DFI Lanparty T3eH6 DK X58 Motherboard
Introduction
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Having already reviewed the flagship Lanparty T3eH8 X58 motherboard and the stripped down but no less power full mATX variant, we have today the T3eH6. This model sits in between the two prior motherboards in that it’s a full size ATX motherboard with a few less features than the T3eH8. Whether you actually need the additional features the T3eH8 offers only you can decide and hopefully, today’s review will make that decision all the more easier.
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DFI (Diamond Flower International) have been a motherboard manufacturer that overclockers have adored for nearly a decade now so it should come as no surprise that the motherboard we have for review today is yet again part of the Lanparty range, catering for overclockers and enthusiasts alike. With it’s brash but now somewhat familiar colour scheme, the Lanparty series of mainboards feature an industry leading BIOS with some of the most extreme and complex settings that have benchmarkers foaming at the mouth.
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Lanparty boards tend to come in three guises, the UT, LT, JR, BI and DK versions. Today’s sample falls into the latter category and will be the focus for today’s review. Let’s hear what DFI had to say about their latest product:
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The first CPU with a built-in memory controller of Intel, Core i7, running with X58 chipset of completely new configuration, will further improve performance of personal computers. X58 motherboard unveiled by LANParty this time also embodies the design philosophy of “performance first” and will bring supreme efficacy to players with top specification and material. It has 6 memory DIMMs, which support unprecedented 3-channel memory and can significantly expand the memory bandwidth; and also three PCI Express 2.0 slots, which, for the first time, simultaneously support Nvidia SLI and ATI CrossFireX and can considerably improve the 3D processing capability of the system.
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Specification
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CPU
* LGA 1366 socket for Intel® CoreTM i7 processors
* Intel® QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) technology – point-to-point interface that connects to X58; providing a dynamically scalable interconnect for increased bandwidth, lower latency and stability
* Integrated Memory Controller (IMC) supports 3 channels of DDR3
* Intel Hyper-Threading Technology delivers 8-threaded performance
* 6-phase digital PWM provides stable voltage to the CPU
* LGA 1366 socket for Intel® CoreTM i7 processors
* Intel® QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) technology – point-to-point interface that connects to X58; providing a dynamically scalable interconnect for increased bandwidth, lower latency and stability
* Integrated Memory Controller (IMC) supports 3 channels of DDR3
* Intel Hyper-Threading Technology delivers 8-threaded performance
* 6-phase digital PWM provides stable voltage to the CPU
 Chipset
* Intel® chipset – Northbridge: Intel® X58 Express chipset – Southbridge: Intel® ICH10R
* Intel® chipset – Northbridge: Intel® X58 Express chipset – Southbridge: Intel® ICH10R
 QPI
* System bus – 4.8GT/s to 6.4GT/s
* System bus – 4.8GT/s to 6.4GT/s
 System Memory
* Six 240-pin DDR3 DIMM sockets
* Six 240-pin DDR3 DIMM sockets
* DDR3 800/1066/1333/1600(O.C.) MHz DIMMs
* Triple-channel memory architecture
* Supports up to 24GB system memory
* Delivers up to 43.2GB/s bandwidth
* Unbuffered x8/x16, non-ECC and ECC, up to 4Gb DDR3 devices
Windows® 32-bit operating system is unable to accurately detect more than 4GB system memory. Therefore, if you are using this operating system, we strongly recommend that you install a less than 3GB system memory.
* Triple-channel memory architecture
* Supports up to 24GB system memory
* Delivers up to 43.2GB/s bandwidth
* Unbuffered x8/x16, non-ECC and ECC, up to 4Gb DDR3 devices
Windows® 32-bit operating system is unable to accurately detect more than 4GB system memory. Therefore, if you are using this operating system, we strongly recommend that you install a less than 3GB system memory.
 Expansion Slots
* 3 PCI Express (Gen 2) x16 slots – 2-way SLI or Quad CrossFireX configuration at x16/x16/x4 transfer rate lanes
* 1 PCI Express x4 slot
* 2 PCI slots
* 3 PCI Express (Gen 2) x16 slots – 2-way SLI or Quad CrossFireX configuration at x16/x16/x4 transfer rate lanes
* 1 PCI Express x4 slot
* 2 PCI slots
 BIOS
* Award BIOS
* 8Mbit SPI flash memory
* CMOS Reloaded
* Award BIOS
* 8Mbit SPI flash memory
* CMOS Reloaded
 Graphics
* Multiple GPUs – 3 graphics cards in 2-way SLI or Quad CrossFireX configuration
* Multiple GPUs – 3 graphics cards in 2-way SLI or Quad CrossFireX configuration
 Audio
* Realtek ALC889 High Definition audio CODEC
* 8-channel audio output
* 108dB Signal-to-Noise ratio (SNR) playback (DAC) quality and 104dB SNR recording (ADC) quality
* Realtek ALC889 High Definition audio CODEC
* 8-channel audio output
* 108dB Signal-to-Noise ratio (SNR) playback (DAC) quality and 104dB SNR recording (ADC) quality
 LAN
* Marvell 88E8053 PCIE Gigabit LAN controller with Teaming technology
* Fully compliant to IEEE 802.3 (10BASE-T), 802.3u (100BASE-TX) and 802.3ab (1000BASE-T) standards
* Marvell 88E8053 PCIE Gigabit LAN controller with Teaming technology
* Fully compliant to IEEE 802.3 (10BASE-T), 802.3u (100BASE-TX) and 802.3ab (1000BASE-T) standards
 Storage
* Intel ICH10R chip – Intel Matrix Storage technology – Supports up to 6 SATA devices – SATA speed up to 3Gb/s – RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1 and RAID 5
* JMicron JMB363 PCI Express to SATA and PATA host controller – Supports up to 2 UltraDMA 100Mbps IDE devices – Supports 2 SATA devices – SATA speed up to 3Gb/s – RAID 0 and RAID 1
* Intel ICH10R chip – Intel Matrix Storage technology – Supports up to 6 SATA devices – SATA speed up to 3Gb/s – RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1 and RAID 5
* JMicron JMB363 PCI Express to SATA and PATA host controller – Supports up to 2 UltraDMA 100Mbps IDE devices – Supports 2 SATA devices – SATA speed up to 3Gb/s – RAID 0 and RAID 1
 IEEE 1394
* VIA VT6308P
* Supports two 100/200/400 Mb/sec IEEE 1394a ports
* VIA VT6308P
* Supports two 100/200/400 Mb/sec IEEE 1394a ports
 Rear Panel I/O
* 1 mini-DIN-6 PS/2 mouse port
* 1 mini-DIN-6 PS/2 keyboard port
* 1 optical S/PDIF-out port
* 1 coaxial RCA S/PDIF-out port
* 6 USB 2.0/1.1 ports
* 1 IEEE 1394 port
* 1 RJ45 LAN port
* Center/subwoofer, rear R/L and side R/L jacks
* Line-in, line-out (front R/L) and mic-in jacks
* 1 mini-DIN-6 PS/2 mouse port
* 1 mini-DIN-6 PS/2 keyboard port
* 1 optical S/PDIF-out port
* 1 coaxial RCA S/PDIF-out port
* 6 USB 2.0/1.1 ports
* 1 IEEE 1394 port
* 1 RJ45 LAN port
* Center/subwoofer, rear R/L and side R/L jacks
* Line-in, line-out (front R/L) and mic-in jacks
 Internal I/O
* 3 connectors for 6 additional external USB 2.0 ports
* 1 connector for an external COM port
* 1 connector for an external IEEE 1394 port
* 1 front audio connector
* 1 CD-in connector
* 1 IrDA connector and 1 CIR connector
* 8 Serial ATA connectors
* 1 40-pin IDE connector and 1 floppy connector
* 1 24-pin ATX power connector
* 1 8-pin 12V power connector
* 2 4-pin 5V/12V power connectors (FDD type)
* 1 front panel connector
* 6 fan connectors
* 1 download flash BIOS connector
* 1 diagnostic LED
* EZ touch switches (power switch and reset switch)
* 3 connectors for 6 additional external USB 2.0 ports
* 1 connector for an external COM port
* 1 connector for an external IEEE 1394 port
* 1 front audio connector
* 1 CD-in connector
* 1 IrDA connector and 1 CIR connector
* 8 Serial ATA connectors
* 1 40-pin IDE connector and 1 floppy connector
* 1 24-pin ATX power connector
* 1 8-pin 12V power connector
* 2 4-pin 5V/12V power connectors (FDD type)
* 1 front panel connector
* 6 fan connectors
* 1 download flash BIOS connector
* 1 diagnostic LED
* EZ touch switches (power switch and reset switch)
 Power Management
* ACPI and OS Directed Power Management
* ACPI STR (Suspend to RAM) function
* Wake-On-PS/2 / Wake-On-USB Keyboard/Mouse
* Wake-On-LAN and Wake-On-Ring
* RTC timer to power-on the system
* AC power failure recovery
* ACPI and OS Directed Power Management
* ACPI STR (Suspend to RAM) function
* Wake-On-PS/2 / Wake-On-USB Keyboard/Mouse
* Wake-On-LAN and Wake-On-Ring
* RTC timer to power-on the system
* AC power failure recovery
 Hardware Monitor
* Monitors CPU/system/Northbridge temperature and overheat alarm
* Monitors Vcore/Vdimm/Vnb/VCC5/12V/V5sb/Vbat voltages
* Monitors the speed of the cooling fans
* CPU Overheat Protection function monitors CPU temperature and fan during system boot-up – automatic shutdown upon system overheat
* Monitors CPU/system/Northbridge temperature and overheat alarm
* Monitors Vcore/Vdimm/Vnb/VCC5/12V/V5sb/Vbat voltages
* Monitors the speed of the cooling fans
* CPU Overheat Protection function monitors CPU temperature and fan during system boot-up – automatic shutdown upon system overheat
 PCB
* 6 layers, ATX form factor;
* 24.5cm (9.64″) x 30.5cm (
* 6 layers, ATX form factor;
* 24.5cm (9.64″) x 30.5cm (
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Having 3x PCIe slots, you would be mistaken to think that all 3 slots support the full bandwidth of PCIe 2.0 specification. While both the green slots do indeed support SLI with 16 lanes on each, the yellow slot is unfortunately is locked to 4x which may hinder performance with the latest graphics cards. The board also supports CrossfireX should ATI be you flavour. On the outset that appears to be the only major difference separating this board from it’s bigger brother but as we shall see, there is a little more fat trimmed from the T3eH6 to make it a viable option.
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Let’s take a look at the packaging and appearance…
