DFI DK X58-T3eH6 Living Review

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DFI LANParty DK X58-T3eH6 Living Review

We're delighted to have been given DFI's second X58 board, the DFI DK X58-T3eH6 to review. So not only can we see how it performs against other Nehalem boards but also against it's big brother the recently released DFI Lanparty UT X58-T3eH8 which Dave is currently reviewing.So Let's kick of my first adventure with the 1366 Nehalem.

INDEX
Useful Links
Quick Start Guide
Bios Template - DX58D106
Bios Template - DX58D123 BTA
DFI DK X58-T3eH6 - Bios , Drivers Etc.,
DK X58-T3eH6 Voltage Measuring Points

The Motherboard
1) The Package
2) The Motherboard - 1st look
3) DFI DK X58-T3eH6 - Official Specs & Manufacturers Info.
4) Motherboard a closer look
5) Motherboard Close Up (1of3)
6) Motherboard Close Up (2of3)
7) Motherboard Close Up (3of3)
8) Northbridge
9) Removing Northbridge Cooler
10) Accesories and Extras
11) Build Observations

BTA Bios Releases
12) DX58D123 BTA
Bios
13) General Bios 1of3 - Bios Logo Screen, Main Menu, Standard Cmos Features, Advanced Bios Features
14) General Bios 2of3 - Advanced Chipset Features, Integrated Peripherals,
15) General Bios 3of3 - Power Management Setup, PNP/PCI Configurations, PC Health Status, CMOS Reloaded
16) Genie Bios 1of3 - CPU Feature Sub Menu, Dimm Timings Sub Menu
17) Genie Bios - Voltage Sub Menu 1of4 OC Shut Down From ~ OCP
18) Genie Bios - Voltage Sub Menu 2of4 Dram Voltage ~ CPU VTT Voltage
19) Genie Bios - Voltage Sub Menu 3of4 VTT PWM Switch Frequency ~ ICH 1.50 Voltage
20) Genie Bios - Voltage Sub Menu 4of4 ICH 1.85v Voltage~ IOH QPI Drive Strength
21) Genie Bios Page 2of3
22) Genie Bios Page 3of3 - QPI, ,BCLK, Dram Multiplier, Uncore Multiplier
Clocking, Benches Observations and Bios settings
23) Auto settindgs BCLK = 133--> 180
24) 4000 20x200 Ram 8 = 1600 8-8-8-21
25) Nehalem Stability Testing
26) 4,200 20x210 Ram x6 6-6-6-20
27) 4,200 20x210 Ram x8 1,680 8-8-8-21
28) 4,047Mhz 19x213 DDR3@x8 1,704Mhz 8-8-8-22
29) 3.9Ghz 20x195 DDR3 x10 1,950Mhz 9-9-8-23 1.65v
30) 4,000 20x200 DDR3 x10 2000Mhz 9-9-8-24 1.68v
31) Turbo Mode
32) Turbo Mode 4,200 - 4,000Mhz 20x200 DDR3 x8 1,600
33) Turbo Mode: 4,410Mhz - 4,200Mhz 21x210 DDR3 x6 1,260

34) DFI DK X58-T3eH6 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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The Package
Box
The box is particularly striking with a flaming globe bearing the boards name.

The yellow label on the right is splurge about the Smart Connnectors which we'll see later.
Rear

Inner Box
Contents are contained in the usual house design Lanparty white box. Opening this :-

Motherboard

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"The first CPU with a built-in memory controller of Intel, Core i7, running with X58 chipset of completely new configuration, will further improve performance of personal computers. X58 motherboard unveiled by LANParty this time also embodies the design philosophy of "performance first" and will bring supreme efficacy to players with top specification and material. It has 6 memory DIMMs, which support unprecedented 3-channel memory and can significantly expand the memory bandwidth; and also three PCI Express 2.0 slots, which, for the first time, simultaneously support Nvidia SLI and ATI CrossFireX and can considerably improve the 3D processing capability of the system. "

Features
Intel X58 with ICH10R

• Supports Intel Core Nehalem processors (LGA 1366, QPI 6.4GT/s)

6+2+2 Phase PWM

• 6 Phase for CPU, 2 Phase for VTT, 2 Phase for Memory

Supports SLI & CrossFire X

• LANParty DK X58-T3eH6 brings the best gaming experience to you! It supports both Nvidia 3-Way SLI and ATI CrossFire X multi-rendering technology with 3 x16 PCI Express slots on board.

Sintering Heat-pipe

• Great thermal conductivity & No directionality issue

Capacitors

• LANParty adopts solid capacitors & MLCC for the best stability.

EZ Clear

• When you have to clear CMOS setting into default, you don't need to open the case anymore! There is a unique circuit in LANParty DK X58-T3eH6 series, just press "Power" & "Reset" buttons in the motherboard or PC case at the same time, the CMOS will be set into default.

Realtek ALC889 for 8CH HD Audio

• Onboard sound

Debug LED

• How to know system status when crash or unstable? With LANParty digit diagnosis LED, user can get system status information immediately.

8 SATAII Ports with RAID Function

• Supports Intel SATAII with RAID 0/1/0+1/5 and JMB363 controller supports additional 2 SATAII ports and 1 IDE port with RAID 0/1, which intends to provide multiple H.D.D RAID function for enthusiastic users.

Gigabit LAN by Marvell 8053

Fluorescent Slot & Connectors

• We adopt fluorescent slots and connectors in all LANParty series. With installing UV light into PC case, LANParty motherboards become more stylish.

Auto Boost System

• ABS is "two-step" over-clocking software. Simply install the software, reboot the computer, press F1 to improve FSB frequency, and your CPU will be upgraded automatically! With ABS, you can enjoy the performance of the high-end CPU at the entry-level cost.

CMOS Reloaded

• "CMOS Reloaded" helps you to backup or reload BIOS setting as text file under operation system. Wanna manage your OC records? Just try "CMOS Reloaded"

2 IEEE1394 Ports & 12 USB 2.0 Ports"

Specifications

Processor
LGA 1366 socket for Intel® CoreTM Nehalem processors
• Intel® QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) technology - point-to-point
interface that connects to X58; providing a dynamically
scalable interconnect for increased bandwidth, lower latency
and stability
• Integrated Memory Controller (IMC) supports 3 channels of
DDR3
• Intel Hyper-Threading Technology delivers 8-threaded
performance
•6-phase digital PWM provides stable voltage to the CPU

Chipset
• Intel® chipset
- Northbridge: Intel® X58 Express chipset
- Southbridge: Intel® ICH10R

QPI
• System bus - 4.8GT/s to 6.4GT/s

System Memory
• Six 240-pin DDR3 DIMM sockets
• DDR3 800/1066/1333/1600(O.C.) MHz DIMMs
• Triple-channel memory architecture
• Supports up to 24GB system memory
• Delivers up to 43.2GB/s bandwidth
• Unbuffered x8/x16, non-ECC and ECC, up to 4Gb DDR3
devices

Expansion Slots
• 3 PCI Express (Gen 2) x16 slots
- 2-way SLI or Quad CrossFireX configuration at x16/x16/x4
transfer rate lanes
• 1 PCI Express x4 slot
• 2 PCI slots

BIOS
• Award BIOS
• 8Mbit SPI flash memory
• CMOS Reloaded
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
• Multiple GPUs
- 3 graphics cards in 2-way SLI or Quad CrossFireX
configuration

Audio
• Realtek ALC889 High Definition audio CODEC
• 8-channel audio output
• 108dB Signal-to-Noise ratio (SNR) playback (DAC) quality
and 104dB SNR recording (ADC) quality

LAN
• Marvell 88E8053 PCIE Gigabit LAN controller with Teaming
technology
• Fully compliant to IEEE 802.3 (10BASE-T), 802.3u (100BASETX)
and 802.3ab (1000BASE-T) standards

IEEE 1394
• VIA VT6308P
• Supports two 100/200/400 Mb/sec IEEE 1394a ports

Storage
• Intel ICH10R chip
- Intel Matrix Storage technology
- Supports up to 6 SATA devices
- SATA speed up to 3Gb/s
- RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1 and RAID 5
• JMicron JMB363 PCI Express to SATA and PATA host controller
- Supports up to 2 UltraDMA 100Mbps IDE devices
- Supports 2 SATA devices
- SATA speed up to 3Gb/s
- RAID 0 and RAID 1


Rear Panel I/O
• 1 mini-DIN-6 PS/2 mouse port
• 1 mini-DIN-6 PS/2 keyboard port
• 1 optical S/PDIF-out port
• 1 coaxial RCA S/PDIF-out port
• 6 USB 2.0/1.1 ports
• 1 IEEE 1394 port
• 1 RJ45 LAN port
• Center/subwoofer, rear R/L and side R/L jacks
• Line-in, line-out (front R/L) and mic-in jacks

Internal I/O
• 3 connectors for 6 additional external USB 2.0 ports
• 1 connector for an external COM port
• 1 connector for an external IEEE 1394 port
• 1 front audio connector
• 1 CD-in connector
• 1 IrDA connector and 1 CIR connector
• 8 Serial ATA connectors
• 1 40-pin IDE connector and 1 floppy connector
• 1 24-pin ATX power connector
• 1 8-pin 12V power connector
• 2 4-pin 5V/12V power connectors (FDD type)
• 1 front panel connector
• 6 fan connectors
• 1 download flash BIOS connector
• 1 diagnostic LED
• EZ touch switches (power switch and reset switch)

Power Management
• ACPI and OS Directed Power Management
• ACPI STR (Suspend to RAM) function
•Wake-On-PS/2 / Wake-On-USB Keyboard/Mouse
•Wake-On-LAN and Wake-On-Ring
• RTC timer to power-on the system
• AC power failure recovery

Hardware Monitor
• Monitors CPU/system/Northbridge temperature and overheat alarm
• Monitors Vcore/Vdimm/Vnb/VCC5/12V/V5sb/Vbat voltages
• Monitors the speed of the cooling fans
• CPU Overheat Protection function monitors CPU temperature
and fan during system boot-up - automatic shutdown upon system
overheat

PCB
• 6 layers, ATX form factor ;
• 24.5cm (9.64") x 30.5cm (12")

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Motherboard a closer look
Ram Slots


Sata Ports and SB



PCI Slots



PWM 6 phase PWMs +2phase Vtt +2Phase Ram. DFI market these as digital, but they are in fact a "hybrid" in so much as they are analog PWMs, but they can be calibrated by the SMBus tool in a similar way to digital PWMs, whereas
analog PWMs require different resistors and capacitors to fine tune performance.



CPU

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Motherboard Close Up (1of3)
Backside


Southbridge Secured with 2x white pushpins.




Sata Ports 6xIntel ICH10R plus 2xJMicron JMB363 PCI Express(Yellow)

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Motherboard Close Up (2of3)

Rear Panel

Left to Right:-

• • 1 mini-DIN-6 PS/2 mouse port
  • 1 mini-DIN-6 PS/2 keyboard port
  • 1 optical S/PDIF-out port
  • 1 coaxial RCA S/PDIF-out port
  • Cmos Jumper
  • 6 USB 2.0/1.1 ports
  • 1 IEEE 1394 port
  • 1 RJ45 LAN port
  • Center/subwoofer, rear R/L and side R/L jacks
  • Line-in, line-out (front R/L) and mic-in jacks

Rear Panel Clr Cmos Jumper No need to open case with this.


PCI-E Slots

From the Top:

• PCIE1 16xFixed Lanes from Intel X58 Chip
• PCIE2 4x Fixed
• PCIE3 16x Fixed
• PCI 1
• PCIE4 16x Fixed
• PCI 2

Front Panel Etc.,

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Motherboard Close Up(3 of 3)
Bios Chip
This board has the new micro bios chip first seen in the DFI UT P45-T3RS & T2RS
Closed

Open


EX Switch and POST LED


Graphics Card Power Connection Both x16 PCI-E slots have floppy connections next to them. Connecting these produces extra stability. Though if your running crossfire and using a floppy drive you may need an adapter with an extra floppy plug, as most PSUs have a maximum of 2 floppy connectors

PCIE1

PCIE4 The silver Lanparty chip is the Via VT6308P 1394 Host Controller. The 1394 header can be seen just below and to the left.

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Northbridge
The DFI DK X58-T3eH6 comes with a detachable Northbridge cooler which allows the user to mount their own cooler, whilst leaving the heatpipes in place. This is the same as the DK X48-T2RSB+ for example.. So after market air cooling and water blocks can all be added, which I think is a great feature.

Nicely bolted down.


Lifting the Northbridge cooler.
See Removing Northbridge Cooler

Cleaned with kitchen towel and a drop of Isopropyl Alcohol


NB Cooler
Top There are holes in the top which might be used to attach a fan. Wil try later.

End view

Base

Side I have a 40mm fan which looks made for that slot will give it a whirl I think.

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Removing Northbridge Cooler
DFI use a kind of glue/thread locking stuff on the nuts and bolts and it can be a bit tricky to remove, so be very careful that you don't slip and scratch the board.

Removing the Cooler - You need to use a Philips screwdriver and a pair of pliers to hold the nut on the underside of the motherboard.see below.



When nuts and bolts are removed the cooler should lift, but may require a small amount of force as there seems to be an adhesive in the thermal goo used.