There are a wide range of boards on the market to suit many preferences and needs. But there aren't many that specifically cater to the "budget" consumer. Mentioning "budget" and "X58" in the same sentence does seem a bit odd, doesnt' it? But Gigabyte has a new board that attempts just such a combination.
Priced at about $180 USD, the Gigabyte X58-USB3 is probably the least expensive X58 boards out there that has USB 3.0 included as a feature. There isn't SATA 6G here unfortunately, but that won't likely affect many users with a modest budget anyways. In fact, the X58-USB3 looks and handles very much like its higher-priced siblings in the Gigabyte X58 lineup, but for far less money.
As we know, there is a difference between inexpensive and cheap, and in the world of LGA1366, this Gigabyte board is indeed inexpensive, but is it cheap? Read on and let's find out.
Intel® Core™ i7 Processor and X58 Chipset support
The GA-The GA-X58-USB3 was designed specifically to take advantage of the raw power of the next generation Intel® Core™ i7 processors and the Intel® X58 Express chipset, whose new evolution in computing architecture is able to deliver an amazing performance break through from past processor generations. Replacing the Front Side Bus is the new Quick Path Interconnect, or QPI, whose 25.6 GB/sec transfer rates (double the bandwidth of the 1600MHz FSB) eliminates the communication bottleneck between the processor and chipset.
On/Off Charge Support
GIGABYTE On/Off Charge technology that enables faster iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch charging. A derivative of GIGABYTE's highly acclaimed 3x USB Power feature, On/Off Charge technology allows iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices to draw more current from GIGABYTE motherboard USB ports than standard USB ports allow, with the added benefit that the PC can be on, in standby mode or even off
USB 3.0 Support
The GIGABYTE motherboards support the latest generation SuperSpeed USB 3.0 technology made possible through an onboard NEC uPD720200 host controller. With superfast transfer rates of up to 5 Gbps, users are able to experience an almost a 10x improvement over USB 2.0. Additionally, backwards compatibility with USB 2.0 assures users of long term use of their legacy USB 2.0 devices. The onboard NEC SuperSpeed USB 3.0 technology also provides new power management features that include increased maximum bus power and device current draw to better accommodate power-hungry devices.
Multi-display support with SLI™ and CrossFireX™
Flexible graphics capabilities – Delivering both CrossFireX™ and way SLI™ support, providing the ultimate in graphics performance for gaming enthusiasts who demand the highest frame rates without compromising on resolution.
3x USB Power Boost
GIGABYTE motherboards feature a 3x USB power boost, delivering greater compatibility and extra power for USB devices. GIGABYTE’s unique USB power design is also able to efficiently regulate output over the full voltage range, which greatly enhances USB device compatibility. In addition, dedicated lower resistance fuses ensure lower voltage drops, and provide more stable and plentiful power delivery.
Cloud OC
GIGABYTE Cloud OC is a free overclocking application that facilitates PC overclocking through any web browsing capable device such as a smart phone, iPad, iPhone, Netbooks or notebook PC. Being browser based it connects via wireless Internet, Bluetooth or through an Ethernet cable and its many functions are categorized into three tabs: Tuner, System Info and Control.
Hotkey OC
GIGABYTE Hotkey OC allows users to create and save various profiles that can be adopted for different benchmarks. Hotkey OC then allows users to jump between these profiles on the fly so that the best profile for each segment within the benchmark can be used to optimize scores and boost overall performance. So, for example, when running 3DMark 06 the 1st profile might be optimized for graphics and can be used for the first two graphics tests, then the next two tests can utilize the 2nd profile which might be optimized for CPU tests, and one could jump back to the 1st profile again for the final two graphics (shader) tests.
Hardware OverVoltage Control IC - Enabling Extreme Overclocking
GIGABYTE Hardware Overvoltage Control ICs featuring more voltage control options than before for the CPU North Bridge and memory. The overvoltage controllers also provide hardware linear real-time voltage control, which means there is no delay compared to the GPIO controller in past implementations. In addition, GIGABYTE's Hardware Overvoltage Controller ICs also allow for much finer voltage control, allowing power users to adjust voltage in as little increments as 20mV for better overclocking performance.
Ultra Durable 3
GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 design, featuring 2 ounces of copper for both the Power and Ground layers which dramatically lowers system temperature by delivering a more efficient spreading of heat from critical areas of the motherboard such as the CPU power zone throughout the entire PCB. GIGABYTE's Ultra Durable 3 also lowers the PCB impedance by 50%, which helps to reduce electrical waste and further lowers component temperatures. A 2oz Copper layer design also provides improved signal quality and lower EMI (Electromagnetic Interference), providing better system stability and allowing for greater margins for overclocking.
Dynamic Energy Saver™ 2
GIGABYTE Dynamic Energy Saver™ 2 incorporates a host of intelligent features that use a proprietary hardware and software design to considerably enhance PC system energy efficiency, Reduce power consumption and deliver optimized auto-phase-switching for the CPU, Memory, Chipset, VGA, HDD, and fans with a simple click of button.
EasyTune6
GIGABYTE has completely redesigned EasyTune6 from the ground up to make it easier than ever to manage and monitor your hardware resources as well as tweak your system settings in order to achieve maximum system performance. Whether you are an overclocking enthusiast, or a computer novice, EasyTune6 provides the tools you need to quickly and effortlessly fine tune your system.
Dolby Home Theater Support
Delivers vivid surround sound for music, movies, and games, using two to eight speakers or any set of headphones.
ErP Lot 6 support
The ErP (as known as Energy-Related Products Directive) is part of new European Union's environment regulations. ErP established is based on the concern of environmental issues regards electronic devices been gained popularity and how to improve energy efficiency for better and greener life. GIGABYTE presents standard motherboards to help you effectively improving system performance and saving more energy.
As you can see, Gigabyte has packed a ton of features into the X58-USB3. Of these features, a few will be explored here in greater detail.
Specifications Here are the specifications for the Gigabyte X58-USB3:
CPU
- Support for an Intel® Core™ i7 series processor in the LGA1366 package (Go to GIGABYTE's website for the latest CPU support list.)
- North Bridge: Intel® X58 Express Chipset, South Bridge: Intel® ICH10R
- Support for DDR3 2200/1333/1066/800 MHz memory modules
- Dual/triple channel memory architecture
- 6 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 24 GB of system memory
- 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16 (PCIEX16_1/PCIEX16_2)
- 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 (PCIEX4_1) (Note 3)
- 3 x PCI Express x1 slots
- 1 x PCI slot
- Support for ATI CrossFireX™/NVIDIA SLI technology (PCIEX16_1 and PCIEX16_2 slots only)
- 6 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors supporting up to 6 SATA 3Gb/s devices
- Support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10
- Realtek ALC892 codec
- High Definition Audio
- 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
- Support for Dolby Home Theater
- Support for S/PDIF In/Out
- Support for CD In
- 1 x Realtek RTL8111E chip (10/100/1000 Mbit)
- 1 x PS/2 keyboard port
- 1 x PS/2 mouse port
- 1 x coaxial S/PDIF Out connector
- 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
- 2 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports
- 1 x RJ-45 port
- 6 x audio jacks (Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out/Rear Speaker Out/ Side Speaker Out/Line In/Line Out/Microphone)
- 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
- 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
- 6 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors
- 1 x CPU fan header
- 3 x system fan headers
- 1 x power fan header
- 1 x North Bridge fan header
- 1 x front panel header
- 1 x front panel audio header
- 1 x CD In connector
- 1 x S/PDIF In header
- 1 x S/PDIF Out header
- 3 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
- 1 x clearing CMOS jumper
- Support for @BIOS
- Support for Q-Flash
- Support for Xpress BIOS Rescue
- Support for Download Center
- Support for Xpress Install
- Support for Xpress Recovery2
- Support for EasyTune (Note 5)
- Support for Dynamic Energy Saver™ 2
- Support for Smart 6™
- Support for Auto Green
- Support for eXtreme Hard Drive (X.H.D)
- Support for ON/OFF Charge
- Support for Q-Share
- System voltage detection
- CPU/System/North Bridge temperature detection
- CPU/System/Power fan speed detection
- CPU overheating warning
- CPU fan fail warning
- CPU/System fan speed control
- 2 x 16 Mbit flash
- Use of licensed AWARD BIOS
- Support for DualBIOS™
- PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.0, SM BIOS 2.4, ACPI 1.0b
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