<p><span style="font-size: small;">ASRock's current X58 line-up consist of the SuperComputer ($275), Deluxe3 ($225), Deluxe, and the Extreme3's predecessor, the Extreme (AT review, $170). The Extreme3 is available today for $190. Other products in this price range that the Extreme3 is competing with are the Gigabyte EX58-UD3R at $189, the MSI Pro-E for $190, the MSI Pro-E USB3 for $200, and the Foxconn FlamingBlade at $180.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: small;">The ASRock X58 Extreme3 is available (at time of writing) for $189.99, one dollar above the EX58-UD3R.&nbsp; For your extra dollar, a plethora of extra features over the Gigabyte board are available on the ASRock board - a full set of 6 DIMM slots for DDR3 memory, USB3 compatibility, SATA 6Gb/s connectivity, three PCIe slots (x16, x16, x4), Power/Clear CMOS/Reset buttons, and support for DDR3 ECC memory.&nbsp; The main question is whether this board performs as well as the UD3R, given any of these extra features, or even above the ASRock Extreme, which is $20 cheaper. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: small;"> What we want to see in a budget board is finesse and capability - a BIOS that works, compatibility with components, and something that runs happily above stock.&nbsp; While the best budget boards undoubtedly won't have all the bells and whistles of a premium enthusiast board, if it runs decent and we can play around without too many issues, and the price is right, then it will sell.&nbsp; Off the bat, the ASRock Extreme3 is a happy little runner, with a few issues.&nbsp; We've had this board running for a couple of weeks now, with an overclock, in a variety of situations, and it's a board worth considering if USB3 and SATA6Gb/s are two features you're dying to have with a Socket 1366 processor on a budget.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: small;"> In this review, We&rsquo;re pitting the Extreme3 against the board that has been the stalwart of my PC cavalcade - the Gigabyte EX58-UD3R, revision 1.0.&nbsp; The EX58-UD3R appeared on the market in Q4 2008, and is still one of the best budget X58 boards available in terms of capability and performance.&nbsp; ASRock have known their competition for over a year, so they have to show that their product can provide a distinct improvement over the competition.&nbsp; The marketed additions of USB3 and SATA 6Gb/s is a start, but ASRock is having trouble applying BIOS polish to the motherboard, which we will explain later.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: small;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.anandtech.com/show/3751/asrock-x58-extreme3an-enthusiast-x58-motherboard-at-a-budget-price">Read more...</a><br /> </span></p>