ASRock X58 SuperComputer

As we have noted before, ASRock continues to step up the capabilities of their products and with each new iteration of motherboards we see more feature-rich, enthusiast-oriented products from this cost-oriented company. With the current global economy, more consumers will be looking for more cost effective products, which places ASRock in a prime position. One of the cheapest Intel X58 motherboards on the market is the ASRock X58 SuperComputer, which has a number of exciting features but at a lower cost. In this article today we are seeing how well the ASRock X58 SuperComputer runs with Linux.

Features:

CPU
- Intel Socket 1366 Core i7 Processor Extreme Edition / Core i7 Processor
- Supports Intel Dynamic Speed Technology
- System Bus up to 6400 MT/s; Intel QuickPath Interconnect
- Supports Hyper-Threading Technology
- Supports Untied Overclocking Technology
- Supports EM64T CPU

Chipset
- Northbridge: Intel X58
- Southbridge: Intel ICH10R

Memory
- Triple Channel DDR3 memory technology
- 6 x DDR3 DIMM slots
- Supports DDR3 2000(OC)/1866(OC)/1600(OC)/1333(OC)/1066 non-ECC, un-buffered memory
- Supports DDR3 ECC, un-buffered memory with Intel Workstation 1S Xeon processors 3500 series
- Max. capacity of system memory: 24GB
- Supports Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)

BIOS
- 8Mb AMI BIOS
- AMI Legal BIOS
- Supports "Plug and Play"
- ACPI 1.1 Compliance Wake Up Events
- Supports jumperfree
- SMBIOS 2.3.1 Support
- CPU, DRAM, NB, SB, VTT Voltage Multi-adjustment
- Supports I. O. T. (Intelligent Overclocking Technology)
- Supports Smart BIOS

Audio
- 7.1 CH Windows Vista Premium Level HD Audio with Content Protection
- DAC with 110dB dynamic range (ALC890 Audio Codec)
- DTS (Digital Theater Systems) support

LAN
- PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
- Realtek RTL8111DL
- Supports Wake-On-LAN
- Supports Dual GLAN with Teaming function

Expansion / Connectivity Slots
- 4 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots
- 3 x PCI slots
- Supports ATI CrossFireX, Quad CrossFireX
- Supports NVIDIA Quad SLI, 3-Way SLI and SLI
- Supports NVIDIA Tesla Personal Supercomputer with three Tesla and one Quadro graphics cards

Unique Feature
- ASRock OC Tuner
- Intelligent Energy Saver
- Instant Boot
- Hybrid Booster:
- CPU Frequency Stepless Control
- ASRock U-COP
- Boot Failure Guard (B.F.G.)

Form Factor
- ATX Form Factor: 12.0-in x 9.6-in, 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm
- All Solid Capacitor design (100% Japan-made high-quality Conductive Polymer Capacitors)

Contents:

The packaging for the X58 SuperComputer is unlike past ASRock products we have looked at, where they usually use a generic box and are not really catered to any specific product, which is another cost cutting measure. The ASRock X58 SuperComputer package was colorful and advertised the NVIDIA SLI and ATI CrossFire support, eSATA connectors, four PCI Express x16 slots, and other features. Inside we were left with the ATX motherboard, the user's manual, Windows driver CD, I/O panel, one ribbon IDE cable, one ribbon FDD cable, two 4-pin molex to Serial ATA power adapters, six Serial ATA data cables, three SLI bridges, and two ATI CrossFire connectors. ASRock usually skimps on the included accessories, but that was not the case with this new X58-based motherboard.