After taking a look at the new Intel Core X CPUs and one X299 board I took a quick break to check out Gigabytes new Mini-ITX board for AM4 and now I’m back at it checking out the second X299 board to come into the office. This time the board is from Gigabyte and it is a little more down to earth compared to the Asus X299 Deluxe’s nearly $500 price point. Today I’m going to check out the Gigabyte X299 Gaming 3 from the Aorus brand. It isn’t Gigabytes lowest priced board, but at just under $280 for the MSRP it is down close to the range that people who aren’t shopping for $1000 or more CPUs would be looking. So today I’m going to see what it’s all about, test it, then run down where it stands in the market.
Product Name: Gigabyte X299 Aorus Gaming 3
Review Sample provided by: Gigabyte
Written by: Wes
Pictures by: Wes
Amazon Affiliate Link: HERE
Specifications |
|
CPU |
Support for Intel® Core™ X series processors in the LGA2066 package L3 cache varies with CPU |
Chipset |
Intel® X299 Express Chipset |
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8 x DDR4 DIMM sockets supporting up to 128 GB of system memory. * Support for up to 512 GB of system memory when using Registered DIMMs. * Supported when using a 44-lane or 28-lane CPU. 4 x DDR4 DIMM sockets supporting up to 64 GB of system memory. * Supported when using a 16-lane CPU. 4 channel memory architecture. * Supported when using a 44-lane or 28-lane CPU. Dual channel memory architecture. Supported when using a 16-lane CPU. Support for DDR4 4400(O.C.) to 2133 MHz memory modules Support for non-ECC Un-buffered DIMM memory modules Support for Registered DIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8/1Rx4/2Rx4 memory modules (operate in non-ECC mode) Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules |
Audio |
Realtek® ALC1220 codec High Definition Audio 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel Support for S/PDIF Out |
LAN |
Intel® GbE LAN chip (10/100/1000 Mbit) |
Expansion Slots |
2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16 (PCIEX16_1, PCIEX16_2) 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8) 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x4 (PCIEX4_1, PCIEX4_2) |
Storage Interface |
1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 2242/2260/2280 SATA and PCIe x4/x2 SSD support) (M2Q_32G) 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 2260/2280/22110 SATA and PCIe x4/x2 SSD support) (M2P_32G) 8 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 |
Multi-Graphics Technology |
Support for NVIDIA® Quad-GPU SLI™ and 3-Way (with 44-lane CPU) / 2-Way (with 44 & 28-lane CPU) NVIDIA® SLI™ technologies Support for AMD Quad-GPU CrossFire™ and 3-Way (with 44-lane CPU) / 2-Way AMD CrossFire™ technologies |
USB |
Chipset+ASMedia® USB 3.1 Gen 2 Controller: 1 x USB Type-C™ port on the back panel, with USB 3.1 Gen 2 support 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A port (red) on the back panel Chipset: 10 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports (6 ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB headers) 4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports available through the internal USB headers |
Internal I/O Connectors |
1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector 1 x CPU fan header 1 x water cooling CPU fan header 4 x system fan headers 1 x system fan/water cooling pump header 1 x 3 Amp fan/water cooling pump header 1 x digital LED strip extension cable header 2 x RGB (RGBW) LED strip extension cable headers 2 x M.2 Socket 3 connectors 8 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors 1 x Intel® VROC Upgrade Key header 1 x front panel header 1 x front panel audio header 1 x S/PDIF Out header 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 headers 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers 1 x Thunderbolt™ add-in card connector 1 x Trusted Platform Module (TPM) header 1 x power button 1 x OC button 2 x temperature sensor headers 1 x Clear CMOS jumper |
Back Panel Connectors |
1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port 1 x USB Type-C™ port, with USB 3.1 Gen 2 support 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A port (red) 6 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports 1 x RJ-45 port 6 x audio jacks (Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out, Rear Speaker Out, Side Speaker Out, Line In, Line Out, Mic In) |
I/O Controller |
iTE® I/O Controller Chip |
H/W Monitoring |
Voltage detection Temperature detection Fan speed detection Water cooling flow rate detection Overheating warning Fan fail warning Fan speed control |
BIOS |
2 x 128 Mbit flash Use of licensed AMI UEFI BIOS Support for DualBIOS™ PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.7, WfM 2.0, SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI 5.0 |
Unique Features |
-Support for APP Center 3D OSD @BIOS AutoGreen BIOS Setup Color Temperature Cloud Station EasyTune Easy RAID Fast Boot Game Boost ON/OFF Charge Platform Power Management RGB Fusion Smart Backup Smart Keyboard Smart TimeLock Smart HUD System Information Viewer USB Blocker V-Tuner -Support for Q-Flash -Support for Xpress Install |
Bundle Software |
Norton® Internet Security (OEM version) Intel® Optane™ Memory Ready cFosSpeed |
Operating System |
Support for Windows 10 64-bit |
Form Factor |
ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 24.4cm |