Two Intel X99 motherboards compared: ASUS X99-Deluxe & ASRock X99 Extreme6

A tale of two different Intel X99 Motherboards

Having published the basics of what an Intel X99 platform consists and what it brings to the table, the two motherboards we have chosen to showcase the Intel X99 platform are the ASUS X99-Deluxe and the ASRock X99 Extreme6. They are both full ATX boards that feature the eight DIMM slots. The ASUS board is an enthusiast-level board with a number of high-end overclocking features. The high-end offering from ASRock isn't lacking in features; it boosts of a 12-phase power delivery system, and a Ultra M.2 socket that supports both M.2 SATA 6Gbps and M.2 PCIe Gen 3.0 storage devices. However., the ASUS board manages to cram in five PCI3 Gen 3.0 x16 slots that offer better control for a multi-GPU setup over the ASRock board. As different as chalk and cheese, both boards have something to offer for the X99 platform enthusiast. We'll kick start the comparison by taking a closer look at what the ASUS X99-Deluxe has to offer. 

*Note: The contents of this page are mirrored over from our initial first looks article of the board. If you've read it previously, you may move on to the next page.

ASUS X99-Deluxe mobo highlights

The ASUS X99-Deluxe board features the Intel X99 chipset that replaces the incumbent Intel X79. Besides bringing support for , the Intel X99 PCH adds native USB 3.0 support, Thunderbolt connectivity, Intel Smart Response technology, Intel Rapid Storage technology, as well as PCIe Gen 3.0 storage for SATA Express and M.2 storage devices. In comparison to the older Intel X79, the Intel X99 has brought more desktop computing features that will appeal to the power user, looking beyond the limitations of the .

This new chipset goes hand-in-hand to support the brand new Intel Core i7 "Haswell-E" processors that uses an updated LGA2011-v3 package. As usual, the platform and processor are targeted to appeal to the ultimate power users and enthusiasts who will settle for nothing but the best technology has to offer.

This particular ASUS board has a unique color scheme; however, it isn't as ostentatious as the Intel Z97-based ASUS Z97-Deluxe (NFC & WLC) motherboard. The X99 board has a white-on-black color scheme, with hints of blue and grey streaks quietly blended in. On the left, there is a large plastic sheath that runs along the entire length of the board. It appears to be purely decorative feature. Despite its rich feature set, the board comes in the ATX form factor, and it even supports up to two M.2 devices. Let us look beyond its facade and examine its features in detail.

One of the marquee features of this board is its "patent-pending" ASUS OC Socket. Essentially, it uses more CPU pins to "connect a proprietary circuit to contacts found on Haswell-E's land grid array (LGA)." When combined with the board's UEFI BIOS utility, it will allow for over-rating the CPU's voltage for stable performance during extreme overclocking.

Also, this is the first desktop platform to support DDR4 RAM, and the board has four memory channels spread across eight DIMM slots. Each channel is rated to support up to 3200MHz memory. ASUS claims its proprietary T-Topology circuitry design, together with its OC Socket feature, is touted to be a platform for memory overclocking by "minimizing coupling noise and signal reflection."

The board's heatsinks are split up into two assemblies; each consists of one main heatsink connected by a heatpipe to another heatsink, which is meant for exclusive heat dissipation. The MOSFETs heatsink, which sits above the CPU socket is connected by a heatpipe to its other half, located right under the plastic sheath marked with the X99 series branding. Above the CPU socket, we can see the exposed chokes, which are located right behind the capacitors, and the row of MOSFETs. The other half of the MOSFET heatsinks conceals a collection of surface-mounted capacitors that are located right next to the rear I/O ports.

The other assembly is made up of the Intel X99 PCH heatsink connected by a separate heatpipe.

This particular heatsink hides a collection of ASMedia ASM1480 PCIe 3.0 switches; however, it doesn't come into any thermal contact with those chips. There aren't any PLX PCIe Gen 3.0 high-speed switch chips onboard, despite the presence of this heatsink. Did you notice the lithium CMOS cell battery is inserted vertically? This is probably to allow for easier removal in the event it needs to be replaced.

The board has five PCIe Gen 3.0 x16 expansion slots, and a PCIe 2.0 x4 slot. The lone PCIe 2.0 slot shares bandwidth with one USB 3.0 header, and the SATA Express connector. The lane configurations of these slots are dependent on the CPU installed. Currently, there are three Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition processors that are compatible with the board's LGA2011-v3 CPU socket.

Of the three, there are two processors with the full set of 40 PCIe Gen 3.0 lanes; they are the Core i7-5690X and the Core i7-5930K. The flagship Core i7-5690X is the first socketed 8-core desktop processor from the company. It has a base clock speed of 3.0GHz and a Turbo clock speed of 3.5MHz. Second in line is the Core i7-5930K that has a total of six, 22nm-based Haswell-E cores. This CPU has a  base clock speed of 3.5GHz, with a Max Turbo clock speed of 3.7GHz. Last of the trio, the Core i7-5820K comes with the same six physical cores; however, its clock speeds are lower, with a base level of 3.3GHz, and a Max Turbo frequency of 3.6GHz. Its PCIe Gen 3.0 lanes are limited to only 28. As a result, in a multi-GPU setup, the available bandwidth is limited by this processor model paired..

In order to assist you in setting up with a multi-GPU configuration easily , there is an onboard SLI-CFX switch that will indicate (via LED lights next to the slot) of the appropriate PEG slots suitable for a 2-way or 3-way graphics cards installation.

With a 40-lane CPU, and a 3-way graphics cards setup, there are two possible configurations:-

• x8 / x8 / x8 mode (with M.2 x4 mode enabled by default)
  
  
  PCIEX16_1, PCIEX16_2, and PCIEX16_4 are available

• x16 / x16 / x8 mode (with M.2 x4 mode disabled)
  
  
  PCIEX16_1, PCIEX16_3, and PCIEX16_5 are available
  The bandwidth of PCIEX16_5 has to be manually configured at BIOS to x8 mode, and the M.2 x4 mode will be disabled accordingly.

With a 40-lane CPU, and a 2-way graphics cards setup, there is only one configuration:-

• x16 / x16 mode (with M.2 x4 mode enabled)
  
  
  PCIEX16_1 and PCIEX16_3 are available

If the Core i7-5820K, or any 28-lane LGA2011-v3 processor, is installed, there is only one possible 3-way graphics cards configuration

• x8 / x8 / x8 mode (with M.2 x4 mode enabled)
  
  
  PCIEX16_1, PCIEX16_2, and PCIEX16_4 are available

And for the 2-way graphics cards setup, with M.2 x4 mode enabled, there is one suggested configuration where PCIEX16_1, PCIEX16_4 are to be used.

This is the M.2 socket that shares PCIe lanes with the last PEG slot, PCIEX16_5. With this vertical mounting bracket, a 42- /60- /80mm M.2 PCIe form factor SSD can be installed to operate at x4 mode, with a theoretical maximum transfer speed of 32Gb/s.

If you have a spare PEG slot, there is an optional Hyper M.2 x4 add-in card that will allow you to install a compatible M.2 SSD. The add-in card can be installed into the lone PCIe 2.0 x4 slot, which is below the first x16 PEG slot (PCIEX16_1). It would be impossible to use this x4 slot if your discrete graphics card has a dual-slot profile. In a 2-way, dual-slot graphics cards configuration, the Hyper M.2 x4 add-in card will be relegated to the last x16 slot, PCIEX16_5. And do bear in mind that this slot shares PCIe 3.0 lanes with the M.2 socket mentioned above.

At the bottom edge of the board, we see a collection of premium Japanese capacitors of its Crystal Sound 2 audio system. A collection of headers and connectors are crammed into this area of the board. We also see some onboard buttons like the power, reset and clear CMOS. There is also a collection of switches, where the SLI/CFX switch is located, to the right of this area. There is an EZ XMP switch that allows you to overclock supported DDR4 RAM modules. A regular feature is its EPU switch that allows for auto PC power load configurations.

More features and accessories on the ASUS X99-Deluxe

To the right of the switches mentioned on the earlier page (at the bottom corner of the board), there's the stack of SATA connectors. The SATA Express connector marked with the red frame is driven by the third-party ASMedia ASM106SE controller. The SATA Express connector supports up to a pair of SATA devices, or a single SATA Express one. The other SATA Express above, and the eight SATA 6Gbps connectors, are connected to the Intel X99 PCH of the board.

As we move along this edge of the board, we see the M.2 socket, the 24-pin power connector, and the MemOK! button that allows you to automatically tune the memory settings for compatibility.

The board's rear I/O ports consists of 10 USB 3.0 ports that are powered by an ASMedia USB 3.0 controller, a pair of black USB 2.0 ports, which is connected to the board's PCH, and a pair of Gigabit LAN ports. At the left corner, there is a BIOS Flashback button. Next to this stack of audio connectors (five analog audio jacks and an optical S/PDIF port), there is the Wi-Fi GO! module that supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth v4.0 standards.

There is a bundled 3T3R dual-band Wi-Fi moving antenna that ASUS claims to be able to support a throughput of up to 1300Mbps.

The last accessory, which is worthy of mention, is the fan extension card. This optional accessory allows you to plug in up to three additional cooling fans. This is on top of the two CPU fan headers and seven system fan headers that are available on the board. Each fan can be controlled independently from the UEFI BIOS utility or the Windows-based AI Suite 3 software. There aren't any clear installation instructions; however, there are two mounting holes on the card, so our best guess is to locate a spare drive bay slot and attach the card to the base of the slot.

Overall, the ASUS X99-Deluxe board is one that is focused on performance. There are two marquee features; the OC Socket and the T-Topology circuitry behind its quad-channel DDR4 DIMM slots, are touted to offer "better" overclocking capabilities. There are also some well-thought board layout features, most likely to overcome the limited PCB space. They include the CMOS battery that is inserted in a vertical position, and the M.2 bracket, which allows for the vertical installation of supported M.2 SSDs. Note that in our review unit, the optional accessories like the fan extension card and the Hyper M.2 x4 add-in card were provided. We feel that as a deluxe package, these accessories should be bundled all together in the full retail package.

It also doesn't hurt that the board has an alluring appearance, mainly due to its plastic sheath that came in the same hues as its heatsinks. The stark white color contrasts sharply against its jet black PCB, giving the entire motherboard, a sharp and clean appearance. So it seems we have a nifty-looking board that has strong overclocking potential!

Stay tuned for our performance review of the board as we put it through its paces later in the article.

ASRock X99 Extreme6

This Intel X99-based board from ASRock features a conservative blue-on-black color scheme; the same as the ASRock Z97 Anniversary motherboard. Unlike the 9-series board, the ASRock X99 Extreme is packed with a number of high-end features that will appeal to power users who need that extra "something". For a start, the board features premium 60A power chokes and premium memory alloy ones. The CPU is driven by a 12-phase, digital power system, which also boasts of Ultra Dual-N MOSFETs.

The MOSFETs are cooled by large aluminium alloy heatsinks, and from this angle, we can see the heatpipe that connects the MOSFET heatsink to the one near the rear I/O ports.

In spite of its muted appearance, the ASRock board punches above its weight category, beating the seemingly more ASUS X99-Deluxe by supporting up to 128GB of quad-channel DDR4 DRAM. In addition, the ASRock X99 Extreme6 supports DDR4 DRAM modules with ECC. Therefore, it will definitely appeal to rig builders who want set up workstation for enterprise-level compute requirements. In comparison, the ASUS X99-Deluxe only supports non-ECC DDR4 DRAM modules, up to a maximum capacity of 64GB.

Moving south from its LGA-2011v3 CPU socke, we see a 4-pin Molex power connector that is only required when three discrete graphics cards are installed. The three x16 PEG slots operate at x16, x16, x8 modes respectively when a 40-lane processor is installed. With a 28-lane chip, the slots operate at x16, x8, and x4 modes. The last x16 PEG slot shares PCIe lanes with the Ultra M.2 socket; and the slot will be disable when a M.2 PCIe Gen 3.0 storage device is installed.

The Ultra M.2 socket first made its appearance in the company's Intel 9-series lineup, and it offers the option of using either a M.2 SATA 6Gbps or M.2 PCIe 3.0 flash storage device. However, its presence means the sacrifice of a expansion slot (or two) on the board.

The bottom edge of the board is crammed with headers and connectors; in addition, we see a switch that toggles between two sets of BIOSes. The onboard power and reset buttons are useful in an open work bench environment. The board also boasts of the Purity 2 audio system, which is pretty similar to the initial introduction of the Purity audio system that we've covered in more detail, but the second revision uses higher quality capacitors (as reported in our preview of an earlier board).

There are a total of eight SATA 6Gbps connectors; however, SATA Express ones are absent.

The rear I/O ports feature a rarely seen (these days) eSATA connector. There's also a PS/2 combo port that sits below a pair of USB 2.0 ports, a collection of USB 3.0 ports, and the usual audio connectors. The Gigabit LAN ports are driven by the Qualcomm Atheros AR8171 and Intel I218V chipsets respectively and is a nice addition to the board's feature set. Dual LAN ports aren't the norm these days when wireless connectivity is better preferred for most consumers who would prefer to cut a cord where possible.

The ASRock X99 Extreme comes without the bells and whistles of the ASUS X99-Extreme; however, it's clearly meant for workstation compute requirements. Read on to uncover its performance in comparison with the ASUS board.

Test Setup

One of the major selling point of the Intel X99 platform is its more than ample PCIe Gen 3.0 bandwidth, with up to 40 such lanes, when the supported Intel Core i7 processor is installed. Therefore, the platform is much suited for multi-GPU configurations. Our processor of choice was the Intel Core i7-5960X, with 40-lane PCIe Gen 3.0 support and so we complimented it with a pair of ASUS Strix GeForce GTX 970 and scaled up their performance with NVIDIA SLI technology.

We also secured a Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4 DRAM kit that is rated to operate at 2666MHz. However, during our testing, we ran them at the platform's official default operating frequency of 2133MHz, with the RAM timings kept at default too. This is to ensure we don't run in to mismatched performance as we test this new platform for the first time with a new range of motherboards - some of which will have the right base clock to memory ratio, while others may not.

As we had mentioned earlier, the DDR4 DRAM features more pins, 240 of them to be exact. We also noticed a subtle change in the way the pins have been constructed; the pins that are closer to the notch are slightly longer than those further away.

There were also two new Cooler Master additions to our test rig. We roped in the Silent Pro Gold 1200W for our power requirements.

In order to cool our Intel Core i7-5960X processor, we installed the Nepton 280L, a high-performance closed liquid cooling system that boasts of a 280mm radiator! A pair of 140mm Jetflo cooling fans provide additional heat dissipation to the radiator.

Our full test setup for all the platforms are as follows:-

Test Configuration

• Intel Core i7-5960X
• 4 x 4GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-2133 (Auto timings: CAS 15-15-15-36)
• 2 x ASUS Strix GeForce GTX 970 4GB GDDR5 (configured for 2-way SLI with ForceWare 344.75)
• Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA 6Gbps hard drive (one single NTFS partition)
• Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1
• Intel INF 9.4.2.1019

Benchmarks

The following benchmarks were used to test the motherboards:

• SYSmark 2014
• Futuremark 3DMark (2013)
• SPECviewperf 11
• Cinebench 11.5 (64-bit)
• Handbrake 0.9.9

Results - SYSmark 2014

We took the opportunity to update our general productivity software suite to SYSmark 2014 from the older 2013 version. The new software was launched in March this year, but was only made available publicly at a later time frame. According to BAPCo, one of the key improvements is the lower compute requirements that is needed to operate this popular benchmarking software title. This move will increase the installation base of the benchmark to wider categories of PC systems. The software titles that make up the benchmark suite has been revamped, with the Autodesk applications of AutoCAD and 3DS Max removed. The new entrants include the latest Microsoft Office 2013 applications; as well as popular Adobe desktop applications, Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro. According to BAPCo, the updated list also “reflects usage patterns of business users in the areas of office productivity, data/financial analysis and media creation.”

From the results above, the scores of both boards are almost equal, and if we were to split hairs, it was the ASUS board that managed to edge out the ASRock board by a single point in the overall rating score. This appears to be due to its higher score in the media creation tests.

Results - SPECviewperf 11.0

In this test, where the memory subsystem and the graphics compute capabilities are stressed, the ASUS X99-Deluxe was the clear winner, albeit by a thin margin.

Results - Futuremark 3DMark 2013

Like the SYSmark 2014 software suite, we updated our Futuremark 3D 2013 benchmark to include the new Fire Strike Ultra test. According to the company, Fire Strike Ultra renders the test content at a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels - this is 4K or also otherwise known as Ultra HD resolution. If a 4K monitor isn't used, the rendered content will be scaled down according to the resolution of the display device. However, as this is a graphically-taxing test, the system’s graphics card would need to have at least 3GB of video memory.

Results-wise, the ASRock board delivered consistent victories over its ASUS counterpart except for the last test where the ASUS board overtook it. Like the results from the SYSmark 2014 benchmark, it was hard to tell the boards apart from the performance scores and they were both competent.

Results - Cinebench 11.5 (64-bit) & Handbrake 0.9.9

The 8-core, Intel Core i7-5960X processor was expected to perform well for the Cinebench 11.5 as this test strongly favors multi-core processors. Handbrake, the open-source, multi-threaded video encoding software should also perform well. The ASRock X99 Extreme6 took the lead for the Cinebench test; while the ASUS X99-Deluxe was the winner for the video encoding test.

Results - Temperature

For some reason, the surface temperature of the VRM heatsink of the ASUS board was a high of 48 degree Celsius! However, its PCH heatsink, which was attached to a separate heatsink assembly via a heatpipe, registered a much cooler surface temperature of 34 degree Celsius. The ASRock board's registered surface temperatures were 37 degrees Celsius for the VRM heatsink, and 40 degrees Celsius for its PCH heatsink, which was a standalone feature, unlike the ASUS board.

Results - Power Consumption

The ASUS board was the one that consumed the most power; on average, its power draw was 10% higher than its ASRock counterpart. This is inevitable considering that the ASUS motherboard has more features to offer and is better equipped for overclocking, meaning it's not exactly power-optimized from a design point of view.

Results - Overclocking

For our overclocking exercise, we made use of the automated overclocking utility for each board. The ASUS X99-Deluxe features the OC Tuner from its Ai Overclock Tuner arsenal. The OC Tuner has two modes; "Ratio Tuning" and "BCLK + Ratio Tuning".

In its "BCLK + Ratio Tuning" mode, the ratio of the CPU was set at 31, while the base operating frequency was increased to a high of 125MHz.

The ASRock X99 Extreme6 was overclocked automatically by loading its XMP OC settings, as well as its optimized CPU OC settings. Unlike the ASUS board, it didn't have the option of adjusting the CPU ratios alone. By automatically overclocking the ASRock rig, both its CPU ratios and BCLK frequency were increased.

The BCLK frequency was adjusted to 127.4MHz, and its CPU ratio was adjusted to 45 for all cores. However, in the Windows environment, its actual overclocked speed was throttled to about 4.0GHz.

Final outcome from Overclocking

From the Cinebench scores, the ASRock board managed to edged out the ASUS board in our overclocking exercise. However, the ASUS X99-Deluxe had the option of increasing the CPU ratios alone, leaving the BCLK to operate at 100MHz. This option is useful for overclockers who have not invested in a pair of overclocked DDR4 memory modules as an increment to the BCLK will automatically result in the memory modules operating beyond the standard 2133MHz speed. Well, unless the user is diligent enough to access the UEFI BIOS utility to clock down the operating frequency of the DDR4 DRAM modules.

Conclusion

The Intel X99 platform didn't disappoint us, and the two boards that we have tested left us duly impressed. They aren't exactly identically matched boards, but nevertheless, it's an excellent chance to see how these board differ.

The ASUS X99-Deluxe board had enough bundled accessories without going overboard. Its appearance marked the boldness of the ASUS Design team to step away from the usual safe choices of hues for motherboards. The ASRock X99 Extreme6 was the strong and silent type; its muted appearance belied strength and prowess that were frankly quite unexpected. This was especially so in our overclocking exercise where the board managed to tune up the Intel Core i7-5960X chip to operate at 4.1GHz with ease! However, the ASUS board wasn't a pushover as it offered more finesse in automated overclocking with an additional option of adjusting both CPU ratio and BCLK frequency. This feature wasn't present for the ASRock board.

In terms of their performance scores, the boards were somewhat equally matched but in terms of gaming, it appeared that ASRock had a slight edge over ASUS. The ASRock board had a lower power draw, and its operating temperatures were also lower. As we've iterated earlier, ASUS has a wider breadth of features onboard and these do add to the slightly higher heat and power draw.

Due to the difference in features offered by both boards, they differ in price by quite a large margin. The ASRock X99 Extreme6 is priced about US$280, whereas the ASUS X99-Deluxe is closer to US$400. Locally, the ASUS board is over $S$600 but we couldn't yet find the ASRock X99 Extreme6 in stores. It's clear that if you want more features and capabilities out of your high-end system, despite the small performance differential, the ASUS X99-Deluxe is still your best bet. However, if you're more practical and prefer a better tuned board with a better memory support and can live without some of the frills and over-the-top features of the ASUS baord, the ASRock X99 Extreme6 is a better fit.

All things considered, as the Intel X99 platform boasts of server-grade DNA, we feel the ASRock X99 Extreme6 is an excellent pedigree that is more true to the platform's prestigious lineage and it has exhibited better overall performance in our scrutiny.

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