EVGA X58 3X SLI Classified Motherboard Review :: Layout

The board itself is an Extended ATX board measuring 10.5 inches by 10.3 inches. If you have a case that doesn't support EATX motherboards, it's time to invest in one now as this board will set you back $450 at the minimum. Starting at the CPU Socket, we find that EVGA has given plenty of room for any kind of CPU cooler. There are only a few low-profile capacitors in the surrounding area of the CPU Socket.

The X58 Northbridge and NF200 chip are covered by a large heatsink with a bunch of EVGA logos on it. During operation the E on the heatsink flashes on and off. The ICH10R Southbridge is also covered by a heatsink. EVGA includes a Debug LED to show errors when the motherboard boots up and what the likely problem is.

EVGA includes six DIMM slots for up to 24GB of DDR3 memory clocked up to 1600MHz. The Core i7 CPU supports Triple channel memory with up to 38.4GB/second of memory bandwidth at that speed (800x3x128/8). To install the memory in single DIMM mode you need to use DIMM 1, the second DIMM slot on the motherboard. EVGA uses a 10-phase Digital PWM.

Moving on to the expansion slots there are four PCI Express slots that are designed to hold up to three dual-slot video cards or four single slot video cards. You can also install two dual-slot video cards and two single slot video cards. Note that the motherboard has an nForce 200 chip that allows for true SLI operation with up to 3-way SLI at full x16 speeds. The fourth slot operates at x8 speed when four cards are installed.

HDD support on the ICH10R Southbridge consists of six SATA ports. EVGA includes a JMicron JMB363 chip to control two more SATA ports. There is a third SATA controller on the board to control the 9th SATA port and the external SATA port on the rear IO area of the board. Eight SATA ports are on the bottom area of the board angled so as not to interfere with the installation or removal of video cards. The board also has an IDE port but no floppy disk port.

The 24-pin power connector is located on the bottom of the board next to the power circuitry. This location makes sense as there are many cases that have the PSUs located on the bottom now and is an acceptable compromise. There are two 8-pin power connectors on the top of the board above the rear heatsink. Only one is required to run the system but the other is good for those wanting to overclock their system.

On the left side of the board is a P80P connector for the EVGA Control Panel (ECP). Next to that is the FP IO connectors, and a Debug LED Display. To the left of that are two USB headers and a 1394a connector. EVGA has included a Clear CMOS button, a Power button, and a Reset button on the left side of the board. Next to the first PCI Express slot is an external SATA port.

Onboard audio is provided by a Realtek ALC889 chip, the latest in a long line of audio CODECs from Realtek. The audio supports 7.1+2 channel simultaneous output (multi-streaming), HDCPM, Noise filtering, Noise Suppression, and Acoustic Echo Cancellation. ALC889 fully supports the High Definition Audio standard and is a good onboard audio solution.

The rear IO on the board consists of a single port for a PS/2 keyboard, 8 USB 2.0 ports, S/PDIF Coaxial and Optical outputs, another Clear CMOS button, an external SATA port, a IEEE-1394a port, two Gigabit Ethernet ports controlled by two Realtek RTL8111C PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet controllers and six jacks for 8-channel audio. The inclusion of a second Clear CMOS button on the board gives the user the choice to clear the BIOS while the motherboard is inside the case without opening the case.