If you’re in the market for an Intel X299 motherboard, the ASUS ROG STRIX X299-E GAMING motherboard could very well be the one for you. It offers a huge array of expansion ranging from the latest and greatest USB 3.1 ports to the ultra-fast M.2 connectivity options. The question is, though, is this board worth your money at £300/$300?
I’m going to start out with mentioning that ROG always beef up their audio solution, and there is no exception with this board. It features the ROG FX Supreme audio, which uses the S112A audio codec, which is pretty much a shared feature with Z270 ROG boards too. It has decent audio, but it is very similar to other brands that also have pretty good audio solutions these days.
The board itself is a great looker, with its black PCB and mostly monochromatic design on the heatsinks. It’s great to see that ASUS are now well and truly steered away from the fancy colours, along with all of the other vendors. It was a personal gripe of mine, but I did thoroughly enjoy the red and black ROG boards of the past. The bumblebee, as I called it in my own mind, was also a stunner. Being this way is far better, though!
The X299-E GAMING performs well and it is very strong when compared to the TUF that we tested earlier. Unfortunately, we do not have any more boards to test as of now, but it is a good starting point and a great benchmark to set.
It is decently priced, aimed at high-end users with the need for lots of cores and lots of overclocking room. The airflow is key to keeping the board cool, as they do run rather warm (as detailed in the video conclusion) without any airflow. Not to worry, however! There are plenty of fan headers around the board – seven to be exact – that can be used in PWM or DC mode. There’s no excuse for an overheating issue when they’ve given you that many ports. Well, there are some excuses, but I won’t give you the satisfaction!
Finally, awards! What do we feel would be best to award the ASUS ROG STRIX X299-E GAMING? It’s an easy choice for us, and we’ve decided to go with … drum roll, please… a Play3r Gold Award! It performs well and it also makes sure to keep your M.2 cool with the implemented cooler. The RGB also adds a subtle touch to the board, which is done tastefully if I do say so myself.
Special thanks to ASUS for allowing us to take a look at the sample today.
