DFI LanParty UT X58-T3eH8 LGA 1366 Motherboard Review

Hardware Installation

Recent motherboard reviews and subsequent discussions have led us to the conclusion that there can't be too many photos in the installation section. For this reason, we will forgo the usual enthralling conversation and focus more on photos. If you are comfortable, let's begin this little photographic story about the DFI LanParty UT X58-T3eH8 and how it handles popular hardware.

Stock Intel cooling...check. Obviously we didn't expect any issues, and of course there wasn't. With the black heat sinks of the Corsair Dominator modules blocking off the east side, we have a nice little corral for the CPU socket created by the north bridge heat sink.

The North/South orientation of the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme (TRUE), has been the nemesis thus far on the core i7 dance floor. The DFI X58-T3eH8 is no different in that it isn't 100% compatible with the tall Corsair Dominator memory. Yes, three modules in the green slots work perfectly with the TRUE in this orientation, but six modules wouldn't. This obviously doesn't apply if you are using standard height modules but with so many manufacturers releasing tall sticks, this is the primary installation test. Clearance over the surrounding motherboard heat sinks is great with the TRUE, and the fan attachment fits well either pushing or pulling. Let's now turn the TRUE 90 degrees to an East/West orientation.

This first item on the agenda was checking for overhang, and there is some. For users with absolutely no room above the motherboard in your case, this configuration is off limits. For those with the space at the top edge of the motherboard, this is a great little configuration. With fans in push/pull, the chipset, PWM, and memory temperatures are sure to be kept in check. This is one slick looking setup when we start to add black video cards into the mix.

Like the EVGA X58, this DFI X58 motherboard is laid out very nicely to handle any graphics card combination. The south bridge heat sink and 90 degree SATA connectors play no role with large GPUs, and the lower edge of the board accommodates dual slot cooled video cards in the bottom PCI-E 16X slot. There is no overhang so those with limited real estate at the bottom of their motherboard are in good shape. The PCI-E slots on this board offer dual 16X slots in the top and bottom slot as we have already discussed. This luxury offers better airflow when running two video cards. We also have access to the other 16X PCI-E slot and a PCI slot when running SLI. Unfortunately, with three-way SLI, there is just nothing left on the motherboard to use. There is just no way around this when running three GPUs.

These last photos explore the additional cooling solution known as the FlameThrower. This attachment provides additional cooling to the PWM/NB heat sink assembly. The Flame Thrower can be added to the PWM heat sink in the gap of the rear I/O panel, or it can be mounted within the NB heat sink. This second position makes no sense to us as it clearly interferes with the top PCI-E slots and really just runs havoc on the whole setup. Mounting the Flame Thrower out the rear of the case from the I/O panel makes much more sense and - in theory - would provide an additional avenue for heat to escape the case. We will be doing some testing on just whether or not the Flame Thrower actually helps the chipset and PWM cooling.

Let's now turn our attention to the BIOS of the DFI LanParty UT X58-T3eH8. DFI has been known for their complex yet powerful BIOSs in the past, it will be interesting to see how the X58 LanParty board compares to motherboards of past.