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Published: June 27, 2011 | Source: Gigabyte | Author: Tom Logan

Gigabyte X58A-OC Sub Zero Review

Gigabyte X58A-OC Sub Zero Review

Introduction

The LGA1366 is getting near the end of its cycle now, but that doesn’t mean to say that there isn’t plenty of life left in the absolute performance behemoth that is the X58 Chipset.

Indeed so much potential still exists that Gigabyte have recently released a new X58 motherboard, the OC.

There might be a bit of a clue in the name because, apart from looking more desirable than Blake Lively holding a pint, this board is designed for one this above all others, overclocking. It would be very easy therefore to just slap the old Noctua NH-D14 on and go through the usual rigmarole.

However after some discussion it was decided that the proof is most definitely in the pudding. If this is the best overclocking board around, designed especially for the more exotic cooling methods available, then it should allow us to dip our toes into the sub-zero world with ease. Shouldn’t it?

Technical Specifications

Initially the technical specifications look like every other high-end X58 board you’ve seen. Some SATA-III, some SATA-II, PCIe lanes and a couple of BIOS chips. But like so many things in life the whole is way more than the sum of its parts.

CPU
  1. Support for an Intel® Core™ i7 series processor in the LGA1366 package
  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
  2. 3/Dual channel memory architecture
  3. Support for DDR3 2200/1333/1066/800 MHz memory modules
  4. Support for non-ECC memory modules
  5. Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules
Audio
  1. Realtek ALC889 codec
  2. High Definition Audio
  3. 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
    * To configure 7.1-channel audio, you have to use an HD front panel audio module and enable the multi-channel audio feature through the audio driver.
  4. Support for S/PDIF Out
LAN
  1. 1 x Realtek RTL8111E chip (10/100/1000 Mbit)
Expansion Slots
  1. 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16 (PCIEX16_1, PCIEX16_2)
    * For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16_1 slot; if you are installing two PCI Express graphics cards, it is recommended that you install them in the PCIEX16_1 and PCIEX16_2 slots.
  2. 2 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8_1, PCIEX8_2)
    * The PCIEX8_1 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIEX16_1 slot and the PCIEX8_2 slot with PCIEX16_2. The PCIEX16_1/PCIEX16_2 slot will operate at up to x8 mode when the PCIEX8_1/PCIEX8_2 is populated.
    (The PCIEX16_1, PCIEX16_2, PCIEX8_1, and PCIEX8_2 slots conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.)
  3. 1 x PCI slot
Multi-Graphics Technology
  1. Support for 3-Way/2-Way NVIDIA SLI technology and 4-Way/3-Way/2-Way ATI CrossFireXâ„¢ technology
Storage Interface South Bridge:
  1. 6 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors (SATA2_0~SATA2_5) supporting up to 6 SATA 3Gb/s devices
  2. Support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10

1 x Marvell 88SE9182 chip:

  1. 2 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors (GSATA3_6, GSATA3_7) supporting up to 2 SATA 6Gb/s devices
  2. Support for SATA RAID 0 and RAID 1
USB South Bridge:
  1. Up to 4 USB 2.0/1.1 ports (2 on the back panel, 2 via internal USB header)

1 x Etron EJ168 chip:

  1. Up to 2 USB 3.0/2.0 ports on the back panel
Internal I/O Connectors
  1. 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
  2. 2 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connectors
  3. 2 x PCIe power connectors
  4. 2 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
  5. 6 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors
  6. 1 x CPU fan header
  7. 6 x system fan headers
  8. 1 x North Bridge fan header
  9. 1 x front panel header
  10. 1 x front panel audio header
  11. 1 x S/PDIF Out header
  12. 1 x USB 2.0/1.1 header
  13. 2 x heatsink LED power connectors
  14. 1 x clearing CMOS button
  15. 1 x power button
  16. 1 x reset button
  17. 1 x PWM frequency switch
  18. 1 x onboard voltage measurement module
  19. 1 x 4G Ready button
  20. 1 x OC Gear button
  21. 1 x CPU BCLK Down button
  22. 1 x CPU BCLK Up button
  23. 1 x CPU Ratio Down button
  24. 1 x CPU Ratio Up button
  25. 1 x BIOS switch
Back Panel Connectors
  1. 1 x PS/2 keyboard port
  2. 1 x PS/2 mouse port
  3. 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
  4. 2 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports
  5. 1 x RJ-45 port
  6. 3 x audio jacks (Line In/Mic In/Line Out)
I/O Controller
  1. iTE IT8720 chip
H/W Monitoring
  1. System voltage detection
  2. CPU/System temperature detection
  3. CPU/System fan speed detection
  4. CPU overheating warning
  5. CPU/System fan fail warning
  6. CPU/System fan speed control
    * Whether the CPU/system fan speed control function is supported will depend on the CPU/system cooler you install.
BIOS
  1. 2 x 16 Mbit flash
  2. Use of licensed AWARD BIOS
  3. Support for DualBIOSâ„¢
  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 Xpress BIOS Rescue
  4. Support for Download Center
  5. Support for Xpress Install
  6. Support for Xpress Recovery2
  7. Support for EasyTune
    * Available functions in EasyTune may differ by motherboard model.
  8. Support for Smart 6â„¢
  9. Support for Auto Green
  10. Support for eXtreme Hard Drive (X.H.D)
  11. Support for ON/OFF Charge
  12. Support for Cloud OC
  13. Support for Q-Share
Bundle Software
  1. Norton Internet Security (OEM version)
Operating System
  1. Support for Microsoft® Windows® 7/Vista/XP
Form Factor
  1. ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 26.4cm

 

Let’s grab a look at the board shall we.