Intel's board partners have displayed their next-generation X299 motherboards at Computex 2017. The new X299 motherboards feature powerful designs and support for Intel's Skylake X and Kaby Lake X CPU families which we detailed here.
Intel X299 Motherboards Pictured - Powerful HEDT Designs For Intel's Next-Gen 18 Core, Core X Series Processors, Upto 4400 MHz DDR4 DIMM Support
There is a large variety of X299 motherboards to start with. Intel is always prepared alongside their partners to unleash an army of diverse products for their consumers and it's no different this time.
Several motherboards from ASUS, ASRock, Biostar and Gigabyte were pictured and we can expect even more when motherboard makers take the full lid off of their products in the coming weeks. In the meantime, let's take a look at what the boards look like. The pictures below are courtesy of TechPowerUp who have been doing pretty awesome coverage of Computex 2017.
ASUS PRIME X299 Deluxe Motherboard
The ASUS PRIME X299 Deluxe is a feature rich, high-end motherboard with the white and silver accents over the heatsinks. The motherboard features the LGA 2066 socket that supports Intel's Core X processors and is powered by an 8+4 pin connector configuration. The motherboard has a eight phase power delivery system for adequate stability and decent overclocking potential.
The motherboard itself is supplied power through the 24-pin ATX connector. On the motherboard, we can see eight DDR4 DIMM slots that can support 128 GB capacities at speeds of 2400 MHz (two DPC) and 2666 (one DPC). Frequencies can be further increased with Intel's XMP technology that is on board.
Expansion slots include four PCIe 3.0 x16, two PCIe 3.0 x1 and two M.2 slots. The M.2 slots aren't visible on the board as they are hidden beneath the RGB lit PCH heatsink cover that acts as a heat sink. There's another M.2 slot positioned in vertical next to the ATX power connector. In terms of storage, we get 7 SATA III ports, two U.2 ports, two USB 3.0 ports and a butt load of I/O that goes on the back panel.
ASUS X299 TUF MARK1 Motherboard
The ASUS X299 TUF MARK1 is a feature rich, high-end motherboard with the white and silver accents over the heatsinks. The motherboard features the LGA 2066 socket that supports Intel's Core X processors and is powered by an 8+4 pin connector configuration. The motherboard has a eight phase power delivery system for adequate stability and decent overclocking potential.
The motherboard itself is supplied power through the 24-pin ATX connector. On the motherboard, we can see eight DDR4 DIMM slots that can support 128 GB capacities at speeds of 2400 MHz (two DPC) and 2666 (one DPC). Frequencies can be further increased with Intel's XMP technology that is on board.
Expansion slots include three PCIe 3.0 x16, two PCIe 3.0 x4 and two M.2 slots. The M.2 slots aren't visible on the board as they are hidden beneath the RGB lit PCH heatsink cover that acts as a heat sink. There's another M.2 slot positioned in vertical near the bottom. The whole PCB is outfitted with a plastic armor which can be removed but looks as it is. The PCH heatsink comes with active fan cooling solution which provides extra cooling potential. In terms of storage, we get 8 SATA III ports, two USB 3.0 ports and a whole ton of I/O on the backpanel.
ASUS PRIME X299-A Motherboard
The ASUS PRIME X299-A is a feature rich motherboard with the white and silver accents over the heatsinks. The motherboard features the LGA 2066 socket that supports Intel's Core X processors and is powered by an 8+4 pin connector configuration. The motherboard itself is supplied power through the 24-pin ATX connector. On the motherboard, we can see eight DDR4 DIMM slots that can support 128 GB capacities at speeds of 2666 MHz (native) and beyond that with Intel XMP 2.0 technology.
Expansion slots include three PCIe 3.0 x16, two PCIe 3.0 x4 and a single PCIe 3.0 x1 slot. There's also two M.2 slots hidden beneath the massive PCH cover. One is located near the north while one is located at the bottom of the PCH. In terms of storage, we get 8 SATA III ports, two USB 3.0 ports and a butt load of I/O that goes on the back panel. The ASUS lineup will also include more X299 products that are listed below:
- ASUS ROG Rampage VI Extreme
- ASUS ROG Rampage VI APEX
- ASUS ROG STRIX X299-E Gaming
- ASUS TUF X299 MARK 1
- ASUS TUF X299 MARK 2
- ASUS Prime X299 Deluxe
- ASUS Prime X299-E
- ASUS X299-WS Workstation
ASUS X299 TUF MARK2 Motherboard
The ASUS X299 TUF Mark 2 is part of "The Ultimate Force" lineup which comes with a durable HEDT design. The motherboard is similar to the Prime X299-A but has some variations in the design. The board has a distinctive beige and black color scheme with silver accents over the heatsinks. The motherboard features the LGA 2066 socket that supports Intel's Core X processors and is powered by an 8+4 pin connector configuration. The motherboard itself is supplied power through the 24-pin ATX connector. On the motherboard, we can see eight DDR4 DIMM slots that can support 128 GB capacities at speeds of 2666 MHz (Native) and beyond that with Intel XMP 2.0 technology.
Expansion slots include three PCIe 3.0 x16, two PCIe 3.0 x4 and a single PCIe 3.0 x1 slot. There's also two M.2 slots that can support NVMe drives. In terms of storage, we get 6 SATA III ports, two USB 3.0 ports. The backpanel I/O includes 6 USB 3.1 ports, 4 USB 2.0 ports, Intel I219-V Gigabit LAN and a range of display connectors.
ASUS ROG STRIX X299-E Gaming Motherboard
Getting to the details, the motherboard features the LGA 2066 socket which is the latest socket to support Intel’s upcoming processors. It comes with 2066 pins as the name suggests and looking at the design, the assembly looks pretty much similar to LGA 2011-v3 so current LGA 2011 v3 coolers may remain compatible on the new boards. There are eight DDR4 DIMM slots, four on each side. The DIMMs can support high-speed memory kits rated beyond 4000 MHz (OC+) with capacities of up to 128 GB.
The juicy stuff is in the I/O and design. We are getting three PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, all of which are covered by metallic shielding. There’s also two PCIe 3.0 x4 and a single PCIe 3.0 x1 slot if you need to add a fast NVMe PCIe storage card or add-in sound card. The PCIe 3.0 x16 locks come with LED Lighting. The board comes with an overclocking ready design and as such, features a beefy VRM heatsink on the top. The X299 PCH is covered by a large metallic heatsink that is fitted with a secondary cover. This cover doubles as a thermal interface with an M.2 NVMe drive that can hide underneath it, offering greater cooling performance.
For storage, we are looking at 8 SATA III 6 GB/s ports while there are also two USB 3.0 front panel headers. Near the 24-pin ATX power connector, we can spot a USB 2.0 port along with what seems to be a second M.2 slot. And of course, the RGB, there’s lots of it on this product.
The design scheme of the board is similar to the STRIX Z270 motherboard which we reviewed here. It looks like ASUS is taking it a step further, with a fully RGB lit cover between the PCIe slot and CPU socket. The I/O cover also features RGB LEDs and the whole assembly looks great with the cover extending towards the SupremeFX PCB. ASUS is using the S1220A codec teamed with Sonic Studio III to deliver some top-notch audio quality. I/O panel includes a 7.1 channel audio jack, Intel LAN, Ethernet, Gamerfirst IV, 2×2 Wi-Fi, BIOS Flashback switch, two USB 2.0, four USB 3.0 and 2 USB 3.1 (Type-A + Type-C) port.
ASRock X299 PROFESSIONAL GAMING i9 Motherboard
The ASRock X299 Professional Gaming i9 motherboard features a solid silver and black color layout and comes with a very beefy design. The motherboard features the LGA 2066 socket that supports Intel's Core X processors and is powered by an 8 pin connector configuration. The board has a 13 phase Digi power design for overclocking enthusiasts.
The motherboard itself is supplied power through the 24-pin ATX connector. On the motherboard, we can see eight DDR4 DIMM slots that can support 128 GB capacities at speeds of 4400 MHz (OC+). Expansion slots include four PCIe 3.0 x16, three M.2 slots and a single PCIe 3.0 x1 slot.
In terms of storage, we get 10 SATA III ports, two USB 3.1 ports and 4 USB 3.0 ports. The backpanel also includes Aquantia 10 Gigabit LAN, Dual Intel Gigabit LAN, Intel 802.11ac Wi-Fi and ASRock BIOS flashback technology. The motherboard will feature lots of RGB LEDs and Gaming Armor across the entire PCB.
ASRock X299 FORMULA OC Motherboard
Professional overclocker Nick Shih unveiled the ASRock X299 Formula OC motherboard at the floor of Computex and it's nothing short of a beast. Signed by Nick himself, the motherboard is a beastly design that features a rock solid color scheme of silver and metallic black. The motherboard comes in the standard ATX form factor but is fully tuned for overclockers.
The motherboard features the LGA 2066 socket that supports Intel's Core X processors and is powered by an 8+4 pin connector configuration. The motherboard itself is supplied power through the 24-pin ATX connector. The board has a 13 phase Digi power design for overclocking enthusiasts.
The motherboard itself is supplied power through the 24-pin ATX connector. On the motherboard, we can see four DDR4 DIMM slots that can support 128 GB capacities at speeds of 4266 MHz (OC+). Expansion slots include five PCIe 3.0 x16, a single PCIe 3.0 x4, a single PCIe 3.0 x1 and three Ultra M.2 slots.
In terms of storage, we get 8 SATA III ports, two USB 3.1 ports and 4 USB 3.0 ports. The backpanel also includes dual Intel Gigabit LAN, Intel 802.11ac Wi-Fi and ASRock BIOS flashback technology. The motherboard will feature lots of RGB LEDs supported by ASRock's RGB LED software.
ASRock X299 KILLER SLI/AC Motherboard
The ASRock X299 Killer SLI/AC is the more cost optimized variant featuring the "Killer" design and aesthetics that we saw in our ASRock X370 Killer SLI/ac motherboard review. The motherboard features the LGA 2066 socket that supports Intel's Core X processors and is powered by a single 8 pin connector. The motherboard itself is supplied power through the 24-pin ATX connector. The board has an 11 phase Digi power design for overclocking enthusiasts.
Expansion slots include four PCIe 3.0 x16, a single PCIe 3.0 x1 and three M.2 slots. In terms of storage, we get 10 SATA III ports, two USB 3.1 ports and 4 USB 3.0 ports. The backpanel also includes dual Intel Gigabit LAN, Intel 802.11ac Wi-Fi and ASRock BIOS flashback technology. The motherboard will feature lot's of RGB LEDs and Gaming Armor across the entire PCB.
ASRock X299-E ITX/AC Motherboard
We all love ITX motherboards, don't we? That's why ASRock will be offering a fully functional X299 ITX motherboard, known as X299-E ITX/AC at launch day. The ASRock X299E-ITX/AC comes with 4 DDR4 SODIMM slots that can support 64 GB capacity at speeds of up to 3200 MHz (OC+). It has the full LGA 2066 on the board and features a 7 phase Digi power design that is powered by a single 8 pin connector.
The motherboard also comes with 6 SATA III ports, a full PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, 3 Ultra M.2 ports (featured on the back) and 2 USB 3.1 ports along with 6 USB 3.0 ports. I/O on the board includes dual Intel Gigabit LAN and Intel 802.11ac Wi-Fi. This motherboard is small but a complete beast in terms of features and specifications.
ASRock X299 GAMING K6 Motherboard
There's also the ASRock X299 Gaming K6 which will be fully tuned for Intel Core X series support. The motherboard has a matte black PCB with red textures while the heatsinks include aluminum based and silver colored blocks. The motherboard features the LGA 2066 socket that supports Intel's Core X processors and is powered by a single 8 pin connector. The motherboard itself is supplied power through the 24-pin ATX connector. The board has an 11 phase Digi power design for overclocking enthusiasts.
Expansion slots include four PCIe 3.0 x16, a single PCIe 3.0 x1 and three M.2 slots. In terms of storage, we get 10 SATA III ports, two USB 3.1 ports and 4 USB 3.0 ports. The back panel also includes dual Intel Gigabit LAN, Intel 802.11ac Wifi and ASRock BIOS flashback technology. The motherboard will feature lots of RGB LEDs.
Gigabyte X299 AORUS Gaming 9 Motherboard
The AORUS X299 motherboard lineup was leaked a few days ago and today we are getting a closer look at it. The X299 AORUS Gaming 9 was caught on camera and is a monster with an impressive design and feature set.
The motherboard features the LGA 2066 socket that supports Intel's Core X processors and is powered by a dual 8 pin connector configuration. The motherboard itself is supplied power through the 24-pin ATX connector. The board has a 12 phase power design for overclocking enthusiasts.
On the motherboard, we can see eight DDR4 DIMM slots that can support 128 GB capacities at speeds of 4400 MHz (OC+). Expansion slots include five PCIe 3.0 x16 and three M.2 slots. It's worth noting that all three M.2 slots are cooled by heatsinks that are provided out of the box by AORUS. The large heatsinks on the power delivery system are linked via heatpipe for effective cooling and the whole board makes use of the next generation RGB Fusion lighting system that utilizes digital LEDs.
In terms of storage, we get 8 SATA III ports, two USB 3.1 ports and 4 USB 3.0 ports. The backpanel also includes dual Intel Gigabit LAN, Intel 802.11ac Wi-Fi, a 7.1 channel audio jack, USB 3.1 Type-C port, four USB 3.1 (Type-A) ports, four USB 3.0 ports and a PS/2 port. Audio is powered by a Sound BlasterX 720 Codec and we should expect this motherboard to cost a lot when it launches next month.
Biostar X299 Racing GT9 Motherboard
Biostar is also preparing a very strong X299 offering in the form of the X299 Racing GT9. This is the flagship X299 motherboard from Biostar and features a full Extended ATX form factor with a yellow and black color scheme.
The motherboard features the LGA 2066 socket that supports Intel's Core X processors and is powered by a single 8 pin connector. The motherboard itself is supplied power through the 24-pin ATX connector. The board has a 14 phase power phases that would allow higher stability and a lot of overclocking potential to enthusiasts.
This monstrosity also packs 7 PCIe 3.0 x16 ports (x16, x16, x8, x4, x4, x4, x4), a single M.2 port and also two U.2 ports. For storage we are looking at four SATA III ports which should be enough for storage enthusiasts as there's also M.2 and U.2 support on board the product. On the board, we can see eight DDR4 DIMM slots that can support 128 GB capacities at speeds of 4000 MHz (OC+). I/O on the backpanel includes 2 USB 3.1, 1 USB 3.0, 4 USB 2.0 and Intel Gigabit LAN port.
That's all the motherboards that have been detailed so far, but we will be updating this post with even more products when they appear at Computex so stay tuned.
