EVGA X58 SLI LGA 1366 Motherboard Review

Included Software: EVGA E-LEET Exposed

Now that we have the motherboard up and running, the next step is getting the drivers and software installed. EVGA has of course included a drivers CD, and this is what we will examine now.

Like the package, the software is very slick maintaining the same design philosophy. There are four internet links to four different sections of the EVGA web site along the top and then our menu of options down the right hand side. There are a number of options for us to choose from including the ability to create a RAID floppy disk for Windows XP installation on a RAID array and a direct link to some classy X58 SLI wallpapers utilizing the same design as the software interface. The first option is the Install Motherboard Drivers so let's start there.

The driver options for us to install include the chipset, audio, lan, and JMicron storage controller drivers. EVGA has also provided access to NVIDIA display drivers that are accessible from the main menu. The other option of interest on the main menu is the installation of E-LEET. At this point, we will focus our attention on EVGA's brand new software monitoring and Windows overclocking software that is designed around the CPU-Z software backend. This makes E-LEET not only quite useful, but very familiar to a lot of users in the enthusiast circles who have been CPU-Z veterans for years.

Installing E-LEET take but a couple minutes with no interaction from the user. There is no information to input and the install wizard has us up and running within a minute or two.

As mentioned, E-LEET is identical in its layout to CPU-Z and as we can see from the first couple images above, shows the exact same information as CPU-Z for the CPU and Memory tabs; but that is where the similarities end. While the two pieces of software share the same form, E-LEET surpasses CPU-Z in function immediately after the first two tabs. The third tab shown above is the monitoring tab. We have three sections, Voltages, Temperatures, and Fans. Any hardware reporting that is available in the BIOS is available on this tab within Windows. The readings appear to be very accurate and deciphering the information simply requires the ability to read.

Motherboard monitoring software provided by the manufacturer traditionally is very elaborate and un-necessarily fancy. EVGA has completely ditched the custom software that you can barely understand for an industry standard. This won't win them any points for originality, but the function of the software for enthusiasts is unbeatable. This is another minor indication that EVGA has really focused this board to the enthusiast and has listened to what we want. There is no better software to team up with than CPU-Z in our opinions, and EVGA has done an excellent job in implementing the idea.

These next two sections, Overclocking and Voltages are the heart of the new E-LEET software, your grandma's CPU-Z doesn't have these options. In the Overclocking section we can see that we have access to not only the QPI and PCI-E frequencies, but also the ability to adjust the CPU multiplier being used by the Turbo function. With the unlocked multiplier of the 965 we are using, this inherently gives us access to changing the multiplier of all cores within Windows to whatever we choose. All we have to do is Enable Turbo Mode in the BIOS and adjust as we please. With locked multiplier CPUs like the 920/940 of course, Turbo mode will only adjust the multiplier of a single core up two and of all cores up one. The CPU multiplier limit is currently 30X, QPI at 266MHz, and PCI-E at 198MHz with the latest version of E-LEET. There are also two check boxes on this page allowing us to turn on/off Turbo Mode as well as Brink O/C. This feature tells the software to automatically save a validation file whenever a QPI change is made through E-LEET. In essence, this is for the absolutely edge of stability overclockers looking for the absolutely highest frequency and saves the user of having to manually go save a validation file which can take many precious seconds when running that fine line of "running system" and "frozen system".

The Voltage tab is just that, where we can adjust voltages. The initial BIOS settings are listed when we first access the Voltage tab and as we can see, are represented by their actual values; except for vCORE. The vCORE is listed as +0.00000v and our options to adjust it are by +0.00625v. This is due to vCORE being set to AUTO in the BIOS. If we set a vCORE value in the BIOS, then that will show up here as the value like the rest of the voltage options.

The last tab in E-LEET is the Options tab. This section provides information about E-LEET and its CPUID heritage as well as a link to the E-LEET web site on EVGA.com. The E-LEET web site has all the latest information regarding E-LEET and a FAQ section explaining some of its features. The validation section at the top of the tab allows us to save a validation file to submit to the CPU-Z database, just like CPU-Z does. Again, with Brink O/C enabled, this is done automatically. The Profiles section allows us to save overclock settings and define them to an ALT+# keystroke shortcut. This is quite handy for not only 24/7 users who may want to set specific clocks for various daily uses like gaming, or power saving, but also benchmarkers as it will allow on-the-fly adjustments of system settings for benchmarks like 3DMark Vantage or 3DMark 06. Allowing us to maximize the graphics tests then slow the system down to where it is stable for CPU tests. The EVGA user Shamino has outlined this process in the EVGA forums here.The last section in the Options tab simply allows us to tell E-LEET to stop polling the system for the monitoring numbers. This will allow us to keep E-LEET open without using up any precious CPU cycles during benching..

Overall E-LEET has been very impressive considering it is a manufacturer supplied overclocking and monitoring software. Changing base clock frequencies does have some quirks to it when jumping from high base clocks to low and vice-versa, but for the most part, the software is very predictable. What we really liked most was the interface and the fact that EVGA decided to utilize the CPU-Z developer option CPUID has offered. Anyone involved in overclocking is likely familiar with CPU-Z and that familiarity carries over nice to E-LEET. We definitely give EVGA two thumbs up for E-LEET and hope they continue to advance and develop the software.