Final Thoughts
The Gigabyte X58A-OC motherboard is an overclocking motherboard in every sense of the word. There are so many features to this board that make it perfect for overclocking. That being said I really cannot put this motherboard in the same category as other consumer-based boards. It is made specifically for overclockers and no one else.
There are so many different options when it comes to overclocking on this board. You can overclock via the EasyTune6 software, 4G button, OC-Touch buttons, and in the BIOS. I very impressed with the 4G button. Simply press it, restart you system and you are running at 4GHz without any issues! This is just awesome and it just shows Gigabyte knows what they are doing with this board. We have seen other buttons like this on motherboards, but none of them were as high as an overclock as 4G and most are dependent on your CPU. No matter what CPU you have installed it will bring it up to 4GHz. The OC-Touch buttons are a great feature and are perfect for people using this system on a test bench. I achieved my highest overclock ever on my i7-965 and with hardly any effort at all. It seems like not that long ago overclocking was extremely hard, especially trying to find a stable overclock. That’s what surprised me about this board was how easy it was to overclock, and I am in no way an expert at overclocking.
Besides just the ways to overclock what components on this board make it a great overclocker? Well first off you have the OC-VRM design. This is the first X58 board that does not have a single solid capacitor. This board instead uses the low-profile POScap tantalum electrolytic capacitors. This not only are more durable, but their low profile design make insulating the motherboard during extreme overclocking situations very easy. Actually the entire board was designed with insulating in mind. This is the first board that I have seen to use SATA power connectors for more stable power when using 3-way and 4-way graphics solutions. Cooling on this board is some of the best we have seen. The large heatsinks will keep the board cool during your overclocking sessions.
Did I mention this board looks awesome? You really cannot go wrong with a black PCB and orange and black components. Also the LED’s on the board are really cool as well. The thing I realized about this board is that it should really never see the inside of a case. It is designed to be on a test-bench. This will not only show the beauty of the board, but also make it easy to use the OC-Touch buttons. You also have on-board power, reset, clear CMOS and BIOS switch buttons on the board itself.
Even though I am a huge fan of this board it is a little limited on the consumer end, but as I said it is not targeted or made for consumers. It has the bare minimum of two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports and a single Gigabit Ethernet port. So for those looking for all of the other connections you would normally find on a motherboard they are not on this board.
It all comes down to performance and with the Gigabyte X58A-OC you will be able to push your CPU to its limits! This board is going to cost you though, it comes in at a hefty $299 at my favorite online retailer. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Gigabyte X58A-OC Intel X58 Motherboard a 9 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– The best overclocking motherboard we have tested!
– OC-VRM
– OC-Touch buttons
– Many different ways to overclock
– Voltage measurement headers
– On-board power, reset, clear CMOS and BIOS switch buttons
Cons:
– Price
– Not many consumer features
