ASUS Sabertooth X79 TUF Motherboard Review

Manufacturer: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
Model Number: The Ultimate Force Sabertooth X79
Product Name: Intel X79 Express Motherboard
Price as Tested: $339.99 at Newegg

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by ASUS.

TUF: The Ultimate Force. ASUS' most stable and reliable motherboard is backed by the industry's best five-year warranty. To attain this honor, the ASUS Sabertooth X79 motherboard endures extreme critical environmental testing that covers low to high chamber room temperatures up to 55°C at 90% humidity. TUF Thermal Armor combined with US mil-spec electronic components ensures this motherboard will remain mission-ready regardless of how extreme an overclocking experiment gets. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the ASUS Sabertooth X79 TUF motherboard with Intel's Core i7 3960X Extreme Edition CPU.

Designed to support second-generation Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition processors for the LGA2011 socket, Intel's Sandy Bridge Extreme X79 Express motherboards raise the standard for performance computers. ASUSTek, the largest of Intel's partners, is using this occasion to debut some impressive technology of their own: the ASUS Sabertooth X79 TUF motherboard. Standard are features such as SuperSpeed USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s, 14-phase digital power, and PCI-Express 3.0 compatibility. Complete with quad-channel DDR3 1866MHz system memory support, ASUS enables SSD caching and RAM-disk opportunities for high-demand tasks. A fresh new UEFI (BIOS) allows risk-free USB flashback, while digital power regulators now control every voltage on the system.

Based on more than a decade's worth of experience building computer systems with ASUS components, it seemed as though the ASUS P8P67 EVO Motherboard was a crowning achievement that offered so many robust features it would be a very long time before it was outdone. ASUS needed just under a year, since they've managed to pack so many new proprietary features in the ASUS Sabertooth X79 TUF motherboard, once again setting the bar impossibly high for competing manufacturers. This review will focus on these new technologies, and explain how they integrate into the technical demands of hardware enthusiasts.

Of the many new features available on the ASUS Sabertooth X79 TUF motherboard, the most notable are:

• 3-Way NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX support
• Quad-channel DDR3 1866MHz XMP 1.3 system memory support
• SuperSpeed USB 3.0 for both front panel and rear IO ports
• Native and supplemental SATA 6Gb/s ports
• PCI-Express 3.0 support on compatible devices for up to 32GB/s
• Digital voltage regulator units for both CPU and RAM

Beyond these platform improvement, some ASUS-specific motherboard features include:

• DIGI+ Power Control voltage regulator modules for precision tuning and control
• TUF Thermal Armor provides direct wind-tunnel airflow onto heat-critical components
• TurboV Processing Unit (TPU) advanced monitoring enables expanded overclocking
• ASUS SSD Caching uses a SATA-based SSD or RAM-Disk with any hard drive to boost system performance
• USB BIOS Flashback enables firmware updates without any CPU/RAM/GPU present
• USB 3.0 Boost goes beyond SuperSpeed USB transfers by using USB Attached SCSI protocol
• ASUS AI Suite II consolidates all system utilities into one comprehensive software package
• MemOK! enables the system to boot when memory compatibility becomes an issue
• ASUS UEFI (User Extensible Firmware Interface - a BIOS replacement) with Graphical User Interface

Proprietary features are what separate the many motherboard solutions from one another. Generally speaking, without these special features overall system performance would be approximately identical between Intel X79 Express motherboard platforms. Tested using the same graphics card, system memory, central processor, and storage device on motherboards of the same platform, performance differences only appear when the manufacturer has introduced additional technology or made design sacrifices that penalize pipeline performance. This article compares several Intel X79 Express motherboards against previous Intel and AMD platforms.

The Intel X79 Express Chipset

If you look at the block diagrams of the Z68 and X79 chipsets side by side, the X79 seems functionally identical to the Z68, except that it lacks the digital display support and Intel Smart Response Technology. The lack of the latter is disappointing, since our tests with Intel Smart Response Technology showed that its use of an SSD as an intelligent cache to a hard drive could dramatically improve storage performance. Perhaps to make up for this, the X79 does permit overclocking via raising the base clock (BCLK) frequency, something that's almost impossible on the previous Sandy Bridge chipsets since most of the other clocks on the board were derived from the base clock, and raising it more than a few MHz would make the entire board unstable.

LGA2011 processors, like the Sandy Bridge Extreme series shown above, require the new X79 Express chipset. Intel provides this handy block diagram:

As with the Z68 and earlier P67 chipsets, there are 14 USB 2.0 ports and 6 SATA ports, of which only two are SATA 6G. Notably missing is Intel's "Light Peak" (aka "Thunderbolt") interface, which Intel has touted as a reason for not supporting SuperSpeed USB 3.0. And it's really odd that only two of the SATA ports are SATA 6G, since 6G devices are becoming more common, especially among SSDs. For a cutting-edge platform, this is impossible to justify. At least AMD gives you a full six SATA 6G ports.

One nice thing is the abundance of PCI-E lanes, an area Intel has historically been a little skimpy on, especially on their LGA1155/1156 platforms. The Sandy Bridge E provides a full 40 PCI-E lanes from the processor, more than twice the 16 lanes of an LGA1155 Sandy Bridge CPU, and an additional eight lanes from the X79 chipset...the same as from the P67/Z68 chipsets. Together, that's a full 48 PCI-E lanes, besting even AMD's 42. Triple-card SLI/CrossFireX systems will run at 16/16/8 with eight lanes left over for SATA 6 and USB 3.0 use.

So the X79's a mixed bag: only two SATA 6G ports and no USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt, but plenty of PCI-E lanes.

Closer Look: ASUS Sabertooth X79

The new ASUS X79 Express motherboard series supports the latest Intel Core i7 (Sandy Bridge) Extreme Edition processors, which are the first six-core 32nm desktop processors based on Intel's 2nd-generation Sandy Bridge micro-architecture. These socket LGA2011 CPUs integrate PCI-Express and quad-channel DDR3 memory controllers and large micro-operations cache to improve overall performance and efficiency. In benchmark tests this adds up to significant increases over previous architectures, allowing overclockers and performance hardware enthusiasts to realize the most substantial improvement in their daily real-world computing experience beyond tasks of the average user. Intel's Core i7 3960X and 3930K processors will offer a completely-unlocked product for overclocking enthusiasts, while the soon-to-be-released Core i7-3820 can manipulate the maximum Turbo Boost delivered to one CPU core.

ASUS designs their P9X79-series motherboards for mainstream hardware enthusiasts, while designating their Rampage IV Extreme and TUF Sabertooth X79 motherboards for more advanced overclockers and extreme performance enthusiasts. TUF Sabertooth X79 debuts with a familiar black printed circuit board (PCB) and hardware components. Benchmark Reviews has tested more than a few motherboards in our time, and ASUS has repeatedly proven itself as the premier name in motherboard technology and hardware stability. While our benchmark tests will prove this claim later into the article, this section concentrates on basic motherboard features and component details.

Unlike past Intel motherboards, the new X79 Express chipset supports quad-channel memory. This means there are now wight DIMM sockets available for non-ECC unbuffered DDR3 memory on the ASUS Sabertooth X79 TUF motherboard, capable of up to 64GB of system memory (8GM DDR3 modules). 1600 MHz is the fastest standard base frequency supported, but if overclocked settings are configured this motherboard can handle 1866MHz DDR3 (yet the UEFI speed selections allow up to DDR3-2666). Since 32-Bit Windows Operating Systems allow only 4GB maximum memory mapping space (anything more is ignored), having 64GB of available system memory clearly designates this as the ideal 64-bit system platform.

Intel X79 Express motherboards fit only socket LGA2011 desktop processors and no other, which also means that a new mounting bracket is required for older CPU coolers. At the time of this writing many of the most popular heatsink manufacturers were offering free LGA2011 mounting kits for previous customers, so users may not need to purchase a new heatsink. There have also been a few adapter kits that replace the mounting system with an older LGA1366 or LGA1156 retention bracket. Based on how large the new Intel Core-i7 CPU and LGA2011 backplate are, it seems unlikely that these adapters will offer the same levels of support or coverage. Additionally, some heatsinks were designed to take advantage of DIMM sockets on one side of the motherboard. The inclusion of four additional DIMM sockets could mean that large heatsinks will not work with X79 Express motherboards.

The rear input/output panel (I/O panel) is a busy place on the ASUS Sabertooth X79 motherboard, with ample wired and wireless support across many standards. One legacy PS/2 port supplements four SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports, which can revert to USB 2.0 speeds for backwards compatibility. Six Hi-Speed USB 2.0/1.1 ports are located at the IO panel, with one of the ports (white) offering USB BIOS Flashback functionality. The USB BIOS Flashback button resides beside this port, and allows for firmware flashing without any video card, processor or boot drive attached to the system. VIA Technologies supplies the SuperSpeed USB controller hub that ties it all together.

A powered external SATA (eSATA) 6.0 Gb/s port is available on Sabertooth X79, courtesy ASMedia ASM1061, and is colored green for easy identification. Power eSATA ports require a specially designed signal cable to provide 5.0 volts of power to the external SATA device. The Power eSATA signal cable is not included with ASUS X79 motherboards, but many Power eSATA devices will bundle this cable with their kit or one can be purchased separately. There's also a non-powered eSATA 6Gb/s port in standard red color, supported by the same ASM1061 chip. A VIA VT6315N controller delivers supports IEEE-1394a at the back panel, for when these older pre-USB 3.0 devices resurface. The ASUS TUF Sabertooth X79 comes with a Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 1000 Mb/s network adapter based on the Intel 82579V chip, which qualifies as an 802.3az Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) network appliance.

Audio support for the ASUS TUF Sabertooth X79 utilizes the Realtek ALC892 chip, which is capable of eight channel 7.1 High-Definition sound. This particular audio chipset may be integrated onto the motherboard, but with a featured 106 dB Signal-to-Noise ratio and 192khz absolute pitch / 24-bit true BD lossless sound over eight channels it's anything but low end. The coaxial and optical S/PDIF out ports deliver eight digital audio channels to PC audiophiles, also delivering DTS Surround Sensation UltraPC support and Blu-ray Disc audio layer Content Protection. Realtek's ALC892 chip also supports audio-jack detection, multi-streaming, and front panel jack-retasking. Six analog-out audio jacks are available further down the panel, for backwards compatibility.

ASUS Sabertooth X79 Details

Keeping with the times, ASUS joined the digital revolution back in 2010 when their Intel P67-series motherboard platform made the transition from analog power. On the Sabertooth X79 Express platform, ASUS incorporates an onboard micro-processor chip: TPU (TurboV Processing Unit). ASUS TPU relieves parts of process-intensive tasks from the CPU, and increases overall system performance. Now into its third generation, TPU uses DIGI+ Power Control technology (formerly DIGI+ VRM) features fully-digital power voltage regulator modules (VRMs) that give the overclocker ultra-precise memory voltage tuning and processor voltage control. DIGI+ Power Control takes digital voltage settings from only the CPU vCore and extends them to CPU vCore, CPU VCCSA, and DDR3 system memory.

These programmable digital VRM controllers make it possible to accurately match multiple digital power signals (SVID) without power transfer loss. DIGI+ Power Control on Sabertooth X79 offers 8-phase vCore power for the CPU, 2-phase VCCSA power to the processor's integrated memory controller, and 2+2 phase VDIMM power for the system DRAM. The switch from an analog to digital CPU and RAM power regulation allows ASUS P9X79-series motherboards to be more energy efficient, because DIGI+ Power Control reduces total power dissipation, and as a positive byproduct the mainboard components do not create excess heat. With the ASUS DIGI+ Power Control feature, users can choose between an auto Spread Spectrum mode where the VRM frequency is varied dynamically, resulting in lower interference (dBuV) and higher system stability. With DIGI+ Power Control configured with Fixed Frequency Mode, the motherboard allows for greater overclocking potential as the frequency increases towards 500k Hz in precise 10k Hz increments.

The ASUS TurboV Processing Unit is designed to manage processor, memory, and various component voltages. There are few technical details available about the TPU micro-processor other than what the chip is labeled with: TPU 035-CA1. There's also a DIGI+ chip labeled ASP1101-C nearby. ASUS EPU actively manages the power phases and hands off necessary commands to the EPU driver, which coordinates functions with voltage control software to adjust operating frequency and voltage according to the load applied. Gone are the days when 1.50V meant that your hardware actually received +/- 0.025 volts (or worse), now the requested voltage setting correctly delivers exactly the right amount of power assigned. This becomes especially handy with ASUS AI Suite II, which allows users to specify exact operating limits for their projects.

Another development revealed with Intel's X79 Express chipset is the support for quad-channel DDR3 memory configurations, which places eight DIMM slots onto the motherboard. As 64-bit Operating Systems become the standard and high-density memory modules shed their high price tag, power users will seek out the massive system memory capacities available to push their high-demand applications. Besides the addition of four additional DIMM slots beside the processor, there's the option of using some of this memory for inventive purposes. For example, keen users could load their X79 motherboard 64GB DDR3, and use half of this to create a RAM-disk to work with ASUS SSD Caching for improved overall system performance.

With eight hungry DIMM slots, there's the increased possibility that incompatible memory could cause a boot failure. In such a situation, ASUS MemOK! will lend a helping hand. First, the DRAM_LED light will blink continuously near the MemOK! button. By holding down this button until the DRAM_LED begins blinking, ASUS MemOK! will begin automatic memory compatibility tuning to help increase the chances of a successful motherboard boot up. MemOK! determines failsafe settings and improves the chances of system boot-up when they might not be otherwise possible.

Intel X79 Express brings with it a new processor package: socket LGA2011. This new CPU socket in compatible with new Intel Core i7 processors 3960X, 3930K, and the soon-to-be-released Core i7-3820. ASUS positions anodized aluminum heatsinks near the LGA2011 socket, using the CPU cooler's fan to help cool power components hiding under the heatsink. The surface of each heatsink is shaped to cover tall VRM's, and several low-profile electronic components. Combined with US Military specification electronics, ASUS uses all Japanese manufactured SMD solid state capacitors containing a solid organic polymer and lower equivalent series resistance (ESR) will likely outlast the useful life of any ASUS X79-series motherboard.

Native SuperSpeed USB 3.0 support in finally available to Intel motherboards, but the new X79 Express platform keeps this port in very short supply. Intel's design offers only one pair of ports, so ASUS was quick to include large-scale support for this appropriately named technology by adding two more SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports using an ASMedia ASM1042 chip. SuperSpeed USB 3.0 file transfer tests have proven 5.0 Gb/s signaling rates are possible, but that wasn't enough for the engineers at ASUS. Their non-proprietary ASUS USB 3.0 Boost goes beyond SuperSpeed USB transfer speeds by using the more efficient USB Attached SCSI (UAS) protocol for more responsive bandwidth. Additionally, ASUS USB BIOS Flashback returns with X79, and enables firmware updates without any CPU/RAM/GPU hardware components installed on the motherboard.

Intel Smart Response Technology, the creative tool for joining a SSD cache drive to a large-capacity hard disk drive, is not supported on Intel's X79 Express chipset. This means that motherboard manufacturers are free to engineer solution of their own, which is what ASUS SSD Caching accomplishes on the Marvell 9128 controller. Users can benefit from ASUS SSD Caching by using solid state drive speeds to intelligently accelerate frequently-accessed tasks and applications on a hard disk drive. Offering application speeds up to three times faster than mechanical hard drives alone, ASUS SSD Caching features an exclusive user interface and storage control options that boosts performance with one click.

PCI Express 3.0 is supported on X79 Express motherboards, capable of delivering up to 32GB/s on compatible devices across 48 lanes. The integrated PCI-Express controller on Sandy Bridge Extreme processors offers 40 shared PCI-E graphics lanes, and the Intel X79 Express chip adds another 8 shared PCI-Express lanes used for motherboard functions. While the Sabertooth X79 user manual describes support for Quad-GPU configurations, this is only possible if you're pairing two graphics cards that each house two GPUs, such as NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 590 or AMD's Radeon HD 6990. Three-way NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX configurations are supported, and on the ASUS Sabertooth X79 TUF motherboard PCI-E 3.0 graphics lanes can be configured into a x16/x16/x8 formation. Theses newly added PCI-E lanes enable X79 Express motherboards to operate with full functionality when multiple graphics cards are installed, utilizing USB 3.0 and other mainboard resources without sacrifice.

The same two native SATA 6Gb/s ports introduced with P67 Express return on X79. The Intel SATA 6Gb/s ports (colored dark brown: SATA6G_1-2) are joined by four additional SATA 3Gb/s ports (colored black: SATA3G_3-6) with RAID-0/1/5/10 support. Intel's third-generation SATA storage controller allows performance enthusiasts to enjoy faster top-end bandwidth speeds from capable storage devices, primarily Solid State Drives, and supports RAID-0/1/5/10 functionality. ASUS then adds an additional two SATA 6Gb/s ports (colored white) by using the Marvell 88SE9128 controller with RAID-1/0 support through Marvell RAID utility (MRU) and driver. The orientation of all eight SATA ports utilizes transverse-mount connections to stem cables outward to the side of the motherboard. This layout works extremely well for all modern video cards, especially those that measure 9.5" or longer that occupy multiple expansion slots.

Intel's X79 Express chip rests beneath the black plastic shroud of an actively-cooled heatsink at the Southbridge location, where heat output is rather mild. This Southbridge fan can be controlled using ASUS Thermal Radar software, as well as all other sensors and fan headers on this motherboard. Additionally, a Nuvoton Technology NCT6776F Super I/O chip positioned elsewhere on the board to help monitors several critical parameters in PC hardware, including power supply voltages, fan speeds and temperatures.

ASUS Thermal Radar

ASUS' constantly-evolving AI Suite program is something that really deserves its own review, but I'll touch on two features I really liked in the current version: one new and one old. The new feature is ASUS' Thermal Radar on the TUF Sabertooth X79 motherboard.

Thermal Radar comprises 12 points on the motherboard that can report their temperature (hovering your mouse over one of the sensor points on the Thermal Radar screen will show its name, as in the "PCH" label above). This is similar to some of ASUS' past enthusiast motherboards, which either included or could accommodate separate thermal probes. These probes were sensors mounted on long, thin wires that plugged into the motherboard, after which you taped the sensor where you wanted the temperature to be read. While this let you do things like monitor the temperature of a hard disk or on the back plate of a video card, the integrated sensors of the Thermal Radar are much more convenient, and you can designate that various fans connected to the motherboard (there are 7 fan headers on the Sabertooth motherboard, all PWM-capable) respond specific temperatures on given sensors. This gives the enthusiast a very fine degree of control over motherboard temperatures.

You don't have to keep Thermal Radar open to monitor your temperatures: you can collapse the AI Suite's "Monitor" window to a relatively small sidebar, and display voltages, temperatures, and other information as you desire.

DIGI+ Power Control and TurboV EVO

The old feature is DIGI+ Power Control and TurboV EVO. OK, maybe that's two features, and actually DIGI+ Power Control is new, too: it's an evolution of ASUS' DIGI+ VRM. The old power system was concerned only with the power to the CPU, while the new DIGI+ Power Control offers both more options (like CPU current capability) and can deal with RAM voltages as well. I used them to reach the 4.8GHz overclock I achieved with this board. First, I used the DIGI+ Power Control section to set the load line calibrations and CPU current capability as shown below. By increasing the load line calibration, DIGI+ Power Control maintains voltage to the processor under heavy loads, eliminating sudden voltage drops (aka "vdroop") that can cause a crash. However, you need to be careful with this if you've also increased the voltage to the processor.

Once I'd designated that turbo ratio should be increased "for all cores" in the BIOS, I gained the ability to tweak the turbo ratio (labeled "CPU Ratio" below) on the fly, right from within Windows. Just by dragging the "fluid level" inside the graphics "canisters" shown below, I could change the maximum turbo ratio and simply click "Apply" to set it. You can also set the BCLK frequency and CPU and DRAM voltages directly.

The limit to overclocking using TurboV EVO is that you must set "by all cores" turbo ratio setting in the BIOS, which means the same turbo ratio maximum will apply regardless of how many cores are under load. Serious overclockers can get better performance in lightly threaded applications by designating higher turbo multipliers when fewer cores are active...but that can only be done through the BIOS, and not through TurboV Evo.

ASUS UEFI BIOS

Hardware enthusiasts have been asking for the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) BIOS replacement on their desktop motherboards for many years, and for many years their requests went ignored. Then, back in 2010, ASUS answered back with the first major innovation to replace an aging text-only layout with a new graphical user interface for pre-boot settings. UEFI is the replacement for Intel's original EFI 1.1 specification. Every ASUS X79 Express motherboard allows users to export UEFI screen captures onto an attached USB flash drive and then share with others to help illustrate settings.

A welcomed part of UEFI is that anyone can build their own custom environment based on the Unified EFI Specification, and while BIOS vendors will likely make up the majority of builds the enthusiast community can also join in. Another nice feature about the UEFI (BIOS) is that it's already compatible with storage devices larger than 2.2 TB capacity - a barrier that holds many older motherboards back and restricts some of the latest large-capacity storage products.

Floppy diskette drives now have no official purpose being used with modern computer hardware. Previous BIOS firmware could be compressed to fit on a 1.44 MB floppy, but because of the large UEFI (BIOS) interface a 32MB ROM is now required. This will accelerate the use of USB-based devices for flashing BIOS firmware updates. With the ASUS X79 Express series, users can use the USB BIOS Flashback function to upgrade/restore firmware without anything more than a power supply attached to the motherboard for standby/sleep current.

The ASUS UEFI (BIOS) can be used to configure hardware parameters and power settings, but users may prefer the robust AI Suite II software. The BIOS provides most of the same functionality, but AI Suite II allows for real-time changes by using integrated DIGI+ VRM, EPU, TurboV EVO, BT GO!, FAN Xpert, and Probe II software.

Unlike the USB BIOS Flashback feature, system memory is required to boot into the firmware menu, since none of the ASUS X79-based motherboards have onboard memory beyond a 64MB ROM firmware chip. While UEFI is a great step forward, having the ability to boot the motherboard without system memory installed would have solved countless troubleshooting situations for hardware enthusiasts. Until this is possible, ASUS BIOS Flashback appears to be a useful tool in this regard.

For users with a familiarity with text-only BIOS options, the new ASUS UEFI (BIOS) will come naturally as most options mirror those previously available. For novice hardware enthusiasts, the easy-to-navigate graphical user interface will allow them to make changes to the ASUS X79 Express motherboard series without fear.

Advanced overclockers will enjoy the UEFI EZ Mode utility, which allows them to make adjustments and test settings before entering the Operating System. Surprisingly, the ASUS auto-overclocking utilities (Easy OC Tool/TurboV EVO) do an impressive job at finding the maximum overclock possible.

ASUS TUF Sabertooth X79 Specifications

Details provided by ASUS. Specifications are subject to change without notice.

Motherboard Testing Methodology

It's always interesting for us here at Benchmark Reviews to test a new processor/chipset combination, because normally we have no idea what to expect! The marketing and advertising press materials Intel included with this processor promise unprecedented levels of performance...can these new parts really deliver?

I admit my hopes are high: the original Sandy Bridge processors raised the performance bar considerably, and their new 32nm fabrication process allowed amazing overclocks with relatively low voltages and heat production. The enthusiast chip adds two more cores, nearly double the cache, and drops the relatively unused integrated GPU. ASUS includes its usual bevy of overclocking mechanisms, including automatic "level up" overclocks from the BIOS and test-and-reboot automatic overclocks from within the Turbo V Evo utility.

But overclocking the Sandy Bridge Extreme is more complex than any previous Intel processor: in addition to getting back the "base clock" overclocking lost with the original Sandy Bridge chips, the Extreme series of CPUs allows you to designate the sustained and burst current draw, in watts. Also, Benchmark Reviews didn't have any "high performance" LGA2011 coolers available for these tests, so our overclocking results should be regarded as preliminary. That said, the ASUS Sabertooth X79 TUF motherboard easily took the Core i7-3960K CPU to a stable 4.8GHz for all cores under load, albeit at the cost of rather high CPU temperatures, which exceeded 80 degrees in some tests. I achieved this overclock simply by raising the maximum turbo boost multiplier from the stock 39 to 48, and enabling most of ASUS' "extreme" load line calibration settings.

To see how this processor/chipset performs against the best AMD offers and Intel's previous top-of-the-line setups, I included the systems listed below. Each test system used the same hard drive, memory (with the exception of the AMD system), and graphics card. Note that there are two X79 Express systems: a prototype Intel DX79SI motherboard as well as the ASUS Sabertooth. Note that when I speak of how the 3960X performance compared to the other CPUs in the test, I'm speaking of the stock-clocked results on the ASUS TUF Sabertooth unless I specify otherwise.

Intel X58 Test Platform

• Motherboard: ASUS Rampage Extreme III with BIOS 0901
• Processor: 3.33GHz (3.6GHz Turbo) Intel Core i7-980X
• System Memory: 3x4GB Corsair Vengeance CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9 DDR3-1600 (9-9-9-24)
• Primary Drive: Western Digital VelociRaptor 300G
• Graphics Adapter: AMD Radeon 6850

Intel P67 Test Platform

• Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 with BIOS 1305
• Processor: 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) Intel Core i7-2600K
• System Memory: 2x4GB Corsair Vengeance CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9 DDR3-1600 (9-9-9-24)
• Primary Drive: Western Digital VelociRaptor 300G
• Graphics Adapter: AMD Radeon 6850

AMD 990FX Test Platform

• Motherboard: ASUS Crosshair V Formula with BIOS 0083
• Processor: 3.6GHz (3.9-4.2GHz Turbo) AMD FX-8150 "Bulldozer"
• System Memory: G. Skill F3-17066CL7D-4GBPIS DDR3-1866 (9-9-9-24)
• Primary Drive: Western Digital VelociRaptor 300G
• Graphics Adapter: AMD Radeon 6850

Intel X79 Express Test Platforms

• Motherboards: ASUS Sabertooth X79 BIOS 0707 and Intel DX79SI BIOS SI0280B (beta BIOS)
• Processor: 3.3GHz Intel Core i7-3960X
• System Memory: 16GB (4 4GB DIMMs) Corsair Vengeance CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9 DDR3-1600 (9-9-9-24)
• Primary Drive: Western Digital VelociRaptor 300G
• Graphics Adapter: AMD Radeon 6850
• CPU cooler: Intel High Performance Liquid Cooling System RTS2011LC

Benchmark Applications

• Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
• SiSoft Sandra Lite 2011.SPS (1780)
• AIDA64 Extreme Edition v1.85.1600
• Futuremark PCMark Vantage v1.0.2.0 64-Bit
  • TV and Movies
  • Gaming
  • Music
• Maxon CINEBENCH R11.5 64-Bit
• Street Fighter IV benchmark
• PassMark PerformanceTest 7.0b1021
• x264Bench HD 3.0, including AMD-supplied variants using new FX instructions
• SPECviewperf-11:
  • Lightwave 9.6
  • Autodesk Maya 2009
  • Siemens Teamcenter Visualization Mockup
• SPECapc LightWave 3D v9.6
• Handbrake 0.95 video transcoding
• Blender 3D rendering
• POV-Ray 3D rendering

AIDA64 Extreme Edition Tests

AIDA64 Extreme Edition is the evolution of Lavalys' "Everest Ultimate Edition". Hungarian developer FinalWire acquired the rights to Everest in late November 2010, and renamed the product "AIDA64". The Everest product was discontinued and FinalWire is offering 1-year license keys to those with active Everest keys.

AIDA64 is a full 64-bit benchmark and test suite utilizing MMX, 3DNow! and SSE instruction set extensions, and will scale up to 32 processor cores. An enhanced 64-bit System Stability Test module is also available to stress the whole system to its limits. For legacy processors all benchmarks and the System Stability Test are available in 32-bit versions as well. Additionally, AIDA64 adds new hardware to its database, including 300 solid-state drives. On top of the usual ATA auto-detect information the new SSD database enables AIDA64 to display flash memory type, controller model, physical dimensions, and data transfer performance data. AIDA64 v1.00 also implements SSD-specific SMART disk health information for Indilinx, Intel, JMicron, Samsung, and SandForce controllers.

All of the benchmarks used in this test- Queen, Photoworxx, ZLib, hash, and AES- rely on basic x86 instructions, and consume very little system memory while also being aware of Hyper-Threading, multi-processors, and multi-core processors. Of all the tests in this review, AIDA64 is the one that best isolates the processor's performance from the rest of the system. While this is useful in that it more directly compares processor performance, readers should remember that virtually no "real world" programs will mirror these results.

The Queen and Photoworxx tests are synthetic benchmarks that iterate the function many times and over-exaggerate what the real-world performance would be like. The Queen benchmark focuses on the branch prediction capabilities and misprediction penalties of the CPU. It does this by finding possible solutions to the classic queen problem on a chessboard. At the same clock speed theoretically the processor with the shorter pipeline and smaller misprediction penalties will attain higher benchmark scores.

Like the Queen benchmark, the Photoworxx tests for penalties against pipeline architecture. The synthetic Photoworxx benchmark stresses the integer arithmetic and multiplication execution units of the CPU and also the memory subsystem. Due to the fact that this test performs high memory read/write traffic, it cannot effectively scale in situations where more than two processing threads are used, so quad-core processors with Hyper-Threading have no real advantage. The AIDIA64 Photoworxx benchmark performs the following tasks on a very large RGB image:

• Fill
• Flip
• Rotate90R (rotate 90 degrees CW)
• Rotate90L (rotate 90 degrees CCW)
• Random (fill the image with random colored pixels)
• RGB2BW (color to black & white conversion)
• Difference
• Crop

In the Queen test, we see a fairly linear scaling as we move up the processor line. However, the 3960X leaps dramatically ahead of the rest of the field in the Photoworxx test, scoring almost 60% better than the second-place Core i7-2600K, perhaps due to its improved memory bandwidth. Note that the ASUS TUF Sabertooth X79 turns in slightly higher scores than the Intel DX79SI desktop board, a phenomenon we'll see repeated throughout these tests.

In the ZLib test, there's more difference than the appearance of the bars might indicate (they're scaled down due to the adjacent Hash scores). The 3960X scores 37% better than the second-place Core i7-980X. The AMD FX-8150 turns in a surprisingly good performance in the Hash test, though, beating every Intel processor except the Sandy Bridge Extreme, which narrowly edges it out.

Intel's Clarksdale and subsequent CPUs have dominated the AES test due to their Advanced Encryption Standard New Instructions (AES-NI), which dramatically accelerate AES code. AMD's own implementation of AES-NI makes its first appearance in Bulldozer-based CPUs, and as you can see in the chart below is very competitive with the Intel 2600K and 980X. Again, though, the 3960X blasts ahead, posting a score 71% better than the 980X.

Let's move on to the PCMark Vantage benchmark.

PCMark Vantage Tests

PCMark Vantage is an objective hardware performance benchmark tool for PCs running 32- and 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows 7. It's well suited for benchmarking any type of Microsoft Windows Vista/7 PC: from multimedia home entertainment systems and laptops, to dedicated workstations and high-end gaming rigs. Benchmark Reviews has decided to use a few select tests from the suite to simulate real-world processor usage in this article. Our tests were conducted on 64-bit Windows 7, with results displayed in the chart below.

TV and Movies Suite

• TV and Movies 1 (CPU=50%, RAM=2%, GPU=45%, HDD=3%)
  • Two simultaneous threads
  • Video transcoding: HD DVD to media server archive
  • Video playback: HD DVD w/ additional lower bitrate HD content from HDD, as downloaded from net
• TV and Movies 2 (CPU=50%, RAM=2%, GPU=45%, HDD=3%)
  • Two simultaneous threads
  • Video transcoding: HD DVD to media server archive
  • Video playback, HD MPEG-2: 19.39 Mbps terrestrial HDTV playback
• TV and Movies 3 (HDD=100%)
  • HDD Media Center
• TV and Movies 4 (CPU=50%, RAM=2%, GPU=45%, HDD=3%)
  • Video transcoding: media server archive to portable device
  • Video playback, HD MPEG-2: 48 Mbps Blu-ray playback

Gaming Suite*

• Gaming 1 (CPU=30%, GPU=70%)
  • GPU game test
• Gaming 2 (HDD=100%)
  • HDD: game HDD
• Gaming 3 (CPU=75%, RAM=5%, HDD=20%)
  • Two simultaneous threads
  • CPU game test
  • Data decompression: level loading
• Gaming 4 (CPU=42%, RAM=1%, GPU=24%, HDD=33%)
  • Three simultaneous threads
  • GPU game test
  • CPU game test
  • HDD: game HDD

Music Suite

• Music 1 (CPU=50%, RAM=3%, GPU=13%, HDD=34%)
  • Three simultaneous threads
  • Web page rendering - w/music shop content
  • Audio transcoding: WAV -> WMA lossless
  • HDD: Adding music to Windows Media Player
• Music 2 (CPU=100%)
  • Audio transcoding: WAV -> WMA lossless
• Music 3 (CPU=100%)
  • Audio transcoding: MP3 -> WMA
• Music 4 (CPU=50%, HDD=50%)
  • Two simultaneous threads
  • Audio transcoding: WMA -> WMA
  • HDD: Adding music to Windows Media Player

* EDITOR'S NOTE: Hopefully our readers will carefully consider how relevant PCMark Vantage is as a "real-world" benchmark, since many of the tests rely on unrelated hardware components. For example, per the FutureMark PCMark Vantage White Paper document, Gaming test #2 weighs the storage device for 100% of the test score. In fact, according to PCMark Vantage the video card only impacts 23% of the total gaming score, but the CPU represents 37% of the final score. As our tests in this article (and many others) have already proven, gaming performance has a lot more to do with the GPU than the CPU, and especially more than the hard drive or SSD (which is worth 38% of the final gaming performance score).

The TV and Movies suite concentrates on video playback and transcoding, but only uses two threads at a maximum, so most of the cores in these high-end processors are sitting idle. This is probably why the scores are relatively close.

The Gaming benchmark relies on the hard disk and video card for over 50% of its score (see the Editor's Note above), and we're using the same HDD and video card for all platforms, so the Intel processors' huge advantage over the AMD Bulldozer in this test probably means that Vantage's gaming code is more optimized for Intel processors. Bear in mind, however, that most "real world" games will not show this difference; generally, in games, your video card matters most, followed by the clock speed (not number of cores) of your processor. The PCMark Vantage gaming test can use up to 16 threads, so it's still a little odd that the eight-core FX-8150 scores less than half of any of the Intel CPUs.

Things flatten out in the Music benchmark, with only about a 17% difference separating the best and worst stock scores. Oddly, the 2600K turns in a better score than the stock-clocked Sandy Bridge Extreme.

CINEBENCH R11.5 Benchmarks

Maxon CINEBENCH is a real-world test suite that assesses the computer's performance capabilities. CINEBENCH is based on Maxon's award-winning animation software, Cinema 4D, which is used extensively by studios and production houses worldwide for 3D content creation. Maxon software has been used in blockbuster movies such as Spider-Man, Star Wars, The Chronicles of Narnia, and many more. CINEBENCH Release 11.5 includes the ability to more accurately test the industry's latest hardware, including systems with up to 64 processor threads, and the testing environment better reflects the expectations of today's production demands. A more streamlined interface makes testing systems and reading results incredibly straightforward.

The CINEBENCH R11.5 test scenario comprises three tests: an OpenGL-based test that models a simple car chase, and single-core and multi-core versions of a CPU-bound computation using all of a system's processing power to render a photo-realistic 3D scene, "No Keyframes", the viral animation by AixSponza. This scene makes use of various algorithms to stress all available processor cores, and all rendering is performed by the CPU: the graphics card is not involved except as a display device. The multi-core version of the rendering benchmark uses as many cores as the processor has, including the "virtual cores" in processors that support Hyper-Threading. The resulting "CineMark" is a dimensionless number only useful for comparisons with results generated from the same version of CINEBENCH.

For the multi-core rendering test, we again see a nice linear performance progression. As we've seen before, the 2600K's four real and four virtual (courtesy of Hyper-Threading) cores beat the FX-8150's eight real cores in testing, and the six real and six virtual cores of the 980X and 3960X do even better. It used to be that CINEBENCH multi-core rendering scores above 10 were the province of multi-CPU servers....not any more.

The single core rendering test sheds light on these results: we can see that AMD's core performance is approaching the Intel core performance...of their last-generation CPU. The Sandy Bridge cores are almost 50% faster.

Let's take a look at some CPU-limited gaming results in the next section.

CPU-Dependent 3D Gaming

Street Fighter IV uses a new, built-from-scratch graphics engine that enables CAPCOM to tune the visuals and performance to fit the needs of the game, as well as run well on lower-end hardware. Although the engine is based on DX9 capabilities, it does add soft shadows, High Dynamic Range lighting, depth of field effects, and motion blur to enhance the game experience.

The game is multi-threaded, with rendering, audio, and file I/O all running in different threads. The development team has also worked to maintain a relatively constant CPU load in all parts of the game so that on-screen performance does not change dramatically in different game scenarios.

I ran the Street Fighter IV benchmark at its lowest resolution (640x480) with all graphical features turned down to the minimum possible settings. This makes the video card much less of a factor in the results, biasing towards processor performance. Intel CPUs dominate here, but note that the 2600K does just barely beat the 3960X in the Intel DX79SI motherboard.

PassMark PerformanceTest 7.0

The PassMark PerformanceTest allows you to objectively benchmark a PC using a variety of different speed tests and compare the results to other computers. PassMark comprises a complete suite of tests for your computer, including CPU tests, 2D and 3D graphics tests, disk tests, memory tests, and even tests to determine the speed of your system's optical drive. PassMark tests support Hyper-Threading and systems with multiple CPUs, and allow you to save benchmark results to disk (or to export them to HTML, text, GIF, and BMP formats).

Knowledgeable users can use the Advanced Testing section to alter the parameters for the disk, network, graphics, multitasking, and memory tests, and create individual, customized testing suites. But for this review I used only the built-in CPU tests, which aren't configurable. The CPU tests comprise a number of different metrics. The first three I'll look at are integer performance, floating point performance, and a benchmark that finds prime numbers.

Intel utterly dominates the Integer test, and we can see that cores count for a lot here, with the old-school 980X producing results almost identical with the 3960X, and both of them beating the four-core 2600K. AMD does pull off wins in the next two benchmarks, though, especially in the Float test, where AMD's traditionally strong floating point performance takes the win...it's too bad that this will make so little difference in most real-world code, though, where integer instructions comprise upwards of 90% or more of the code actually executed. AMD also pulls off a win in the Prime benchmark, which we've seen before but is still slightly startling against the 3960X.

SSE stands for "Streaming SIMD Extensions", and are instructions that handle multiple chunks of data per instruction (SIMD = Single Instruction Multiple Data). SSE instructions work on single-precision floating point data and are typically used in graphical computations. SSE was Intel's response to AMD's "3D Now", which itself was a response to Intel's MMX instructions. Don't you love competition? AMD's current implementation does well in this benchmark, if only against Intel's last-generation CPU: both Sandy Bridge processors post much higher scores. Things flip around in the Encrypt benchmark, where it's obvious that more cores is more important than core architecture.

The Compress and String benchmarks are both integer-based, but the FX-8150 does pretty well, even so. It's all but even with the 2600K in the Compress benchmark and (very slightly) ahead in the Strings benchmark. But nothing competes with the Core i7-3960X.

But enough with the synthetic benchmarks; let's move onto some more real-world applications.

Handbrake Media Encoding

It's a truism that consumer-level computer performance reached the "fast enough" point years ago, where increases in system performance don't make things any faster for most people. Web browsing, e-mail, word processing, and even most games won't benefit dramatically from a super-fast CPU. There are some exceptions, though, and media encoding is one of them: transcoding video, especially high-definition video, can bring the strongest system to its knees. Fortunately, media transcoding is one of those things that (depending on the design of the code, of course) that scales really well with both clock speed and the number of cores, so the more you have of both, the better your results will be.

The free and open-source Handbrake 0.95 video transcoder is an example of a program that makes full use of the computational resources available. For this test I used Handbrake 0.95 to transcode a standard-definition episode of Family Guy to the "iPhone & iPod Touch" presets, and recorded the total time (in seconds) it took to transcode the video.

Handbrake's encoding code seems to benefit from both number of cores as well as core efficiency, but there's still less difference here between the Intel CPUs than I'd expect. The Sandy Bridge Extreme CPU is 22% faster than the 2600K and only 19% faster than the 980X.

x264 HD Benchmark 3.19

Tech ARP's x264 HD Benchmark comprises the Avisynth video scripting engine, an x264 encoder, a sample 720P video file, and a script file that actually runs the benchmark. The script invokes four two-pass encoding runs and reports the average frames per second encoded as a result. The script file is a simple batch file, so you could edit the encoding parameters if you were interested, although your results wouldn't then be comparable to others.

The first two runs see the AMD Bulldozer FX-8150 matching the performance of the 2600K, but both are dominated by the six core CPUs. The 3960X beats the 2600K by 51% in both runs, which makes sense given that it has 50% more cores.

Oddly, the 2600K drops far behind the other processors in this part of the benchmark, and the two six-core CPUs leap far ahead. The 3960X frames-per-second are more than double those of the 2600K.

SPECviewperf 11 tests

The Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation is "...a non-profit corporation formed to establish, maintain and endorse a standardized set of relevant benchmarks that can be applied to the newest generation of high-performance computers." Their free SPECviewperf benchmark incorporates code and tests contributed by several other companies and is designed to stress computers in a reproducible way. SPECviewperf 11 was released in June 2010 and incorporates an expanded range of capabilities and tests. Note that results from previous versions of SPECviewperf cannot be compared with results from the latest version, as even benchmarks with the same name have been updated with new code and models.

SPECviewperf comprises test code from several vendors of professional graphics modeling, rendering, and visualization software. Most of the tests emphasize the CPU over the graphics card, and have between 5 and 13 sub-sections. For this review I ran the Lightwave, Maya, and Seimens Teamcenter Visualization tests. Results are reported as abstract scores, with higher being better.

Lightwave

The lightwave-01 viewset was created from traces of the graphics workloads generated by the SPECapc for Lightwave 9.6 benchmark.

The models for this viewset range in size from 2.5 to 6 million vertices, with heavy use of vertex buffer objects (VBOs) mixed with immediate mode. GLSL shaders are used throughout the tests. Applications represented by the viewset include 3D character animation, architectural review, and industrial design.

Maya

The maya-03 viewset was created from traces of the graphics workload generated by the SPECapc for Maya 2009 benchmark. The models used in the tests range in size from 6 to 66 million vertices, and are tested with and without vertex and fragment shaders.

State changes such as those executed by the application- including matrix, material, light and line-stipple changes- are included throughout the rendering of the models. All state changes are derived from a trace of the running application.

Siemens Teamcenter Visualization Mockup

The tcvis-02 viewset is based on traces of the Siemens Teamcenter Visualization Mockup application (also known as VisMockup) used for visual simulation. Models range from 10 to 22 million vertices and incorporate vertex arrays and fixed-function lighting.

State changes such as those executed by the application- including matrix, material, light and line-stipple changes- are included throughout the rendering of the model. All state changes are derived from a trace of the running application.

The SPECviewperf suite is a good example of a real-world test of applications that would normally be the province of a high-end workstation: the individual tests comprise code and models from real applications, running scripts that do real work. Still, the results are puzzling: the 2600K dominates, easily beating both of the six core CPUs at stock clock speeds. Results like this cause reviewers like me to scratch our heads and run the benchmark again, even though we know we'll get the same results. Another thing to notice is that while the ASUS Sabertooth has consistently beaten the Intel DX79SI motherboard (which admittedly was hobbled by a beta BIOS), the difference in Maya here is dramatic, with the ASUS motherboard posting a 30% better score than the Intel motherboard.

SPECapc Lightwave

SPECapc (Application Performance Characterization) tests are fundamentally different from the SPECviewperf tests. While SPECviewperf tests incorporate code from the various test programs directly into the benchmark, the SPECapc tests are separate scripts and datasets that are run against a stand-alone installation of the program being benchmarked. SPECapc group members sponsor applications and work with end-users, user groups, publications and ISVs to select and refine workloads, which consist of data sets and benchmark script files. Workloads are determined by end-users and ISVs, not SPECapc group members. These workloads will evolve over time in conjunction with end-users' needs and the increasing functionality of PCs and workstations.

For this test, I ran the SPECapc "Lightwave" benchmark against a trial installation of Newtek's Lightwave 3D product. The benchmark, developed in cooperation with NewTek, provides realistic workloads that simulate a typical LightWave 3D workflow. It contains 11 datasets ranging from 64,000 to 1.75 million polygons and representing such applications as 3D character animation, architectural review, and industrial design. Scores for individual workloads are composited under three categories: interactive, render and multitask.

The benchmark puts special emphasis on processes that benefit from multi-threaded computing, such as animation, OpenGL playback, deformations, and high-end rendering that includes ray tracing, radiosity, complex textures and volumetric lighting. The test reports three scores: Animation (multitasking), Animation (interactive), and Rendering. The numeric scores represent the time it took to complete each section of the benchmark, in seconds, so lower scores are better.

I've found the SPECapc Lightwave 3D test to be an excellent indicator of overclock stability. In many cases, overclocked systems that will make it through every other benchmark here will crash in this test. It's also one of the most "fun" benchmarks to watch, as multiple windows with various complex rendering tasks appear and disappear on your screen.

These results illustrate how much difference benchmark configuration can make. SPECviewperf uses embedded code from Lightwave, while SPECapc is actually just a set of scripts that control a standard Lightwave installation. Note that in SPECviewperf's Lightwave section above, the 2600K returned the best performance numbers, while in SPECapc, the Sandy Bridge Extreme wins.

Blender

Blender is an open-source, free content creation suite of 3D modeling, rendering, and animation capabilities. Originally released in 2002, it's available in versions for Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, and several Unix distributions. It supports rigid and soft-body objects and can handle the draping and animation of cloth, as well as the rendering and animation of smoke, water, and general particle handling.

Our Blender test renders multiple frames of an animation of a rotating chunk of ice, with translucency and reflections. Rendering of this model uses ray-tracing algorithms and the program reports the rendering time for each of the animation's 25 frames. The results are a summation of the rendering times for all frames and the lower the score, the better. Bear in mind, though, that Blender can dispatch a maximum of eight threads, so the full power of the 980X and 3960X isn't being used here.

Another win for the Core i7-3960X: it's 17% better than the Core i7-2600K. Since the 3960X is limited to eight threads in this test, the same number as the 2600K, I'd guess the win reflects the extra cache the Sandy Bridge Extreme CPU brings to the party.

POV-Ray

The Persistence of Vision ray tracer is a free, open source 3D modeling program that uses ray-tracing algorithms to generate realistic three-dimensional images. Ray tracing is very computationally intensive, and the POV-Ray program has a handy built-in benchmark to let you check the performance of your system. Although AMD again brings up the rear, the FX-8150 really does pretty well, coming very close to the performance of the 2600K. But unlike Blender, POV-Ray can use as many threads as a CPU will give it, so the six core CPUs win again.

In the next section I'll present my final thoughts and conclusion on the ASUS Sabertooth X79 TUF motherboard.

ASUS TUF Sabertooth X79 Conclusion

IMPORTANT: Although the rating and final score mentioned in this conclusion are made to be as objective as possible, please be advised that every author perceives these factors differently at various points in time. While we each do our best to ensure that all aspects of the product are considered, there are often times unforeseen market conditions and manufacturer changes which occur after publication that could render our rating obsolete. Please do not base any purchase solely on our conclusion, as it represents our product rating specifically for the product tested which may differ from future versions. Benchmark Reviews begins our conclusion with a short summary for each of the areas that we rate.

The ASUS Sabertooth X79 motherboard is designed for for stability above all else, but is also well-suited for extreme overclocking enthusiasts using liquid helium (-269° C) or liquid nitrogen (-180° C) for their projects. Overclockers at this level will make good use of the handy TUF Thermal Armor and TUF Thermal Radar features ASUS makes available, and rely on the TUF components used to build this motherboard. Sabertooth X79 compromises specialty features and functionality seen elsewhere in the ASUS X79 product line, and replaces them with military-grade components for a more stable component design that can handle massive current loads. There are fewer digital power phases and lower memory speed range on Sabertooth X79, but this is done intentionally to ensure the motherboard meets or exceeds its five-year warranty. Those wanting Bluetooth connectivity and more PCI-Express graphics slots should look to ASUS' P9X79-series, which offer support for Bluetooth 3.0 and four-way video card combinations. But for those seeking The Ultimate Force in stability, they're sure to find it in the new ASUS Sabertooth X79 motherboard.

Without question, the Intel Core i7 3960X is the most powerful desktop processor produced to-date. Our benchmark performance tests illustrate how well this extreme edition processor compares to past CPUs from Intel and AMD, and also how well the ASUS P9X79 Deluxe motherboard performs with it installed. Quad-channel 64GB DDR3 system memory support makes a big difference over previous generations, and allows for speeds up to 1866MHz with XMP 1.3 support. Yielding forty PCI-Express lanes from the processor alone, we can also see why Sandy Bridge Extreme is best suited for the Intel X79 Express motherboard platform. If you're looking for a platform to build the best computer possible, Sandy Bridge Extreme and X79 Express are clearly the ideal way to go.

Yet while the 3960X is a significant step forward for CPU performance and efficiency, in terms of motherboard performance we must examine how well the ASUS Sabertooth X79 compares to the previous generation and competing alternatives, as well as Intel's new DX79SI Desktop Board. More than anything else though, it will come down to the manufacturer-specific features that are value-added to the motherboard that make the difference. The term 'reference board' applies to video card products, not motherboards. Intel's own X79 Express solutions are retail products competing for shelf space, which is why we've used Intel's DX79SI flagship enthusiast desktop motherboard as a point of reference. By comparison, benchmark performance tests using identical system settings and hardware components pushed the ASUS Sabertooth X79 motherboard ahead of Intel's DX79SI every time. When overclocking, ASUS AI Suite II offered an incredibly simple process to achieve speeds beyond what the Intel motherboard could deliver, making it possible for even the most novice hardware enthusiast to reach impressive overclock results.

There could be many reasons for this, but it seems likely that the ASUS TurboV Processing Unit helps by offloading CPU duties which then allow the processor to concentrate on more demanding tasks. Additionally, because X79 Express does not currently support Intel's Smart Response Technology it then rests on the manufacturer to deliver suitable alternatives. ASUS addresses this problem by offering their own proprietary solution: ASUS SSD Cache, which can take advantage of a small solid state drive for hybrid storage configuration or even us part of the available 64GB DDR3 capacity to create a RAM-disk partition for the same purpose. In the end, these proprietary add-on features give one manufacturer an edge over others, because without them these are all just X79 Express platforms with the same basic potential.

Despite all the great features ASUS has added onto Sabertooth X79, there are still a few fundamental design flaws with the Intel X79 Express platform that keep it from greatness. When Intel's P67 Platform Controller Hub (PCH) launched with only one set of native SATA 6Gb/s ports to supplement two older sets of SATA 3Gb/s ports, it made sense on some level because this was their mainstream platform. Most people then expected the X79 enthusiast platform to remedy this and deliver SATA 6Gb/s ports throughout, because after all, SATA 6Gb/s ports are backward compatible and automatically work with older SATA 3Gb/s or 1.5 Gb/s devices. This was not the case, and on paper the only real advancement Intel offered was native SuperSpeed USB 3.0 support - something manufacturers like ASUS have been offering for nearly a year before now.

With regard to functionality, ASUS has loaded every one of their X79-series motherboards with proprietary add-on technology to expand the user experience. Their second-generation UEFI BIOS gives new users a friendly way of making adjustments to the internal settings and tweak their hardware like a seasoned veteran. USB BIOS Flashback is an innovative means of upgrading system firmware without the need for CPU/RAM/VGA/HDD, while ASUS SSD Caching and USB 3.0 Boost with UAS protocol are two great add-on technologies not delivered standard by Intel. The ASUS TPU (TurboV Processing Unit) can increase performance by automatically overclocking the system, and very few other manufacturers can offer similar functionality on competing products.

Taking proprietary functions one step further to improve product longevity, ASUS adds TUF Thermal Armor and ESD Guards to help prolong the life of mil-spec electronics for enhanced durability on the Sabertooth X79 motherboard. These design upgrades undoubtedly help promote their five-year TUF motherboard warranty, and entice system builders seeking out the most reliable mainboard for their mission-critical computers. While a processor failure due to overclocking damage is not covered under any warranty (neither Intel nor AMD offer support under these circumstances), ASUS does cover the Sabertooth X79 under such failures.

In terms of appearance, some will agree that the Sabertooth X79 TUF motherboard actually looks, well, tough! The ultra-durable looks help turn heads, but it's the durable mil-spec components that earn the TUF namesake. ASUS knows how to keep a professional appearance while throwing off a few eye-catching combinations of color and material. The heatsinks are suitable for thermal loads far beyond what this motherboard will produce under normal circumstances, but then again Sabertooth was build for the abnormally high/low-temperature environments only an extreme overclocking enthusiast could help create. Still, I wish ASUS would make a decision on their color pattern and stick with it, because items like the anodized green VRM heatsink don't fit in well with the overall theme. Although inconspicuous, ASUS could also match the DIMM levers to the socket, just as they do with the PCI-Express slots.

At the time of launch, 14 November 2011, the ASUS Sabertooth X79 TUF motherboard is sold for $339.99 at Newegg. This places Sabertooth X79 among premium-priced motherboards, neither the least or most expensive. Rating value can be subjective since one person may need every single feature offered, while another only wants a few. Compared to other X79 Express motherboards, ASUS Sabertooth X79 delivers an unmatched warranty that could be considered worth every cent of the purchase price.

In conclusion, ASUS has integrated so many features into this X79 Express motherboard they've clearly elevated the Sabertooth X79 platform to a level unobtainable by their competition. TUF Thermal Armor and ESD Guards protect ultra-durable mil-spec electronics, while DIGI+ Power Control ensure digital voltage regulation modules deliver precision power to performance-boosting microprocessors. For anyone looking to achieve maximum overclock results using extreme methods, Sabertooth X79 is a truly dependable motherboard.

The ASUS Sabertooth X79 TUF motherboard delivers a solid Intel X79 Express LGA2011 platform for new Sandy Bridge Extreme Edition Core-i7 processors. It's my recommendation that for anyone seeking out the most reliable and stable motherboard, only the ASUS Sabertooth X79 will be capable. ASUS enjoys a build quality second to none, which translates to fewer RMA's and longer product lifetime, but should any failure occur you'll be covered under a five year warranty.

Pros:

+ UEFI Graphical User Interface BIOS replacement
+ Supports 64GB quad-channel DDR3 up to 1866MHz (2666MHz OC)
+ DIGI+ Power Control 8+2+2+2 power phase digital voltage
+ MemOK! Increases memory compatibility for bootup
+ USB BIOS Flashback enabled firmware update without CPU/RAM/VGA/HDD
+ Four total SATA 6Gb/s storage ports
+ USB 3.0 Boost introduces USB Attached SCSI (UAS) protocol
+ Four back panel SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports
+ Supports 2/3-card AMD CrossFireX or NVIDIA SLI sets
+ Military-specification electronic chokes, capacitors, and MOSFETs
+ TUF Thermal Armor with Thermal Radar management
+ Five-year product warranty support

Cons:

- High priced enthusiast-level motherboard solution
- Lacks hardware-based encryption features
- Fewer digital VRMs compared to other ASUS X79 motherboards
- Expanded DIMM socket banks may obstruct larger heatsinks

Ratings:

• Performance: 9.50
• Appearance: 9.00
• Construction: 9.75
• Functionality: 9.00
• Value: 7.75

Final Score: 9.0 out of 10.

Excellence Achievement: Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.

Benchmark Reviews invites you to leave constructive feedback below, or ask questions in our Discussion Forum.

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