Overclocking
Navigating the BIOS to find the overclocking features isn’t hard at all. You simply select the M.I.B. page and start slowly increasing the CPU Bus which is at a 133 MHz default. Now that the test system has a very efficient D0 Stepping Core i7 975 Processor, any over volting obstacles, such as massive temperature spikes, have been removed.
The CPU Bus was slowly increased as was the CPU voltage. When the motherboard got to 170 MHz, it seemed like it had pretty much maxed out. But, another hefty increase to the Chipset voltage allowed the system to hit 185 MHz very easily and was quite stable. It seemed like 190 MHz was achievable with some maximum voltage tweaks to the chipset, but we’ll leave that tweaking up to you.
I would like to point out that the motherboard had no issues handling 1600 MHz and 1700 MHz memory frequencies. Kingston’s new memory cooling accessory was used just to make sure heat wasn’t an issue. Again, this was heavily dependent on the chipset voltages all around for best stability. Unfortunately, if you want faster frequencies, it’s going to require a BIOS update to get it there.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
My overall impressions of the ECS X58B-A “Nehalem” Motherboard are good. They’ve disclosed exactly who this platform is intended to serve and it does what it says. In fact, it goes beyond the call of duty and offers extra performance beyond specifications. This is always a win in favor of any motherboard, no matter what name is on top.
Where one might expect a budget motherboard to some how offer less than exemplary performance, it in fact does not. The test platform was perfectly stable for more than a week’s worth of random and, sometimes, endless abuse. The overall benchmarks alluded to no short comings whatsoever and in many instances matched the performance of slightly higher price point boards like those from GIGABYTE and ASUS.
Currently, the ECS Black Series X58B-A can be found priced at $199 US with a rebate. This makes it equal to or slightly less than other similar performance X58 motherboards. As we found out, there is definitely nothing budget about the performance of this board. What it really comes down to is your personal preference on the brand, maybe the color, and of course, whether or not overclocking is something you want to do with it all day. Some of the components including the cooling system just aren’t as aggressive as higher overclocking boards that we’ve had the pleasure of torturing.
All in all, I have no reservations including the ECS Black Series X58B-A in our current list of recommended and approved motherboards.
Pros
- Reliable and stable performer
- Black Series theme is sharp
- Simple and easy to use BIOS (with decent overclocking features)
- Packaging shows some pride and the bundle is decent
- Priced very competitively in the marketplace
Cons
- Overclocking performance is not the best out of the box
- Some components may not look as “high-end” as other boards.
Overall Rating: 8.5 / 10.0
