Oh look, another EVGA board...

[SAE]

Have a look here...

http://www.evga.com/articles/00501/

it has to be E-XL-ATX...

[Serra]

Thanks for the full mobo shot! Assuming it's not a chop, this is my wet dream. It looks to have about every feature EVGA has ever thrown at a board and it's all color-coded. It looks like it was designed to do nothing but break WR's.

But the big question is:
Why does it have an IDE connector? This is definitely the most advanced enthusiast board yet created, I think we can cut it out. No-one spends that much on just a board and processors and doesn't have a SATA optical drive these days or $25 to spend on one. Plus removing it would have allowed the SATA ports to be side-mounted instead.

[TheKarmakazi]

Thanks for the full mobo shot! Assuming it's not a chop, this is my wet dream. It looks to have about every feature EVGA has ever thrown at a board and it's all color-coded. It looks like it was designed to do nothing but break WR's.

But the big question is:
Why does it have an IDE connector? This is definitely the most advanced enthusiast board yet created, I think we can cut it out. No-one spends that much on just a board and processors and doesn't have a SATA optical drive these days or $25 to spend on one. Plus removing it would have allowed the SATA ports to be side-mounted instead.

Im guessing evga is targeting hardcore overclockers with this board in addition to the normal server/dual socket market. And to do hardcore overclocks (with high bclk) you have to raise the pci-ex bus much higher than a SATA drive can tolerate. Hence the need for IDE.

[lowfat]

Im guessing evga is targeting hardcore overclockers with this board in addition to the normal server/dual socket market. And to do hardcore overclocks (with high bclk) you have to raise the pci-ex bus much higher than a SATA drive can tolerate. Hence the need for IDE.

My X25-M was still doing fine @ 115MHz for the PCIe bus. Can't say the same thing for my soundcard though

[XS Janus]

Im guessing evga is targeting hardcore overclockers with this board in addition to the normal server/dual socket market. And to do hardcore overclocks (with high bclk) you have to raise the pci-ex bus much higher than a SATA drive can tolerate. Hence the need for IDE.

Trust me they haven't thought about that!

[Serra]

Im guessing evga is targeting hardcore overclockers with this board in addition to the normal server/dual socket market. And to do hardcore overclocks (with high bclk) you have to raise the pci-ex bus much higher than a SATA drive can tolerate. Hence the need for IDE.

Could be. I tend to agree with XS Janus about it probably not being a feature they were thinking about, but it does at least provide a measure of after-the-fact justification.

Don't get me wrong though, for actually useful PC speed the few points extra you could get by upping the PCI-E bus speed versus the speed increase you get by using a current high-end drive (eg. faster than the IDE bus) are nothing. So +1 for getting the highest possible score in 1-2 synthetic benchmarks, but not a general use feature.

[Bolas]

I don't want to see EVGA design a case for this motherboard.

I want to see Corsair design a case to hold this motherboard. 'nuff said.

Oh, and make sure it can fit plenty of radiators internal to the case please, Corsair.

[Blacky]

I don't want to see EVGA design a case for this motherboard.

I want to see Corsair design a case to hold this motherboard. 'nuff said.

Oh, and make sure it can fit plenty of radiators internal to the case please, Corsair.

A Corsair 1000D would be nice

[N19h7m4r3]

A Corsair 1000D would be nice

Only the size of a small fridge!

I would have bought this board if it was a normal E-ATX board, not this longer mess.

[alfaunits]

UR right. The spacing between the most upper PCI-e slot and the audio jacks is about identical to the XL-ATX mobo in that article.

Have a look here...

http://www.evga.com/articles/00501/

it has to be E-XL-ATX...