Intel Desktop Extreme DX58SO2 Motherboard Review

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

When it comes down to it, there is little not to like about the Intel desktop board DX58SO2 X58 Express chipset motherboard. Overall I was happy with the boards performance. Was it enough though? You have to keep in mind that the Intel DX58SO2 is a $259.99 motherboard. By no means is the Intel DX58SO2 the most expensive motherboard out there, nor is it the least expensive. Before we get to the bottom line of the Intel DX58SO2 X58 motherboard, we have to take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly

One area that was lacking was the SATA III 6Gbps performance. That is due to the performance of the Marvell 88SE9128 controller. Perhaps we have become accustomed to the performance of the SATA 3 on the Intel “Sandy Bridge” P67 Platform, but the performance of the Intel DX58SO2 just didn’t compare. If we look at the performance compared to the other Intel X58 systems, it looks better, still not great though. Intel had the option to use a newer SATA III controller like the Marvell 88SE9182 that was used on the GIGABYTE G1 Assassin, but opted for the Marvell 88SE9128. Likely a less expensive route to help keep the price down. Though if you are going for an extreme board, shouldn’t performance be the number one concern? Or perhaps SATA III performance wasn’t a key point that Intel was concerned about as when this board was designed their SATA III 6Gbps SSDs were not available yet.

The gaming performance of the Intel DX58SO2 was average at best. The only game we saw a serious issue was the S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat benchmark in SLI. Our other systems were putting up numbers ~145 frames per second, and the Intel DX58SO2 put up an average of only 129 frames per second. The upside to the gaming performance, it got it done and worked like it should!

One area the Intel DX58SO2 X58 Motherboard did a great job in was overclocking. We were able to push our Intel Core i7 950 to 4.329GHz on air cooling! If it wasn’t for the warmer weather lately, we would have likely seen a higher clock, but our air cooling just couldn’t keep up.

Intel is known producing quality products and while the DX58SO2 wasn’t the best performing that we have looked at, it certainly didn’t disappoint! Retailing for $259.99 the
Intel DX58SO2 is a decent chunk of change, but far less than the Gigabyte Assassin G1 ($489.99 after rebate) and the same price as the Sapphire Pure Black X58 ($259.99) that we compared it to today. Would I say it’s overpriced?
No, I don’t think it is. It’s a quality board from Intel that had solid
performance, rock solid stability and gave us good peace of mind when
running it. The Intel DX58SO2 X58 motherboard comes backed by a three year warranty, which is nice as competing boards like the Sapphire Pure Black only come with a one year warranty. The Intel DX58SO2 can also run NVIDIA SLI, which is something the Sapphire Pure Black X58 can’t do. Be sure to do your research before you buy a motherboard, but you’ll find it impossible to find a more stable and solid board in this price range.

Legit Bottom Line: The Intel DX58SO2 X58 Motherboard has the features needed to make it a great choice for any system. If you are building an Intel X58 system, this could be the X58 Motherboard you need!