eVga: Classified or 'vanilla' x58?

G

gweminence

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
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It the classified really worth the extra cash?

Edit:

Dual-SLI only. 2x 285's pushes my screen more than good enough for anything I do, so I can't justify 3.
 
Last edited:
gweminence said:
It the classified really worth the extra cash?

Edit:

Dual-SLI only. 2x 285's pushes my screen more than good enough for anything I do, so I can't justify 3.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it isn't really necessary unless you need a whole lot of card real estate/lanes.

/says the guy with 1 GPU and a sound card in a Rampage II....
 
Bear in mind that there are two versions of the EVGA X58 3X SLI Classified. There is the nForce 200 MCP equipped version, which also comes with an optional EVGA control panel. (It has limited value in my opinion.) Then there is the standard EVGA X58 3X SLI Classified which has no nForce 200 MCP added to it. The "extra lanes" provided by the nForce 200 MCP aren't really extra. Since the nForce 200 MCP interfaces through the PCI-Express bus all it really does is multi-plex the lanes and adds a bit of latency to do it. Essentially, the chip is virtually worthless. Why it keeps getting added to motherboards is beyond me. This chip doesn't hurt anything, but it doesn't help anything either.

In any case the EVGA X58 3X SLI vs. the EVGA X58 3X SLI Classified is like saying, "Which car do I want?" "The Mercedes-Benz SL S V12 S or the Honda Accord?" Both are cars. Both are "technically" the same thing, in that they both serve a similar purpose. The Mercedes on the other hand does the same thing with more power, more responsiveness, and better handling. One car is a chick magnet and the other is fiscally responsible. Its also nicer to look at and more comfortable. The same is really true with the Classified vs. the vanilla EVGA X58 boards. The latter lacks the digital PWMs and additional phases the Classified Edition has. The Classified has a few more features and a better expansion slot layout. The chipset cooling is better, there are two additional SATA ports, locking SATA ports, more PCI-Express x16 slots, less legacy PCI slots, and is a better overclocker in my experience. If looks matter then I think most people will agree the Classified version is prettier.

So, while they both do the same thing, one is much nicer than the other. Is it better? Well that depends on what you want to do and how you do it. If you don't think you'll be taking advantage of what the Classified offers, then it probably isn't worth the money.
 
I have both and I am not an extreme OC'er or extreme cooler and I have to say that the vanilla always did me right. I have had 3 boards (vanilla, classified, and UD3R) and the vanilla has been the best to me so far. Granted, I have only played with my classified for about 3 hours total, but I have not been able to match the clocks my vanilla gave me with any other board I have owned.
 
Alchemy1 said:
I have both and I am not an extreme OC'er or extreme cooler and I have to say that the vanilla always did me right. I have had 3 boards (vanilla, classified, and UD3R) and the vanilla has been the best to me so far. Granted, I have only played with my classified for about 3 hours total, but I have not been able to match the clocks my vanilla gave me with any other board I have owned.
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The Classified version should be capable of more than the Vanilla version can. However, it is more fickle. It requires more tuning to get the most out of it.
 
Yeah, that's why I made it a clear point to say I had only used it for about 3 hours. Just a quick example of what Dan was saying...I was stuck at around 4ghz. So, I updated the BIOS and changed some the PWM frequencies and, bang, 4.2ghz with pretty good stability. The Classified board should provide better clocks given above average cooling and a good chip.

The vanilla I had took the D0 I just sold to 4.4ghz with only about 30 minutes of tweaking. Most of that was just simply adjusting VTT and VCORE. With the same chip in the classified I couldn't do over ~4ghz with an hour of tweaking.
 
Alchemy1 said:
Yeah, that's why I made it a clear point to say I had only used it for about 3 hours. Just a quick example of what Dan was saying...I was stuck at around 4ghz. So, I updated the BIOS and changed some the PWM frequencies and, bang, 4.2ghz with pretty good stability. The Classified board should provide better clocks given above average cooling and a good chip.

The vanilla I had took the D0 I just sold to 4.4ghz with only about 30 minutes of tweaking. Most of that was just simply adjusting VTT and VCORE. With the same chip in the classified I couldn't do over ~4ghz with an hour of tweaking.
Click to expand...

Then you should start with EVGA's overclocking guide for it that's posted on their forums. It basically gives you a starting point to work from.
 
Dan_D said:
locking SATA ports
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I thought both the vanilla and the classified versions on the board have the locking ports. Both come with locking cables. I heard that only the earlier versions of the vanilla version do not have the locking ports, the later version included the locking ports.
 
The vanilla has done wonders for me at a much more affordable price, but then again in the words of Dan_D...my Honda Accord is a-okay with me ;)
 
Tunnel Vision said:
I thought both the vanilla and the classified versions on the board have the locking ports. Both come with locking cables. I heard that only the earlier versions of the vanilla version do not have the locking ports, the later version included the locking ports.
Click to expand...

The EVGA X58 3X SLI we tested did not have the locking ports. Both of them do use locking cables which further confuses me as EVGA didn't start shipping boards equipped with locking SATA ports until recently. They've used the same cables since the 680i SLI boards were released.

http://hardocp.com/image.html?image=MTIzMTA1NTkyOFl0SG9QRE9ZeFhfMV8xN19sLmpwZw==

I have seen newer boards of the same model that have the locking ports, but there are still some out there that don't have them I'm sure.
 
I've had both boards.
The plain was a really good board and much easier to adjust in the BIOS.
I also have SLI 285s and don't see going further with that.....SLi (two way) I mean is it for me.
My C0 920 ran 4.0 GHz all day long.
If you want a good board, this is the one.
There are two versions, A1 and TR........only difference is warranty and step-up.

I was able to Step-up when the Classified was first released.
I have the NF200 version.
It's a little high maintanence, and loves to be tweaked.
I have the same CPU running at 4.2 GHz. with this board..........so what.
This board runs hot, I've found the NB sink although really pretty is worthless. The NB temps were very high, I was able to tame that a little with a small fan, but it was a cheezy mod for a $450 mainboard. I bought a waterblock.

I'm just not sure this board, for me, would be worth it if I hadn't been tempted by the Step-up......If you love to tweak stuff and are impressed by benchmark overclocking, then this is the thing. If you are like me, and play games and once in a while tinker with stuff......maybe not so much.

by the way......my X58 SLI plain had locking SATA ports......and it was purchased just after it was released.:D
 
I'd get the vanilla board. I too have the Classified, but I bought it for the slot layout. The added "ooh, shiny" factor was also a plus.

If you don't already know you need something that the classified exclusively offers, there's a good chance you don't need it. Put the money elsewhere. :)
 
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