Specifications and Outside Features
In recent weeks we have been getting a lot of requests for system reviews, but when ORIGIN PC approached us about testing a super-high-end system with dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690s, we were definitely interested. When we were told to expect a 4.9 GHz Sandy Bridge-E platform to base those Quad SLI GPUs on, we were sold.
ORIGIN PC has been around since 2009 when several people started the company after leaving Alienware. While boutique computer builders are still fairly common in today's market, ORIGIN tries to differentiate with ideas like lifetime (yes, lifetime) phone and forum support for your system, lifetime labor for upgrades and services and 72 hours of burn in testing on each machine.
The rig we are looking at today falls under the Genesis brand and is the highest end starting point for a custom PC from ORIGIN. Options for this series include Sandy Bridge-E, Ivy Bridge and even AMD FX processors all with water cooling, multi-GPU configurations and of course, fancy lighting.
Here is a quick overview of the most prominent specs:
- Corsair 800D chassis
- Intel Core i7-3930K 6-core Sandy Bridge-E @ 4.9 GHz
- Intel DX79SR Motherboard
- Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 4GB cards (Quad SLI)
- 16GB DDR3-1866 quad-channel memory
- 1200 watt Corsair AX1200i Power Supply
- Dual 120GB Corsair Force GT SSDs in RAID 0
- 1TB Seagate 7200 RPM SATA 6G HDD
- Custom ORIGIN Cryogenic liquid cooling setup on CPU
Our estimated cost is...$5,750.
Continue reading our review of the ORIGIN Genesis overclocked Quad SLI gaming system!!
Computex: Gigabyte Shows Off GA-X79S-UP5 WiFi Socket 2011 Motherboard (Hi-Res Photos)
Subject: Motherboards | June 5, 2012 - 08:40 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: X79S-UP5 WiFi, x79, socket 2011, Intel, gigabyte, computex
Although Ivy Bridge is the new hotness, socket 2011 is still the company’s top-end enthusiast and workstation platform. And to to be forgotten, Gigabyte dedicated some space at its Computex booth to show off a new high-end X79 socket 2011 motherboard. The Gigabyte GA-X79S-UP5 WiFi is a EATX motherboard with a 2011 socket that is surrounded by heatpipes and VRM heatsinks (we recently reviewed the X79-UD5) The board further supports eight DDR3 DIMM slots, eight SAS connectors, six SATA ports, four PCI-E 3.0 x16 slots (up to 3 way SLI/CrossFireX), one PCI-E 3.0 x1 slot, and one legacy PCI slot at the bottom of the motherboard. It also has internal connectors for front panel audio, SPDIF, Firewire (1394), TPM, one USB 3.0, two USB 2.0 headers, and four fan headers (one of which is for the CPU).
Integrated Gigabyte technology includes the company’s all-digital and “3D Power,” dual UEFI BIOSes, 8 phase VRM, Gigabyte Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi card, 110dB SNR (signal-to-noise ration) HD audio, and 3X USB power and On/Off Charge to charge iPads and tablets even when the computer is powered down. Quad channel memory and socket 2011 processors give CAD engineers, video editors, and other 3D modelers the most performance possible out of a single socket workstation system.
Rear IO for the X79S-UP5 WiFi board includes a PS/2 port, four USB 2.0 ports, a firewire port, UEFI BIOS reset and overclock profile buttons, four USB 3.0 ports, two eSATA ports, a USB/eSATA combo port, Gigabit LAN, optical audio output, and five analog audio outputs.
In short, this is a motherboard that Gigabyte has packed to the brim with features for enthusiasts. Below you will find several high-resolution images of the new socket 2011 motherboard. If your internet connection is ready, dive right in!
Gigabyte GA-X79S-UP5 WiFi Motherboard Images
Overhead view:
Even considering my bias of my favorite color being blue, the board looks really nice, especially the heatsink designs which really make the board stand out.
CPU socket area:
Here we can see the 2011 socket, VRMs, and DDR3 DIMM slots.
More photos after the break!
Introduction and Features
Introduction
Courtesy of ASUS
ASUS continues to optimize their hardware for the overclocking and PC gaming crowds, but they are also catering to a niche audience looking for ultra stable and durable PC components. ASUS's Sabertooth X79 motherboard is their one of their latest products to bear the TUF series label and sport customized hardware and thermal components as well as a desert camo color scheme to complete the military look. This $329 motherboard comes with a five-year warranty, digital power management system, rugged chokes, solid capacitors, and MOSFETs that have been certified through third party, military-grade testing.
Courtesy of ASUS
The Sabertooth X79 also comes with a host of other features to improve SSD caching and give users quad GPU support for CrossfireX and SLI graphics card configurations. This board also includes a unique UEFI BIOS and natively supports 2TB hard drives with 64-bit operating systems. The USB BIOS "Flashback" feature also helps new users update their motherboard BIOS without entering the BIOS. ASUS states that users can use any USB storage device with the latest BIOS, push the BIOS button located on the back I/O panel for three seconds, and the board will automatically update the BIOS using standby power. Very cool!
Courtesy of ASUS
The back I/O panel on the Sabertooth X79 is no slouch either as it gives users a healthy amount of USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and eSATA 6GB/s ports for greater performance and expandability options. They also added a small fan over the back I/O panel as part of their "TUF Thermal Armor" feature that will help cool and exhaust heat from ther motherboard out the back of the chassis. Let's move on to the rest of the Saberbooth X79's features where we will get our first out-of-the-box look at this motherboard.
Continue reading our review of the ASUS Sabertooth X79 LGA2011 Motherboard!!
ASRock Reveals New Technology Advances at COMPUTEX 2012
Subject: Motherboards, Shows and Expos | June 5, 2012 - 01:06 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Z77, x79, trinity, sandy bridge-e, PLX PEX 8747, Ivy Bridge, Intel, fm2, asrock, amd
Four new Intel motherboards from ASRock were revealed at Computex, the X79 Extreme11, Z77 Extreme9 and Z77 OC Formula. All use their new XFast 555 Technology software for XFast RAM, XFast LAN and XFast USB which should at the very least allow you great control over all the frequencies on your motherboard.
The motherboard for power users supports Sandy Bridge E processors, the X79 Extreme11 sports PLX PEX 8747 bridges which means this motherboard can run multi-GPU 4-Way SLI/CrossFireX at PCIe Gen3 x16/x16/x16/x16 and puts EVGA's Classified SR-2 in serious trouble on the Leaderboard when released. 24 + 2 Power Phase Design, onboard Creative Sound Core3D and an LSI SAS2308 chip which gives you ten SATA3 connectors with 8 of the able to be set to SAS mode.
The Z77 Extreme9 also sports the PLX PEX 8747 bridge which allows a surprising full PCIe Gen3 x8/x8/x8/x8 quad GPU mode. The included T2R Dual Band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n + BT v4.0 Module supports dual band WiFi and BlueTooth and combines with the Wi-SB BOX to provide better signal and an extra pair of USB 3.0 connectors.
The Z77 OC Formula wants to step on ASUS' toes; while the score is impressive, the overclocks need a little work. They don't say much about this board but from the preliminary testing it looks like great fun for the serious overclocker.
Last but not least is the Z77 Extreme6/TB4 which features four channel Thunderbolt, for that you can read two Thunderbolt ports. ASRock mentions that this "allows one port to be connected to the onboard graphics and the other one can be used for discrete graphics card." which could lead to all sorts of speculation.
On the AMD side we have the ATX FM2A75 Pro4, and microATX FM2A75 Pro4-M and FM2A75M-DG which support Trinity processors but unfortunately we don't have much more than their names. TechPowerUp did get some pictures of the boards recently.
They are also showing the EN2C602-4L, E3C204-V, E3C204-4L and H77WS-DL server boards which come with a full suite of software to ensure an easy setup, an IPC motherboard for those small purpose-built applications and an intriguing HTPC box called the ASRock VisionX Series. This is reputed to featuring Ivy Bridge, Radeon HD 7850M graphics and AMD HD3D Technology with dual band WiFi but might cost a bit more than the alternative, the ASRock MINI Series which has and AMD E2-1800 backed up by a Radeon HD7340.
Inside and Out
When you are a little fish in the great big pond of PC builders, you need to do something to stand out from the rest. The people behind DV Nation apparently were well aware of that when entering the system vendor business and offering up SSDs to every single system configuration. Through a new system they are offering, provocatively named the "RAMRod PC", DV Nation provides a pre-built system that has some very unique components and configuration settings.
Built around the Antec Three Hundred Two chassis, the first glance at the RAMRod doesn't really indicate anything special is going on under the hood. But let's take a quick look at the specs:
- Intel Core i7-3820 @ 4.4 GHz
- 64GB DDR3-1600 Memory from G.Skill
- Radeon HD 6990 4GB
- 2x Seagate Momentus XT 750GB Hybrid HDD in RAID-0
- OCZ RevoDrive 3 X2 480GB PCIE SSD
- RAMCache: SuperSpeed Supercache 8GB on PCIE SSD, 8GB on Momentus
- RAMDisk: 42GB ROMEX Primo rated at 8000 MB/s
- Cost: $5,400
Obviously there is a LOT of storage work going on in the RAMRod and the purpose of the rig is to be the fastest pre-configured storage available anywhere. If you are looking for a cheaper version of this system you can get a base model with 16GB of memory, 10GB RAMDisk, 2GB RAMCache, 240GB PCIe SSD, single standard hard drive and even at GTX 680 for $2999.
Let's take a quick walk around the rest of the system before diving into the benchmarks!
Just Delivered: DV Nation RAMRod PC - Sandy Bridge-E, 64GB DDR3, 480GB RevoDrive 3 X2
Subject: Systems, Storage | May 11, 2012 - 04:34 PM | Ryan Shrout
Tagged: x79, sandy bridge-e, RevoDrive 3 X2, ramrod, just delivered, dv nation
Just Delivered is a section of PC Perspective where we share some of the goodies that pass through our labs that may or may not see a review, but are pretty cool none the less.
When you are a little fish in the great big pond of PC builders, you need to do something to stand out from the rest. The people behind DV Nation apparently were well aware of that when entering the system vendor business and offering up SSDs to every single system configuration. Through a new system they are offering, provocatively named the "RAMRod PC", DV Nation provides a pre-built system that has some very unique components and configuration settings.
Built around the Antec Three Hundred Two chassis, the first glance at the RAMRod doesn't really indicate anything special is going on under the hood. But let's take a quick look at the specs:
- Intel Core i7-3820 @ 4.4 GHz
- 64GB DDR3-1600 Memory from G.Skill
- Radeon HD 6990 4GB
- 2x Seagate Momentus XT 750GB Hybrid HDD in RAID-0
- OCZ RevoDrive 3 X2 480GB PCIE SSD
- RAMCache: SuperSpeed Supercache 8GB on PCIE SSD, 8GB on Momentus
- RAMDisk: 42GB ROMEX Primo rated at 8000 MB/s
- Cost: $5,400
Obviously there is a LOT of storage work going on in the RAMRod and the purpose of the rig is to be the fastest pre-configured storage available anywhere. If you are looking for a cheaper version of this system you can get a base model with 16GB of memory, 10GB RAMDisk, 2GB RAMCache, 240GB PCIe SSD, single standard hard drive and even at GTX 680 for $2999.
Let's take a quick walk around the rest of the system.
Continue reading our preview of the DV Nation RAMRod PC!!
For those who prefer their boards with a bit of experience, MSI's Big Bang XPower II X79
Subject: Motherboards | April 10, 2012 - 12:38 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: msi, Big Bang XPower II, x79, lga2011
If you are looking for Z77 previews then the long list below should keep you occupied, but since Ivy Bridge processors are not yet available these tests with Sandy Bridge processors are more of a performance preview even if almost every model of Z77 board can already be had. If you are more interested in [H]ard numbers then why not check out [H]'s review of the MSI Big Bang XPower II, a fully evolved X79 motherboard. This chipset has matured and expanded its capabilities, a Core i-7 3960K was perfectly stable at 4.7GHz after a bit of work. The board came off of the review with flying colours even if the BIOS was renamed to the MSI DoubleClick BIOS thanks to some issues with the UEFI's interface.
"MSI pulls out all the stops to create the Big Bang XPower II. A true enthusiast class motherboard designed for over the top enthusiast rigs. The XPower II is able to satisfy the overclocker and fits the needs of the multi-GPU user looking for a bigger bang. And yes, you even get fake bullets and guns on your heatsinks."
Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:
- Z77 motherboards from Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI @ The Tech Report
- Asus Maximus V Gene (Z77) Motherboard Sandy Bridge Review @ eTeknix
- Intel DZ77GA-70K Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets
- Intel Z77 Chipset motherboard Review @ OCC
- ECS Z77H2-AX Golden @ Guru of 3D
- MSI Z77A-GD65 LGA1155 Motherboard @ Benchmark Reviews
- MSI Z77-GD65 @ Bjorn3D
- Biostar TZ77XE4 Intel LGA1155 Preview @ techPowerUp
- ECS Golden Board Z77H2-AX LGA 1155 Preview @ techPowerUp
- ECS, Gigabyte & Intel Z77 Motherboard Preview @ Neoseeker
- Intel 7 Series Chipset and DZ77GA-70K @ Guru of 3D
- Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H Motherboard Sandy Bridge Review @ eTeknix
- GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H WiFi & GA-Z77X-UD3H Motherboard Reviews @ Legit Reviews
- ASRock Z77-Professional @ Funky Kit
- ASUS P8-Z77V Pro @ OC3D
- Z77 Motherboard Video Reviews @ Hi Tech Legion
- Intel Z77 Series Chipset Launch Roundup @ HardwareHeaven
- Asus Sabertooth Z77 @ Kitguru
- Biostar TZ77XE4 Z77 Motherboard Preview @ eTeknix
- ECS Z77H2-AX Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets
- Lucid Virtu MVP (HyperFormance) Tested with ASRock Z77 and Intel Ivy Bridge @ Tweaktown
- Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets
- Asus Sabertooth P67 Motherboard Review @ Ninjalane
- ASRock Fatal1ty x79 Professional Intel 2011 Motherboard @ TechwareLabs
- Asus Z9PE-D8 WS Dual Socket Workstation Motherboard Review @ eTeknix
- ASRock X79 Extreme4 Motherboard Review Take Two @ [H]ard|OCP
- Asus X79 Sabertooth Motherboard @ Bjorn3D
- ASUS Rampage IV Formula Motherboard @ Bjorn3D
- BIOS Option Of The Week - Delay DRAM Read Latch @ TechARP
- 990FX Motherboard Roundup with Thuban and Bulldozer – A Second Wind for ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI and Biostar @ AnandTech
- Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3 Review @ HCW
Introduction and Features
Introduction
Courtesy of Gigabyte
We are still making our way through an avalanche of X79 motherboards on our test bench that leverages the power of Sandy Bridge-E CPUs, but we didn't want to wait any longer on powering up Gigabyte's GA-X79-UD5 extended ATX motherboard. Gigabyte has really stepped up their game by offering optimized LGA 2011 for no-nonsense PC builders, hardware enthusiasts, serious overclockers, and even FPS/RPG PC gamers. Our review of the X79-UD5 is going to evaluate every aspect of the board's ability to handle automatic and manual overclocking, DX10/DX11 gaming, and other synthetic and real-world benchmarks.
Courtesy of Gigabyte
The Gigabyte X79-UD5 motherboard takes full advantage of the new features available with the LGA 2011 platform and X79 Express chipset like the abiliy to use up to 64GBs of quad-channel memory via eight DIMMs and support for dual and triple AMD CrossfireX or NVIDIA SLI graphics card configurations for multi-monitor, high-definition gaming. These features should make ultra enthusiasts grin from ear to ear because they will probably be the ones who tandem this board with an Intel Core i7-3960X processor and dual NVIDIA GTX 680s graphics cards that were just released earlier this week. The $299 price tag on this board also places it right in the middle of the pack of LGA 2011 motherboards available on Newegg and other vendors.
Continue reading our review of the Gigabyte GA-X79-UD5 motherboard!
Fatal1ty's Asrock X79 Professional Motherboard
Subject: Motherboards | March 26, 2012 - 03:57 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: fatal1ty, Asrock X79 Professional, lga 2011, x79
As the ASRock X79 Professional carries the Fatal1ty logo, you can be sure that it is designed for gamers. That shows in the 4 PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots which can handle 16x, 8x, 16x or x16, x8, x8, x8 depending on if you want a three or four card setup. Six SATA 6Gbps ports will ensure your SSDs have enough bandwidth to keep them happy, with another four SATA2 ports if you decide to go whole hog on storage. Funky Kit's overclocking experiments were very impressive with this board especially since they kept the voltage to a relatively safe 1.45V. If you are going with an X79 based system, this $280 board is worth a look.
"If you are looking for a great overclocking board but do not want to spend a ton of money, this is your board. The X79 Professional easily exceeded my expectations for a board at this price. It easily gives boards that cost twice as much some real tough competition."
Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:
- ASUS P9X79WS Motherboard @ Bjorn3D
- Gigabyte GA-X79-UD5 @ PCStats
- GIGABYTE X79-UD5 Motherboard @ Bjorn3D
- Asrock X79 Extreme9 Socket 2011 Motherboard @ Pro-Clockers
- igabyte X79-UD3 Motherboard Review @ OCIA
- Ivy Bridge preview with GIGABYTE Z77X-UD5H (Intel Z77) and Core i7 3770K @ Tweaktown
- ASRock Z77 Extreme4 Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets
- Ivy Bridge preview with GIGABYTE Z77X-UD5H (Intel Z77) and Core i5 3750K @ Tweaktown
- ASRock Z77 Extreme6 Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets
- Gigabyte GA-A55M-S2V @ AnandTech
- BIOS Option Of The Week - Odd Divisor Correct @ TechARP
- Asus Crosshair V Formula Review @ HCW
An Assassin, just like his father, Gigabyte's new X79 motherboard
Subject: Motherboards | March 16, 2012 - 01:28 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: gigabyte, assassin 2, x79, lga2011
The Gigabyte Assassin 2 carries on with Gigabyte's militaristic theme with a heatsink shaped like a handgun but there are some new features over and above the bright green expansion slots. The board uses the E-ATX form factor and sports not only Bigfoot's KillerNIC onboard but also a WiFi card with two antenna, giving your next LGA2011 build a lot of networking power. LanOC's testing revealed that the storage controller on this board lagged behind some similar models and they had some audio issues as well, though it is possible a BIOS update could change that. They were also disappointed to be limited to 4 DIMMs maximum, as other high end X79 boards sport an extra pair of slots for a truly large memory pool.
"It seems almost like it was yesterday when I took a close look at Gigabytes Assassin, flagship motherboard on the X58 chipset. Here we are less than a year later with a new chipset and socket available. That means it’s time once again to take a look at Gigabyte’s flagship gaming motherboard, the Assassin 2 X79. With a lower price point, smaller form factor, and all of the features of the original we loved the Assassin 2 should be a great board. Of course we won’t know that for sure until we dig in a little farther, so let’s jump in!"
Here are some more Motherboard articles from around the web:
- ASUS Rampage IV Formula X79 Motherboard @ Benchmark Reviews
- Asus P8Z68-V Pro Gen 3 @ Kitguru
- MSI Big Bang XPower II @ Tweaktown
- ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z Motherboard @ Hardware Secrets
- ASUS Rampage IV Gene @ Bjorn3D
- MSI Big Bang XPower II Motherboard Review @ Legit Reviews
- Asus P9X79 Motherboard Review @ Ninjalane
- Gigabyte GA-Z77M-D3H Z77 Motherboard Preview @ eTeknix
- GIGABYTE Z77 Motherboards: A Preview @ Bjorn3D
- ASUS Z77 LGA1155 Motherboards Preview @ Hardware Canucks
- ASUS Sabertooth Z77 preview @ Guru of 3D
- A Look at ASUS' Z77 Motherboard Features @ Techgage
- BIOS Option Of The Week - NX Technology @ TechARP
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