EVGA X58 Motherboard Confirmed

[AuDioFreaK39]

I've known this for quite some time now, and I just didn't know if it was still under NDA or not, but - EVGA will be releasing an X58 motherboard that will *hopefully* release at the launch of Nehalem. I've talked to a few people at EVGA about this, and they are very hush hush about timeframes but they did say there is an EVGA X58 platform in the works.


Absolute confirmation can be found in NVIDIA's latest press release:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/io_1224586792565.html

?EVGA is continuing its tradition of bringing true enthusiast platforms to the market following the success with NVIDIA nForce-based SLI motherboards supporting Intel CPUs,? said Joe Darwin, Director of Technical Marketing at EVGA. ?By licensing NVIDIA SLI technology, the EVGA X58 motherboard will deliver the ultimate 2-way and 3-way SLI platform to, once again, meet the enthusiast?s demand.?


Hardware Akutell - EVGA is Working on X58 Mainboard (Translated)


With that said, don't get your eyes set on the ASUS P6T or Gigabyte EX58 offerings because, as stated from my sources, "they will suck compared to this monster!"

In addition, here is a blog entry written by Theo Valich from Wordpress describing the situation:

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: EVGA to launch Intel X58 motherboards http://theovalich.wordpress.com/2008...-motherboards/ When it comes to add-in board vendors, EVGA is probably the most faithful company in the business. Ever since the company launched, Nvidia was the only name EVGA wanted to hear about. But, things are about to change.

Here are the facts:
1) EVGA does not want to miss the Core i7 train
2) Nvidia is not making a chipset for Intel Core i7
3) EVGA poached excellent engineering team from now-defunct EPoX and does not want that team to do nothing until MCP8-series show up

Well, those facts end with a really simple result. EVGA is preparing to launch its first non-Nvidia based motherboard, but it will still have Nvidia chips on it. You?ve guessed it right - X58+nForce 200 bridges for full Triple-SLI capability. The motherboard is being designed by ex-EPoX engineering team, bringing plentiful of overclocking capabilities, Digital PWM, and fully solid-state caps across the board. Special attention is being given to providing top juice to graphics cards, so if you decide to go for the gold and grab 3-SLI setup with three water-cooled GTX270 boards, be our guest. But, that is not all. This is the first motherboard, which will be followed by ultimate motherboard for this Christmas, no questions asked. The enthusiast motherboard is actually being designed by a world class overclocker. Yes, the one and only Peter Tan a.k.a. Shamino, who is making ?Shamino special?. For those unaware ? Brian Flood from Mushkin, Shamino, Kinc and I share a special connection. According to German police, we all had the honor of dying and resurrecting. Last year, we were all pronounced ?missing presumably dead? when some east-German thieves stole helluwa stuff from our brand new VW Passat Variant, en route to the airport. Well, VW is one car I will *never* buy. Piece of alarm-unsecured junk. Getting back to the subject, EVGA is bringing several things to high-end X58 market that nobody has. First of all, the company will offer limited lifetime warranty (just as with all of their high-end products) and yes, 90-day Step up program. If that is not making ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI and other motherboard makers sweat, we don?t know what will. Lifetime warranty on a motherboard? Free upgrade program? Bloody hell, I am buying that one.

P.S. I'd also like to note that this will be EVGA's first Intel chipset board.

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: AuDioFreaK39
P.S. I'd also like to note that this will be EVGA's first Intel chipset board.

Precisely why i will likely avoid this one.

But we'll see.

I realize their numerous issues in the past have been mostly due to using craptacular nFarce chipsets, but i'm still wary.

 

[AuDioFreaK39]

Just to confirm this is not the Final heatsink assembly so it may be improved in later revisions, as you can see the board is Revision 0.0

For those who do not know here are the specs.

* Supports Intel Core i7 Processors
* Intel X58/ICH10R Chipset
* EVGA VDroop Control
* 100% Solid State Capicators
* 6 DIMM triple-channel DDR3
* Enthusiast layout supporting 2-way, 3-way SLI and CrossFireX
* 10 SATA II 3.0GB/s ports (1 e-SATA)
* EVGA E-LEET Turning Utility

pics of layout:

http://i33.tinypic.com/fozneq.jpg

http://img374.imageshack.us/im...5/evgax58layoutda5.jpg

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: AuDioFreaK39
Just to confirm this is not the Final heatsink assembly so it may be improved in later revisions, as you can see the board is Revision 0.0

For those who do not know here are the specs.

* Supports Intel Core i7 Processors
* Intel X58/ICH10R Chipset
* EVGA VDroop Control
* 100% Solid State Capicators
* 6 DIMM triple-channel DDR3
* Enthusiast layout supporting 2-way, 3-way SLI and CrossFireX
* 10 SATA II 3.0GB/s ports (1 e-SATA)
* EVGA E-LEET Turning Utility

pics of layout:

http://i33.tinypic.com/fozneq.jpg

http://img374.imageshack.us/im...5/evgax58layoutda5.jpg

Well, :thumbsup: on the layout.
9 SATA + 1 eSATA = me very happy (though the 9th SATA port location is annoying)
Back panel ports are pretty much perfection; very nice to see as i am rarely happy with the choices mobo makers make.

There isn't a fan hiding underneath that cooler though is there?

 

[Absolution75]

That CPU Socket is way too high. It wouldn't allow me to fit a large cooler in my case without mounting it sideways.

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: AuDioFreaK39
I've known this for quite some time now, and I just didn't know if it was still under NDA or not, but - EVGA will be releasing an X58 motherboard that will *hopefully* release at the launch of Nehalem.

Absolute confirmation can be found in NVIDIA's latest press release:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/io_1224586792565.html

Absolute confirmation can be found in NVIDIA's oldest press release, if you look hard enough:

NVIDIA Brings SLI Technology to Intel Bloomfield CPU Platforms

Notice the release date of that announcement is approx. one week before The Inquirer's big scoop on NVIDIA partners 'defecting' to another company that 'is not ATI'.

Charlie Demerjian got his 'big scoop' from NVIDIA's own press release. 1 + 1 + 1 = 3

- NVIDIA won't have a chipset for Core i7
- NVIDIA and Intel ink a deal to support SLI on X58
- EVGA is major NVIDIA partner

DUH! I've been spelling this out for two months.

 

[WT]

I have no need nor do I even want to move up to an i7 chip (running a Q6700@3.5) but for some reason I like this board. I just sold an old S939 eVGA NF41 board, so I guess nostalgia is kicking me in the butt on that, but one thing I have learned from my eVGA board purchases (the quad is running on the eVGA 750FTW board as well) is you don't buy it right away ... you buy it after the kinks have been worked out. In the case of the NF41 it was verrry picky about RAM, and it was only by reading what other users who had bought before that I was able to purchase RAM that ran at 1T with no issues on that board.
The 750 series suffered from the video corruption bug, altho mine was not affected by it, so I hesitate to change a damn thing at this point. I like this board, but I wouldn't buy it before Spring of next year to allow time for the eventual eVGA bugs to be ironed out.

 

[Compddd]

I don't want an X58 board with an NF200 chip on it, so pass on this board I guess for me.

 

[vhx]

Originally posted by: Compddd
I don't want an X58 board with an NF200 chip on it, so pass on this board I guess for me.

You do realize NF200 wasn't mentioned anywhere, right?

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: vhx

Originally posted by: Compddd
I don't want an X58 board with an NF200 chip on it, so pass on this board I guess for me.

You do realize NF200 wasn't mentioned anywhere, right?

o rly?

The motherboards and PC systems coming to market will feature a variety of graphics connectivity options, including more advanced bandwidth configurations using the NVIDIA nForce® 200 SLI processor, as well as those designed to run SLI technology natively through a licensing and certification program.

I'd like to think they will all run SLI w/o an nVidia chip involved, but i doubt that.

 

[nitromullet]

Who actually makes the motherboard? Is it Foxconn like the current EVGA boards? If so, why would anyone opt for an EVGA/Foxconn board over an Asus, Gigabyte, etc motherboard? Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of EVGA, but to me they have mainly differentiated themselves from their competitors by their excellent customer service and support, while their products have either been straight or mildly modified NVIDIA spec hardware. The NVIDIA spec 780i boards have definitely gotten better reviews than the Asus implementations, but I'm no so sure that it will be the same story when it comes to an Intel chipset made by Intel.

Originally posted by: n7
I'd like to think they will all run SLI w/o an nVidia chip involved, but i doubt that.

An X58 board will do 2-way SLI 16x/16 and 3-way SLI 16x/8x/8x, while an X58+NF200 board will do 3-way SLI 16x/16x/16x.

http://images.bit-tech.net/new...-x58-sli-support/2.jpg
http://images.bit-tech.net/new...-x58-sli-support/3.jpg

So, for the vast majority of people looking into running SLI an X58 only board would do the trick.

 

[NoStateofMind]

Looks interesting.

 

[Kougar]

Originally posted by: n7

Originally posted by: vhx

Originally posted by: Compddd
I don't want an X58 board with an NF200 chip on it, so pass on this board I guess for me.

You do realize NF200 wasn't mentioned anywhere, right?

o rly?

The motherboards and PC systems coming to market will feature a variety of graphics connectivity options, including more advanced bandwidth configurations using the NVIDIA nForce® 200 SLI processor, as well as those designed to run SLI technology natively through a licensing and certification program.

I'd like to think they will all run SLI w/o an nVidia chip involved, but i doubt that.

Looks like that was made in reference to possible future models, just as some other manfacturer hinted at doing.

If you look at the motherboard images there clearly aren't any NF200 chips to be seen. 😉

 

[ghost001]

goes anyone know if this board a 2x 16 PCIe for dual NF200 chips

 

[NoStateofMind]

Originally posted by: ghost001
goes anyone know if this board a 2x 16 PCIe for dual NF200 chips

I'm not sure what you are asking. It can do 3 x SLI (16x8x8) or 2x SLI (16x16) but if you add another PCIe card in the third slot it reverts to the tri-SLI settings. The NF200 chips are not on this iteration of the eVGA board, but there is an eVGA Extreme x58 SLI due out later this month (I think) that has the NF200 chips. Also its supposed to be "tuned" by some overclocking guru named "shamino" who used to work for epox. Stay tuned for the $400+ boards!