Motherboards based on new Intel X99 chipset launched!

The Intel X99 chipset will support the upcoming Intel Haswell-E processors, with its new LGA 2011-3 CPU socket. The desktop platform will offer support for DDR4 RAM - the first Intel platform to jump to this next generation memory standard. The boards highlighted here support up to 128GB of system memory!

ASRock has a total of nine Intel X99-based Super Alloy boards that target gamers, overclockers and power users. There is even a server grade E-ATX offering, the X99 WS that boasts of workstation grade power design consists of “one set for transferring 3.3V voltage to 1.5V, the other one for 3.3V to 1.8V, doubling power efficiency compared to linear design.”

Another E-ATX board is the top-end X99 OC Formula from its overclocking series. It comes with the conformal coating to make it water resistant. Another high-end E-ATX board worthy of mention is the X99 Professional Fatal1ty features the Killer networking chip and the Purity 2 audio system. The ASRock X99 boards boasts of a 12-phase power design system with its Super Alloy components for both stable and reliable performances. The other ASRock boards include the following:-

• X99 Extreme6
• X99 Extreme4
• X99 Extreme3
• X99M Extreme4
• X99 Professional
• Fatal1ty X99X Killer
• Fatal1ty X99M Killer

ASUS has lined up three boards, and the high-end X99-Deluxe is one of the best-looking boards of the lot. Its white-on-black color scheme makes it outstanding. From its heatsinks to the rear I/O port protective sheath, the designers have decided that white is their color of choice, deviating sharply from the usual gold treatment. This ATX board features a LGA2011-3 CPU socket with “extra pins” to “connect a proprietary circuit to contacts found on Haswell-E's land grid array (LGA).” This is meant for better OC performances.

According to ASUS, the X99-Deluxe is available now in stores for S$639. It will soon be followed by tamer editions, the X99-Pro and the X99-A models for S$519 and S$449 respectively.

The ASUS X99-E WS has a whopping seven PCIe Gen 3.0 x16 slots! According to its listed specifications, this E-ATX board can support up to seven expansions cards, and the seven slots operate at the following speeds; x16/x8/x8/x8/x16/x8/x8. From the picture, we do see a lot of PCIe 3.0 switch chips crammed into the PCB area between the PEG slots.

To complete the current lineup, there is the ROG Rampage V Extreme that features the OC Panel for system monitoring and overclocking. According to the company, the board’s MOSFETs have been upgraded to the new PowIRstage IR3555 for better current sensing. The usual VRM suspects include the ASUS Digi+ components, alloy chokes and the 10K, Jap-made black caps.

For Gigabyte, it has eight boards to showcase; four from its Ultra Durable series, three boards from its Gaming series, and the lone GA-X99-SOC Force with server-grade power delivery components for stable overclocks! The Gigabyte boards feature both M.2 and SATA Express connectors, as well as Thunderbolt add-in card connectors. In terms of CPU power design, they make use of an all-digital IR power system for stability and reliability.

The GA-X99-UD7 WIFI is the top-end offering from its Ultra Durable series that prides itself in using power delivery components with better thermal capabilities for stable and reliable performances.

For gamers, they shouldn’t look further than the GA-X99-Gaming G1 WIFI. Sporting the now familiar red eye logo on its PCH heatsink, the board supports up to 4-way multi-GPU configurations over the 40 PCIe 3.0 lanes of the Haswell-E processor. It has a unique stacked M.2 interface in order to fit M.2 SSDs and the onboard 802.11ac WIFI + Bluetooth 4.0 module. The rest of the Gigabyte boards are as follows:-

• GA-X99-Gaming 7 WIFI
• GA-X99-Gaming 5
• GA-X99-UD5 WIFI
• GA-X99-UD3
• GA-X99-UD4

For fans of MSI, the company first showcased its Intel X99 prototypes in June this year now, the company has finalized its lineup with five new mobos! Two of them hail from its Overclocking series, and two from the Gaming family. The odd man out is the X99S SLI Plus, an E-ATX board that boasts of Military Grade IV components, and Guard-Pro technology. As a result, the components of the board are touted to perform reliably under extreme conditions, with protection against EMI, humidity and electrostatic discharges.

The X99S Gaming 9 AC board has an onboard game capture and streaming feature that features an AverMedia encoding chip that works with its XSplit Gamecaster system to share highlights of the gamer’s experience on social media. The AverMedia encoding chip ensures the processor and GPU of the system aren’t unnecessarily taxed when it records and streams the full HD game capture videos.

The top-end board from its Overclocking series, X99S XPower AC, strongly resembles the MSI Z97 XPower AC. However, the newer board sports a SATA Express connector that is absent from the Intel Z97 board. As usual, the X99S XPower AC has features that target extreme overclockers like its onboard OC Essential buttons, and V-Checkpoints for easy voltage measurement. But built-in liquid cooling blocks for VRM heatsinks are missing for this board. The rest of its offerings include:-

• X99S MPower
• X99S Gaming 7

EVGA has released three Intel X99 boards with SRPs in US dollars. At the top of the pile, the has triple BIOS support, and a Creative Core 3D onboard audio chip.

If you need a mATX board, the EVGA X99 Micro offers a stripped down experience for this new desktop platform. System memory support is capped at 64GB, and its PEG slots limit you to a 3-way multi-GPU configuration, instead of the usual 4-way setup. The EVGA X99 Classified has an SRP of US$399, the EVGA X99 WTF is priced at US$299, and the EVGA X99 Micro is US$50 cheaper at US249.

Do check out the respective add-in board partners’ sites for more details of their Intel X99 offerings.

(Source: ASUS (1), (2), (3), ASRock, EVGA, Gigabyte, MSI)

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