ASUS WS X299 Pro / SE, Intel X299 Motherboard - Socket 2066 [ 90SW00A0-M0EAY0]

This chipset, code-named "Lewisburg," proves to be a true all-rounder, with up to 30 HSIO lanes (high-speed input / output) and maximum 24 PCI Express 3.0 lanes to use Connections allowed. The ASUS WS X299 Pro / SE workstation motherboard has five PCIe slots and supports AMD's 3-Way CrossfireX and NVIDIA's 3-Way SLI.

The ASUS WS X299 Pro / SE Mainboard at a glance:
- 5x PCIe (3.0) x16 (2x x16 / 1x x16 / x8 / 1x x16 / x4 / 1x x4 / x4)
- Support for AMD's 3-Way CrossfireX and NVIDIA's 3-Way SLI
- 3x USB 3.1 (1 × Type-C / 1 × Type-A / 1 × internal)
- 6x USB 3.0 (4x Type-A / 2 × internal) & 6x USB 2.0
- 2x M.2 (PCIe 3.0x4) / 6x SATA 6G, 1x U.2
- 8 × DIMM slots for DDR4 RAM (128 GB maximum with 28 or 44 lane CPU)

The ASUS WS X299 Pro / SE in detail
The ASUS WS X299 Pro / SE is an extensively populated ATX format gaming motherboard suitable for players and case modders who choose X299 & Skylake X and Kaby Lake X teams , The stylish, black board has five PCIe x16 slots, two of which are connected to the chipset with a full 16 lanes, one electrically with eight and two electrically with four data lines. This allows even NVIDIA 3-way SLI or AMD 3-way CrossFireX configurations when using a 28 or 44 lane CPU. In addition, the motherboard is equipped with two PLX chips.

Equipped with a total of eight DIMM slots for DDR4 memory, a CPU with 28 or 44 data lines can use all slots in quad-channel mode and up to a maximum capacity of 128 GB. A 16-lane CPU supports dual-channel operation of four slots with a maximum capacity of 64 GB. Officially DDR4 modules with up to 2.666 MHz can be used, whereby after overclocking also much higher clock rates are possible: up to 4.133 MHz!

For data carriers, the board provides a comprehensive set of two M.2 slots for particularly fast NVMe-M.2 SSDs and a U.2 slot, which are also connected via PCIe 3.0 x4, as well as eight SATA-6G ports for 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch hard drives and SSDs (including RAID support) are available. The M.2 ports are connected to the chipset via four PCIe lanes in the 3.0 standard and, in combination with the NVMe protocol, enable a data transfer rate of almost 4 GB / s. This makes M.2 PCIe SSDs up to eight times faster than SATA 6G SSDs!

External connections
There are many useful ports on the mainboard I / O panel to make life easier for the user. In addition to a new Type-C USB 3.1 port, which is particularly thin and can finally be plugged in on both sides, the board has a further, downward-compatible USB 3.1 port of type A. Thanks to the ASMedia controller, even maximum Speeds up to 16 Gbps, which is more than three times faster than conventional USB 3.0 ports. Of course, the board also has six USB 3.0 and another six USB 2.0 ports for input devices and other gaming peripherals.

For unrestricted network connections, the ASUS WS X299 Pro / SE also has two Intel Gigabit LAN ports. The Realtek ALC S1220A 7.1 codec and the five audio ports make for a decent sound. In addition, this workstation motherboard has the Aspeed AST2500 chip set, which is used for administration and has its own video output in the form of an internal header. In addition, there are a total of six connections for 4-pin PWM fans or pumps and a 5-pin fan header. A 4-pin header for RGB LED lighting is also available.

Technical details:
- Format:
- ATX form factor (30.5 x 24.4 cm)
- chipset
- Intel X299 ("Lewisburg")
- Base:
- 2066 (for Intel CPUs of the Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X generation)
- R.A.M:
- 8x DDR4 (Skylake-X: DDR4-2.666; up to 128GB with a 44 or 28-lane CPU)
- 4x DDR4 (Kaby Lake-X: DDR4-2.666, up to 64GB with a 16-lane CPU)
- Quad-Channel (Skylake-X; supports CPUs with 44 or 28 lanes)
- Dual Channel (Kaby Lake-X, supports 16-lane CPUs)
Slots (physical):
2x PCIe 3.0x16
- 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (electric x8)
- 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (electric x4)
- 1x PCIe 3.0 x4 (electric x4)
- Compatible multi-VGA configurations: 3-way SLI * (triple GPU), 3-way CrossFireX * (triple GPU)
Internal connections:
- 6 SATA 6G
- 1x M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4, 2242/2260/2280/22110)
- 1x M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4 & SATA, 2242/2260/2280)
- 1x U.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4)
- 1x USB 3.1 (a header)
- 2x USB 3.0 (one header)
- 2x USB 2.0 (one header)
- 1x CPU fan (4-pin)
- 1x front fan (4-pin)
- 1x Rear Fan (4-Pin)
- 2x AIO PUMP header (4-pin)
- 1x PUMP Fan Connector (4-Pin)
- 1x EXT_FAN (Extension Fan) (5-Pin)
- 1x RGB LED header (4-pin, 12VGRB)
- 1x dRGB LED header (4-pin, 5VDG, digital addressable)
- 1x front panel header
- 1x thermal sensor connector
- 1x Thunderbolt header
- 1x VGA connector (Aspeed AST2500)
- 1x EZ XMP connector
- 1x CPU_OV jumper
- 1x power-on button
- 1x reset button
- 1x Clear CMOS Button
- 1x MemOK! button
- 1x VROC_HW_Key
- 1x AAFP connector
- 1x COM port header
External connections:
- 1x USB 3.1 (Type-C)
- 1x USB 3.1 (Type-A)
- 4x USB 3.0 (Type-A)
- 4x USB 2.0
- 2x RJ45 LAN port (Intel I219V)
- 1x BIOS flashback button
- 5x audio (Realtek ALC1220)
Power supply:
- 1x 24 pin EATX
- 2x 8-pin ATX 12V
- 1x 6-pin ATX 12V