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Intel i7 965 Processor & DX58SO "Smackover" Motherboard Review

Date Published:
02-03-2009

Written By:
Temujin

Edited By:
Diceman

Provided By:
Intel

Where to Buy:
Newegg
TigerDirect

Discuss Article:
VH Forum link

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

More Details:

3 Blue DIMM Slots Up Close

Again, one thing that should be stressed is that your current DDR3 purchased for your X48 or NVidia 790i and older boards utilizes much higher voltage than the new X58 can support. You will damage your motherboard and/or processor. The DDR3 voltages supported by the X58 are 1.65 Volts or lower. It'll be some months before we see the next generation memory offering new JEDEC standards of 1.35 to 1.6 Volts.

Getting back to the board, you'll notice that the SATA ports have been spaced for easier access despite large encroaching graphic cards. I've always been a fan of 90-degree SATA ports (ports that face off the edge of the PCB edge). But, if you're going with standard ports, it's nice to see them spread out. This shows that the board engineers have actually used their own product and know what the rest of us are up against.

6 x SATA Ports + 2 x eSATA in Back

There's a standard amount of onboard USB headers. There's about eight USB 2.0 supportive ports assembled in the I/O hardware at the back of the board. Between the onboard, I/O accessible, and any USB bracket ports, you should have more than needed. If you need anymore than this, it might be time to consolidate your hardware or consider a larger external storage unit. Besides, a desk cluttered with 3 or more external USB storage devices isn't nearly as nice as a multi-drive enclosure from QNAP, Vantec, Tagan, or even a Thecus. (Millsy votes for the Thecus hands down!)

I/O Peripheral Ports

At the bottom of the board, there's a single Power button. Thinking that my eye sight had failed me, I searched for another button marked Reset but didn't find one. I'm not sure why there isn't one. It's not necessary. But, I have to admit that's darn handy having those buttons if you're constantly tweaking, improving, and upgrading components as much enthusiasts do.

After comparing the previous chipsets, most of the new features are an incremental polishing, if you will, of the X48 Chipset. The new X58 IOH Northbridge chipset receives some updates over the X48 which aren't old by any standards, but should eliminate any possible bugs especially in regards to Solid State Storage. There are plenty of X48 motherboards still sitting on the shelves that would be perfect for countless on a tighter budget. It's for that reason, I'm curious how performance will measure up later on in testing.

Sigmatel 9742D 7.1 Channel Dolby Home Theater

The Smackover continues to offer 8 Channel Dolby Home Theater audio support via the Sigmatel 9472D Codec. This is the same audio chip found on the Bone Trail 2. It's not a bad choice to use the same chip either since it actually does offer some decent audio quality while working well with the supporting driver and utility software. It's definitely been giving me cause to question what Realtek is going to do next to get notice.

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