ASUS has refreshed its lineup for the enthusiast platform LGA1366. The latest addition is ASUS Sabertooth X58, a reliable model that makes us long for cheaper Gulftown processors.
ASUS Sabertooth X58 can be had for 170€, but that still gets you SLI and CrossFire support, but also SATA 6.0 Gbps, USB 3.0 and a RAID-compatible SATA 3.0 Gbps controller. The ASUS Sabertooth concept was shown earlier with the LGA 1156 platform and just like then the focus is on stability and performance.
As the name implies, TUF Series motherboards put reliability and endurance above all else. They are built with more rigorous stress testing than normal motherboards, and ship with added longevity measures. TUF Series motherboards are the most reliable and stable models on the market, making them ideal for tough, heavy duty tasks where compatibility is critical.
ASUS has chosen a cooling system with CeraM!X treatment – a form of ceramic – that will optimize the heat exchange and improve stability, resulting in longer life. Military grade capacitors and high quality MOSFETs will help there too.
| TUF Series SABERTOOTH X58 Motherboard Specifications | |
| CPU | LGA1366 socket for Intel® Core™ i7 Processor Extreme Edition/ Core™ i7 processors |
| Chipset | Intel® X58/ICH10R |
| System Bus | Up to 6.4 GT/s, Intel® QuickPath Interconnect |
| Memory | 6 x DIMM, triple channel, max 24GB DDR3 1866/1800/1600/1333/1066 MHz |
| Expansion Slots | 2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slots (dual at x16/x16 mode) 1 x PCIe x16 slot (at x4 mode) 2 x PCIe x1 slots 1 x PCI slot |
| Multi-GPU support | Supports NVIDIA® 2-way SLI™ & ATI® quad-GPU CrossFireX™ technology |
| Storage | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s with EZ Backup and SuperSpeed functions 6 x SATA 3Gb/s with RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 1 x Power eSATA 3Gb/s 1 x eSATA 3Gb/s |
| LAN | Gigabit LAN |
| Audio | 8-channel high definition audio |
| IEEE 1394 | 2 x IEEE 1394a |
| USB | 2 x USB 3.0 12 x USB 2.0 |
| Exclusive TUF Features | TUF ENGINE power design – E.S.P. : Efficient Switching Power – TUF components: choke, capacitors and MOSFETs certified to military standards Ultimate COOL thermal solutions – CeraM!X Heatsink Coating Technology – ASUS Fan Xpert Safe & Stable Guardian Angel – MemOK! |
| Form Factor | ATX, 12 x 9.6 inches (30.5 x 24.4 centimeters) |
The motherboard is one of the cheapest around with Intel’s X58 chipset and even if it is not as well prepared for overclocking as the ROG siblings ASUS ensures that the card will noy be shaming you when it comes to turning up the the frequencies.
Primarily the board looks like a work horse and we hope that Intel can follow up with some cheaper Core i7 processors based on Gulftown. The LGA 1366 platform still has a long time to live before the successor is here.
