gtj, you really dig into this deep man. Yes, the IC9 is the SMBus controller and I was guessing that because of that there could actually be a way of accessing those readings. If you say that's not possible I'll buy that, you know what you're talking about for sure. And I thought maybe Everest could get it that way also but I guess not. But following that line of thought, what are those diodes there for? If they are not accessible from the outside and if their readings are not available they are of no use. Maybe just for internal control but what will happen if temp reaches higher limit, will the MCH/ICH shutdown? What about the rest of the system, will it be forced to shutdown as well? How will it know if the readings are not passed through? Well, too many questions here!!! PECI would indeed be another way but guess not too.
craftsman, I might try it. I have also been like go/no go with it, just to have a feel, see what additional potencial it can bring, if any. Let you know if I try it.
xMrBunglex, since the MCH is exactly the same, only renamed really and better binned, the drivers/INF should be the same, don't know why Intel hasn't updated them to reflect the "new" chipset though. It was time Intel would clarify the issue with the version of the INF files provided in their site and the CD that comes with the board, though. Never knew which are the latest and which should be installed.
Still, X58 has already been leaked, triple DDR3 channel controller is now integrated on the Nehalem CPU so no more MCH designation. QPI will replace the current interconnection finally, AMD had the advantage here with HT. Funny how Intel is always trailing after AMD nowadays, as much as it's hard to admit, but still wearing the performance crown. Also option for 2xPCIe x16 or 4xPCIe x8 seems nice. Too bad no SLI is still in the horizon. All this in Q4'08, near enough.