Power Consumption and Conclusion
Power Consumption
The ASUS X79 Sabertooth motherboard seemed to pull a few more watts under idle and load conditions than the MSI X79A-GD65 (8D) and Gigabyte X79-UD5. A couple accessories that could have contributed to a small spike in power were the two small fans ASUS included over the chipset and back I/O ports to help exhaust heat out the back of the chassis. The rest of the board is pretty standard in comparison to the other platforms we pitted the X79 Sabertooth against in our benchmarks.
Performance
This is the first TUF series motherboard I’ve reviewed from ASUS, and the X79 Sabertooth backed up its tough and edgy appearance with solid performance results. It posted excellent scores in 3DMark11 and 3DMark Vantage, which indicates ASUS put a lot of stock in ensuring the X79 Sabertooth would meet the stringent requirements of gamers and enthusiasts alike.
What really impressed me about the X79 Sabertooth was the bundled accessories and software that ASUS included. The additional fan over the back I/O ports will keep those components cool during operation. The AI Suite II application has really matured over the years and I found the Thermal Radar to be extremely useful and accurate in monitoring the board’s temps and system voltages. The user interface was also organized and streamlined to be used on a daily basis. I encourage new ASUS board users to load it and see if some of the overclocking and monitoring options work with their individual preferences.
Pricing
As of May 31, the ASUS X79 Sabertooth motherboard was available at Newegg for $319.99. This board is also available at Amazon for $327.41 and Fry’s Electronics for $314.99.
Conclusion
We’d like to thank our friends at ASUS for providing the X79 Sabertooth motherboard for our review today. The X79 Sabertooth lives up to its "TUF" name in both looks and performance. The integrated UEFI BIOS gave us plenty of options for configuring everything on our system and did it with a user friendly interface. The board’s support for quad GPU graphics configurations from both NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossfireX is a huge plus and expected for high-end motherboards in this class. The X79 Sabertooth’s bundled software was very stable and useful during testing and increased the overall value that consumers look for in all their PC hardware upgrades. Overall, the ASUS X79 Sabertooth has earned PC Perspective’s Gold Award for original design, outstanding bundled software, and detailed overclocking features.
Strengths
- Excellent overclocking motherboard
- User friendly UEFI BIOS
- SLI/CrossfireX Quad GPU support
- Great bundled software and accessories
Weaknesses
- Power usage was a few watts higher than counterparts during testing
I think I like the p9x79
I think I like the p9x79 deluxe better. The i/o ports on the sabertooth version is too limited for me.
Looks like this was written
Looks like this was written by the company rather than being a review but it was interesting.
did you read the whole thing?
did you read the whole thing? 😉
Why does this review keep
Why does this review keep repeating “SLI/CrossfireX Quad GPU support” when I only see THREE pcie x16 slots?
PCPer usually gets it’s reviews right, but I agree with deowll, this review reads like an ASUS press release…
I ended up going with the P9X79 Pro for my lga2011 build. I didn’t want the noise of those two little fans and I liked the layout/ports of the pro better than the sabertooth.
Because Quad SLI/CrossfireX
Because Quad SLI/CrossfireX support means 4 GPU linking, not 4 cards with 1 GPU each. So support for 2 GTX 690’s or 2 HD 7990 (Whenever they do come out).
Just my guess, because it is technically accurate. 😉
But obviously if you want 4 PCI-E slots Asus (and others) have options there.
BTW-side note, I do own a X79 Sabertooth and the PCH fan is 100% silent, I didnt install the optional fan (over the VRM area).
Yup, what Thedarklord said.
Yup, what Thedarklord said. These boards can do 4WaySLI and CrossFireX using two dual GPU NV cards or two dual GPU AMD cards.
I dont know about this
I dont know about this review.
The features like the Bios and easy update etc seem nice.
But the other boards seem to do better over all in performance?
So i dont know if the board should get Gold?
Not saying it is a bad board but maybe price comes into play here to give it a Gold Award.
I think i would be a harder marker.
I think in the world of
I think in the world of motherboards these days performance really means very little, and features and usability are now king.
Thoughts?
Yeah I agree, with how the
Yeah I agree, with how the motherboard arena has become a “set in stone” approach thats dependant on your choice of CPU. Ex: You want a Sandy Bridge-E which means, X79. Or the Sandy Bridge / Ivy Bridge gives you more choices but performance isnt really the difference in those chipsets (ignoreing overclocking “K” series CPU’s, obviously).
So with how the CPU to Motherboard Chipset has changed, and how it is now, performance from a motherboard is not really there, meaning there is no real difference.
The difference has become about the user experience. So things like features, overclocking, built in audio, expansion slots, customer support, design (how good it looks), these are things that motherboards are all about these days. (Really ever since Intel’s Nahalem, and AMD’s Phenom II).
I got this board back in
I got this board back in march to be the platform for my Core i7-3930K and I am loving this board, I have this in my primary system (where I do OC, but I much prefer stability over performance, this board delivers with both).
I also did not install the optional fans (didnt need to, board runs cool in my Corsair Obsidian 800D). I was worried the PCH fan would be loud, but nope, and it has a 5 year warrenty (fan included) so should last me a long time. 🙂
Great review PCPer, good read.
Your explanation is very
Your explanation is very informative. I like the way you present it. I appreciate your hard work. A big hai for this. Please continue these sort of nice work.
Kind reards
Krish
how to connect an extenvtion
how to connect an extenvtion firewire IEEE ON MOTHERBOARD asus sabertooth x79 because i have one on the foront of my Cooler Master Case HAF932
I have bought a SABERTOOTH
I have bought a SABERTOOTH X79 with 16G Kit 1866(8Gx2) Patriot Viper Memory and i7-3930K…. i bring it from out side of my country. those r not available in our Bangladesh.
now i need some advice.
First of all which power supply is good for this system?…..
in our country Thermal Take is available.