EVGA X299 FTW-K, Intel X299 Mainboard - Socket 2066 [142-SX-E297-KR]

The features of the EVGA X299 FTW-K at a glance:

    4 × PCIe (3.0) x16 (2 × x16 / 2 × x8) & 1x PCIe (3.0) × 4 & 1 × PCIe (2.0) × 1
    2 × USB 3.1 (1 × Type-C / 1 × Type-A)
    8 × USB 3.0 Type-A / 4 × USB 2.0
    2 × U.2 / 3 × M.2 (2 × Key-M / 1 × Key-E) / 8 × SATA 6G
    8 × DIMM slots for DDR4 RAM (128 GB maximum with 28 or 44 lane CPU)
    NVIDIA 3-Way SLI, AMD 3-Way CrossFireX
    RGB LED lighting

The EVGA X299 FTW-K in detail

The EVGA X299 FTW-K is a high-quality enthusiast motherboard in E-ATX format, which is suitable for power users and hardware fools who are looking for an X299 & Skylake-X or Kaby Lake-X team have decided. The extremely stylish board has four PCIe x16 slots, two of which are connected to the chipset with a full 16 lanes, while the other two are electrically connected to eight data lines. This allows even NVIDIA 3-way SLI or AMD 3-way CrossFireX configurations when using a 28 or 44 lane CPU.

Equipped with a total of eight DIMM slots for DDR4 memory, a CPU with 28 or 44 data lines, all slots in quad-channel operation and up to a maximum capacity of 128 GB can be used. 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 clock rates up to 4.133 MHz are possible after overclocking.

For data carriers, the board is extensively equipped with three M.2 slots for especially fast NVMe-M.2 SSDs and eight SATA-6G connections for 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch hard disks and SSDs ( including RAID support). 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! In addition, there are two equally fast U.2 ports.

External connections

There are many useful ports on the I / O panel of this performance motherboard 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, backward compatible USB 3.1 Gen 2 port. The ASMedia 3142 USB 3.1 controller even achieves maximum speeds of up to 16 Gbps, which is more than three times faster than conventional USB 3.0 ports. Of course, the board also has eight USB 3.0 and four USB 2.0 ports for input devices and other gaming peripherals.

For unrestricted network connectivity, the EVGA X299 FTW-K also has a Rivet Networks Killer E2500 LAN port and an Intel I219V LAN port for a lag-free gaming experience. The Realtek ALC1150 codec and the five audio ports, which are complemented by an optical S / PDIF-Out connection, ensure decent sound. In addition, a classic PS / 2 port for keyboard and / or mouse is part of the I / O panel.

Other features

Special features of the EVGA X299 FTW-K include stylish RGB LED lighting for the heatsinks and I / O cover as well as a total of seven PWM fan headers. The RGB lighting is controlled on the computer via EVGA's ELEET-X interface. The RGB header used for this is only compatible with the illumination of the mainboard. An M.2 slot eats in Key-E format. This can be used, for example, to connect appropriate WLAN adapters.

Technical details:

    Format:
    E-ATX form factor (304.8 x 263.5 mm)
    chipset:
    Intel X299 ("Lewisburg")
    Base:
    2066 (for Intel CPUs of the Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X generation)
    R.A.M:
    8 × DDR4 (Skylake-X: DDR4-2.666, up to 128 GB with a CPU with 44 or 28 lanes)
    4 × DDR4 (Kaby Lake-X: DDR4-2.666, up to 64 GB with a 16-lane CPU)
    Quad-Channel (Skylake-X, supports CPUs with 44 or 28 lanes, OC up to 4,000 MHz)
    Dual Channel (Kaby Lake-X, supports CPUs with 16 lanes, OC up to 4133 MHz)
    Slots (physical):
    2 × PCIe 3.0 x16
    2 × PCIe 3.0 x16 (electric x8)
    1x PCIe 3.0x4
    1 × PCIe 2.0 x1
    Compatible Multi-VGA Configurations: 3-Way SLI * (Quad GPU), 3-Way CrossFireX * (Quad GPU)
    Internal connections:
    8 × SATA 6G
    1 × M.2 Key M (2030/2242/2260/2280/22110)
    1 × M.2 Key M (2030/2242/2260/2280)
    1x M.2 Key E
    2x U.2
    2 × USB 3.0 (a header)
    4 × USB 2.0 (two headers)
    1 × Virtual RAID On CPU Header
    1 × Power LED & Speaker Header
    1x RGB LED header (only for mainboard lighting)
    2 × CPU fan (4-pin)
    5 × system fan (3-pin / 4-pin)
    1 × front panel audio connector
    1 × POST codes via LED
    1 × Power Switch with LED
    1 × Reset Switch with LED
    External connections:
    1 × USB 3.1 (Type-C)
    1 × USB 3.1 (Type-A)
    4 × USB 3.0 (Type-A)
    2 × USB 2.0 (Type-A)
    2 × RJ45 LAN Port (Killer E2500 / Intel I219V)
    1 × Optical S / PDIF Out connector
    5 × Audio (Realtek ALC1220)
    1 × BIOS Flashback Switch
    1 × Clear CMOS Switch
    Power supply:
    1 × 24-pin ATX
    1 × 8-pin ATX 12V