A Closer Look at the X99 Classified



Click on image to enlarge ​



Click on image to enlarge ​



Click on image to enlarge ​



Click on image to enlarge ​







Click on image to enlarge ​

The X99 Classified features a non-standard form factor that is 20 millimeters or about 0.8 inches wider than the reference ATX dimensions. As a result, EVGA is classifying it as an Extended ATX (EATX) model even though a true EATX motherboard is a full 66 millimeters / 2.6 inches wider than ATX. The positive news is that this motherboard should fit in most standard ATX cases. Despite these fairly regular PCB dimensions, EVGA have managed to fit a huge assortment of expansions slots and headers, while maintaining a clean and user-friendly layout. We are pleased that the ATX power connector, two 8-pin CPU power connectors, ten SATA ports, USB headers, and wide variety of buttons are all conveniently placed at the edge of the motherboard. Having said that, the CPU socket is very close to the first PCI-E x16 slot, so make sure to check out our Installation Section to see what issues that causes.Aesthetics wise, EVGA seems to be continuing their slow move away from red accents. Aside from the obvious huge red logo on the chipset heatsink and a touch of grey on the MOSFET heatsink, every other part of this motherboard is black. With the ASUS Republic of Gamers series having a mindshare stranglehold on the red & black theme, this move to a mostly black design is good choice in our opinion.At first glance, this motherboard seems to have a clean and clear CPU socket area. The MOSFET heatsink and memory slots do not pose any clearance issues whatsoever, whichwould ensure compatibility with any cooling option you could possibly want. However, as you will see in the Installation Section, the first PCI-E x16 slot is actually too close to the CPU socket, and a result there are definitely compatibility problems with larger air coolers.Speaking of the CPU socket, in our review of the ASUS X99 Deluxe we discussed its use of a proprietary "OC Socket", which is touted as offering superior CPU and DDR4 overclocking. EVGA doesn't directly make any such claims for its socket, but they do state that their LGA2011-3 socket features a 150% increase in gold content, which should help improve power transfer via lower electrical inductance.The X99 Classified is geared towards hardcore overclockers, specifically those that are more likely to subject their new Haswell-E to liquid nitrogen and thus achieve truly high clock speeds. As a result, this model features a pair of 8-pin CPU power connectors capable of funneling up to 600W to the processor. Handling this heavy load is an efficient and extremely capable 10-phase digital VRM design based on 60 amp Dr.MOS IOR 3550M MOSFETs and a International Rectifier 3563B controller.In the first two images, you get a little side view of the optional I/O cover, as well as a look at the three chokes and three 40-amp IOR 3553M MOSFETs that make up the three-phase DDR4 power design for the left bank of memory slots. Thanks to the quad-channel memory architecture of this flagship platform, this motherboard features eight DDR4 memory slots and supports up to 128GB of system memory. EVGA have validated the Classified for memory frequencies up to DDR4-3000, which is something that we will be testing in the Overclocking Section . Above the right bank of memory slots is the header for the EZ voltage read points accessory , which will allow overclocks to keep an eye on system voltage with the help of a voltmeter.In the top-right corner of the motherboard are the CMOS Reset button, a 1-amp capable PWM CPU fan header, and the large backlit Reset and Power buttons. To the left of those buttons are the MCU Turbo switch, which loads a very low clock speed profile suitable for booting up during extreme overclocking and sub-ambient temperatures. Next to that is the GPU Link header, into which you can plug the four GPU Link cables , which are used to connect supported video cards to the motherboard, in order to have full voltage control over the graphics card(s) from within the UEFI BIOS. Last but not least is the dual purpose LED display, which is not only useful to debug during boot up but also serves as a CPU temperature monitor when you're in the OS.Something that EVGA have been doing for a new of years that wins them a bunch of brownie points with this reviewer is the angled 24-pin power connector. A right angled power connector gives you improved front-to-back (or vice-versa) airflow in your case, optimized cable management, and it looks awesome. Kudos to EVGA for being the only one to dare implementing this type of connector.Next up we have the BIOS selector switch, which lets users select between one of the three BIOS chips, one of which is removable. The plastic covered dipswitches can be used to disable PCI-E slots, useful for trouble shooting during extreme multi-GPU overclocking runs. To the left of the dipswitches, you can see (part of) one of the angled system fan headers, another rarity that we have never seen on any other motherboard.The large passive X99 chipset cooler is a hefty heatsink with a sizeable heatpipe that it shares with the MOSFET cooler. With its irregular shape and distinctive EVGA logo, it is a pretty attractive design element. Although SATA Express is mysteriously absent on this motherboard - a weird exclusion for such a high-end model - it features an impressive ten SATA 6Gb/s ports, all of which are supplied by the X99 PCH. There are four AHCI ports, and six RAID ports that support RAID 0/1/5/10/JBOD plus Intel Rapid Storage Technology.One of the main benefits of this motherboard is that it supports the M.2 NGFF (Next Generation Form Factor) interface in all of its PCI-E 3.0 x4 glory, which means a theoretical maximum bandwidth of 32Gbps (4GB/s). The Classified features one M.2 Type 3 "M Key" slot that supports 80mm long Type 2280 SSDs, and seemingly nothing else since it lacks the screw mounting hole for shorter modules. Having said that, the M.2 Type 2 "E Key" slot is intended for connectivity (WLAN, Bluetooth, GPS, etc) instead of storage, and thus supports shorter Type 2230 modules. It should be noted that enabling the M.2 Type 3/Socket 3 slot will disable the PCI-E slot #5, while enabling the M.2 Type 2/Socket 1 slot will disable the USB 3.0 Port 3.