Actually, this is not all. Just look at the Clock Setting Fine Delay parameter. If you select it you get access to another long list of options:

The options of the Read Delay Adjust parameter also had to be put onto a separate page. These are truly phenomenal settings options, I should say!

DFI LANParty LT X38-T2R mainboard has everything you need in terms of voltage adjustment for successful overclocking experience:

Processor Vcore can be changed using two different parameters and the result will be different even if you set the same voltage. CPU VID Control parameter allows sending from 0.44375V to 1.6V voltage with an extremely low increment of 0.00625V. if you use this parameter the mainboard will maintain the set voltage in idle as well as burn mode. CPU VID Special Add allows raising the voltage by up to 30% with a small increment of 0.23-0.24%.

In this case power-saving technologies work as they are supposed to and in idle mode the CPU will drop not only its frequency but also its voltage. It is very convenient. The only thing missing is Target CPU Voltage string that could report the current processor Vcore in real time so that we didn’t have to check out multiple settings until we find the most optimal one.

Other voltages that can be adjusted are the following:

• DRAM Voltage Control: 1.71V-3.04V with variable 0.006V-0.04V increment;
• SB Core/CPU PLL Voltage: 1.51V-2.38V with variable 0.12-0.13V increment;
• NB Core Voltage: 1.265V-2.04V with variable 0.013V-0.014V increment.
• CPU VTT Voltage: 1.211V-1.601V with variable 0.005V-0.006 increment;
• Clockgen Voltage Control: 3.45V, 3.60V, 3.75V or 3.85V.

Note that the voltages from PC Health Status section have been repeated at the bottom of the screen. It allows to save some time switching between the sections and at the same time keep everything under control – another excellent example of how greatly the developers care for their users.

Winding up the discussion of DFI LANParty LT X38-T2R BIOS settings we should definitely say a few words about CMOS Reloaded page:

It allows saving four full BIOS profiles with detailed descriptions and loading the desired profile quickly and easily when needed. Moreover, the mainboard saves the latest settings profile after each successful boot-up, so you will always be able to get back to the recent successful settings even if you never saved them manually. These are very useful features when you are trying to find the most optimal overclocking settings, taking into account that the board may not always detect immediately if it has been over-overclocked. It is much faster to clear CMOS after the failed boot-up and get back to the last saved profile instead of waiting for the board to figure it out and offer the exact same thing to you.

This is where we could praise unbelievably extensive fine tuning options DFI has to offer its users, however, it is also where they have made one of the biggest omissions, I would say. The thing is that neither the user’s manual bundled with the DFI LANParty LT X38-T2R board, nor its two electronic versions available on the CD disk mention a word on the BIOS settings. Moreover, if you can guess the meaning of some parameters by their respective names, the others may remain a total mystery to you. For example, we don’t need to run any benchmarks to say that Enhance Data Transmitting optimized data transfer speed and “Fast” setting here is better than “Normal”. But what does the T2 Dispatch parameter stand for and what’s the difference between Exit Setup Shutdown Mode 1 and Mode 2?

I can point out much more examples like that and you have to really be a genius to figure out all the numerous parameters of the Genie BIOS Setting section. The user faces a real challenge: it’s like filling out a crossword, only here the words are already available and you have to come up with definitions. DFI LANParty LT X38-T2R mainboard BIOS already gives us all the parameters and their values and all we need to do is figure out what this parameter stands for and how it works. All parameters are connected with one another, just like the words in a crossword. If you put in the wrong word, you will not be able to get the next one, the same here: if you set one parameter wrong, you will get a non-working or unstable system. The only difference is that crosswords are made for leisure and entertainment, while BIOS parameters are important for the stability and proper functioning of the computer system.

After pointing out DFI’s meticulous attention to small things that should make working with their mainboards an easy and pleasant experience, we have been taken aback by the complete absence of any documentation on the BIOS settings. We often complain about not very detailed description of the BIOS functions in other manuals, but this time there was simply nothing. It was especially frustrating, since DFI LANParty LT X38-T2R offers a considerably more extensive list of options and settings than any other mainboard and we come by some of these parameters for the first time.

There is one more potential hazard resulting from such a broad range of adjustable parameters. How deep into detail should one go to ensure that the board will run stably during overclocking?  Can the board set some of these parameters automatically to their optimal values if we only change a few manually and leave the rest at defaults? In other words, can a mainstream overclocker work with DFI LANParty LT X38-T2R mainboard or it will only fit extreme experienced users who can spend days studying its features and options? Our practical experiments should help answer these questions.