Normally when a new chipset hits the market we like to try and get a motherboard from one of the major companies for use in our reviews and initial testing. This goes for any new CPU regardless of if it is AMD or Intel. The reasons are pretty simple; the first is that realistically not that many people but Intel reference products. You get some that will, but the majority are going to buy from Asus, Gigabyte, MSI or one of the other players. This is not saying that Intel boards are not good products; it is just that most consumers have their favorite brands. However we wanted to try things a little differently with the launch of the X79 chipset. We have decided to take a first look at Intel’s reference motherboard and see how well it performs. As with everything we do there are multiple reasons for this. One is we want to see how Intel’s implementation of three-way SLI using the CPU for all PCIe lanes works and we also wanted to see what the overclocking envelope turns out to be. This will give us a great baseline for the reviews of other X79 motherboards in the weeks ahead. So with all that out of the way lets dive into Intel’s X79SI Siler (insert Heroes Reference here).
Features -In the current market motherboard (and indeed almost all component) performance is very close. The days of a large performance advantage between boards using the same chipset are long gone. That is unless someone makes a HUGE mistake (like runs traces completely wrong). Now, the thing that differentiates different products is the features. These are things like power management, extra slots, better audio CODECs etc. It is these items that R&D teams work so hard to drop into what are really identical pieces of hardware at their most basic level.Intel’s boards are usually light on what most people would consider “features” this does not mean they are not good products; it just means that these are the reference boards. Intel is giving you the baseline for what you should get in terms of performance and stability. They are not going to load it up with a ton of extras like you get with many other companies. Excellent -Bluetooth and Wireless N moduleQuad Channel RAM SupportOverclocking AssistantThese items are design choices that help the board perform well. The wireless built into the board is a nice touch but one that has been done and is becoming more and more common. Still it is nice to see it here.In the middle (sort of good) -Solid CapsBIOS flashback Multiple 4-pin Fan headersThree-Way SLI (using the CPU)CrossfireXThese are nice extras but are not items that are going to push things over the edge for a buying decision. With the possible exception of the three-way SLI feature.Floor Mats -Diagnostic LEDsMultiple USB 2.0 headersUSB 3.0These are the types of things that are filler; again they are nice, but they do not make the board what it is. Like we said you are not getting loaded up with features here, but you are getting a solid and stable board most of the time.
