The motherboard is no doubt one of the toughest decisions to make when it comes to building that new computer, between chipsets, brands and features the opportunities are almost endless. While ASRock have been in Australia for a while now we’ve never seen the company gain any real momentum.

So the question is; has the company not stood out because they don’t have anything that stands out? or do we just not know enough about the motherboards? The introduction of the i7 980X CPU this year meant that it was time to mix it up in the testbed department. Looking for something to replace what I currently had ASRock seemed like a worthwhile option.

From the front the Extreme3 carries everything you should want, the X58 chipset to sport the fastest i7 CPUs from Intel, 100% Japan made Capacitors, CrossFire and SLI Support, SATA3 6.0GB/s and USB 3.0.

The slot configuration includes three PCI-E 16x (16x/16x/4x), one PCI-E 1x and two PCI to offer support for video cards and other peripherals. The design is in such a way that if you choose to make use of a dual video card setup a single slot is still available between the two cards, the same setup also means two triple slot cards could be used as well.

Six DDR3 DIMM slots are present that support triple channel, with built in overclocking through the bios speeds of 2000MHz DDR can be achieved meaning that if you want to make use of some fast memory getting to the appropriate speeds is easy. The slots offer support for up to 24GB which I can vouch works while also supporting Intel’s Extreme Memory Profiles which makes overclocking easier again.

Other connectivity includes six SATAII 3.0GB/s ports, two SATA3 6.0GB/s ports, ATA133 IDE, Floppy Connector and headers for both 1394 Firmware and HDMI_SPIDF audio. Board cooling is provided by a number of passive heatsinks and a single active fan. While the active fan may look like it could get in the way of some coolers I can confirm that even the monstrous Noctua HD-D14 was able to be installed. Also included for the people who don’t like to restrict themself to a case are an onboard power and reset button next to a Debug code.

Connectivity on the Rear I/O Panel includes a single PS/2 Mouse and Keyboard Port, Coaxial and Optical SPIDF Out, 5 USB 2.0 ports, 1 powered eSataIII/USB2.0 connector, two USB 3.0 Ports, Gigabit networking, 7.1 Channel audio with microphone, IEEE 1394 Firewire and a Clear CMOS button when you’ve pushed that overclock a little too far.

Thanks to the presence of the X58 chipset performance out the gate is very strong, if you’re not happy with it though and feel like getting a bit more grunt at no extra charge ASRock have a number of speed presets. With our 980X we were able to achieve up to 3.8GHz just using the preset selections. Our final overclock ended up at 4.2GHz which is what the system runs at daily, to date the board hasn’t skipped a single beat.

While ASRock doesn’t carry with it the same prowess as other motherboard companies it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the quality. Easy overclocking and attention to detail when it comes to features makes the X58 Extreme3 a stand out board.

Features like ASRock True 333 USB 3.0, SATA3 and eSATA3 means you’re getting a board with some outstanding features. Active cooling that doesn’t get in the way of some of the most hardcore heatsink fans, onboard switches and just a good thought process by offering us a full slot between two dual slot video cards if you choose to go down that path make the product a stand out.

For a more detail list of some of these features and more including videos it’s worth heading over to the Product Page and having a look. While not everything may interest you there’s some nice little additions to the board that makes it a stand out product.

Not everything is great about the board though, the biggest problem in availability, while the board can be found for under $250 which in itself is a very attractive feature making it one of the cheapest fully packed X58 boards very few places list the model. The biggest issue with not just the Extreme3 but ASRock motherboard in general is the ability to buy them with no one listing the board west of Melbourne, Victoria and few companies listing to the east.

Fingers crossed though as times go on more and more companies will begin to relies that there’s a hidden gem in the garden of motherboards. The ASRock X58 Extreme3 might not be a board you’ve heard off much but it’s something you should be keeping an eye out on. The fact that it’s graced the TweakTown testbed for the last few months proves to me that the board can handle anything we throw at it.

So the question we need to ask is who should buy it? Anyone who’s looking for a great value X58 motherboard that packs a bucket load of features. Just because you want to go X58 it doesn’t mean you need to break the bank.

Pros: Performance, Features, Price
Cons: Availability

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Where to Buy (Retailers): Do you sell the ASRock X58 Extreme3 in Australia? Email us for Ad opportunities.