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).
The Box and Goodies -The box is relatively light on marketing material on the front. Well, let’s just say that it less obvious than it is on many other products. The front does feature the same skull logo that Intel introduced back with the SkullTrail gaming platform. It is a pretty cool emblem and one that is very recognizable. In keeping with most other motherboard makers (and to capitalize on the marketing space) Intel has gone with a front flap. Lifting this flap up gives you a glimpse of your new motherboard (well part of it anyway) along with some real marketing material. The marketing stuff is the typical “we are better” stuff.
Looking under the actual flap we find more marketing material and a list of some of the features of the X79SI. Some of these are nice features while some are not and probably should not be listed as a “feature” we will talk more about these a little later. The back of the box looks lot more like what we are used to from motherboard makers. There is the almost typical picture of the board complete with labels and the list of what you get inside the box. This is not a bad thing; it actually lets the potential buyer get a better idea of what they are picking up. Inside the box we found all of the items as described on the box with the exception of the Bluetooth/Wi-Fi module. Now as this is a sample board meant more for the CPU that was already in the socket than a retail board sample so we are sure this was nothing more than a logistical omission. If you pick one of these up through your favorite retailer/e-tailer we are certain you will get everything you need.
