DFI X58 T3H6 JR mATX Motherboard

BIOS Features
 
The boot screen of the DFI X58 T3H6 is a mirror of the front of the motherboard box. During this point you can enter the ABS feature by pressing F1 or enter the BIOS using the normal .del key. Once in the BIOS, the section we are most interested in and the section we will be concentrating on today is the Genie section. This is where all of the overclocking settings are found and perhaps the one part of a DFI motherboard that either makes or breaks it’s appeal to others.
 
front page Genie
 
Initial impressions suggest that the BIOS is not as complex as ones in the past. However, looks can be deceiving as the Genie BIOS holds almost every overclocking option you could wish for. The front page of the Genie BIOS is basically a window to a host of further options, each with its own page. The CPU features section is straight forward enough with all the common selections available. The DRAM timing has more options than you can shake a stick at and while it’s not as complex as other DFI BIOS options, all the major primary and sub timings are there which will allow you to get the most from your memory.
 
CPU Feature DRAM timing
 
Each option can be inputting directly, scrolled through via + / – keys or opened up into a sub menu via the enter key which will then display all available settings. Below we see that both the Channel and Bank Interleave options are available as part of the DRAM timings section.
 
timing interleave
 
Lowgap settings can also be tweaked which is a rarity among motherboards. This option allows the mapping of local video memory to the system memory address size. Think of it as the old AGP aperture size e.g if you have GTX280 SLI you must set this value to 2048 (1024×2), also consider other cards that carry ram such as X-FI cards which must also be added to this figure.
 
lowgap enter settings
 
Voltage settings are where the DFI T3H6 excels. Almost every on board component can be tweaked with some very extensive and quite honestly, over the top voltage options. Fancy putting 2 volts through your i7? No, OK then how about forcing 2.4v through your triple channel ram? All of the options are there to destroy your hardware so use extreme caution when setting your voltages with this motherboard. DFI do however, give a gentle reminder that you are in the ‘danger zone’ by changing the font colour to red should you begin to get carried away.
 
voltages vref
 
DDR reference voltages can be fine tuned using the bus VREF setting. This works via percentage so ensure you get your calculations correct. Voltage signal strengths can also be increased but the options are limited to either Normal or Strong.
 
QPI strength IOH
 
Should you get fed up with resetting the BIOS every time your overclock fails to POST, you can set the DFI T3H6 to boot up one of your pre-saved profiles. This is a great idea as you will no longer have to set all the mundane options up every time you need to clear the CMOS. DFI allow you to save up to four profiles to the ‘bank’ so for example you could have your base settings in one profile, mild overclock in another, 24/7 settings in another and suicide settings in another.
 
OC fail QPI freq
 
The base clock can be tweaked to a considerable 250 and while this might seem to be plenty for the Quads, I am a little concerned that the new dual cores that are on the horizon may be limited by this, if indeed 5GHz can be classed as being limited. Another cool feature of the BIOS is the Boot up base clock setting. This allows you to set the base clock for the PC to POST which will then change to your standard base clock upon POST. Ideal for those looking to get the absolute maximum without having the PC hang on POST.
 
bclk boot up
 
Both the DRAM and Uncore frequencies are adjusted by the means of multiplication ‘dividers’. While these can be adjusted via the menu method, the + / – keys allow you to see the end figure saving you from doing the math yourself.
 
dram uncore
 
The CMOS reload section is where you create, back up and load your BIOS settings. You can also name your saved profile to give you a gentle reminder on what the settings actually are. Finally, we arrive at the PC Health status screen allowing you to tweak the fan speeds according to the temperature of the appropriate chip the fan controller is connected to. All the major voltage read outs are also displayed for your convenience (or indeed peace of mind!) along with the temperatures of each component tweaked.
 
cmos reload health
 
No stone is left unturned with the DFI BIOS. As usual the settings can be tweaked until your heart is content or you can adapt the quick and dirty approach by leaving most of the settings on AUTO – the choice is yours. That is the attraction of the DFI BIOS, it is suitable for both novice and expert alike, all the settings are there if you look for them. Most I would wager, will not, which is a shame because the wealth of options are there to be played with, just be careful with those voltages!
 
With the packaging, aesthetic and BIOS covered, it’s time we moved on and take a look at how the system performs as I put the motherboard through it’s paces… Â