Overall and Final Verdict
In a way I feel like I have gone full circle. When I first got serious about overclocking I saved up and picked up the X58 Classified soon after it launched. Here I am now toying with EVGAs latest model. While things have changed there are a few things that have stayed the same. The focus on overclocking performance has actually improved. Before the Classified was a motherboard that could bridge the gap between overclockers while still being a great board for personal use. This time around EVGA dropped the number of USB ports and didn’t include some of the premium features that I saw on the Asus board to focus on keeping things simple for the best possible overclocking. Heck the rear I/O panel almost seems like more of a formality than anything.
Don’t get me wrong, complaining about the number of USB ports on the Classified is kind of like buying a race car and complaining that it doesn’t have A/C or airbags. EVGA designed this board to do one thing and one thing only, overclock extremely well. I’m just pointing out some of the differences between this board and the Asus that we have already tested because they are at the same price point and I want you guys, the customers, to know exactly what you are getting with this board.
Speaking of what you are getting. EVGA did include their own software with the X99 Classifield called E-LEET. The software does the job but is simple. It’s not a downside, but what other manufactures are starting to provide add to the overall experience, E-LEET is great for overclocking and nothing else.
EVGA does things their own way and I absolutely love that. The rest of the market seems to play follow the leader imitating a lot of what Asus does but the best way to grow market share isn’t to do what everyone else is doing, EVGA is clearly paving their own way. It’s obvious that the Classified is still heavily focused on the top overclockers. Having some of them on staff like K|ngp|n helps them continue to push to make the best overclocking motherboard and this is exactly that as far as EVGA’s model lineup is concerned. If you are looking for a board that is going to be packed full of features you are barking up the wrong tree, but if you only goal is to focus on trying to set a few records I would highly recommend checking this board out.
