Gigabyte X99-SOC Champion & X99 Gaming 5P Haswell E Motherboards Reviewed

Next up, we have the Gigabyte X99 Gaming 5P. In terms of its feature-set, the X99 Gaming 5P is fully loaded—it’s a stark contrast to the streamlined X99-SOC Champion. Instead of paring the board down to the bare essentials like the SOC Champ, the X99 Gaming 5P packs the kind of features many gamers crave, like additional lighting, a Killer NIC, Creative Labs audio, and tons of ports, and other goodies.

The X99 Gaming 5P is not all show and no go, however. It offers all digital voltage regulation and a number of the same subtle upgrades found on the SOC Champion, like a gold plated socket and slots, 4-way graphics support, high-end caps, and Thunderbolt support, among other things.

Gigabyte X99 Gaming 5P Specifications & Features

Supports New Intel Core i7 Processor Extreme Edition Support for DDR4 XMP up to 3333MHz Genuine All Digital Power Design with IR Digital PWM & IR PowIRstage ICs 4-Way Graphics with Premium PCIe Lane Dual M.2 Technology for SSD Drive and WIFI card Gold Plating for CPU socket, Memory DIMMs and PCIe slots Onboard Creative Sound Core3D quad-core audio processor AMP-UP Audio technology with exclusive Upgradable OP-AMP Independent Right and Left Audio Channel PCB Layers LED lighting for the audio guard light path and the back panel LED Quad DAC-UP USB ports Gold plated audio ports High end Nichicon audio capacitors Killer E2200 gaming networking SATA Express support for 10 Gb/s data transfer Long lifespan Durable Black Solid caps APP Center including EasyTune™ and Cloud Station utilities Thunderbolt Ready GIGABYTE UEFI DualBIOS with Q-Flash Plus USB port Pricing: $309 currently at Amazon

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Before we check out the board itself, here’s a quick look at its main features and specifications. If you’re familiar with Gigabyte’s X99 line-up, the X99 Gaming 5P may look familiar. It’s actually a revision of the original X99 Gaming 5 (sans the P), but this new version has an updated LGA2011-3 socket with additional pins.

Gigabyte included some real niceties with the X99 Gaming 5P. Along with the obligatory manuals and driver disc, Gigabyte throws in some slick, braided SATA cables, an 8-pin power splitter, and an array of CrossFire and SLI bridge connectors (for up to 4-way SLI). There’s also a couple of case badges and a custom IO shield. Of course, all motherboards have a custom IO shield tailored to their ports, but Gigabyte goes the extra mile and incorporates lighting and clear labeling on the shield as well.