EVGA X58 3X SLI Classified LGA1366 Motherboard Review

Test Setup & Methodologies

Test Platform:
Motherboard:	EVGA X58 3X SLI Classified
Processor:	Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition
Processor Cooling:	Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme CU 2 x Scythe Ultra Kaze 120MM 2000RPM 87.6CFM (DFS123812L-2000)
North Bridge Cooling:	Stock
South Bridge Cooling:	Stock
PWM Cooling:	Stock
Memory:	Corsair Dominator-GT 3x2GB PC3-15000 7-8-7 (TR3X6G1866C7GTF) Corsair Dominator 3x2GB PC3-12800 8-8-8 (TR3X6G1600C8D)
Power Supply:	Corsair HX1000W
Video Card:	EVGA GTX 295 (NVIDIA GeForce 182.08 WHQL)
Additional Fans:	Scythe Ultra Kaze 120MM 2000RPM 87.6CFM (DFS123812L-2000)
Hard Drives:	Seagate 7200.9 80GB SATAII 8MB cache
OS:	Windows Vista x64 SP1 (with all updates)

For the memory stability testing we used multiple memory modules to see how the motherboard handled each. Our readers like to see as many memory kits tested on a motherboard as possible so we do all that we can to accommodate.

For the extreme benchmarking section we will utilize the services of dual GTX 295s. For all other benchmarks and testing, however, a single EVGA GTX 295 is used. All benchmarks and stability overclocking we will be utilizing the services of Windows Vista x64 SP1.

Stability Overclocking Methodology

Since nothing has changed to our stability testing methodology from the DFI X58-T3eH8, we might as well cut and paste that description of our stability testing methodology since it sums it up quite well. Testing for true system stability is an arduous task and one that is hotly debated in open forums all the time. We have many years of experience watching these debates and have tried to put together a strong collection of stability tests to accommodate all schools of thought on the subject. Our stability testing methodology has also been a great success in finding a number of 24/7 overclocks on all kinds of systems. A lot of us here at HWC, myself included, use this same type of testing when setting up our own daily use machines and those that we setup for friends and family. This methodology is sound and shouldn't be taken lightly. We are definitely not like other sites that post a CPU-Z screen shot and then say the system passed all of our benchmarks. Our results should be considered a realistic sample of what one can expect from this motherboard for 24/7 operation.

Obviously we won't be able to test everything for a literal 24/7 overclock because of time restraints with a review, but our virtual recipe equates nicely to a 24/7 stable overclock. The following is a run-down of programs used for our stability testing. All overclocked results in the next section have passed this testing, with screen shots to outline settings used:

• 8 threads of 32M SuperPi Mod 1.5 (ran at the same time using Hyper Pi 0.99b)
• 2 hours of 8 threads of Prime95 using Prime95 v25.7 Stress Testing Blend
• 2 hours of OCCT Custom 2H Mix OCCT v3.0.1 - Except for Memory Overclocking
• 2 hours of HCI MemTest Pro in Windows using all available memory
• 6 loops of 3DMark Vantage (over 60 minutes of looping the full test suite)

As mentioned, this testing methodology legitimizes the overclocks we are about to look at. We have no ambition in posting fantastic overclocking results that aren't stable for anything other than a screen shot of CPU-Z. We want to present accurate results based on traditional overclocking methods. For more fantastic benchmarking results with exotic cooling methods, you will want to browse the Extreme Overclocking section where we see how the EVGA X58 3X SLI Classified handles the enormous load of liquid nitrogen cooled i7 processor. Those results can be seen towards the end of the review.

Benchmark Methodology

Unlike the last couple motherboard reviews, we have full access to the XMP profiles of the Corsair Dominator modules we have scheduled for testing. The EVGA X58 3X SLI Classified motherboard came out of the box with working XMP profile support. This is a nice feature that we feel is very important as it allows average users to enjoy the benefits of performance modules without having to learn how to overclock their system. This simply means that our stock results will be actual "stock" results with no changes to in the BIOS being made aside from enabling the Corsair Dominator-GT modules to run at specification through the use of their XMP profiles.

The other two sets of results that we are going to be looking at will be designated by the grey and red bars in the graphs. Both of these results are from our 24/7 overclocking section with one small difference. With the grey set of results, we are going to going to be running our overall 24/7 stable overclock, but at the timings of 8-8-8-24-1T which are easily handled by our Corsair Dominator PC3-12800 modules. With the red results in the graph, we will be showing our results from the overclocking section with the timings shown there of 6-7-6-20-1T. Effectively, we have decided to use this review to look at the performance difference between 6-7-6 and 8-8-8 at nearly 900MHz or DDR3-1800. There is always a discussion on how much memory performance influences a systems performance, this review will simply add more data to that discussion. Here is a breakdown of the method in which the OS will be setup for each configuration:

1. Windows Vista x64 w/SP1 is installed using a full format
2. Intel Chipset drivers and accessory hardware drivers (audio, network, GPU) are installed followed by a defragment and a reboot
3. At time of benchmarks the latest drivers were downloaded from their official web sites as the latest drivers, most notable, NVIDIA GeForce Release 181.20 WHQL
4. Programs and games are then installed followed by another defragment
5. Windows updates are then completed installing all available updates followed by a defragment
6. Benchmarks are each ran three times after a clean reboot for every iteration of the benchmark unless otherwise stated, the results are then averaged