X99 Motherboard Preview Roundup

Asus X99 Deluxe

RRP: £299

Specifications

• Expansion slots: Five PCI-E 16x (Two x16, Two x8, One x4) , One PCI-E 4x
  
• Networking: Intel® I218-V, Intel® I211-AT, 3X3 Dual Band Wi-Fi 802.11 ac
  
• SATA Express support: YES
  
• M.2 Support: YES, type 2242, 2260, 2280 via mainboard connector, up to 22110 via Hyper M.2 X 4 PCI-E card
  
• Storage: 2 x SATA Express via Intel X99 and ASM106SE, 2 x M.2, 12 x SATA 6Gbps (10 via X99 - four shared with SATA Express, 2 via ASM106SE )
  
• USB: 14 x USB 3 (4 via X99 headers, 10 via ASM1042AE and ASM1074), 6 x USB 2 ( 4 via headers, 2 rear)
  
• Audio: Realtech ALC 1150 with Crystal Sound 2
  
• Extras:Desktop WiFi aerial, Hyper M.2 X 4 PCI-E M.2 card, Xtreme Upgrade Zone Fan Extension card, Optional NFC/Wireless charger

And the award for best looking motherboard goes to... the Asus X99 Deluxe. Now, you've probably also spotted the price tag here and we agree - £300 is a lot to pay for a motherboard, even one sporting quad-channel DDR4 support and five 16x PCI-E slots, especially for a non-ROG model too. However, aside from the lustrous aesthetics, the X99 Deluxe is quite possibly one of the most feature-laiden motherboards we've ever seen. to emphasise this fact, the overview PDF we received - not the manual - is 25 pages long.


Something that caught a lot of people out when images first appeared is the apparent lack of an M.2 port. However, these assumptions are incorrect - it's just that it's vertically-mounted to the right of DIMM slots beneath the 24-pin ATX connector. As such, there's no length limitation, with M.2 SSDs up to 22110 (110mm) being supported, albeit they'll be sticking up in the air. However, that's not the only way to mount an M.2 SSD - Asus has bundled a PCI-E addon card with the X99 Deluxe called the Hyper M.2 X 4 PCI-E card. This allows you to mount M.2 SSDs into the included 4x PCI-E slot.

The features don't stop there. You also get a mobile device wireless charger, two SATA Express ports, dual Intel Gigabit LAN ports, 3X3 Dual Band Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Realtech ALC 1150 with Crystal Sound 2 and an Xtreme Upgrade Zone Fan Extension card that allows you to boost the number of fan headers and thermal probes on offer as well as tying them in to the X99 Deluxe's fan control software.

We'll be looking at all these features and more in our full review but we're sure you'll agree that this appears to be a stonking motherboard both in terms of features and aesthetics and one that possibly goes a long way to justifying its price tag.



Head over the page to see the EVGA X99 Micro