Gigabyte EX58 Extreme 1366

[whenyournex2me]

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.ph...=257&Itemid=69

CPU

1. Support for an Intel Core i7 series processor in the LGA 1366 package
   (Go to CPU Support List for the latest CPU support )
2. L3 cache varies with CPU

QPI

1. 4.8GT/s / 6.4GT/s

Chipset

1. North Bridge: Intel X58 Express Chipset
2. South Bridge: Intel ICH10R

Memory

1. 6 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 24 GB of system memory (Note 1)
2. Dual/3 channel memory architecture
3. Support for DDR3 2100+/1333/1066/800 MHz memory modules

(Go to Memory Support List for the latest memory support list.) Audio

1. Realtek ALC889A codec
2. High Definition Audio
3. 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
4. Support for Dolby® Home Theater (Note 2)
5. Support for S/PDIF In/Out
6. Support for CD In

LAN

1. 2 x Realtek 8111D chips (10/100/1000 Mbit)
2. Support for Teaming

Expansion Slots

1. 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16 (PCIEX16_1/PCIEX16_2) (Note 3)
2. 1 x PCI Express x8 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8_1) (Note 4)
   (The PCIEX16_1, PCIE16_2 and PCIEX8_1 slots support 2-Way/3-Way NVIDIA SLI/ATI CrossFireXTM technology and conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.)
3. 1 x PCI Express x4 slot
4. 1 x PCI Express x1 slot
5. 2 x PCI slots

Storage Interface South Bridge:

1. 6 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors (SATA2_0, SATA2_1, SATA2_2, SATA2_3, SATA2_4, SATA2_5) supporting up to 6 SATA 3Gb/s devices
2. Support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10

GIGABYTE SATA2 chip:

1. 1 x IDE connector supporting ATA-133/100/66/33 and up to 2 IDE devices
2. 2 x JMB322 chips (Smart Backup):
   • 4 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors (GSATA2_0, GSATA2_1, GSATA2_2, GSATA2_3) supporting up to 4 SATA 3Gb/s devices (Note 5)
   • Support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1 and JBOD

iTE IT8720 chip:

1. 1 x floppy disk drive connector supporting up to 1 floppy disk drive

IEEE 1394

1. T.I. TSB43AB23 chip
2. Up to 3 IEEE 1394a ports (1 on the back panel, 2 via the IEEE 1394a brackets connected to the internal IEEE 1394a headers)

USB

1. Integrated in the South Bridge
2. Up to 12 USB 2.0/1.1 ports (8 on the back panel, 4 via the USB brackets connected to the internal USB headers)

Internal I/O Connectors

1. 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
2. 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
3. 1 x floppy disk drive connector
4. 1 x IDE connector
5. 10 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors
6. 1 x CPU fan header
7. 3 x system fan headers
8. 1 x power fan header
9. 1 x North Bridge fan header
10. 1 x front panel header
11. 1 x front panel audio header
12. 1 x CD In connector
13. 1 x S/PDIF In header
14. 1 x S/PDIF Out header
15. 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
16. 2 x IEEE 1394a headers
17. 1 x power LED header
18. 1 x chassis intrusion header
19. 1 x power switch
20. 1 x reset switch

Back Panel Connectors

1. 1 x PS/2 keyboard port
2. 1 x PS/2 mouse port
3. 1 x coaxial S/PDIF Out connector
4. 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector
5. 1 x IEEE 1394a port
6. 1 x clearing CMOS switch
7. 8 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
8. 2 x RJ-45 ports
9. 6 x audio jacks (Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out/Rear Speaker Out/Side Speaker Out/Line In/Line Out/Microphone)

I/O Controller

1. iTE IT8720 chip

H/W Monitoring

1. System voltage detection
2. CPU/System/North Bridge temperature detection
3. CPU/System/Power fan speed detection
4. CPU overheating warning
5. CPU/System/Power fan fail warning
6. CPU/System fan speed control (Note 6)

BIOS

1. 2 x 8 Mbit flash
2. Use of licensed AWARD BIOS
3. Support for DualBIOSTM
4. PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.0, SM BIOS 2.4, ACPI 1.0b

Unique Features

1. Support for @BIOS
2. Support for Q-Flash
3. Support for Dual BIOS
4. Support for Download Center
5. Support for Xpress Install
6. Support for Xpress Recovery2
7. Support for EasyTune (Note 7)
8. Support for Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced
9. Support for Time Repair
10. Support for Q-Share

Bundle Software

1. Norton Internet Security (OEM version)

Operating System

1. Support for Microsoft® Windows® Vista/XP

Form Factor

1. ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 24.4cm

I have been looking at this Motherboard as the dream build DAW Id love to build sometime next summer. I think this mobo is recently released, and should be fairly competitive with performance for price. I would love to experiment with overclocking with present system and platform, then move to a more advanced system as such ex58 extreme.

Is there anyone out there with this mobo, and an i7 920? would you care to share you thoughts or regrets, opinions, and problems or success with this mobo here?

I want to OC to 4.0 gig or higher with air or liq. cooling.
I want to sli or crossfire w/ 2 top end single gpu cards. both at a full x16... w/ pos. physics card.
And I want a stable system 24/7.

care to discuss this mobo and what would compare for under $400 for mobo alone...?

[Skyguy]

That Giga mobo would work fine, has integrated H2O for chipset cooling. 4.0GHz should be fine as long as your i7 920 CPU can hit that, which shouldn't be a problem for a 920 with D0 stepping.

For under $400 your only real option for a high-end system setup like that would be the ASUS Rampage II Extreme, several people around the forums have that board (including me) and it absolutely kicks A$$. Highly recommended.

[bullydog]

Jay has this board and he will drop by shortly to comment on this board

[X-Machine]

No he does not have this board, he has the UD5 like I do. The Extreme is kind of the same thing with the exception of the funny cooler and that's it. Also I'm pretty sure they discontinued it and are about to release the Extreme2 with USB3 & 6 GB/s sata connections.

EDIT: OP, to your questions...

Board is very easy to OC to 4.0 and beyond. I have mine at 4.11 on air.
SLI is full 16x. Though to be honest, unless you have games that take advantage of PhysX you will never notice a difference anyway.
24/7 reliability has always been top notch here.

Personally, the extreme bling to dollar ratio wasn't enough for me to jump in head first for the extreme model. The UD5 does everything this one does and saved me a substantial amount of money for other parts that were more useful.

[grumpydaddy]

I heard the Extreme is or is about to go eol too

Not sure too about what sort of overclock you will be looking for but heard that a hardmod is needed on current models to exceed 222 Bclk....now as a guy that doesn't yet have x58 I'm not sure of the implications of this but thought it needed mentioning

[whenyournex2me]

Thanks everyone! Please keep the replies coming!

Good point on the sata 6gb.... I would want that!
I actually have little knowledge of using physics cards. And I do want to get games that will utilize full x16 sli or crossfire.

And as far as I know, if i had hardware that was capable of a stable OC, not being able to go farther than a 222bclk would be a bottleneck. Correct? And Im not sure if not having usb 3.0 is an issue... though it would be kool I guess.

I want the fastest dam machine for gaming I can get for my money, This build of mine would not be my DAW, but an expensive yes, but careful thought out build. I want to learn how things work and why they do what they do. Im a very hand on type, and I know only the basics.

I could spend up near $2500-$3500 for this build. I wont even start it this year.... Im feel the need to research every nook and crany of every different model and brand, to know I made the RIGHT descision.
I very much appreciate all the replies, comments, opinions, links/resources and facts!

[X-Machine]

I actually have little knowledge of using physics cards. And I do want to get games that will utilize full x16 sli or crossfire.

Almost any game benefits from the added power of dual cards. However, most games are not PhysX capable.

And as far as I know, if i had hardware that was capable of a stable OC, not being able to go farther than a 222bclk would be a bottleneck. Correct? And Im not sure if not having usb 3.0 is an issue... though it would be kool I guess.

The baseclock limitation of 222 is not going to hamper you much in real world use. An i7 920 will be pushing hard at around 200 anyway. USB 3 specs are not fully finalized yet though neither was USB 2 when it took off.

[jayfunk]

this looks like the newly released ex58-ud6.... mine is the the ud5 but not the extreme version which in my research i found there to be not much added benefit. for my two cents worth im very happy with gigabyte and i especially like their online live support chat. my board is very stable with lots of good features and settings for overclocking. they have been around a long time and i would say that that they are one of the top companies. if only they would get a better color scheme... hahaha just kidding i dont mind it except for the pink whats with that?

[jayfunk]

sorry thats not the new ud6... but strangely enough it doesnt look like the ud5 extreme either...
http://img126.imageshack.us/i/gx58e15sy9.jpg/
that thing in the middle looks different than the one youre showin... dunno wat dat is...

check out the ud6 it looks coool!!
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=3158

[whenyournex2me]

what the? nice looking deck...

[devit]

it`s too...loaded..."full" if you ask me.

[whenyournex2me]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEn4E3WAZHg

I am very excited to see the revised version. If anyone has leads or resources to these coming up next, would you mind sharing with me?

[whenyournex2me]

Its here.... LOL> I CANT WAIT!!!

http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,818.0.html

[TitaniumLotus]

Its here.... LOL> I CANT WAIT!!!

http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,818.0.html

OH MAN that is a sweet piece of tech candy! I've never seen so many sweet looking components in one place as i've seen on this site. I can foresee a build in my not so distant future!!

[whenyournex2me]

I agree. Im not trying to spam... I have looked and looked and read and read. I have a feeling this board will suit me best. There is alot on the mobo... but I feel its not overcrowded. I may not have a NEED for this board or platform for that matter. yet, I feel I want the best performance I can get to enjoy it... I like gaming, and Im starting a new hobby with 3d rendering, modeling, video effects ect... also, music is a huge hobby of mine and will be served nice with a 1366 platform for years to come!

I Cant wait to get an i7 920 for this rig, and then follow up with rest of the components to finish the build.