ASUS has always been making some very beautiful boards all these years. Gimmicky or not, that’s up to you to decide. They’ve showcase a very unique marine-themed “Ceramic Cool” motherboard few times in CES, CeBIT, and Computex. These TUF-series (The Ultimate Force) motherboards have been on display for ages, but never got into retail, until now. ASUS has finally decided to do a trial-product for this TUF-series design on their latest Sabertooth X58 motherboard.

This new Sabertooth X58 motherboard is strangely less high-end than the uber famous RoG Rampage III Extreme. Why is this so? The Rampage III Extreme has a better PWM system (Volterra digital PWM with hybrid design) compared to this Sabertooth X58, which only runs on 8-phase analogue PWM. The R3E also has QPI LLC besides CPU LLC, which allows for more extreme push for the uncore OC and memory OC. Then again, this Sabertooth X58 is newer, which means it still does come with the latest features like USB 3.0, SATA6G, and nice aesthetics designs.

Now why an LGA-1366? Well the most obvious reason is that to date the Core i7 base on socket LGA1366 is the most reputable processor from Intel. Despite being introduced way back in 2008, this Nehalem still is the strongest lineup from Intel, compared to its younger brother Lynnfield (Core i7 on the 1156 socket) it still lead by a significant amount in overall performance. All this is further cemented by the uber powerful six-core Core i7 980 Extreme. Currently the fastest consumer processor you can get, with very decent overclocking potential as well.

Now that’s why most ODMs still goes back to the drawing board after 2 years, and redesign new boards for this platform, and throw in the latest features along the way. This is the result of all these years’ research, which produces this severely uber-cool motherboard targeted at the high-end, enthusiast and pro consumers, the ASUS Sabertooth X58.

Now what makes the ceramic-cues so unique on this Sabertooth?

CeraM!X – Heatsink Coating Technology. This premium ceramic-coating technology named the CeraM!X Heatsink Coating Tech, implemented via its micro-porous ceramic yet uneven surface was originally introduced in the aerospace industry. It was first introduced to the motherboard industry by the Asus TUF Series motherboards, to deliver 50% larger surface as compared with the same heatsink made with pure metal. It is perfect for locations with limited airflow yet with ultra-low profiled requirements like the south bridge chipsets. Furthermore, the ceramic coating also provides oxidation-resistance against environmental ware and tare without affecting the heat dissipation capability of the heatsink inside, making it the number one choice for passive cooling needs. TUF Capacitors, Chokes and MOSFETS – Certified by military standard to ensure ultimate durability

Check out the full review at Guru3D.