The DFI X58-T3H6 Rolling Review

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The DFI X58-T3H6 Rolling Review


In an attempt to provide a more helpful review for end users I’ve decided to create this “rolling review” that will be regularly updated in order to provide a source of information and user experience for the reader. Initially it will be a overview of the motherboard and some overclocking results to help you see what sort of performance we’re talking about and at a later stage we will try and deal with any quirks that may arise, BIOS updates and issues that can be resolved.

Firstly I’d like to thank DFI for providing the motherboard and their continued support with suggestions and Intel UK for supplying the Core i7-965 Extreme Edition cpu for testing, your support as always is invaluable. Neither of these products are cherry picked, the cpu is in fact retail and the motherboard, while technically an engineering sample, should be no different to the retail product.

For your convenience here is a list of contents that will be updated as the review grows:

• Introduction
• Photo Gallery
• BIOS Overview - What's new
• Popping the Cherry - Overclocking on Air
• Observations and Remarks

Photo Gallery

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BIOS Overview - What's new

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The main Genie BIOS screen - a mix of the usual CPU, DRAM and Voltage sub menus with the addition of some of the new X58 platform controls:

• PPM Function - The award BIOS power management function, you'll need it enable to change the Turbo ratios
• Turbo Mode Function - For upping the multiplier on your cpu if it's locked
• CPU Non-Turbo Clock Ratio - If it's an unlocked cpu you can set any desired multiplier here for all four cores
• BCLK/UCLK/QPI Controller settings - The new FSB where you can adjust the QPI frequency, BCLK speed, memory divider and Uncore multiplier

The DRAM and Uncore multipliers are actually linked, due to the requirement for the Uncore frequency to be approximately greater or equal to twice the DRAM frequency.


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CPU Features and Memory timing controls
Note that you have control over the over current protection (OCP) of the PWM circuitry, the thermal design current and power (TDC,TCP respectively) of the cpu and hyperthreading inplimentation. In the DRAM timing section a new addition is the Memory lowgap: This feature is for mapping the memory on say a graphics card to the system memory. You may find you have to up this with SLI or CF setups that will be requesting a large portion of memory from the system. Note that as you map off the memory is no longer is visible to the OS.


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Got volts? :D

• CPU VID ~ 1.06255 - 1.60000V
• CPU VID Special ~ 100.23% - 114.88%
• DRAM Bus Voltage ~ 1.455 - 2.400V
• CPU VTTSpecial Add ~ +0.0125 - +0.1875V
• CPU VTT Voltage ~ 1.21 - 1.61V
• CPU PLL Voltage ~ 1.80 - 2.15V
• IOH/ICH 1.1V Voltage ~ 1.11 - 1.73V
• IOH Analog Voltage ~ 1.10 - 1.45V
• ICH 1.5 Voltage ~ 1.5 - 2.1V
• ICH 1.05V Voltage ~ 1.05 - 1.35V
• VREF Adjustments ~ 0.00 - +15.0%

Worried about the new restraints for DRAM voltage? No need - the Genie BIOS automatically adjusts the CPU VTT to an optimal voltage if you increase the DRAM voltage out of spec - no danger of frying your CPU with the wrong DRAM voltage :)

You now also get control over the PWM frequency of the DRAM and VTT circuits. Increasing the switching frequency will provide a more stable voltage with less ripple, at the expense of a hotter running power circuit. Better yet you can now change from a PWM to a linear power circuit for super smooth voltage. However this will cause the power circuit run very hot and is not suitable for high current situations like occupying all six memory slots.

Popping the Cherry - First Boot

http://itsjohnnybravo.com/Reviews/DF...8/DSCF1569.jpg

• DFI JR X58-T3H6
• Intel i7 965 Extreme Edition 3838A
• G.Skill PC3-16000 DDR3 2000MHz 3x1GB
• Palit 4870 Sonic Edition
• ThermalRight Ultra Extreme 1366 kit with Delta 120x25mm in push configuration
• Corsair HX 1000W

http://itsjohnnybravo.com/Reviews/DF...REST%20888.JPG


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Observations and Remarks

My experience over the past two weeks has been pretty positive so far. The motherboard seems to be quite stable so long as you respect the limitations of the new x58 platform with what speeds you can run certain aspects at, for instance memory dividers and Uncore. While the BLCK speed is lower than what others have been able to achieve on other DFI motherboards and indeed other manufacturers I feel 200BCLK is still not too shabby and for all I know it may be just that my cpu isn't so overclockable - I will endeavor to source another i7 with a known BLCK and see if I can go faster :)

The integrated peripherals of the JR X58-T3H6 are essentially the exact same as those found on the JR P45-T2RS - the same HD Audio via Realtek ALC885, same gigabyte LAN adaptor and onboard IDE support. Though it might have been nice to upgrade the audio I do see one big advantage here. You can simply swap the motherboards and the OS will happily update the Intel INF files meaning you're ready to go, no fuss.

The voltage options on this board are fantastic and the addition of PWM controls is almost overkill - but I still love it! I decided to see what the real world voltages were in comparison to the BIOS settings and discovered something rather interesting:

Voltage readpoints for this discussion:
http://itsjohnnybravo.com/Reviews/DF...8/DSCF1607.jpg

Having set the voltage to 1.385volts in the BIOS I get the following idling in XP
http://itsjohnnybravo.com/Reviews/DF...8/DSCF1596.jpg

And with all four cores/eight threads running Wprime
http://itsjohnnybravo.com/Reviews/DF...8/DSCF1600.jpg

So we see an overvolt of approximately 25mV on ilde rising to 75mV under load. Strangely playing with the Droop control had no effect on these results - go figure.

VTT Also showed a slight overvolt but this can be excused as the readpoint for it is not totally accurate - there will be losses from this readpoint to the actual cpu in trace resistivity so the actual VTT the cpu "sees" will most likely be accurate to what has been set in the BIOS.

Another quirk is that occasionally, if rarely, the graphics card will drop to x8 PCI-E bandwidth. I've only experienced this twice both times after I managed ot make the system crash and immediately reboot. Speaking to DFI it seems that sometimes the apparent width of the graphics card bandwidth can be incorrectly read if the capture time isn't long enough at the boot and if such an event happens, simply rebooting the motherboard will fix it. It's not a major issue but worthy of mention.

awesome work my friend, finally it showed up.

sweet part to combine with what Andre have done with his...

this board will be ideal for gamers , who grab there computer with them @ LAN ...

keep DFIing it

Thanks for the review, Johnny! Good work.

thxs for this nice review...
ci7 965 @4.2Ghz on air with a TRUE! :up:

motherboardpro has them up for pre-order now.

http://www.motherboardpro.com/DFI-LP...rd-p-1272.html

$245 plus shipping.

I just checked NCIXUS website. The board was showing a price around $220 before and now its up to $234 but no pre-order available.

I pre-ordered from motherboardpro, I had a good experience with them in the past.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PClark99

motherboardpro has them up for pre-order now.

http://www.motherboardpro.com/DFI-LP...rd-p-1272.html

$245 plus shipping.

I just checked NCIXUS website. The board was showing a price around $220 before and now its up to $234 but no pre-order available.

I pre-ordered from motherboardpro, I had a good experience with them in the past.

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The price on NCIXUS has been fluctuating for awhile. Does this have to with the american dollar to canadian dollar exchange rate?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TheScavenger

The price on NCIXUS has been fluctuating for awhile. Does this have to with the american dollar to canadian dollar exchange rate?

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I have no clue about exchange rate, probably more due to predicted supply vs demand if I had to guess.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PClark99

motherboardpro has them up for pre-order now.

http://www.motherboardpro.com/DFI-LP...rd-p-1272.html

$245 plus shipping.

I just checked NCIXUS website. The board was showing a price around $220 before and now its up to $234 but no pre-order available.

I pre-ordered from motherboardpro, I had a good experience with them in the past.

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The Egg has them in stock for $249 plus shipping.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813136065

It's also showing as in stock at NCIXUS.

http://www.ncixus.com/products/35714...8%2DT3eH6/DFI/

that is not the JR but the DK...

Thanks guys - need to get some more testing/benching done now for performance comparison, also I have a quad core rig based on the P45 JR so a little apple for apples comparison might be good too ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Johnny Bravo

Thanks guys - need to get some more testing/benching done now for performance comparison, also I have a quad core rig based on the P45 JR so a little apple for apples comparison might be good too ;)

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Thank you Johnny for all of your hard work, I am keeping an eye on this thread so I can get a good idea how to best set up this board when I get it.

Nice board, but the vcore flying all over the place makes me wonder if my JR P45 has the same "issue" eventhug it isent that bad.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nullface

Nice board, but the vcore flying all over the place makes me wonder if my JR P45 has the same "issue" eventhug it isent that bad.

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Overvolts a little yes - but its a very stable voltage ;)

Johnny, is the NB HS removable like the P45 version?? just wondering so i can maybe Water cool it too.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pvhk

that is not the JR but the DK...

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Yeah that's great and all, but this thread is pertaining to the DK. Not the JR. Kthnxbye.

sure?:shakes:
this thread is for jr , read & look at the board....:rolleyes:
All in the title:
http://itsjohnnybravo.com/Reviews/DF...x58/Jr-X58.png

Nice review, but it seems like DFI "fails" again in the OC departement. First notsogood OC on the JR45 and now this, I guess I'll have to get used to that they aint what they used to be.:shrug:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Clint

Nice review, but it seems like DFI "fails" again in the OC departement. First notsogood OC on the JR45 and now this, I guess I'll have to get used to that they aint what they used to be.:shrug:

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What are the other mATX boards with similar features that clock better then the ones from DFI?

Probably not well informed concerning the jr p45!:rolleyes:

Concerning this new jr x58: it has no rival to date in the matw world...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Clint

Nice review, but it seems like DFI "fails" again in the OC departement. First notsogood OC on the JR45 and now this, I guess I'll have to get used to that they aint what they used to be.:shrug:

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How is this a fail on the OC dept :confused:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Johnny Bravo

How is this a fail on the OC dept :confused:

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Exactly. There are full size $300.00+ boards not capable of running the speeds you have posted.

Hot Damn, Got an email from motherboardpro, my board shipped today.

WOOHOO

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Johnny Bravo

How is this a fail on the OC dept :confused:

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With "fail" I mean not as good as in the good old days when the highest FSB's was reached by Lanparty boards. 200 bclk isn't really reflecting the price, at least in the OC perspective. For me at least the DFI boards is all about OC'ing, so I consider this a "fail".

dude, its a freaking M-ATX board. go for the UT board if u want OCing. that board will do 230+ BCLK for around 300 dollars. serriously, what more can you ask of a board this small with the good OC it does have plus dual PCIx16 2.0, DDR3 mem, etc?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pedalmonkey

dude, its a freaking M-ATX board. go for the UT board if u want OCing. that board will do 230+ BCLK for around 300 dollars. serriously, what more can you ask of a board this small with the good OC it does have plus dual PCIx16 2.0, DDR3 mem, etc?

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I suppose a more practical question is also:

Considering that the m-ATX board is aimed at m-ATX users (lan goers, fans of small cases) it is expected that on a smaller board (don't ask me why it is expected) that oc'ing capabilities should fall slightly short of the bigger brothers. The point is, if your i7 920 hits 4000 mhz no problem, then is there any significant performance difference between running 200x20 on the Jr or 230-17/18 (39xx-41xx mhz) on the DK/UT. I suppose you have more freedom with RAM multipliers, but bandwidth there is a non-issue in anything but synthetic benchmarks anyway.

Great stuff Johnny :up:
I'm running the DK, think bios is similar this
Bios Template may be useful.:shrug:
Am running 920 and got to 4,200 21x200 Ram x8 1,680 8-8-8-21 so far

what devices take advantage of the pci-e x4? can we also plug pci-e x1 int he x4 slots?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pedalmonkey

Johnny, is the NB HS removable like the P45 version?? just wondering so i can maybe Water cool it too.

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It is indeed - same nut and bolt setup for attaching aftermarket cooling. THe hole distance looks to be approximately 60.5mm

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Supershanks

Great stuff Johnny :up:
I'm running the DK, think bios is similar this
Bios Template may be useful.:shrug:
Am running 920 and got to 4,200 21x200 Ram x8 1,680 8-8-8-21 so far

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Cheers SuperShanks, yes the BIOSes seem to be almost identical; I may well make use of the profiles ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WhiteFireDragon

what devices take advantage of the pci-e x4? can we also plug pci-e x1 int he x4 slots?

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You can indeed - some PCI-e x4 cards I have seen are Gigabyte network card, RIAD devices and other high bandwidth peripherals

awsome motherboard

nicre review johny_bravo