Gigabyte Launches X299X Motherboards For Intel's 10th Gen Cascade Lake-X CPUs
The four new Cascade Lake-X processors in the family include:
- Core i9-10980XE (18-cores/36-threads): $979
- Core i9-10940X (14-cores/28-threads): $784
- Core i9-10920X (12-cores/24-threads): $689
- Core i9-10900X (10-cores/20-threads): $590
In order to accommodate these new Cascade Lake-X processors, Gigabyte has rolled a new family of motherboards that all feature the X299X designation. However, Gigabyte was quick to warn us that X299X isn't not some new official chipset from Intel. "Please note the official chipset is still X299. This is not a new chipset," said Gigabyte in an emailed statement. "We are adding an X to differentiate this new line designed for the new Cascade Lake-X CPUs".
With that out of the way, Gigabyte has announced the following three motherboards specifically designed to take advantage of Cascade Lake-X: X299X AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE, X299X Designare 10G, and X299X AORUS Master.
The motherboards support up to 16-phase digital power design, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), 10GbE, Thunderbolt 3 and 8 DIMM slots supporting up to 256GB DDR4-2933 memory. As for detailed specs, we'll give you the rundown in the space below.
X299X AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE
- 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
X299X Designare 10G
- 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
X299X AORUS Master
- 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
Gigabyte states that the three motherboards will be "available" soon, and it also has not provided us with any pricing details. However, we'd imagine that these motherboards won't come cheap, as the current X299 DESIGNARE EX will set you back just shy of $500.
