Overall and Final Verdict
So I mentioned it in my initial Intel coverage but I should probably bring it up again here. Most people are used to Intel’s mainstream boards that are, even at the highest end, limited by low PCIe lanes and chipset features. So when you get into the Intel enthusiast platforms these motherboards seem a little ludicrous. It doesn’t help that boards like this have never existed on AMD platforms at all, Asus even had to come up with a new product name for the high-end Threadripper boards introduced at Computex this year.
But when it comes to wanting or needing the highest possible end hardware this is where boards like the Prime X299 Deluxe come in and Asus really delivered on that front. They did a good job sticking with the Prime theme while adding a little 80’s Miami Vice feel with the large striped heatsinks on the chipset and M.2 slot, especially with the Asus Aura powered lighting across the top. If you didn’t look too close it might even seem like a standard board, but when you start to look closer you will notice that Asus didn’t leave any area unused. For example, they slipped in 6 different fan headers but that wasn’t enough. They added a breakout board that adds another four along with thermal sensor connectors as well. You get two USB 3.1 headers, one USB 2.0, and a new style USB 3.1 as well, connections shouldn’t be a problem. They also did a good job on the rear I/O, especially with USB ports but they included a PCIe Thunderbolt card to expand on that even more if needed.
The excessiveness continues even to the network connections where you get two different Intel NICs and two wireless options. One of those is the new WiGig Wireless AD, there are hardly any Wireless AD access point or router options out there but the Prime X299 Deluxe is ready. This is the only area where I thought Asus could have gone crazier, 10G on one of the NICs would have been nice to see at this level of craziness.
So I don’t think you could ever look at the Prime X299 Deluxe and want for more features or connection options. Is it too much? For most builds, yeah, but when you start looking at throwing down $999 for the currently available i9-7900X or a lot more for the upcoming CPUs you can expect people to also be going crazy with the rest of the hardware and the Prime X299 Deluxe fits with that. Stuff like the built-in OLED screen just adds to what you can show off. But all of that leads me to the price. At $489.99 the X299 Deluxe is expensive. Do I think you get a lot of features that help justify that price? yes. But unless you are planning on spending $3000 or more on your PC this isn’t really in most budgets. That said, just like that Lamborghini Countach poster I had on my wall when growing up. The Prime X299 Deluxe is part of that dream PC that most people won’t ever be able to afford, but you could pick up something like the Asus Prime X299-A and pretend you are driving the Deluxe right?
Live Pricing: HERE
