ConclusionWe are well into the life cycle of the Intel X58 chipset and have seen a good number of motherboards hit the market. Most of the X58 segment is directed at the high-end and thus, most of the motherboards have been in the $300+ range offering plenty of power, features, and abilities. At the beginning of the review today we described the Classified as the man that the X58 3X SLI grew into. This couldn't have been stated any better. It offers more features, more power, and more abilities. The EVGA X58 3X SLI Classified is everything that EVGA had wanted it to be...the best motherboard the X58 chipset has been on.
The layout of the Classified is not only as good as the DFI X58-T3eH8 and the EVGA X58 3X SLI, but better. The ability to offer 3X SLI (or Crossfire for that matter) with an available 1X slot and additional 16X slot for dedicated PhysX is not something anyone else can claim. The location of all connectors and buttons couldn't be placed any better. The CPU socket allots plenty of space for large CPU coolers, and the rear I/O panel is packed to the gills. Physically, the Classified is a mature Intel X58 based motherboard with very little room for improvement.  That little room for improvement - in our opinions - would be active cooling on the north bridge heat sink assembly, or at least the option for active cooling out of the box. We understand the spot EVGA is in trying to develop a passive solution to avoid cries of active cooling, but at the same time, we also understand the end user. Opening the box of a $500+ motherboard to find that you have to go out and buy a 40mm fan in order to get the most out of your new purchase is not exactly a good feeling. Like waking up Christmas morning to your new remote control car but your parents didn't realize you need a 9V battery for the remote control. The motherboard performs admirably without active cooling, and with the smallest amount of active air the Classified turns into a monster. It is a small oversight but an oversight in our eyes none the less.
Aside from the passive cooling assembly, the Classified really couldn't have impressed us any more than it did. Our 24/7 testing on standard air cooling kept up to every single motherboard we have tested and surpassed them all in clocking our i7 965 Extreme Edition. Switching over to bench mode was a piece of cake with simple insulation and the LN2 results speak for themself. This motherboard has quickly become the go to motherboard for professional benchmarkers because it is built like a tank. It pushes hardware like we haven't seen before, and it keeps coming back for more. As much as I hate to quote Charlton Heston, if you want to take the EVGA X58 3X SLI Classified away from me, you will have to pry it from my cold dead hands.
The question we asked at the beginning was not whether the motherboard was worth its price tag to me, a benchmarker. We asked if the price tag was worth it for everyone. Unfortunately we can't stand here and say the Classified is worth the money for everyone. It won't turn your air cooled 920 into an LN2 cooled 965. The Classified won't allow you to magically crank your BCLK up to 250 allowing more overclocking on 920 processors. The Classified won't transform your PC3-12800 CL8 6GB kit of memory into Corsair Dominator-GTs running at DDR3-2000 7-8-7. What the Classified will do is allow you to actually find the limit of your processor under sub-zero conditions. The Classified will allow you to push your memory as far as any other board. The Classified will look unbelievably sexy in a red lit black interior case with a water cooling loop and a kit of Dominator-GTs. For the extra $150~$200 you are going to pay over the original X58 3X SLI, there are some people who will read this review and find it worth it for them. For the average user though, it is definitely difficult to justify unless you have the money and have one of the specific needs that only the Classified fills. Pros:- Layout...better than the original which was great to start with
- Stands tall above all others when it comes to overclocking on air or LN2
- Feature rich with the best software money doesn't have to buy, E-LEET
- Flexibility for any kind of setup, no matter how many expansion cards you have
- A color scheme modders will drool over for their next build
Cons:- The passive cooling needs help from a fan, like other passive X58 motherboards
- The best motherboard money can buy, but also the most money you can spend on a motherboard
We would like to thank all of the folks over at EVGA for their continued hard work in the forums and behind the scenes.
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