Introduction

Specifications

Specifications CPU SUPPORT: Intel Socket 2011-v3 Core i7 Processors POWER DESIGN: CPU Power: 8 Phases

Memory Power: 4 Phases CHIPSET: Intel X99 Express INTEGRATED GRAPHICS: Not Applicable MEMORY: 8 x DIMM, Max. 64 GB, DDR4-2133 to DDR4-3200+(OC) BIOS: AMI UEFI BIOS with 1 x 128 Mb Flash ROMs SLOTS: 5 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 slots (Electrical configuration dependent on installed CPU)

1 x PCIe 2.0 x4 Slots HDD CONNECTIVITY: 8 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s(Ports 1~6 support RAID 0/1/5/10)

2 x SATA Express Port (1x Intel X99 Express, 1 x ASMedia

2 x M.2 PCIe port, (1x via add-in card) NETWORKING: 1 x Intel I218V Gigabit LAN br> 1 x Intel I211-AT Gigabit LAN br> 1x Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PORTS: 14 x USB 3.0 ports (4 at front panel, 10 at rear panel)

6 x USB 2.0 ports (4 at front panel, 2 at rear panel)

2 x RJ45 LAN connectors

5 x OFC audio jacks

1 x Optical S/PDIF OUT Port

1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button(s)

1 x ASUS Wi-Fi GO! module (Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth v4.0) AUDIO: Realtek ALC1150 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC featuring Crystal Sound 2 FAN HEADERS: 9 x 4-pin (3 x via external card) FORM FACTOR: ATX Form Factor (305 mm x 244 mm) EXCLUSIVE FEATURES: 5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processors 5

ASUS 5X Protection :

- ASUS DIGI+ VRM - 8 Phase digital power design

- ASUS Enhanced DRAM Overcurrent Protection - Short circuit damage prevention

- ASUS ESD Guards - Enhanced ESD protection

- ASUS High-Quality 5K-Hour Solid Capacitors - 2.5x long lifespan with excellent durability

- ASUS Stainless Steel Back I/O - 3x more durable corrosion-resistant coating

ASUS TPU :

- Auto Tuning

- GPU Boost

- TPU switch

ASUS EPU :

- EPU switch

ASUS Digital Power Design :

- Industry leading Digital 8 Phase Power Design

- Industry leading Digital 4 Phase DRAM Power Design

- CPU Power Utility

- DRAM Power Utility

ASUS Wi-Fi GO!

- Wi-Fi GO! Function: Cloud GO!, Remote Desktop, Remote Keyboard & Mouse, File Transfer

- Wi-Fi GO! & NFC Remote app for portable smartphone/tablet, supporting iOS 7 & Android 4.0 systems

ASUS Exclusive Features :

- MemOK!

- AI Suite 3

- Ai Charger+

- USB Charger+

- M.2 & SATA Express

- Anti-Surge

- Onboard Button : Power/Reset

- ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface

- USB 3.0 Boost

- Disk Unlocker

- Turbo LAN

- Crystal Sound 2

Interactive HomeCloud

- Media Streamer

ASUS EZ DIY :

- Precision Tweaker 2

- ASUS O.C. Tuner

- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3

- ASUS EZ Flash 2

- ASUS USB BIOS Flashback

- Push Notice

ASUS Q-Design :

- ASUS Q-Shield

- ASUS Q-Code

- ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED)

- ASUS Q-Slot

- ASUS Q-DIMM

- ASUS Q-Connector

Special Memory O.C. Design

Turbo App

Fan Xpert 3

It has been about a month since the launch of Intel's latest HEDT platform, X99 Express. As Intel's true enthusiast platform, X99 Express is filled to the rim with features and goodies to help you get the most out of your computing experience, providing both high core counts and the latest in memory technology, DDR4. Add in M.2 drive support and SATA Express functionality on nearly every product and Intel's X99 Express is one of the most forward-looking platforms ever released. Some of the features you cannot even make use of - yet.For me, this has been a very interesting launch. Once again, when other sites are left with ES parts for testing to potentially present results which are quite a bit different from what the end-user may get, I managed to get retail samples of both the CPU and memory to ensure that the results I get in my tests are what you guys will get as well. That is important this time around since these motherboards not only include what the platform itself brings to the table as one brand, ASUS, managed to squeeze every feature of the platform into its products while also including a different socket design, which blew my mind. I've spent the past several weeks exploring all the boards I have here in my "testing lab", investigating ASUS's innovation, and with most of that testing complete, I can now release my results.The first X99 board by ASUS I will review is the ASUS X99 DELUXE. As the forward-facing high-end option for mainstream users, it comes with everything you'd expect from ASUS and a bunch of additional goodies over and above that special "OC Socket", as ASUS calls it. Its got Wi-Fi, excellent audio, TPU and EPU power designs and features, support for multiple GPU configurations, and even comes packed with an additional fan controller and M.2 port, and the socket with its extra pins. Extras, extras, extras, but what about that price? I'll tell you, it's not full of extras. Let's take a look.