Intel DX58SO Motherboard

Up until January, 2006 if you were to ask any computer enthusiast their opinion of an Intel motherboard you would here something like this: Intel makes a highly reliable and extremely durable motherboard that will be there long after others have died. The true enthusiast would go on to say that the only reason they didn't own an Intel motherboard was that the features included in the BIOS were minimalist at best and they could not be overclocked. This all changed for the better with the release of the Intel's D975XBX "Badaxe" motherboard in January, 2006. For the first time in Intel's history they had recognized the enthusiast community by releasing a motherboard that was not only reliable but had a highly feature laden BIOS that allowed this board to run with the big dogs.

While the DX975BX board was Intel's first enthusiast level motherboard, it was certainly not to be their last. In late October, 2006 Intel released the big brother of the "Badaxe" the D975XBX2 deemed the "Badaxe II" which took their enthusiast level feature set a few steps further. This trend towards officially recognizing the enthusiast community was finally set in stone when the term "overclock" actually began to appear in some of Intel's official publications. Heretofore if you you were smart enough to overclock a motherboard built by Intel you could kiss your warranty goodbye as you had officially violated an edict firmly established by Intel's support team. So much for the history lesson, let's fast forward to November, 2008 and the release of Intel's i7 series of processor and their X58 chipset that supported it.

The i7 series of processors accompanied by an enthusiast grade motherboard utilizing the X58 chipset were one of the most highly anticipated product releases since the Core 2 Duo. At the time of the launch Intel introduced their DX58SO motherboard affectionately nicknamed the "Smackover". The DX58SO motherboard is without a doubt the most feature laden endeavor that Intel has undertaken to date. It is not only slanted towards the the serious overclocker but it provides a bevy of BIOS related features that could easily take take Intel's latest product to the next level of performance.

We at Benchmark Reviews have had a review sample of the Intel DX58SO for just over a month now that we have used as our reference board for all of our reviews covering the i7 family of processors as this product series had the highest interest amongst our readers. Even though we have used volumes of test data acquired from the DX58SO and repeatedly talked about the features this motherboard had to offer, we have been remiss in officially reviewing this product. Today we intend to make amends and officially give the the Intel DX58SO "Smackover" X58 Motherboard its due time in the spotlight.

About the Company

Intel Corporation is the world's largest semiconductor company founded by semiconductor pioneers Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore, and widely associated with the executive leadership and vision of Andrew Grove, Intel combines advanced chip design capability with a leading-edge manufacturing capability. Originally known primarily to engineers and technologists, Intel's successful "Intel Inside" advertising campaign of the 1990s made it and its Pentium processor household names.

Intel pushes the boundaries of innovation so our work can make people's lives more exciting, fulfilling, and manageable. And our work never stops. We never stop looking for the next leap ahead-in technology, education, culture, manufacturing, and social responsibility. And we never stop striving to deliver solutions with greater benefits for everyone. Intel is making PCs more accessible and affordable through innovative PC purchase programs. Through public and private collaboration, Intel has worked closely with government and industry leaders to develop more than 200 programs in 60 countries. With the onslaught of wireless broadband communication technologies like WiMAX, Wi-Fi, and 3G and wireline ADSL and cable, Intel in collaboration with local governments is connecting more people in more places than ever before-no matter how remote.

Intel is committed to improving education on a global scale. With an ongoing focus on students and teachers, we're making an impact with technology solutions that support the development of 21st Century skills, including digital literacy, problem solving, and critical thinking. As citizens use the Internet, the need to create localized content is the key. Intel-sponsored programs provide localized content and services to connect technologies to villages, suburbs, and cities around the world to deliver access to community information, education, and healthcare.