GIGABYTE X299X Designare 10G DDR4 Intel Motherboard

The GIGABYTE X299X Designare 10G is a high-end E-ATX motherboard built around the Intel X299 Express chipset and designed for Intel Core X-series processors in the LGA2066 package, including Core i7-7800X and above as well as Core i9 X-series CPUs. It targets content creators, workstation builders, and enthusiasts who demand exceptional connectivity, storage bandwidth, and memory capacity in a single platform. At the heart of its connectivity story is a server-class Intel X550-AT2 dual-port 10GbE controller, delivering two RJ-45 ports capable of 10 Gbit, 5 Gbit, 2.5 Gbit, 1 Gbit, and 100 Mbit speeds. This is complemented by onboard Intel Wi-Fi 6 (AX200, 802.11ax, 2T2R, 2.4/5 GHz dual-band, up to 2.4 Gbps theoretical rate) and Bluetooth 5.0, along with two SMA antenna connectors for the bundled AORUS antennas. Two Thunderbolt 3 connectors on the rear I/O each operate as USB Type-C ports with 40 Gb/s bandwidth, USB 3.2 Gen 2 support, and DisplayPort 1.2, enabling daisy-chaining of up to 12 devices per chain and display output up to 4096×2304 at 60 Hz. Memory support scales with the installed CPU. With 48-lane processors, all eight DDR4 DIMM slots can be populated for up to 256 GB (quad-channel, using 32 GB modules) at speeds up to DDR4-2933. With 44- or 28-lane processors the capacity ceiling is 128 GB (16 GB modules) at up to DDR4-2666. XMP profiles and non-ECC unbuffered modules are supported. Storage options are extensive: one CPU-attached M.2 M-key slot (M2M, PCIe x4/x2, types 2260/2280/22110), two chipset M.2 M-key slots (M2P and M2Q, SATA and PCIe x4/x2, types 2242/2260/2280), and eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports in total (six from the chipset supporting RAID 0/1/5/10, two from an ASMedia controller in AHCI mode). An Intel VROC Upgrade Key header is present for CPU-attached NVMe RAID. The board also supports the AORUS Gen4 AIC Adaptor accessory for four additional M.2 slots. Power delivery is handled by a 12-phase IR Digital VRM solution with 70 A power stages. Thermal management features Gigabyte's Fins-Array heatsink design with extended heatpipes and a back plate. Smart Fan 5 provides hybrid fan headers with FAN STOP capability, noise detection, and support for water-cooling pump headers. Audio is managed by a Realtek ALC1220-VB codec with 114 dB SNR on the rear output and 110 dB SNR on the front, WIMA capacitors, High Definition Audio support, 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel output, DSD on the rear line-out, and optical S/PDIF out. Lighting is handled by RGB Fusion 2.0 with two addressable LED headers and two standard RGB LED headers onboard. Additional features include DualBIOS with two 128 Mbit flash chips, Q-Flash Plus (BIOS update without CPU or memory installed), an onboard power button, reset button, and Clear CMOS button. The board ships with cFosSpeed network traffic-shaping software and XSplit Gamecaster (12-month license). Verified Specifications: - Form Factor: E-ATX, 30.5 cm × 27.5 cm - Socket: LGA2066 - Chipset: Intel X299 Express - Memory: 8 × DDR4 DIMM; up to 256 GB (48-lane CPU) / 128 GB (44/28-lane CPU); quad-channel; DDR4-2133/2400/2666/2933; non-ECC unbuffered; XMP - Storage: 3 × onboard M.2 (PCIe/SATA); 8 × SATA 6 Gb/s; RAID 0/1/5/10 (chipset) - Networking: Dual Intel X550-AT2 10GbE (2 × RJ-45); Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax; Bluetooth 5.0 - Thunderbolt: 2 × Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C, 40 Gb/s, DP 1.2, USB 3.2 Gen 2) - Expansion: 4 × PCIe x16 physical slots (PCIe 3.0) - Audio: Realtek ALC1220-VB; 7.1-channel; 114 dB rear SNR; S/PDIF optical out - USB (rear): 2 × USB Type-C (TB3/USB 3.2 Gen 2) + 4 × USB 3.2 Gen 1 - Power: 1 × 24-pin ATX + 2 × 8-pin ATX 12V - BIOS: AMI UEFI; DualBIOS; Q-Flash Plus