TUF SABERTOOTH X79 - New ASUS Motherboard for Socket LGA2011

ASUS has introduced a new motherboard on the Intel X79 Express chipset for socket 2011. TUF SABERTOOTH X79 supports Intel Corei7-39xx processors with 4-channel memory controller. The board features 2 full-fledged PCI-E 3.0 x16 with support for AMD CrossFireX and NVIDIA SLI.

Since the board is a logical replacement for the X58 chipset, for comparison of performance, the closest possible configurations were chosen:

1. ASUS SABERTOOTH X58, Intel Core i7-970 Processor (6 Cores, 12M Cache, 3.20 GHz, 130W), 12GB DDR3 1333

2. ASUS TUF SABERTOOTH X79, Intel Core i7-3930K Processor (6 Cores, 12M Cache, 3.20 GHz, 130W), 12GB DDR3 1333
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CPU:

Intel Socket 2011 for 2nd Generation Intel Core i7 Processor Extreme Edition
Supports Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0

Chipset:

Intel X79 Express Chipset

Memory:

8 x DIMM, Max. 64GB, DDR3 1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz, ECC / non-ECC, un-buffered memory
Quad channel memory architecture
Supports Intel XMP

Expansion Slots:

2 x PCI-E 3.0 x16 slots (dual at x16 / x16 mode)
1 x PCI-E 3.0 x16 slot (x8 speed)
2 x PCI-E 2.0 x1 slots
1 x PCI slot

Multi-GPU Support:

Supports NVIDIA SLI Technology
Supports AMD CrossFireX Technology

Storage:

Intel X79 Express Chipset
2 x SATA 6Gb / s ports with RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 support (brown)
4 x SATA 3Gb / s ports with RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 support (black)
Marwell9128 SATA controller
2 x SATA 6Gb / s ports (gray)
ASMedia 1061 SATA controller
1 x Power eSATA 6Gb / s port (green)
1 x eSATA 6Gb / s port (red)

LAN:

Intel 82579V Gigabit LAN controller

Audio:

Realtek ALC892 8-channel HD Audio

IEEE 1394

VIA VT6315N controller supports 1 x IEEE 1394a port at back panel

USB:

3 x ASMedia USB 3.0 controllers
2 x USB 3.0 ports at midboard for front panel support
4 x USB 3.0 ports at back panel (blue)
Intel X79 Express Chipset
14 x USB 2.0 / 1.1 ports (8 ports at midboard; 6 ports at back panel)

Exclusive TUF Features:

“Ultimate COOL!” Thermal Solutions
TUF Thermal Armor
TUF Thermal Radar
“TUF ENGINE!” Power Design
8 + 2 + 2 + 2 Digital Phase Power Design
TUF Components (Choke, Cap. & MOSFET; certified by military-standard)
ASUS DIGI + Power Control Utility
“Safe & Stable!” Guardian Angel
ESD Guards
MemOK!
Anti surge

Other Special Features:

ASUS SSD Caching
USB BIOS Flashback
USB 3.0 Boost
Front Panel USB 3.0 Support
ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface
AI Suite II
ASUS Q-Connector
ASUS Q-Shield
ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED)
ASUS Q-Slot
ASUS Q-DIMM
ASUS OC Profile
ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
ASUS EZ Flash 2
ASUS MyLogo 2
Multi-language BIOS

Back Panel I / O Ports:

1 x PS / 2 Keyboard / Mouse combo port
1 x Optical S / PDIF Output port
1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button
1 x Power eSATA 6Gb / s port (green)
1 x eSATA 6Gb / s port (red)
1x IEEE 1394a port
1 x LAN (RJ-45) port
4 x USB 3.0 ports (blue)
6 x USB 2.0 ports
8-channel Audio I / O ports

Internal I / O Connectors:

1 x USB 3.0 connector support additional 2 USB 3.0 ports (19-pin; moss green)
4 x USB 2.0 connectors support additional 8 USB 2.0 ports
4 x SATA 6Gb / s connectors (2 x btown; 2 x gray)
4 x SATA 3Gb / s connectors (black)
1 x CPU Fan connector (4-pin)
1 x CPU OPT fan connector (4-pin)
4 x Chassis Fan connectors (4-pin)
1 x Assistant Fan Connector (4-pin)
1 x PCH Fan connector (4-pin)
1 x Front panel audio connector (AAFP)
1 x COM connector
1 x S / PDIF Out header
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector
1 x 8-pin EATX 12V Power connector
1 x System Panel (Q-Connector)
1 x MemOK! Button
1 x Clear CMOS jumper

BIOS Features:

64 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI BIOS, PnP, DMI 2.0, WfM 2.0, SM BIOS 2.6, ACPI 2.0a, Multi-language BIOS, ASUS EZ Flash 2, ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3

Manageability:

WfM 2.0, DMI 2.0, WOL by PME, WOR by PME, PXE

Form factor:

ATX form factor: 12 in. x 9.6 in. (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)

SPECviewperf11 x64bit

The first test was performance testing with the SPECviewperf test suite. In both cases, the NVIDIA Quadro 4000 graphics card was used. The results fell short of expectations, since we already observed a similar gap when comparing the X58 and Z68 platforms

PCMark, 3DMark and WinRAR

In tests of processor performance, the Sandy Bridge-E platform showed a more significant lead. The i7-3930K processor, although equivalent to the i7-970, in the WinRAR test even outpaced the i7-980X and i7-990X processors.

CINEBench R10

In testing with the CINEBench R10, the new processor showed an undeniable superiority with an impressive margin.

CrystalMark 2004R2

In this test, you can observe the acceleration when working with memory, which provides a 4-channel controller.


In conclusion, I would like to note several features of the motherboard. Included is a fan that is installed on a remote radiator that removes heat from the VRM module. It is small, but quite quiet. The second fan cools the chipset's heatsink.
There are two SATA-III ports on the motherboard with SSD Caching support. They can be used to connect two productive solid-state disks and use them as a cache of the disk subsystem.
Well and on trifles: on the board there is a connector for outputting two USB3.0 to the front panel of the case; There are two external SATA ports on the back panel - one eSATA 6Gb / s, and the other Power eSATA 6Gb / s; The platform supports almost 3 times more memory than X58.
But in general, the platform showed predictably good results, and the new 6-core Sandy Bridge, in multichannel applications, will be a justified replacement of the first-generation i7 processors.

Testing was carried out in the laboratory DEPO Computers