ASUS P6X58D-E Motherboard Review

Whenever I shop for a car, my first choice is the base model. I don't need a sun roof, heated seats, or a Bose stereo system. The price for a factory-installed GPS system could buy me the best aftermarket navigation with money left over for a high-power stereo and top-end speakers. Essentially, I don't need the frivolous extras that might never get used or could be purchased aftermarket for less. The same is true for computer motherboards: we don't all need dual Gigabit Ethernet network adapters, and the pre-loaded Linux system on a chip is nice but hardly necessary.

ASUS has already earned our praise for their ASUS P6X58D-Premium motherboard. As the name implies, this exceptional X58-Express motherboard comes loaded with everything that could fit the circuit board... and a premium price to match. The ASUS P6X58D-E motherboard is exactly what enthusiasts want: more for less. It's nearly identical to the ASUS P6X58D-Premium version, but makes minor sacrifices to help drive down the price. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the affordable ASUS P6X58D-E motherboard against a collection of other Intel X58-Express enthusiast solutions to measure graphics, processor, memory, and SSD storage performance.

ASUS has been a longtime partner to Intel, and both companies have been made better because of their relationship. But when it comes to new technology, sometimes Intel takes a little too long to implement change while ASUS prefers to offer their faithful consumers the options right away. Intel's tick-tock plan doesn't coincide with the technical improvements made to areas outside of processor development, such as SuperSpeed USB-3.0 or Revision 3.x SATA 6.0-Gbps (aka SATA-III) controllers. Most hardware enthusiasts agree that it's awkward to see Intel's "Enthusiast" branded X58-Express chipset paired to older standards while "Mainstream" P55 motherboards enjoy the better and faster new ones. ASUS feels the same way, and offers their P6X58D-E motherboard to forward-thinking enthusiasts who might not want to wait for the launch of Intel's X68-Express platform.

SuperSpeed USB-3.0 is an appropriately named technology, and several file transfer tests during the 2010 CES demonstrated the impressive 5Gbps signaling rate. Although USB3 devices won't compete with third-generation SATA6G interface in terms of operational file transfers, SuperSpeed USB easily beats bandwidth performance from the older second-generation SATA-3Gbps controllers. This is precisely why ASUS has incorporated the NEC D720200F1 SuperSpeed USB-3.0 chip on their P6X58D-E motherboard.

Revision 3.x SATA 6Gb/s (SATA-III) has also been added onto the X58-Express platform, allowing performance enthusiasts to enjoy faster top-end bandwidth speeds from capable Solid State Drive storage devices. Instead of waiting for Intel to add SATA-6G support into their upcoming X68-Express platform planned for 2011, ASUS includes functionality on the P6X58D-E Intel X58-Express motherboard right now by utilizing the Marvell 88SE9128 SATA-6Gbps controller with RAID-1/0 support.

Generally speaking, system performance will generally be the same between X58-Express platform motherboards. Individual graphics, memory, processor, and storage performance should each deliver results approximately equal to tests on each brand and model of X58 motherboard... unless the manufacturer has introduced technology or changes that might penalize the pipeline performance. This project compares three X58-Express motherboards: the original Gigabyte X58-series against their new X58A-series, as well as the ASUS P6X58D-E and P6X58D Premium models. This article will concentrate on the differences that exist between X58-Express products, since the added features are all that differentiate these motherboards.

About ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

ASUS comes from the last four letters of Pegasus, the winged horse in Greek mythology that represents the inspiration of art and learning. ASUS embodies the strength, creative spirit and purity symbolized by this regal and agile mythical creature, soaring to new heights of quality and innovation with each product it introduces to the market.

ASUS is a leading company in the new digital era, with an extensive product portfolio that includes notebooks, netbooks, motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, desktop PCs, servers, wireless solutions, mobile phones and networking devices. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today's digital home, office and person. ASUS won 3,056 awards in 2008, and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with the Eee PC. With a global staff of more than ten thousand and a world-class R&D design team, the company's revenue for 2008 was 8.1 billion U.S. dollars. ASUS ranks among BusinessWeek's InfoTech 100, and has been on the listing for 12 consecutive years.

ASUSTeK Computer Inc., also known as ASUS, a technology-oriented company blessed with one of the world's top R&D teams, is well known for high-quality and innovative technology. As a leading provider of 3C (computers, communications and consumer electronics) total solutions, ASUS offers a complete product portfolio to compete in the new millennium.

To succeed in this ultra-competitive industry, great products need to be complimented by speed-to-market, cost and service. That's why all 100,000 over employees of ASUS strive for the "ASUS Way of Total Quality Management" to offer the best quality without compromising cost and time-to-market while providing maximum value to all customers through world-class services.

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