Final Thoughts
First let's talk performance, as there are a few interesting things to note. There was virtually no difference to speak of when comparing the LANParty UT X58-T3eH8 and LANParty JR X58-T3H6, which was surprising.
Other surprises came in the form of weak SATA performance on both motherboards, and although the margins were not huge, they did stand out compared to the Asus and MSI X58 boards. The network throughput was also weaker on the DFI boards when compared to the competition.
On the other hand, we found some odd yet incredibly strong memory bandwidth performance. The LANParty UT X58-T3eH8 and LANParty JR X58-T3H6 showed considerably better raw write results when compared to the Asus and MSI boards. Real world tests showed no positive impact as a result however.
Then we have power consumption. The mATX LANParty JR X58-T3H6 was a little more thirsty than expected, with a load result of 300 watts. The higher power consumption of this board is believed to be due to the over-volting that we mentioned in the overclocking section of this review. This will likely translate in a hotter running Core i7 processor, which could become a problem for mATX cases.
With the performance margins so close between X58 boards we were more concerned with the boards' features, pricing, and overclocking abilities.
The LANParty JR X58-T3H6 is a more unique product, as just a handful of Intel X58 motherboards support the Micro ATX form factor. The most expensive mATX board is the Asus Rampage II GENE which we reviewed some time ago. The LANParty JR X58-T3H6 is ~$20 cheaper and compares to the Rampage II GENE very well. There are cheaper options out there worth considering though, such as the MSI X58M at just $170, it's $60 cheaper than the LANParty JR X58-T3H6.
Priced at roughly $270 the LANParty UT X58-T3eH8 is a little more expensive than the Gigabyte EX58-UD4P and a little cheaper than the Asus P6T Deluxe, both of which we have already reviewed. The LANParty UT X58-T3eH8 is every bit as well equipped as the Asus P6T Deluxe, so in terms of value it compares very well.
Overall we were pleased with both DFI LANParty X58 motherboards, offering a well rounded set of features, pricing and overclocking capabilities.