Introduction

Like every other motherboard maker on the planet, ASUS maintains multiple product lines and inside each of these lines they have different vertical markets. For example, ASUS has their Republic of Gamers line that runs at the very top of the heap while their mainstream line runs with the tag of Extreme Phase or gets the Deluxe tag to denote extra features.

Recently we have been playing with the top of the line and have found them to be very capable indeed. Now, it is time to return to the mainstream; well, the upper end of the mainstream anyway. We are taking a look at the ASUS P6X58D-E. this $229.99 (at NewEgg.com) motherboard packs a bit of a punch for a decent price. With USB 3.0 and SATA 3.0, 16+ 2 power phases, SLI and Crossfire X support, it looks to be a very capable board indeed.

So let's drop in our favorite Core i7 980X and some good triple channel DDR3 to see what we can get out of this board.

Package and Contents

The box a product ships in can tell you a lot about it as well as giving you an idea on what the manufacturer wants you to focus on. The big focus here is going to be ASUS' triad of claims; number one in performance, safety and reliability. These are the trifecta for the mainstream market. The boards have to perform and last for the average consumer. There are additional points of focus such as the 16+2 phase power, SLI and Crossfire support, and USB 3.0 and SATA 3.0.

If you are looking for more reasons to buy the P6X58D-E then you might want to lift up the front flap. Here we have two groupings of four "push" items. These are things like TurboV, MemOK!, DTS surround audio, True 16+2 Phase power, EPU, Express Gate, and then two features that we are pretty sure were added in to make things even.

The back of the box has a little more detail and also has a picture of the board complete with labels.

Inside the box the extras are limited, but not bad. You get a pair of better quality SATA cables (these are labelled SATA 3.0). You also get a Crossfire bridge and a Tri-SLI bridge.