DFI UT P35-T2R: Tweakers Rejoice!
by Rajinder Gill on October 18, 2007 2:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Conclusion
We have found our experience with the DFI UT P35-T2R quite pleasurable. The pre-release testing regimen used by DFI has obviously paid dividends in reducing general hardware and software incompatibility issues. DFI has been quick to respond to any concerns or questions that we have posed through a variety of means. We see good communication being pivotal to any form of success and it is always promising when manufacturers are willing to listen to the user base.
One looming subject has been the poor overclocking of Micron D9GKX based memory. It is now believed the P35 chipset itself is the weak link, rather than motherboard or even memory module PCB layout issues. Our own tests have revealed that these top-binned modules do seem to require additional voltage at just about any speed to remain stable - this goes for all P35 based motherboards.
Otherwise, the layout and performance of this board has been nearly perfect over the past few weeks. So much so, that we have little trouble in recommending this board to the enthusiast who is willing to get down and dirty with the BIOS in order to properly tune this board for exceptional performance results. The one potential flaw, or its Achilles' heel, is a price that nears $300 in most markets. This board will return performance that some would argue is worth its asking price; for us, the price is just a little over the top and is not for the faint of heart nor for people on a budget.
However, since this board was specifically designed for the upper echelon enthusiast market that typically has avid users who will overlook price in return for performance, AnandTech is pleased to present our Silver Editor's Choice to the DFI UT P35-T2R. This board, in our opinion, best represents the pinnacle of performance, stability, and features of what is currently achievable with the Intel P35 chipset. But more importantly, DFI made no qualms about the fact that this board was specifically targeted to the overclocking enthusiast and then succeeded in delivering a product to meet their needs. We congratulate DFI on holding true to their roots and taking a marketing gamble by delivering this motherboard to a limited audience, although we still believe the price could be improved and certainly their time to market although we understand DFI wanting to make sure the board is ready before shipment.
Logic aside, there has been a growing market for advanced BIOS overclocking functions over the last few years. Those who have been loyal to the DFI brand expect no less than a plethora of BIOS options and this board does deliver in that regard. As the benchmark test runs have shown, only those chasing crucial seconds or point advantages for outright benchmarking truly notice the difference of higher FSB speeds, though this does not appear to diminish the demand from users to see future products from DFI with similar performance based options. The added flexibility of manipulating BIOS settings to overcome strap change latency loss may well be paving the way for the next generation of processors and chipsets.
The latest DFI A05 beta BIOS has added support for 45nm CPUs. Of further interest still is that the default multipliers on some of the lower end quad-core CPUs will be locked at seven, demanding motherboards with high FSB potential to acquire the raw CPU speeds that the 45nm process should be capable of (if Intel does not speed bin the lower range heavily). Rest assured, we will need BIOS options to retain performance as FSB is scaled even higher.
With X38 based motherboards entering the market now, it would seem the long-term potential for enthusiast level P35 boards is diminished. However, we feel there is still plenty of life left in DFI's new toy, especially since overclocking on the latest X38 motherboards does not match the clocking ability of this motherboard at present. Over the next few months the FSB abilities of Intel's P35 chipset with upcoming CPUs will determine just how long this line of P35 motherboards will remain desirable.
We have found our experience with the DFI UT P35-T2R quite pleasurable. The pre-release testing regimen used by DFI has obviously paid dividends in reducing general hardware and software incompatibility issues. DFI has been quick to respond to any concerns or questions that we have posed through a variety of means. We see good communication being pivotal to any form of success and it is always promising when manufacturers are willing to listen to the user base.
One looming subject has been the poor overclocking of Micron D9GKX based memory. It is now believed the P35 chipset itself is the weak link, rather than motherboard or even memory module PCB layout issues. Our own tests have revealed that these top-binned modules do seem to require additional voltage at just about any speed to remain stable - this goes for all P35 based motherboards.
Otherwise, the layout and performance of this board has been nearly perfect over the past few weeks. So much so, that we have little trouble in recommending this board to the enthusiast who is willing to get down and dirty with the BIOS in order to properly tune this board for exceptional performance results. The one potential flaw, or its Achilles' heel, is a price that nears $300 in most markets. This board will return performance that some would argue is worth its asking price; for us, the price is just a little over the top and is not for the faint of heart nor for people on a budget.
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Logic aside, there has been a growing market for advanced BIOS overclocking functions over the last few years. Those who have been loyal to the DFI brand expect no less than a plethora of BIOS options and this board does deliver in that regard. As the benchmark test runs have shown, only those chasing crucial seconds or point advantages for outright benchmarking truly notice the difference of higher FSB speeds, though this does not appear to diminish the demand from users to see future products from DFI with similar performance based options. The added flexibility of manipulating BIOS settings to overcome strap change latency loss may well be paving the way for the next generation of processors and chipsets.
The latest DFI A05 beta BIOS has added support for 45nm CPUs. Of further interest still is that the default multipliers on some of the lower end quad-core CPUs will be locked at seven, demanding motherboards with high FSB potential to acquire the raw CPU speeds that the 45nm process should be capable of (if Intel does not speed bin the lower range heavily). Rest assured, we will need BIOS options to retain performance as FSB is scaled even higher.
With X38 based motherboards entering the market now, it would seem the long-term potential for enthusiast level P35 boards is diminished. However, we feel there is still plenty of life left in DFI's new toy, especially since overclocking on the latest X38 motherboards does not match the clocking ability of this motherboard at present. Over the next few months the FSB abilities of Intel's P35 chipset with upcoming CPUs will determine just how long this line of P35 motherboards will remain desirable.
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Rocket321 - Tuesday, October 23, 2007 - link
I would like to see the overclocking results put into a graph or chart of some kind.I guess tweakers might like the screenshots as "proof" that the overclock ran, but personally I trust you and would rather just have one place to look rather than clicking to enlarge multiple screenshots sequentially.
It was a great review though, I look forward to the future tweaker guides & reviews.
Raja Gill - Wednesday, October 24, 2007 - link
There will be a more typical Anandtech look to future articles, with the DFI board revisited for a round up on a suite of benchmarks, this will be used to cross compare with other boards, clocked to equivalent with board maximums in the range and voltage. In terms of the screenshots, it is nice to have 1 persons trust, but there are many we have to please and not everyone is always as convinced..thanks for the suggestions..
Next up is the Asus Maximus Formula..
regards
Raja
Jodiuh - Thursday, October 25, 2007 - link
Specifically Windvd conversions from divx/xvid to DVD would be wonderful as I've found this app benefits from a solid OC.beoba - Friday, October 19, 2007 - link
It'd be great if this came with a glossary."Strap"?
retrospooty - Saturday, October 20, 2007 - link
strap is a term used for memory clocking. for example, at 266mhz bus, memory can be "strapped" to one of the following.266x(stap2)=533 or DDR 1066
266x(strap1.5)=400 or DDR 800
266x(strap1.25)=333 or DDR 666
If you are running at stock 266 there is no way to have DDR 950 because it has to be strapped to one of the above settings.
I use the 1/1 strap so my bus speed is 500x(strap1)=500 or DDR 1000, in most cases 1/1 is the most efficient, if you can utilize it with your particular hardware, do it.
Avalon - Thursday, October 18, 2007 - link
Unfortunately, DFI's asking price of admission continues to rise for each new board they release. I was mildly annoyed when they started selling boards for $200+ that had little to no tangible benefit over $100-$150 boards, but now they're at the $300 mark? No thanks.This board is for someone who likes to spend his time tweaking and not actually using his computer.
retrospooty - Saturday, October 20, 2007 - link
"This board is for someone who likes to spend his time tweaking and not actually using his computer."The article title is called "Tweakers Rejoice" after all. The idea is not to tweak forever . I did spend alot of time over the first few weeks, but now that its tweaked, I just use it as is.
Avalon - Sunday, October 21, 2007 - link
Yes, I am quite capable of reading the article title. My whole point is that you are working for diminishing returns that I feel could be better spent using your system. If you're doing it to set a record, fantastic. I support that.retrospooty - Sunday, October 21, 2007 - link
Understood... This is obviously not the motherboard for you. I personally love the BIOS options and CMOS reloaded functionality. That alone makes the extra cost well worth it to me. Asus BIOS just sucks, and I have had too many quality problems with them in the past, and Gigabyte just underperforms. I like to know I will not be held back by my motherboard for the next couple of CPU's I buy (will likely get a dual core Penryn on release for under $200, then a high end quad core Penryn a year or so later when it is under $200).I do see your point, but in spite of this article's stock speed comparison (totally pointless for a OC geared mobo), and similar results with one particular CPU, that looks as if it has an FSB limit equal on all 3 boards (meaning the CPU is holding it back) This board overclocks and performs better than any ASUS, or Gigabyte, or any other board out there. If AT tested the max FSB limits on a dozen or so CPU's, or if they had a "golden sample" that had a high FSB limit, you would see the difference. Also if they had time to test many diff RAM stocks and to tweak the memory settings you would also see the difference. Its a good article, but no reviewer has time to really dig into this mobo and all it has to offer. I do feel the article did a good job at explaining that.
JNo - Sunday, October 21, 2007 - link
"I like to know I will not be held back by my motherboard for the next couple of CPU's I buy"I don't know much about overclocking and I hold your views valid Retrospooty but surely this is still a lot of money that will still be needed to replaced in the short/medium-term if a) you want to start using DDR3 once prices come down b) if GPUs come out that take advantage of PCI-E 2 standard (as used on X38). So all that money is only paying for great OC'ing potential for *now* only... no?