Earlier this year, we had a look at INTEL’s Core i7 980XE CPU which was quite the spectacle being that it was the company’s first six core processor. On the other hand, the launch for Intel’s Core i7-990XE was seemed like one of the quietest launches ever. But we have it here now and we also have their revision to the original X58 Extreme Series motherboard, the DX58SO “Smack Over”. They call it the “Smack Over 2” and this latest revision carryes USB 3.0 and SATA3. Let’s see how the new revisions fair in today’s hot X58 motherboard and CPU market!
Core i7-980XE Features and Specifications
The Core i7-980X and Core i7-990X are the same core with slight revisions made to the latter. This gives the slightly higher quality Core i7 990X a bump in frequency without bumping up the price. Rather than beat your heads by writing out all the specific details, just have a look at the table.
As you can see, there’s a slight bump in the base core frequencies. Intel Turbo Technology 2.0 now offers 3.73GHz versus the 980XE’s 3.6 GHz. It’s a little bump to the multiplier without sacrificing stability and can offer a slight bit of performance improvement especially over extended periods of full processor load. Otherwise, it offers every possible feature you’d need in the processor if you are in desperate need of 12 powerful Hyper-Threads.
Intel DX58SO2 “Smack Over 2” Motherboard Features and Specifications
Again, there are some updates added to the Smackover 2 versus the original Smackover. It gets a few expansion updates and some new overclocking DDR3 memory support. It also gets a new facelift which was sorely needed from the start. The board leaves the simpler, duller heat sinks behind favor of a new heat pipe VRM heat sink as well as the cool Intel skull emblem which we’ll show you in a bit.
It’s really nice to see Intel step up to 2000MHz memory, but given that many of the basic entry level platforms from other vendors all support 2133MHz already, this seems a little late to the party. With USB 3.0 and SATA3 on the plate, the platform is just about nearly up to date. It provides better audio with 2 channels set up for front panel stereo and also utilizes two updated Gbit LAN (LAN Pro) ports. Moving right along…
What’s In The Box? – Intel DX58SO2 “Smack Over 2”
Above you can see the bundled accessories that come with the DX58SO2 motherboard. It’s very similar to the SO except we get a few extra cool stickers and an updated Consumer IR sensor that can be stuck to your computer case for media center use. Otherwise, it includes six blue eSATA cables along with the much needed SLI bridges. This is a retail boxed package from INTEL and you’ll get exactly this if you pick this up off the shelf at your favourite computer store.
System Setup and Configuration Notes
Our Core i7-980X review pretty much confirmed it as the king of the food chain over the leaner quad Core i7-975X. Using a similar setup, the Core i7-990X was added to the mix. The only big difference is that the video card had to be swapped out and replaced with a ZOTAC NVIDIA Geforce GTX 580 as our original GTX 480 needed to be retired. Here is the system setup and break down.
- Processor 1: Core i7-990X Gulftown 32nm (as tested)
- Processor 2: Core i7-980X Gulftown 32nm
- Motherboard 1: Intel DX58SO2 “Smackover 2” (0765 BIOS)
- Motherboard 2: GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD5 (FD BIOS)
- Memory: Patriot Memory ViperII 6GB DDR3 @ 1333MHz (7-7-7-24)
- Video Card: ZOTAC NVIDIA Geforce GTX 580 1546MB 15 (Drivers 266.58)
- Power Supply: Antec Quattro (TPQ-1200)
- Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
Your LGA 1366 motherboard should already support the 990X even if you’re using another model. For testing, the Intel DX58SO2 and X58A-UD5 were using the latest BIOS release to ensure there aren’t any unforeseen issues. Double check your motherboard vendor’s product page and downloads just to make sure.
Overclocking the Smackover 2 and Core i7-990X Processor
Intel’s strongest suit has never really been any crazy overclocking. But, they are getting a bit better as long as you’re willing to push, essentially risking the life of your hardware. Using 1.45 volts as the max CPU voltage, we’re looking for the highest stable overclock.
The DX58SO2 made 4.3GHz easily achievable with every other setting left to Auto in the BIOS. There’s some voltage droop when overclocking which may account for a lack of higher speeds. Other motherboards will give you 4.4GHz on the average while some boards can offer up to 4.5 to 4.6GHz. Keep in mind your mileage will very depending on your CPU and motherboard.
Benchmark Suite
We’re using Sysmark 2007, Right Mark Audio, SANDRA Network, Crystal Disk Mark, 3DMark11, Cinebench R11.5, Unigine Heaven Demo, Bad Company 2, Media Espresso 6, and GraySky HD 3.0 Benchmark to test the systems’ entire range of capabilities while looking for any variations. Monitor resolution is at 1920 x 1200 throughout. We used default driver settings in the installation on for all applications unless noted in the graph results.
Sysmark 2007
This program benchmarks a computer’s overall performance rating the system in E-Learning, Video Creation, Office Productivity, and 3D Modeling. E-Learning uses Adobe Flash to execute rich image, video, and audio in a web page presentation of learning materials. Video Creation creates a video rendering using special effects and images from multiple sources that are HD in content. Office Productivity uses common office applications used in communication, data processing, project management, and file manipulation. And, 3D Modeling, creates a flyby animation and photo-realistic building image using a large architectural presentation.
There’s some performance variations between the two platforms. The updated DX58SO2 shows some performance gains in non-overclocked form over the UD5. Naturally, overclocking gives the UD5 an ever so slight advantage.
Let’s see how the combos do with a few more heavy benchmarks…
Cinebench R11.5
Rendering in this benchmark is very CPU intensive and sensitive to things like CPU frequencies and any special tuning.
At stock settings, the DX58SO2 is just a little better tuned probably due to BIOS and platform updates. However, the UD5 is a little more aggressive with overclocking giving either processor a healthy 4.4GHz frequency. Remember, the S02 likes 4.3GHz which affects rendering performance.
Media Espresso 6
ME6 has been added to the CPU test suite as it shows us tangible benefits of processor and video performance while transcoding videos. Results were record with hardware acceleration on and off. We tossed in the Core i7-975X for a little extra comparison.
As you can see, there is a slight performance gain between the 9xxXE CPUs. This may seem like a long time, but the video took just over 2 minutes without HWA. With HWA, we see the DX58SO2 can make efficient use of all the system’s resources.
GraySky 3.0 Benchmark
This is a free pre-packaged benchmark that converts a video file in two main passes. It uses all of the system’s resources, especially the CPU. Again, the smaller 975X sibling was added for a little more comparison.
There is no arguing that 6 cores with a total of 12 threads will make short work of transcoding, or anything for that matter. The 990X just slightly out paces the 980X which was to be expected.
3DMark11
We had to take single and SLI video performance for a spin. Overall, stock performance is still very close. Overclocking still gives the UD5 the advantage. However, if you’re not one to bother with overclocking, then you’ll be pleasantly pleased.
Battlefield 2 Bad Company 2
Someone asked what’s the benefit of high performance parts are over bang for buck parts. Not only does a massive game like BC2 load quicker, it runs more smoothly using max settings. The frame rate variations were within a couple stock or overclocked. We’re happy to see things so close in this respect.
Unigine Heaven 2.0 Demo
When we’re looking for a benchmark that gives us a system score and fully taxes the 3D performance with some realistic video rendering, this is the benchmark of choice. We took the systems for a spin using only the DX11 high tessellation settings.
There’s very little performance difference here between the platforms. The DX58SO2 does seem to slightly out perform the UD5. It could be due to better tuning and a more up to date chipset implementation. It’s great to see SLI helping the Intel cause.
Now let’s take a closer look at the hardware in the next batch of tests.
Input/Output Performance
We’re looking for any benefits between the platforms in terms of expansion, data rates, and network. Many of the storage controllers are the same these days, so it comes down to integration and BIOS tuning.
The results are interesting in that the UD5 does better with USB 3.0 thanks to their “333” implementation while the SO2 does better with SATA. Also, the Intel LAN Pro network controller is a bit more efficient. You probably won’t notice the difference by itself at home or office, but you would get a little more out of it over a local area network if the two systems were downloading at the same time.
Power Consumption and Quality Control
Any X58 system running high end graphics like the GTX 580 will consume some power at load. The DX58SO2 build needed only 182 watts at idle and 445 watts at load with a single GTX 580. But, it’s amazing how 3-way SLI tosses just about any and all consumption right out the window. That’s just how it is when running crazy gaming systems. Still, it is a slightly lower consumer of power than the UD5.
In terms of quality, both the SO2 and UD5 are immaculate. Neither seem to have a component out of place. The S02 is entirely silent at all times during any operation. However, there are some squeaks and squawks that penalize the UD5 more especially during full load. This is evident during audio testing.
Audio Performance
When you pack a lot of components on to a motherboard, it’s not uncommon for a couple small implementation issues to happen. Audio testing often reveals these issues. In this test, RightMarkAudio Analyzer was used to measure 24-bit 48Hz and 192Hz audio performance while looking for any issues.
The SO2’s audio also suffers from some noise when it comes down to it. There is just ever slightly too much (THD + Noise) total harmonic distortion and noise at peak volumes. But, that’s all it suffers from in the 24-bit 48Hz range. The higher 192Hz test does better and audio quality is overall good.
As we’ve seen before, the UD5 suffers from THD and noticeable stereo crosstalk. In other words, you can hear the slight squelching when the motherboard’s circuits get noisier during loaded tasks. The only way to eliminate that is turn up the audio levels. The best it can provide is an average score through out.
Final Thoughts
Does the Core i7-990X and Smackover 2 Bring the Smack Down? Not really. If you were expecting a large performance difference between the 990X and 980X, you’re not alone. The fact of the matter is that they really aren’t intended to break through any real barriers. Both are nice revisions of their former siblings and bring all of the features up to date especially the motherboard. The CPU itself is another refresh of the Core i7-980X with slightly better tuning. If you’re trying to save some money, we’d recommend the Core i7-970 for a surprising $594 USD which is a slightly slower core. Still, the end result is a possible new combination upgrade if you need the best processing power available.
We do have to say that this is update for the motherboard a bit past its prime. We’re surprised it didn’t launch when the rest of the partners brought us USB 3.0 and SATA3. However, it’s nice to see their own X58 platform with more character than the last revision. In this market, identity is very important and the Skull is the identity of the Smack Over. INTEL’s new flagship board will only cost you $250 to $275 USD depending on the retailer and even less if bundled with an INTEL CPU. That’s not too bad at all really.
Still, as we close in on the Intel Z Series platform release, we’re curious to see what the motherboard group brings us next!
INTEL Core i7-990X LGA1366 CPU
Pros
- Fastest desktop 6-core processor there is!
- Slight frequency bump without require more power
- Overclocks well as usual
- Doesn’t require a BIOS update
Cons
- It still costs about $999 USD
Overall Rating: 9.0 / 10.0
Intel DX58SO2 Smackover 2 LGA1366 Motherboard
Pros
- Finally, SATA 3 and USB 3.0 support
- Better design than the previous DX58SO
- Very handy BIOS recovery feature
- Very affordable X58 3-way SLI motherboard
Intel DX58SO2 Cons
- Just a bit late to the party
- Won’t satisfy the aggressive overclocker
Overall Rating: 8.5 / 10.0
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