





Click to Enlarge





Click to Enlarge





Click to Enlarge





Click to Enlarge





Click to Enlarge





Click to Enlarge



If you are planning to build a system around a high-end desktop (HEDT) processor, then you probably have AMD's upcoming Threadripper launch on your radar. We will have to wait and see how things shake out, but on paper, Threadripper looks impressive—compared to Intel's HEDT lineup , Threadripper offers more cores and threads per dollar, along with more PCIe lanes for decked out configurations with multiple graphics cards and those fancy NVMe M.2 SSDs. Of course, performance will depend on the motherboard as well, and mobo makers are starting to reveal their Threadripper-compatible lineups.A spattering of motherboards based on AMD's X399 chipset for Threadripper have started making an appearance on the web. One of them is the MSI X399 Gaming Pro Carbon AC. These sweet slab of electrical traces features swappable heatsink covers that you can replace with custom 3D printed ones, and a 10+3 phase power design to help with both overclocking and stability.This is a top-tier motherboard that will allow you to put some of the PCIe lanes to good use. It has four reinforced PCIe x16 3.0 slots with support for four-way SLI and CrossFire configurations (likely in a x16/x8/x16/x8 setup), and three M.2 Gen 3 x4 slots for installing fast gumstick-sized SSDs. If you deck this thing out, you won't have to worry about performance being choked by bandwidth restrictions.Threadripper and X399 bring quad-channel DDR4 memory support. MSI does not list the total capacity that can be installed in its X399 Gaming Pro Carbon AC, but we can see a total of eight DIMM slots, four on each side of the CPU. Our best guess is that it will support up to 128GB of DDR RAM, but stay tuned for clarification.Between the rear I/O and onboard headers, this board also supports a dozen USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports (USB 3.0) and six USB 2.0 ports. It also features USB 3.1 Gen 2 and Type-C connectivity. And for wireless connectivity, this board boasts 802.11ac Wi-Fi. ASRock , a former subsidiary of ASUS (which also an X399 motherboard on tap ), is another motherboard maker that is prepared for Threadripper. Apparently ASRock is also still pimping its licensing agreement with Fatal1ty (Johnathan Wendel), a former professional esports player who popularize the category. ASRock's X399 Fatal1ty Professional Gaming features his recognizable moniker, along with an impressive feature-set.This board has an 11-phase power design and high quality 12K black capacitors. If you have been building computers for a long time, you may remember a long time ago when faulty capacitors flooded the market. These had a tendency to leak and burst. For the most part, that is no longer an issue, though motherboard makers are still quick to point out the use of premium capacitors on their higher end boards.Like MSI's X399 Gaming Pro Carbon, ASRock's motherboard offers up four reinforced PCIe x16 3.0 slots supporting four-way graphics card configurations, and three NVMe M.2 connectors. It also has a U.2 port and wedges in a PCIe x1 2.0 slot.USB connectivity abounds here as well with up to 12 USB 3.0 ports, two USB 3.1 ports (Type-A and Type-C), and four USB 2.0 ports. For wired Internet and networking, there are dual GbE LAN ports on this board, along with 802.11ac Wi-Fi for wireless connectivity.ASRock has another X399 in the works, the X399 Taichi. This one will presumably cost less than the X399 Fatal1ty Professional Gaming, though no pricing information has been announced at this time.The X399 Taichi also sports an 11-phase power design. It is similar overall with support for a dozen USB 3.0 ports, two USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, three M.2 slots, and 802.11ac Wi-Fi. However, it appears this board will lack certain features that the X399 Fatal1ty Professional Gaming has, such as Sound Blaster Cinema 3 audio and dual LAN ports.And then there was GIGABYTE and its Aorus X399 Gaming 7 motherboard. It has eight LED-lit DDR4 DIMM slots and what appears to be five reinforced PCIe x16 3.0 slots, which are also LED-lit. And like the other motherboards above, this one offers up three M.2 slots.The power is delivered through 8-pin and 4-pin connectors. Heatsinks around the motherboard help keep the components cool. Other features include eight SATA 6Gbps ports, lots of USB 3.0 and 3.1 connectivity, 7.1 channel audio, and of course GIGABYTE's Fusion lighting.There is no word yet on when any of these motherboards will be available to purchase or for how much.