Detailed Instructions: Given an Amazon review, indicate whether it is a 'Positive Review' or 'Negative Review'.
Q: Greetings Everyone,<br /><br />I bought this motherboard to replace an ASUS Rampage IV Extreme I bought on Craigslist dirt cheap. Unfortunately that one would not accept a bios update without first installing an i7-3000 series LGA 2011 processor. I read in some forums that some would flash via USB and some would not regardless of what ASUS said.<br />My EVGA X79 Classified did not post initially upon install. However, I bought this board for four reasons: Price, EVGA's United States Based Customer Service, The XL-ATX Form Factor, and reports that this board would work with my Intel i7-4930k right out of the box! I registered the motherboard online through EVGA's website and then called EVGA. Within two minutes I was talking to a tech support rep that spoke perfect English. I told him my problem and he asked if my motherboard box had 4th Generation CPU (Ivy Bridge-E) Ready written on it? I responded yes, and he told me to flip a bios switch at the bottom of the board to the left. Viola!!! It booted up flawlessly!!!! I have a Crucial 960GB SSD and it seemed like my Windows 7 Ultimate 64Bit installed in less than ten minutes!!!<br />This motherboard has an interesting layout. I have a super-sized Cooler Master V8 GTS CPU Cooler and an EVGA GTX 690 video card. The X79 Classified is one of the few mid-entry level boards that accept a V8 GTS cooler without covering the PCI-E x/16 slot. However, my GTX 690 covers both the PCI-E x/1 and front audio header due to the board's layout. I can move the video card to the lower X/16 slot, but that puts it closer to the PSU and affects cooling air flow. So for right now, I'm without front panel sound until I get a sound card or move the video card. No biggie, since I use the system as a hybrid HTPC and gaming PC.<br />The EVGA GUI Bios is amazing!!! You can literally control every input and output on this board. Everything from fan headers, slot voltages, to SATA ports are controllable through the bios.<br />The LED post code trouble shooting display is a must for every computer. It should be a federal requirement!<br />This board skimped on internal USB 3.0 headers (only one) and the SATA ports by giving you only six, four at SATA II and two at SATA III. I bought cards to remedy both of those issues at less than $50 total. The red and black XL board looks great in my Cooler Master Storm Trooper Case with the clear side panel upgrade. A standard ATX motherboard would just be wrong for any full tower case with a clear side panel.<br />I think EVGA is friendlier to a wider range of RAM manufacturers than ASUS. My previously owned Rampage IV Extreme did not take well to my 16GB of Avexir Yellow LED RAM. I tried the RAM in my Gigabyte motherboard on another one of my HTPCs and I had the same problem. The red LED CPU cooler and yellow RAM combination makes a nice pseudo flame effect inside the case. I've gotten tons of compliments from friends and family.<br />Overall, if you have an Ivy Bridge-E processor, you cannot go wrong with this motherboard. It has less SATA and DIMM slots than EVGA's top of the line model, but adding $50 worth of cards brought me up to 99.5% of that board's capability under Widows 7 64Bit while saving me $80. The XL-form factor was a deal breaker for a full size clear panel case. I had to have function, form, and features at a reasonable price, and the X79 Classified came through with flying colors!<br />Thanks EVGA!!!
A:
Positive Review