GA-EX58-EXTREME Details

By now you might detect a pattern I'm creating, but starting with the basics and building into a more detailed outline of the various features and functionality for the Gigabyte GA-EX58-EXTREME. Benchmark Reviews has already learned first hand how comprehensive the Intel Core-i7 X58-Express platform can be, since our ASUS P6T Deluxe review spanned 21 pages. While I don't want to skip over anything critically important, I think it might be asking too much for anyone to actually absorb that much information. So heading in our detailed look at the EX58-EXTREME, we'll stick to Gigabyte's Ultra Durable 3 and Hybrid Silent-Pipe 2 technology.

One of the key features that makes the EX58 so EXTREME is the thermal management system, dubbed Hybrid Silent-Pipe 2. Notice in the image below how the LGA1366 socket is surrounded by plated heat-pipe rods and fin-sinks; that's the groundwork for Hybrid Silent-Pipe 2. Surrounding the processor socket are several high-quality CPU power modules that utilize ferrite core chokes to minimize electromagnetic (and radio) interference signal noise and create a cleaner electrical circuit and comprise the finer points of Ultra Durable 3. A lower Resistance from Drain to Source rDS (ON) MOSFET array allows for transitional power steps, which is the heart of Gigabytes DES Advanced feature. Japanese manufactured SMD solid state capacitors, which contain a solid organic polymer and lower equivalent series resistance (ESR), are implemented throughout this board and will likely outlast the useful life of the GA-EX58-EXTREME.

Gigabyte has doubled the amount of copper in the Power and Ground PCB layers of the GA-EX58-EXTREME up to 2 oz, which lowers the PCB impedance by 50% as a result. Impedance is a measure of how much the circuit impedes the flow of current. The less the flow of current is impeded, the less amount of energy is wasted. For Gigabyte Ultra Durable 3 enhanced motherboards, this means total PCB electrical waste is reduced by 50%, which also means less heat is generated. Two ounces of copper also provides improved signal quality, better system stability, and allows greater margins for overclocking.

The centerpiece is a hybrid liquid/air cooling unit fastened to the X58-Express chipset. In past version of Hybrid Silent-Pipe, the Northbridge played host to the front side bus functionality. With X58 the role of the Front Side Bus (FSB) has been replaced with QuickPath Interconnect (QPI), and is used to connect internal components of Core i7 processors to the Northbridge and banks of memory. With up to 25.6GB/sec of available bandwidth between the first generation Core i7 processors and the rest of the system, QPI provides exactly double the bandwidth of the previous 1600 MHz FSB.

Gigabyte includes an add-on cooling component with the EX58-EXTREME motherboard called a Hybrid Silent-Pipe module. This item features a very large fin-sink array Gigabyte refers to as a screen and integrates around two heatpipes which connect to the base. The entire Hybrid Silent-Pipe unit attaches to the X58 Northbridge base, so a combination of liquid cooling (optional) can be combined with the high-performance air-cooling functionality of copper heat-pipes for up to 30% improvement over using air alone. While most liquid cooling enthusiasts would invest in a fully contained system, I decided to use the ZOTAC GeForce 9800 GTX+ Zone Edition graphics card and tie the X58 Northbridge into the cooling loop.

Our Hybrid Silent-Pipe component was mounted using a very thin layer of thermal paste on contact areas, and I recommend reading our Best Thermal Paste Application Methods guide to get a better understanding of how less is more, but also recognize that this is not a perfectly flat surface and some addition TIM is necessary to fill in the excessive gaps.

The downside to using the Hybrid Silent-Pipe module is that it takes up the expansion area located directly above the PCI-E 1x slot, and creates a tight fit for anything that might use the 4x expansion slot. With the average video card installed, there is about 1/2" between the bottom of the Silent-Pipe module and the top of the graphics card; so radiant heat with come into effect with neighboring components. Keep this in mind if your overclocking Core i7 and your video card runs hot.

There were times when I was skeptical of the Silent-Pipe modules efficiency. The X58 Northbridge does get warm, but nothing like I've seen in the past; and two loosely fitted heat-pipes connected into and dressed-up screen of aluminum fins is not what I consider to be the most effective design. There were several times when the Silent-Pipe module was practically the same temperature as inside the computer case (while running on air only), which makes it very difficult to believe that the heat-pipes begin their condensation cycle or convince me that the unit serves much purpose.

The last (or first, depending on how you look at it) leg in the Ultra Durable 3 thermal management system is the ICH 10R Southbridge. I'm undecided on how I feel about the awkwardly designed heatpipe shroud, but it's obvious that the design doesn't match well with the rest of the motherboard. While I understand that it's difficult to make your product look different than the competitions, the Gigabyte GA-EX58-EXTREME Southbridge begins to look painstakingly close to the one used on the ASUS P5E64 WS Pro X38 Motherboard.

The close-up view illustrated above gives a very good look at the tight-fitting IC components that get surface soldiered to the motherboard via special soldier printers and focused heat guns. In the lower left corner of this image you can see the embedded post code Debug LED, which displays the system status for users wanting to troubleshoot or diagnose their system.

Please continue on towards the next section, which reveals a little about our motherboard testing methodology as it pertains to the Gigabyte GA-EX58-EXTREME Intel Core-i7 X58-Express DDR3 motherboard.

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