EVGA X58 Classified - Trophy Board

Final Words

Our experience with the Classified has been a very enjoyable to say the least from an overclocking viewpoint. Our retail board from EVGA has worked flawlessly throughout an extended test period in which we absolutely abused the board, and yet it came back for more. User experiences of the Classified have generally been excellent barring the occasional PSU compatibility and S3 fan resume problems. BIOS support has been excellent with any minor gripes solved as soon as they surfaced.

However, stock distribution into areas outside the USA seems to be limited and arrival slow. EU and Asia-Pacific product release has been hampered with EU availability being delayed several times. Boards have begun to trickle through to various distributors and retailers in these regions but widespread stock availability is still limited. Stepping up retail support in these territories would go a long way towards instilling end-user confidence that EVGA's USA support system is not a one-off affair. We are almost certain they have lost a number of adopters over the past few weeks due to availability problems in these regions.

The widespread release of Core i7-920 D0 stepping processors (with 950/975 due shortly) from Intel will certainly bolster the X58 platform appeal to users who are crazy about benchmarking. We have already discovered in early testing that the D0 stepping processors will not only allow higher overclocks (the 975 will be something special) at lower voltages, but the overclock consistency between each CPU is leagues better than the C0 stepping. Even though a "budget" 920 D0, Corsair Dominator GT, and X58 Classified motherboard seems like a pricing mismatch, the potential in this combination of parts is nothing short of stellar.

We are proud to present the EVGA X58 Classified motherboard our Gold Editors' Choice award. We debated heavily amongst each other during the award process as the conveyance of this award for a motherboard with such single-minded focus on overclocking concerned us. Yet, that single mindedness by EVGA to develop and release a motherboard specifically for the overclocking community is what won us over in the end. In a market full of competitors all trying to outdo each other with the same basic X58 blueprint, it is refreshing for a manufacturer to step outside of the box and take a chance on a unique product. Yes, this motherboard is expensive and over the top in many ways, but you get what you pay for in this case. The EVGA X58 Classified is truly an outstanding product from both usability and engineering viewpoints. In addition, it also perfectly fits its market niche along with having some of the best customer support and service in the business. If your passion is subzero cooling, then we would stake our jobs on the simple fact that no currently available X58 motherboard is going to beat the EVGA X58 Classified for outright CPU clocking potential. The board is simply that good.

Now for the rest of us who utilize air- or water-cooling. You may find a slight advantage with the X58 Classified in terms of reduced system voltages and memory clocks over the mainstream motherboards. In reality, the gains are very small when you compare final overclock limits. Cooling is still king as always, and no board is going to bestow a magical 3GHz overclock upon you if your cooling is not worthy.

The i7's integrated memory controller takes a lot of the onus away from board level engineering until you really start to push very high QPI frequencies. Under a 4.5GHz CPU core speed it's difficult to discern any real differences between any of the enthusiast level boards in outright overclocking potential. It is when you get to the fringe of overclocking where a couple of nifty Classified BIOS functions that extend signaling margins really come into play. It's using these additional functions that has enabled us to benchmark our 920 D0 processor at QPI frequencies over 4.3Ghz under full eight thread loads. Couple the BIOS tweaks along with the subzero boot up workarounds and it is very difficult to look elsewhere when considering another X58 board designed for overclocking.

If we have to gripe (and we enjoy it at times), it has to be that the stock board cooling requires the end-user to supply their own fan before the board is really suitable to be used inside a PC case when overclocking. A 40mm fan in the retail package would not have broken the bank and would certainly earn the solution a few extra points. One also has to consider if adding the NF200 has brought anything worthwhile into the mix. Based upon our comparative benchmarks in the preview article, we would have to say no at this point, although it could help increase clock rates slightly.

The non-NF200 version is $50 less and based on the same board design and features. It should provide improved 3D scores in most setups but the jury is out on overclocking compared its big bother right now. Obviously, there is no getting around the cost of either board, as you simply must be in a different frame of mind to spend this much on a motherboard. However, having had the chance to use it, if you asked us if we would buy one we'd emphatically say yes. Simply because it is the only X58 board we have used that can truly bring out the maximum unhindered overclocking potential of the Intel Core i7. If that's what you're all about then look no further than the X58 Classified. It really is something special.