windwithme’s Core i7 review Part 4-DFI LANParty UT X58-T3eH8 overclocking
 

Intel unveiled Core i7 (LGA1366) CPU in November 2008, and X58+ICH10R is the only solution that compatible with it.
There are many brands launched X58 motherboards within this few months, and the price is divided into two segments.
One is hi-end product that higher USD $300, the other one is mainstream that below USD $250.

To compare with X48 solution, DFI launched X58 product earlier than before.
DFI unveiled hi-end UT X58 in December 2008, and DK X58 follows it within one month.
The most interest thing is DFI also launched microATX edition X58 which called “JR X58-T3H6”.

The leader role today is “DFI LANParty UT X58-T3eH8”, the price is same with other hi-end competitors.
UT is the highest level in LANParty series, I believe the quality & material will be great!


The color box: DFI use totally different design for the new product.


Accessories
A thick user manual, cables, I/O shield, utility DVD, SLI bridge for 3-Way SLI.


The audio daughter card, powered by Realtek ALC 889; the capacitors are Tantalum-cap.
Flame freezer is an unique feature in LANParty UT series, you can install it into I/O shield for balancing the case temperature;
also, you can install it on north bridge. Of course, the best quality thermal paste and installation guide are accompanying it.


DFI LANParty UT X58-T3eH8






Bottom left of board
3 PCIe x16 (Supports x16/ x16/ x4 and x16/ x8/ x8 mode for ATI CrossFireX & NVIDIA 3-way SLI)
1 PCIe x4
2 PCI


Bottom right of board
6 SATA II(with RAID 0/ 1/ 5/ 10 by ICH10R)
2 SATA II(with RAID 0/ 1/ JBOD by JMicron JMB363)
Power/ Reset buttons (Press at the same time for clearing CMOS)
Debug LED


Upper right of board
6 DIMM DDR3, supports 800/ 1066/ 1333/ 1600 (OC) (DFI is conservative in writing specification, ; actually, you can OC DDR3 modules up to 2000MHz)
1 IDE by JMicron JMB363


Upper left of board
8-phase full digital PWM, this is the most unique feature in DFI UT series.

fancy motherboard indeed, I thought the T3EH6 was high end already :D

I/O in rear panel
6 USB 2.0
1 IEEE 1394 port
2 RJ45 Gigabit LAN port


DFI LANParty UT X58 cooler design


Cooler on ICH10R. The metal plate makes it more luxurious.



Large black cooler on north bridge. The cooler design increase the surface for eliminating heat.
The “easy to screw up” design makes you change the cooler into water cooling kit without damaging north bridge.


The tri-channel DDR3 architecture is a significant revolution on LGA 1366 platform.




Install Flame Freezer in rear I/O (You can also install it on north bridge).





The boot screen


The main page of BIOS

When overclocking, the DRAM/ UnCore ratio should be around 1:2.


CPU Feature


DRAM parameter
Default of « Memory LowGap » is 1536M , you can set it into 1024M for better performance.


Voltage setting
There are many options for tuning, but you can try the most important four settings first.
CPU VID Control 1.06255~1.60000V
CPU VID Special Add 100.23~114.88%
Vcore Droop Control (to avoid the drop of voltage)
DRAM Bus Voltage 1.455~2.400V
CPU VTT Special Add +0.0125~0.1875V
CPU VTT Voltage 1.21~1.61V
(Turn off “O.C. Shut Down Free” when overclocking)


PC Health Status


The picture above is the setting for 200/ 2000MHz, you can refer it for overclocking if you have the same platform
(Note: the result might be different caused by CPU/ Memory quality)


Testing platform
CPU: Intel Core i7 965 Extreme
MB: DFI LANParty UT X58-T3eH8
DRAM: CORSAIR Dominator 2GBX3 DDR3 1866C9D
VGA: MSI N9600GT Diamond SLI
HD: SAMSUNG 250GB
POWER: Corsair HX1000W Modular Power Supply
Cooler: DFI LANParty Cooler/JETART Nano Diamond/Lubic


About DRAM
CORSAIR Dominator 2GBX3 DDR3 1866C9D
The default specification is DDR3 1866 CL9 9-9-24 1.65V
DDR3 1862 CL9 9-9-24 1T,1.64V
SP2004 3 X Blend Mode


DDR3 1862 CL8 8-8-24 1T,1.64V
SP2004 3 X Blend,5.86GB (Stable when in heavy loading)


DDR3 1862 CL9 9-9-24 1T
Sandra Memory Bandwidth-32362MB/s
EVEREST Memory Read-20145MB/s


DDR3 1999 CL9 9-9-24 1T,164V
SP2004 3 X Blend,5.71GB(Stable when in heavy loading)

DDR3 1999 CL9 9-9-24 1T
Sandra Memory Bandwidth-34312MB/s
EVEREST Memory Read-20960MB/s


DDR3 2101 CL9 9-9-20 1T,187V
Hyper PI 4 X 32M,HT Turn off


DDR3 2130 CL9 9-9-24 1T
Sandra Memory Bandwidth-35648MB/s
EVEREST Memory Read-21768MB/s


The memory performance of tri-channel architecture is awesome; the result is 2~3 times higher than dual channel.
DFI did great job in DRAM overclocking again, especially in high FSB mode.

About CPU
Intel Core i7 Extreme 965
OC 20X20=>3997Mhz
DDR3 1999 CL9 9-9-24 1T

CrystalMark 2004R3


CINEBENCH R10


Hyper PI 4 X 32M,HT Turn off


Hyper PI 8 X 32M,HT Turn on


When I OC CPU to 4GHz (200FSB/ 2000DRAM), DFI UT X58 finished all benchmark stably; it also got high score in CPU/ DDR3 test.

About 3D
MSI N9600GT Diamond SLI

3DMARK2006


3DMARK VANTAGE


Crysis Benchmark


X58 supports both ATI CrossFireX & NVIDIA SLI technology; if you are hare core gamer, you have more flexibility in choosing VGA cards.

Conclusion
Advantage
1. The highest level of LANParty series, adopts the best materials.
2. 8-Phase full digital PWM; all Japan made solid capacitors; Flame Freeze cooler.
3. Wide range of parameter of BIOS setting; supports ABS technology
4. Potential for hi-frequency with the best stability; it takes lower voltage for higher frequency than competitors.
5. Special large-sized cooler for better stability.
6. On board “Power/ Reset” buttons.

Weakness
1. Change Realtek ALC889 into Creative should be better.
2. No eSATA

Performance ★★★★★★★★★★
Material ★★★★★★★★★☆
Appearance ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Price ★★★★★★★☆☆☆


DFI did great job in the new platform. When OC DDR3, you can get higher frequency with lower voltage.
Beside, you can also OC higher in CPU/ DDR3. LANParty UT series always come with the best quality, performance & overclocking.

However, DFI still have to improve in “Price”.
If DFI can refer to competitors price and make more exposure in retail market, DFI will getting better & better.
Also, I hope DFI can keep launching more mid-high product for users.
In conclusion, if you are a “performance oriented” user, I recommend DFI LANParty UT X58 for you.

What camera/equipment do you use for your reviews if you don't mind me asking?

NIKON D80/D200
Fujifilm S5 PRO