EVGA X58 x3 Classified Motherboard

Introduction
 
EVGA, for those who do not already know, were founded in 1999 and are based in Brea, California. In that relatively short time EVGA have materialised as one of the top producers of PC components and are now very popular with enthusiasts worldwide. EVGA rocketed to fame with the skt 775 680i based motherboard which despite some of it’s short comings was a triumph for NVidia and the manufacturer of choice for that chipset was, you guessed it – EVGA.
 
Because EVGA are a top tier partner of NVidia anyone looking for anything from the ‘Green team’ tend to lean toward EVGA because of the fantastic support they offer the consumer, not least the award winning Step-up program which allows buyers of their hardware to upgrade within 60 days for a nominal fee. Great news for those who don’t like to splash the cash only to find out something bigger and better has just been released. It also serves as a safety net for those looking to buy now but are afraid of what might be on the horizon thereby avoiding the waiting game.
 
X58 motherboards have been around for a while now and in that time we have sampled various offerings from all the major manufacturers. Until today we have not had the pleasure of reviewing a motherboard from EVGA so what better way to start than to put EVGA’s finest example through it’s paces. Ladies and gentlemen may I present you with the EVGA X58 x3 Classified motherboard.
 
Here’s what EVGA had to say:
 
The ULTIMATE in X58 motherboards is here! The EVGA X58 Classified raises the bar for enthusiast grade motherboards everywhere.
With never before seen features such as 3-way SLI + PhysX + 1x PCIe device on a single board, 2 8pin +12V connectors capable of delivering 600 watts of power, 10 phase Digital PWM with a switching frequency of up to 1333KHz, three times the amount of normal gold content in the CPU socket and much, much more.

The EVGA X58 Classified motherboard is engineered for those who demand more than just the best!

 
Specification
 
Before we take a look at the classified in detail, let’s take a moment to assess the specification:
 
Product EVGA X58 SLI Classified
CPU
Supports Intel Core i7 Processors Skt LGA1366
Chipset
ICH: Intel X58
MCH: Intel ICH10R
Memory
6 x 240-pin DIMM sockets
Triple Channel DDR3
Maximum of 24GB of DDR3 1600MHz+
Expansion Slots
4 x PCIe x16/x8, 1 x PCIe x1, 1 x PCI
1 x 32-bit PCI, support for PCI 2.1
Audio
Realtec ALC899 8 Channel HD Audio
Optical and coaxial outputs
LAN Dual Realtek Gigabit Lan Controller 10/100/1000
Storage
1 x UltraDMA133
9 x Serial ATA 300MB/sec (3 x Jmicron, 6 Intel) with support for RAID 0, RAID1, RAID 0+1, RAID5, JBOD
I/O
1 x PS2 Keyboard
12 x USB2.0 ports (8 external + 4 internal headers)
Audio connector (Line-in, Line-out, MIC)
FireWire 1394A (1 external, 1 header)
Dimensions
EATX Form Factor
Length: 12in/304.8mm
Width: 10.375in/263.5mm
Features
USB 2.0 Support
A standard plug and play interface providing easy-to-use connectivity for USB devices. 
PCI Express® 2.0 / 1.1 Support
Allows 500MB a lane or up to 8 GB/s at 16x speeds – allows for full support for new PCI-E 2.0 graphics cards.
Serial ATA II
Also known as SATA2, features a 3.0 Gbit/s transfer speed, faster than Standard Serial ATA. 
Solid Capacitors
Offers a longer lifespan, better stability when at high frequencies, can operate at higher temperatures, and no longer runs the risk of exploding. 
Passive Heatsink
Consist of a metal heatsink. 
On-Boad Clear CMOS Button
An onboard clear CMOS button which allows you to easily clear your BIOS without moving a jumper.
On-Board Power Button with Integrated Power Light
An onboard power button for easily powering on or off your system. Also shows a power indication light.
On-Board Reset Button with Integrated HDD Activity Light
An onboard reset button for easily rebooting your system as well as gives current status of your HDD via an activity light. 
On-Board Diagnostics LED Readout
Helpful for when diagnosing a problem is needed.
2-Way SLI® Support
Feel free to turn up the eye candy and experience the performance of 2 Graphics Cards running together. 
3-Way SLI® Support
Experience the amazing performance that only 3 Graphics Cards can deliver, a visual experience that will take you to the next level.
 
 As you can see from the specification above, the EVGA Classified certainly appears to be a feature packed motherboard. More often than not we see that ultra high end motherboards sacrifice their features in favour of higher performance but this does not seem to be the case with the EVGA classified.
 
Let’s take a look at the packaging and presentation of the mainboard…