Gigabyte Unveils Stunning New X299X Motherboards For Intel’s 10th Gen X-Series CPUs – X299X AORUS XTREME Waterforce Flagship

Gigabyte has launched three new X299X series motherboards that are designed from the ground up to feature support for Intel's 10th Generation Core-X processors. The new motherboards have finally arrived after being introduced back at Computex 2019, featuring interesting new designs & features for high-end desktop users.

Gigabyte X299X Motherboards Launched For Intel's 10th Gen X-Series CPUs - X299X AORUS Master & X299X AORUS Xtreme Waterforce Take The Spotlight

The three new motherboards from Gigabyte include the X299 AORUS Xtreme Waterforce, X299X AORUS Master and X299X Designare 10G. All three motherboards support Intel's X-series CPUs which include the 7th Gen (Core i9-7000), 9th Gen (Core i9-9000) and the upcoming 10th Gen (Core i9-10000) line of processors. Some of the main highlights of these motherboards include up to 16 VRM phases, support for up to 256 GB memory capacity and WiFi-6 support along with models that have 10G Ethernet LAN featured too.

Intel HEDT/Workstation Processor Families:

Intel HEDT Family	Granite Rapids	Sapphire Rapids Refresh	Sapphire Rapids	Cascade Lake	Skylake	Skylake	Skylake	Broadwell	Haswell	Ivy Bridge	Sandy Bridge	Gulftown
Process Node	Intel 3	10nm ESF	10nm ESF	14nm++	14nm+	14nm+	14nm+	14nm	22nm	22nm	32nm	32nm
Flagship SKU	TBD	Xeon W9-3595X Xeon W7-2595X	Xeon W9-3495X Xeon W7-2495X	Core i9-10980XE	Xeon W-3175X	Core i9-9980XE	Core i9-7980XE	Core i7-6950X	Core i7-5960X	Core i7-4960X	Core i7-3960X	Core i7-980X
Max Cores/Threads	86/172?	60/120 26/52	56/112 24/48	18/36	28/56	18/36	18/36	10/20	8/16	6/12	6/12	6/12
Clock Speeds	TBD	4.8 GHz	4.8 GHz	3.00 / 4.80 GHz	3.10/4.30 GHz	3.00/4.50 GHz	2.60/4.20 GHz	3.00/3.50 GHz	3.00/3.50 GHz	3.60/4.00 GHz	3.30/3.90 GHz	3.33/3,60 GHz
Max Cache	TBD	105 MB L3	105 MB L3	24.75 MB L3	38.5 MB L3	24.75 MB L3	24.75 MB L3	25 MB L3	20 MB L3	15 MB L3	15 MB L3	12 MB L3
Max PCI-Express Lanes (CPU)	128 Gen 5	112 Gen 5	112 Gen 5	44 Gen3	44 Gen3	44 Gen3	44 Gen3	40 Gen3	40 Gen3	40 Gen3	40 Gen2	32 Gen2
Chipset Compatiblity	W890	W790	W790	X299	C612E	X299	X299	X99 Chipset	X99 Chipset	X79 Chipset	X79 Chipset	X58 Chipset
Socket Compatiblity	LGA 4710?	LGA 4677	LGA 4677	LGA 2066	LGA 3647	LGA 2066	LGA 2066	LGA 2011-3	LGA 2011-3	LGA 2011	LGA 2011	LGA 1366
Memory Compatiblity	DDR5-6000?	DDR5-4800	DDR5-4800	DDR4-2933	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2800	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2400	DDR4-2133	DDR3-1866	DDR3-1600	DDR3-1066
Max TDP	350W?	350W	350W	165W	255W	165W	165W	140W	140W	130W	130W	130W
Launch	2025?	2024	2023	Q4 2019	Q4 2018	Q4 2018	Q3 2017	Q2 2016	Q3 2014	Q3 2013	Q4 2011	Q1 2010
Launch Price (Top SKU)	TBD	TBD	$5889	$979 US	~$4000 US	$1979 US	$1999 US	$1700 US	$1059 US	$999 US	$999 US	$999 US

X299X AORUS Xtreme Waterforce Motherboard

The X299X AORUS Xtreme Waterforce is a high-end model that makes use of a very enthusiast-specific design and even comes with AORUS's own water block that extends from the CPU and down to the PCH and the M.2 slot. AORUS is using a very beefy 16 Phase IR Digital VRM with 70A power stages on the motherboard itself and makes use of dual 8 pin connectors to power the CPU socket.

X299X AORUS Xtreme Waterforce Motherboard Features:

• Supports Intel Core X-series Processor Family
• Quad Channel Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR4, 8 DIMMs
• Intel Optane Memory Ready
• 16 Phases IR Digital VRM Solution with 70A Power Stage
• World's First AORUS All-In-One Monoblock for CPU, VRM, SSD, and PCH
• Intel Thunderbolt 3 Onboard
• Onboard Intel WiFi 6 802.11ax 2T2R & BT 5 with 2X AORUS Antenna
• 130dB SNR AMP-UP Audio with High-End ESS SABRE 9218 DAC, ALC1220 and WIMA Audio Capacitors on Front and Rear Audio Output
• AQUANTIA 10GbE BASE-T LAN and Intel Gigabit LAN with cFosSpeed
• Exclusive AORUS Gen4 AIC Adaptor for Extra 4x NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2
• Exclusive RGB FAN COMMANDER for Professional Casemodders
• Watercooled Dual Ultra-Fast NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2
• USB TurboCharger for Mobile Device Fast Charge Support
• RGB FUSION 2.0 with Multi-Zone Addressable LED Light Show Design, support Addressable LED & RGB LED Strips
• Smart Fan 5 Features Multiple Temperature Sensors, Hybrid Fan Headers with FAN STOP and Noise Detection
• 2 x Front USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C Header
• Q-Flash Plus Update BIOS without Installing CPU, Memory and Graphics card

The X299X AORUS Xtreme Waterforce, as you can see, is a no-compromise motherboard that gives you a lot of power to control if you know how to use it right. That's why the market its targetting is ultra-niche and the enthusiast segment itself. We can see that the board has a PCB cover and has three PCI-e 3.0 x16 slots while the three M.2 slots are ducted underneath the VRM heatsinks, one of which should go beneath the water block extension.

There's also a hidden 6-pin power connector on the motherboard which is right below the SATA ports which deliver additional power to the PCI express connections when running multiple I/O devices on the lanes. Other features include a fully covered backplate, an I/O cover and lots of connectivity for users to take full use of such as ESS SABRE 9218 DAC (ALC1220) for high-end audio, AQUANTIA 10G Ethernet LAN, WiFi 6 / Bluetooth 5.0 support, and an AORUS Gen4 AIC adapter with four additional NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 (M.2) slots.

X299X AORUS Master Motherboard

There's also the X299X AORUS Master which is a masterful design with tons of fin-based heatsinks scattered all across its surface. The motherboard has a 12 phase VRM design with the same 70A power stages and requires dual 8 pin power connectors to boot. It also has eight DDR4 DIMM slots (256 GB memory support) that have the metal brace for extra durability and the key feature that needs to be highlighted is the extended thermal design which includes a trio of aluminum fin heatsinks that are interconnected with thick copper heat pipes and lead straight into the main PCH heatsink.

X299X AORUS Master Motherboard Features:

• Supports Intel Core X-series Processor Family
• Quad Channel Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR4, 8 DIMMs
• Intel Optane Memory Ready
• 12 Phases IR Digital VRM Solution with 70A Power Stage
• Onboard Intel WiFi 6 802.11ax 2T2R & BT 5 with AORUS Antenna
• 130dB SNR AMP-UP Audio with High-End ESS SABRE 9218 DAC, ALC1220, and WIMA Audio Capacitors
• Onboard AQUANTIA 5GbE BASE-T LAN and Intel Gigabit LAN with cFosSpeed
• Triple Ultra-Fast NVMe PCIe 4.0/3.0 x4 M.2 with Triple Thermal Guards
• USB TurboCharger for Mobile Device Fast Charge Support
• RGB FUSION 2.0 supported with Multi-Zone Addressable LED Light Show Design, support Addressable LED & RGB LED Strips
• Smart Fan 5 features Multiple Temperature Sensors, Hybrid Fan Headers with FAN STOP and Noise Detection
• Front USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C Header
• Q-Flash Plus update BIOS without installing CPU, Memory and Graphics card
• Supports 4 Way Dual Wide PCIe Slots

The motherboard, as you can see, comes in the E-ATX form factor and has 8 SATA III ports for storage. Expansion slots include four PCI-e 3.0 x16 and three M.2 slots, all of which feature M.2 heatsinks for best performance of NVMe SSDs under load.

The card is fully compliant with AORUS RGB Fusion technology and uses the ESS SABRE HIFI system for audio and a ton of other I/O which are placed right beneath an updated I/O cover which looks great from the one we saw on the X399 AORUS Xtreme. The motherboard will ship with WiFi 6, 5G Ethernet LAN port and Bluetooth 5.0. It also comes with a backplate if you were wondering.

X299X Designare-10G Motherboard

Moving on to the final X299X board that was shown, the Gigabyte X299X Designare-10G. The Gigabyte Designare series is more of the traditional workstation oriented lineup which is aimed at creators & as such, there won't be any flashy RGB stuff on the board itself. However, you still get some really high-end specs. The motherboard makes use of a 12 Phase VRM that is cooled off by a dual heat sink system that's the same as the one used on the X299G AORUS Master, based on an aluminum fin stack design.

X299X Designare-10G Motherboard Features:

• Supports Intel Core X-series Processor Family
• Quad Channel Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR4, 8 DIMMs
• 12 Phases IR Digital VRM Solution with 70A Power Stage
• Advanced Fins-Array Thermal Design with Extended Heatpipes and Back Plate
• Intel Thunderbolt 3 - The USB-C that Does it All
• Server-class Intel X550-AT2 Dual 10GbE with cFosSpeed
• Onboard Intel WiFi 6 AX200 802.11ax 2T2R & BT5 with 2X AORUS Antenna
• ALC1220-VB Enhance 114dB(Rear) / 110dB(Front) SNR in Microphone with WIMA Audio Capacitor
• Exclusive AORUS Gen4 AIC Adaptor for Extra 4*PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe M.2 Sockets
• USB TurboCharger for Mobile Device Fast Charge Support
• RGB FUSION 2.0 with Multi-Zone Addressable LED Light Show design, support Addressable LED & RGB LED strips
• Smart Fan 5 features Multiple Temperature Sensors , Hybrid Fan Headers with FAN STOP and Noise Detection
• Q-Flash Plus Update BIOS without Installing CPU, Memory and Graphics Card
• Intel Optane Memory Ready

The heat pipes extend all the way from the heatsink and down to the left through the cover which hides the isolated audio PCB. In terms of storage options, we are looking at 8 SATA III ports. For the expansion, we are getting four PCIe 3.0 x16 and three M.2 slots, all of which are cooled by metal heatsinks.

The Designare X299X PCH heatsink is styled in black and silver which looks amazing. For IO, we are getting dual 10G Ethernet LAN, Thunderbolt 3.0 and WIFI 6 which is just a stack full of connectivity options. The final prices for these motherboards have not yet been revealed but they will cost an extra compared to Gigabyte's current stack considering the number of features they pack. Other manufacturers are also expected to introduce their new X299 motherboards in the coming weeks ahead of the 10th Gen X-series launch so stay tuned.

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