memory Type	DDR2
Memory Channels	Double
Maximum Memory	16GB
External Graphics	PCI Express x16 x2
IGP	NVIDIA GeForce 8200 for Hybrid SLI only
South Bridge	NVIDIA nForce 750a
Audio	8-channel
IDE	133/100/66
SCSI	None
SATA	3.0 GB/s
RAID	0, 1, 0+1, 5, 10
LAN	10/100/1000 4 LAN Ports
Firewire	IEEE 1394a
USB	USB 2.0
BIOS	AMI
Form Factor	ATX

The NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI chipset was released in 2008 for the AMD AM2+ platform. AMD CPUs based upon the AM3 platform may be used in AM2+ motherboards, but the reverse is not true due to the missing support for DDR3 and two extra pins. That's one of the benefits on the AMD platform while Intel CPUs force the changing of the motherboard every year it seems like, the AMD platform allows backwards compatibility for the most part.

The M4N72-E motherboard has at its heart the nForce 750a SLI NorthBridge. This NB supports SLI which means that you can use two NVIDIA graphics cards in tandem to improve performance in games and applications that support them. The chipset only supports 22 PCI Express lanes so when two cards are installed the two PCI Express x16 slots operate in x8 x8 mode. In any event the performance loss from going from x16 to x8 isn't worth writing home about.

The M4N72-E has support for DDR2-1200MHz memory when overclocked. As the memory controller on AMD platforms is on the CPU and not the chipset, the maximum memory supported when not overclocked is DDR2-1066MHz memory when an AM2+ or AM3 CPU is installed on the motherboard. As noted the AM3 CPU can be installed on an AM2+ motherboard if the BIOS are flashed to support the CPU. The M4N72-E supports DDR2 memory only.

The M4N72-E has an 8-phase power design meaning that it can deliver high power efficiency and great overclocking ability. There's also an additional 2 (or 1) phase power dedicated to the integrated memory/HT controller. The M4N72-E has Anti-Surge protection, allowing safe operation without worry from power surges. The Energy Processing Unit saves power by using the low power settings of the AM2+/AM3 CPU to save energy. AI Nap puts the system in minimum power mode.

ASRock A780GMH/128M Motherboard

Part Number	A780GMH/128M
Manufacturer	ASRock
Chipset	780G
North Bridge	780G
Socket	Socket AM2+, Socket AM3
Memory speed	1066/800/667/533
Processor Types	Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core/Athlon 64/ Sempron/Phenom/Phenom II
Number of CPUs	1
HT Speed	Up to 5200MT/second
Memory Type	DDR2
Memory Channels	Double
Maximum Memory	16GB
External Graphics	PCI Express x16
IGP	ATI Radeon HD 3200
South Bridge	SB710
Audio	8-channel
IDE	133/100/66
SCSI	None
SATA	3.0 GB/s
RAID	0, 1, 0+1, 5, 10
LAN	10/100/1000 4 LAN Ports
Firewire	IEEE 1394a
USB	USB 2.0
BIOS	AMI
Form Factor	ATX

This board is rather unique in being the only motherboard with the combination of a 780G (HD 3200) and the SB 710 Southbridge. The HD 3200 on the motherboard is a slower version of the HD 3300 found on motherboards with the 790GX chip on them. The HD 3200 is clocked at a clock speed of 500MHz for the core, compared to 700MHz on the HD 3300. The ASRock board also has 128MB of DDR3-1333MHz dedicated for an onboard frame buffer to speed up graphics.

Hybrid CrossfireX is an interesting but not very useful feature at this time. This works by combining the power of the HD 3200 with a discrete graphics card. The problem with Hybrid CrossfireX is that it only supports the HD 3450 card. Those wanting the ultimate in performance from their new AMD system would install a HD 4890 or HD 4870 instead of using the HD 3450 which will not improve performance that much.

AMD has moved from the Socket AM2+ interface found on earlier CPUs to the Socket AM3 interface with their 45 nanometer processors and adding support for DDR3 memory. The transition to the Phenom II series of CPUs means that there are AM2+ processors running faster than their AM3 counterparts. As there are two pins missing on the AM3 CPUs you can use AM3 CPUs on AM2+ motherboards, but can't use AM2+ CPUs on AM3 motherboards due to the missing support for DDR3 on the CPU.

XFX MB-X58I-CH19 Motherboard

Part Number	MBX58ICH19
Manufacturer	XFX
Chipset	Intel X58
North Bridge	Intel X58
Socket	LGA1366 Socket
Processor Types	Core i7
Number of CPUs	1
QPI	Up to 6.4GT/second
Memory Type	DDR3
Memory Channels	Triple
Maximum Memory	12GB
External Graphics	PCI Express x16 x3
IGP	None
South Bridge	ICH10R
Audio	8-channel
IDE	133/100/66
SCSI	None
SATA	3.0 GB/s
RAID	0, 1, 0+1, 5, 10
LAN	10/100/1000 4 LAN Ports
Firewire	IEEE 1394a
USB	USB 2.0
Expansion Slots
BIOS	AMIBIOS
Form Factor	ATX

The X58 chipset is Intel's first to support both SLI and Crossfire without an NVIDIA chip on the motherboard to support SLI. XFX uses the X58 chipset as the basis for this motherboard which supports up to 3-way SLI or 3-way Crossfire assuming you have the video cards to run them. Due to time constraints I was unable to run 3-way SLI or Crossfire testing.

Currently, the X58 chipset is the only one available to support Intel's Socket-1366 CPU in the form of the 920, 940 and 965 XE CPUs. The new CPU family has the memory controller on the CPU itself and not on the Southbridge as on previous Intel motherboard chipsets. In place of the Front Side Bus of the Core 2 Quad and earlier family we have the Quick Path Interconnect. QPI allows up to 6.4 Gigatransfers per second between the CPU and the chipset.

The X58 supports triple-channel memory, meaning that memory bandwidth is effectively tripled compared to single channel memory. The XFX board can handle up to 12GB of DDR3-1333MHz memory. Faster memory is available online and the board can support it through overclocking. Note that the X58i board has six DIMM slots, meaning that memory need to be installed in alternating slots to get triple channel mode.

Windows Vista was first released in 2006 and today is the default operating system for the majority of computers on the market. Vista introduced features like Windows Aero, Windows Sidebar, and improvements to the other Windows features. The X58 motherboard is Vista Premium Certified meaning that it will work well with the Windows Vista Operating system.

Hyper-Threading was introduced with the Intel Xeon CPUs. HTT allows the operating system to see a single processor as two logical processors. This allows the CPU to operate on two threads at the same time, improving performance when HTT is supported by the application. Intel's Matrix Storage technology controls the RAID array on the computer.

ASUS P6T SE Motherboard

Part Number	P6T SE
Manufacturer	ASUS
Chipset	Intel X58
North Bridge	Intel X58
Socket	LGA1366 Socket
Processor Types	Core i7
Number of CPUs	1
QPI	Up to 6.4GT/second
Memory Type	DDR3
Memory Channels	Triple
Maximum Memory	24GB
External Graphics	PCI Express x16 x3
IGP	None
South Bridge	ICH10R
Audio	8-channel
IDE	133/100/66
SCSI	None
SATA	3.0 GB/s
RAID	0, 1, 0+1, 5, 10
LAN	10/100/1000 4 LAN Ports
Firewire	IEEE 1394a
USB	USB 2.0
BIOS	AMIBIOS
Form Factor	ATX

This motherboard supports all current Intel Core i7 LGA-1366 CPUs including the 965, the 940 and the 920 CPUs on the market. The memory controller is integrated into the CPU supporting triple channel memory. Intel's Quick Path Interconnect is supported up to 6.4GT/second and a maximum bandwidth of 25.6GB/Second. The X58 chipset is the only one on the market to support the new Core i7 CPUs.

The board supports up to 24GB of DDR3 2000MHz DDR3 memory. Note that the maximum speed supported natively by the P6T SE is DDR3 1333 with faster speeds available through overclocking. The board supports Intel's Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) which uses the SPD to store overclocking profiles for the memory.

One thing this board does not support currently is NVIDIA's SLI configurations, which is their multiple GPU solution for improving game performance. Three-way Crossfire is supported as well as ATI's CrossfireX with two 4870 x2s, but though virtually every X58 board supports SLI this one does not. In fact every ASUS X58 motherboard except this one supports SLI.

TurboV is Asus's overclocking tool for Windows. This tool allows you to overclock without rebooting or exiting the Operating System. Adjustments of 0.02v intervals allow the end-user to change the voltages of the CPU PLL, NB, NB-PCIE, and DRAM with a lot of precision. Express Gate is ASUS's mini-OS that allows the user to boot into Linux within the span of a few seconds instead of a minute.

ASUS is one of the company's committed to saving the environment by reducing energy consumption and being environmentally friendly. The P6T SE has the EPU6 engine allowing it to use less power when in idle mode. The motherboard uses auto-phase switching for the CPU, VGA card, memory, chipset, drives and system fan to lower energy consumption when the computer doesn't need the extra power.

ASUS put a lot of work into cooling the motherboard. They use a fanless design with a heatsink covering the Northbridge with a heatpipe leading out to the back panel IO area. This allows the CPU fan or bundled optional fan to be utilized to reduce overall heat in the system by using these fans to cool the heated air. Stack Cool 2 transfers the heat from the critical components to the other side of the board. Fan Xpert allows users to adjust the CPU and Chassis fan speeds according to different ambient temperature. This allows the user to have less noise from the fans while keeping the CPU and chassis cool.

Asus Rampage II Extreme

Key Specs

Form Factor: ATX
Chipset: Intel X58
CPU Socket: LGA1366
PCIe Slots: Three PCIe x16; two x1
PCI Slots: 1
RAM Slots/Multichannel Support: Six/triple channel
Maximum RAM: 12GB
Onboard Graphics: No

The Asus Rampage II Extreme motherboard is the newest entry in the company's Republic of Gamers line, offering slick looks and extensive support for overclocking. This pricey ($399) board based on Intel's X58 chipset supports Socket 1366 Intel Core i7 CPUs and is aimed at performance fiends for whom raw speed and configurability are more important than cost.

If you like to show off the insides of your PC, you'll be happy to know that the Rampage II Extreme's design screams performance. The black board is accented by gunmetal gray heat sinks with Ferrari red highlights, plus an LED-lit chipset cooler that looks a lot like an engine block cover. The board boasts three PCI Express (PCIe) x16 slots (which run in x16/x16 with two graphics cards or x16/x16/x8 with three cards) and supports both Nvidia SLI and ATI CrossFireX. Asus's other X58 board, the P6T Deluxe, has a board layout that restricts you to single-width graphics cards; the Rampage II Extreme can support three double-width cards.

The board also sports a pair of PCIe x1 slots and a single PCI slot. Six memory slots support DDR3 DRAM at up to 1,800MHz, and there are seven (yes, seven) SATA hard drive connectors as well as IDE and floppy ports. External expansion is robust as well, with 12 USB 2.0 ports (six of which are on the back panel), two FireWire ports, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, and an external SATA (eSATA) port.

Like the MSI X58 Eclipse, the Rampage II Extreme bundles an EAX-compatible PCIe x1 sound card, offering better, cleaner sound quality than typical onboard sound solutions. But while MSI includes an actual low-end Creative X-Fi card, the Asus solution is based on the ADI AD2000B audio codec. Its X-Fi support is provided by the drivers, enabling EAX 4.0, Crystalizer, and other typical Creative functions through software. Sound quality is excellent; with a Core i7 CPU, any additional CPU usage by the drivers is going to go unnoticed.

The Rampage II Extreme includes an external LCD Poster status module that lets you view boot status and error messages. It connects directly to the motherboard, rather than using USB the way the external display included with the P6T Deluxe does, so it starts working before the operating system loads.

If there was any doubt that this board is aimed at extreme tweakers, it dissolves when you see that the BIOS settings open directly on the overclocking screen. There's a big, red power button right on the board, to let you test and tweak the board outside of a case. That's accompanied by a Reset button, as well as a small joystick that works with the LCD Poster to let you manually adjust voltages and clock speeds. If you don't trust the voltage readouts the motherboard provides, a set of two-pin headers is provided to allow technical users to connect a multimeter directly to various subsystems, such as CPU and DRAM, to measure the voltage. The Voltiminder LEDs on the board offer color-coded warnings if you push voltage too high.

The board has two BIOS chips. This offers security should a flash upgrade go awry, and Asus allows you to switch between two different BIOS versions. You could run one version when stability is key, and switch to a newer beta version when you want to push performance to the limit.

For performance enthusiasts not familiar with the minutiae of overclocking settings, Asus includes CPU Level Up software, which lets you easily select from preset overclocking levels.

Testing with a 2.66MHz Core i7-920 processor and the stock Intel cooler, in conjunction with a 1,333MHz DDR3 Triple Channel Memory Kit from OCZ, we easily reached the same 3.34GHz speed we achieved with the Asus P6T motherboard, using only Auto settings for voltages. The system was stable as a rock at this speed, and with a better cooler and appropriate tweaking, there's no doubt the Rampage II Extreme could have pushed the processor much faster.

The Rampage II Extreme is heavy on bells and whistles, while foregoing gimmicks. It's overkill for those running their CPUs at stock speeds, but for performance enthusiasts who want to push their rigs to the limit, it's well-equipped and then some. Only the lack of full x16-channel support on all three PCIe graphics slots is likely to disappoint

Intel Desktop Board DX58SO

Key Specs

Form Factor: ATX
Chipset: X58
CPU Socket: LGA1366
PCIe Slots: Two PCIe x16; one PCIe x4; two PCIe x1
PCI Slots: One
RAM Slots: Four (triple-channel)
Maximum RAM: 16GB
Onboard Graphics: None

The DX58SO may be officially billed as the Intel Desktop Board Extreme Series DX58SO, but its code name—"Smackover"—and the robotic skull surrounding the Intel logo on the chipset’s heat sink are good indicators that this new motherboard is aimed squarely at the enthusiast crowd. With support for dual graphics cards, extensive overclocking options for both processor and memory, and a full load of ports, Intel’s new board is ready to capture the eyes of enthusiasts who’d typically embrace performance brands like Asus and MSI.

This ATX motherboard is one of the first to use Intel’s new LGA1366 socket and X58 Express chipset, supporting the new Core i7 processor series. The DX58SO officially supports memory speeds of up to 1,333MHz, though overclocking options will let you use 1,600MHz or faster memory. The board has four DIMM slots, accommodating up to 16GB of RAM. For best performance, you’ll want to populate three of them to enable triple-channel access, which significantly increases memory bandwidth.

Intel’s BIOS has deep overclocking options, letting you adjust the maximum multipliers by processor core and increase the host clock frequency, which replaces the front-side bus as the tweaking value of choice for enthusiasts looking to up the speed of ratio-locked processors like the Core i7-920 and Core i7-940. When using the multiplier-unlocked Core i7-965, you can adjust Intel’s dynamic overclocking feature and increase the maximum multiplier depending on how many cores are in use. For instance, you might run at 3.86GHz when only one or two cores are stressed but drop to a stock 3.2GHz when all four cores are in use. You can make many overclocking adjustments on the fly from within Windows, using the Intel Desktop Control Center software.

The DX58SO does away with most legacy ports. Not only is there no PS/2 keyboard port or IDE hard drive connector, but the floppy connector is AWOL as well. The board is generously equipped with six Serial ATA ports (though one will be blocked if you use a long, double-wide graphics card like the GeForce 9800 GX2). And the DX58SO has loads of modern expansion ports, with a whopping eight USB 2.0 connectors on the back panel, along with Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire, digital and analog audio, and two external SATA (eSATA) ports. The motherboard has four additional internal USB connectors, as well as internal FireWire, Consumer Infrared, and HD audio ports. The board’s eight-channel HD audio comes courtesy of a RealTek ALC889 codec.

The DX58SO includes two PCI Express (PCIe) x16 slots, which can support a pair of AMD graphics cards in CrossFireX mode, as well as one PCIe x4 slot, a pair of PCIe x1 slots, and a single PCI slot. Though X58 boards are technically capable of supporting both CrossFireX and SLI dual-graphics setups, Intel and Nvidia haven’t worked out the proper licensing agreements for the DX58SO for SLI support.

Overall, the DX58SO’s layout is good, putting most ports in easy-to-reach spots at the perimeter of the board. The heat-sink designs let you install huge coolers without worrying about conflicts. A small snap-on fan, lit by a blue LED, is included for the chipset heat sink. It’s somewhat loud, however, so you’ll want to forgo it unless you’re pushing up the host clock frequency.

Though it lacks extreme features such as the six memory slots of the Asus P6T Deluxe, the Intel DX58SO is a stable, well-equipped platform with a good set of overclocking features for both casual tweakers and hard-core performance fans.

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Though the P6T Deluxe OC Palm edition is Asus’s first board supporting Intel’s new Core i7 processor, its design is anything but conservative. Where Intel’s DX58SO board supports overclocking, the P6T Deluxe invites it out for dinner and a movie. Add in tons of expandability, both SLI and CrossFireX support, and the unique OC Palm external display, and the P6T is an excellent foundation for a high-performance Core i7 system.

The P6T Deluxe is based on Intel’s X58 chipset. It uses the new LGA1366 socket, allowing you to install the standard Core i7 CPU or the Extreme Edition. Gamers will be pleased that the board supports both Nvidia's SLI and AMD's CrossFireX for using up to three graphics cards together, so they’re no longer tied to one brand or the other. (Not all X58 boards support SLI, as Nvidia requires board manufacturers to pay a licensing fee.) An unusual feature is the presence of a whopping six memory slots, allowing you to add memory in sets of three to take advantage of the Core i7’s increased bandwidth with triple-channel memory.

As you’d expect from an Asus enthusiast board, the P6T Deluxe’s BIOS has detailed overclocking features for adjusting a wide variety of CPU and memory timings and voltages. The BIOS has settings for memory speeds up to 1,600MHz with standard Core i7s, or up to 2,000MHz with the Extreme Edition. The board also includes TurboV software, which lets you adjust a number of speed and voltage settings on the fly from within Windows.

We tested the board with the entry-level Core i7 920. By pairing this $284 CPU with OCZ’s new DDR3 PC3-10666 Platinum Low-Voltage Triple Channel Memory Kit, which supports 1,333MHz speeds with low latency, we were able to match the performance of the $999 Core i7 965 Extreme Edition in most of our tests. The RAM’s extra speed headroom over 1,066MHz memory let us easily push the 2.66GHz Core i7 920 to 3.34GHz by upping the basic system bus speed from 133MHz to 166MHz. The P6T made the overclocking easy, with no need to adjust CPU voltages.

The “OC Palm” in the name refers to a small USB device with a color LCD, directional pad, and a few buttons. You can pick up the OC Palm and adjust the TurboV overclocking settings, allowing you to push the system a little faster from inside games or other applications. You can also use it to monitor temperatures and voltages, or to view Yahoo Widgets.

The P6T Deluxe includes the Asus EPU energy-management feature, which lets you reduce voltage to a variety of components to save power, either manually or automatically based on load. Unfortunately, the EPU features only work when you’re running at stock clock speeds. That’s disappointing, given how many of this board’s features are geared toward overclocking.

Designed with enthusiasts in mind, the board features onboard power and reset switches, so you can set it up and power it on without connecting the front panel of a PC case. We would have liked to see a button to clear the BIOS settings; the board uses a traditional jumper.

The P6T Deluxe is loaded with ports. There are eight USB connectors on the back panel, connectors for six more on the motherboard, as well as dual Gigabit Ethernet ports and a pair of FireWire connectors. On the storage front, you’ll find six Serial ATA (SATA) ports, one external SATA (eSATA) connector, and two Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) ports that support either SAS or SATA drives. The P6T Deluxe has onboard eight-channel audio with analog and digital outputs. Despite all this, Asus still managed to fit legacy ports on the board, with an IDE drive connector, a floppy port, and a single PS/2 mouse/keyboard connector. On the expansion-slot front, you’ll find three PCI Express (PCIe) x16 slots, one PCIe x4 slot, and a pair of PCI slots.

For such a full-featured board, particularly one featuring six RAM slots, the layout is comfortable to work with. The chipset heat sinks are fairly low-profile and shouldn’t cause any conflicts with large CPU coolers. The second and third PCIe x16 slots are adjacent to each other, however, so you can’t install three double-width graphics cards together. For a three-card setup, at least two cards will have to be single-slot models. You can use a pair of wide cards, such as two GeForce GTX 280s or a pair of Radeon HD 4870 X2s.

The P6T Deluxe is an excellent foundation for a high-performance Core i7 system. We wish we could shift to power-saving mode without having to first manually disable overclocking, but that’s about the only nit we have to pick with this powerful, stable board. It has something for everyone: Gamers will appreciate the ability to choose SLI or CrossFireX, performance-minded tweakers will find tons of settings to play with, and people who leave their PCs on 24/7 will appreciate the power-saving features.

Asus P6T Deluxe

Key Specs

Form Factor: ATX Chipset: Intel X58 CPU Socket: Intel LGA1366 PCIe Slots: Three PCIe x16; one PCIe x4 PCI Slots: Two RAM Slots: Six (triple-channel) Maximum RAM: 12GB DDR3 Onboard Graphics: None

Though the P6T Deluxe OC Palm edition is Asus’s first board supporting Intel’s new Core i7 processor, its design is anything but conservative. Where Intel’s DX58SO board supports overclocking, the P6T Deluxe invites it out for dinner and a movie. Add in tons of expandability, both SLI and CrossFireX support, and the unique OC Palm external display, and the P6T is an excellent foundation for a high-performance Core i7 system.

The P6T Deluxe is based on Intel’s X58 chipset. It uses the new LGA1366 socket, allowing you to install the standard Core i7 CPU or the Extreme Edition. Gamers will be pleased that the board supports both Nvidia's SLI and AMD's CrossFireX for using up to three graphics cards together, so they’re no longer tied to one brand or the other. (Not all X58 boards support SLI, as Nvidia requires board manufacturers to pay a licensing fee.) An unusual feature is the presence of a whopping six memory slots, allowing you to add memory in sets of three to take advantage of the Core i7’s increased bandwidth with triple-channel memory.

As you’d expect from an Asus enthusiast board, the P6T Deluxe’s BIOS has detailed overclocking features for adjusting a wide variety of CPU and memory timings and voltages. The BIOS has settings for memory speeds up to 1,600MHz with standard Core i7s, or up to 2,000MHz with the Extreme Edition. The board also includes TurboV software, which lets you adjust a number of speed and voltage settings on the fly from within Windows.

We tested the board with the entry-level Core i7 920. By pairing this $284 CPU with OCZ’s new DDR3 PC3-10666 Platinum Low-Voltage Triple Channel Memory Kit, which supports 1,333MHz speeds with low latency, we were able to match the performance of the $999 Core i7 965 Extreme Edition in most of our tests. The RAM’s extra speed headroom over 1,066MHz memory let us easily push the 2.66GHz Core i7 920 to 3.34GHz by upping the basic system bus speed from 133MHz to 166MHz. The P6T made the overclocking easy, with no need to adjust CPU voltages. More...