Mainstream Or Hardcore? Two X58 Motherboards Compared

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You need Intel’s LGA 1366 interface and an X58-based platform in order to run the latest six-core processors, but which board should you pick? We're comparing a mainstream and flagship platform from the same company to explore the worth of high-end X58.

Benchmark Results: Power Consumption And Efficiency

Power Consumption

Idle power is significantly lower on the hardcore BigBang Xpower motherboard, requiring only 85W. That includes the Radeon HD 5850 card we used for this article. In contrast, the X58 Pro-E needs 98W to operate and idle.

Peak power was almost identical on both motherboards.

Power Efficiency

Performance was marginally higher on the X58 Pro-E, as our workload finished quicker. Keep in mind that this applies to the motherboard's default settings.

Average power consumption was a bit lower on the mainstream X58 Pro-E.

The efficiency in performance per watt-hour is slightly better on the X58 Pro-E, although the difference is relatively small.

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Patrick Schmid and Achim Roos