EVGA X299 Micro Intel X299 Mainboard - Socket 2066 [131-SX-E295-KR]

This chipset, codenamed "Lewisburg", proves to be a true all-rounder, with up to 30 HSIO lanes (high-speed input / output) and the maximum 24 PCI Express 3.0 lanes to use Connections allowed.

The features of the EVGA X299 Micro at a glance:

    3 × PCIe 3.0 (2 × x16 / 1 × x4)
    2 × USB 3.1 (1 × Type-C / 1 × Type-A)
    8 × USB 3.0 (6 × Type-A / 2 × Type-A internal), 4 × USB 2.0 (Type-A internal)
    2 × M.2 (1 × PCIe 3.0 × 4 or SATA 6G / Key-M, 1 × Key-E for WLAN module), 6 × SATA 6G, 1 × U2
    4 × DDR4 RAM (64 GB maximum with 28 or 44 lane CPU)
    WLAN 802.11 ac & Bluetooth 4.1

The X299 Micro in detail

The X299 Micro is an mATX-format enthusiast motherboard designed for power users who have opted for an X299 & Skylake-X combination with the Core i5, Core i7 or Core i9. The extremely robust, black board has three PCIe x16 slots, two of which are connected to the chipset with a full 16 lanes.

Connections for data carrier and main memory

The special feature of the X299 Micro is its abundant equipment for the connection of data carriers. The motherboard has an M.2 slot, which is connected via PCIe 3.0 with four lanes. This allows corresponding SSDs in combination with the NVMe protocol with a data transfer rate of about four GB / s operate - more than eight times the speed of a conventional SATA-3 connector. For compatibility reasons, however, an M.2 SATA module can also be used. The WLAN 802.11ac / Bluetooth 4.1 module is connected via another M.2 E-Key slot. In addition, there are six more SATA 6G connectors on the X299 Micro to which SSDs or hard disks can be connected.

Despite the compact form of the X299 Micro, EVGA has decided to provide four DDR4 slots for main memory. Officially, 64 GB DDR4 RAM with a clock rate of up to 3,600 MHz (Skylake-X) or 4,133+ MHz (Kaby-Lake-X) is supported. With Intel's Extreme Memory Profile DDR4 modules can be overclocked in the BIOS - of course, depending on the used Skylake X or Kaby Lake X processor.

External connections

There are many useful ports on the I / O panel of this ITX 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 another, downward-compatible USB 3.1 port. With USB 3.1, maximum speeds of up to 10 Gbps are achieved, which is twice as fast as conventional USB 3.0 ports. Of course, the board also has six external and two internal USB 3.0 and four additional internal USB 2.0 ports for input devices and other gaming peripherals.

For fast network connection, the X299 Micro has an Intel I219V LAN port for a lag-free gaming experience. The Realtek ALC1150 codec and the five audio ports with gold-plated connectors, complemented by an optical S / PDIF-out connector, provide a decent sound.

Technical details:

    Format:
    mATX form factor (24.38 x 24.38 cm)
    chipset:
    Intel X299 ("Lewisburg")
    Base:
    2066 (for Intel CPUs of the Skylake X generation)
    R.A.M:
    4 × DDR4 (Skylake-X: DDR4-3.600, up to 64 GB with a CPU with 44 or 28 lanes)
    2 × DDR4 (Kaby Lake-X: DDR4-4.133, up to 32 GB 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):
    2 × PCIe 3.0 x16
    1 × PCIe 3.0 x16 (electric x4)
    Internal connections:
    6 × SATA 6G
    1 × M.2 (M-Key 2280)
    1 × M.2 (E-Key, Intel 8260NGW 802.11AC / BT4.1 Module)
    1 × U.2
    2 × USB 3.0 (a header)
    4 × USB 2.0 (two headers)
    1 × RGB LED header
    6 × PWM fan header (4-pin)
    1 × Speaker Header
    1 × front panel audio connector
    External connections:
    1 × USB 3.1 (Type-C)
    1 × USB 3.1 (Type-A)
    6 × USB 3.0 (Type-A)
    1 × RJ45 LAN port (Intel I219V)
    1 × Optical S / PDIF Out connector
    5 × Audio (Realtek ALC1150)
    1 × M.2 Key-E vertical header
    1 × Clear CMOS Switch / Power Button
    Power supply:
    1 × 24-pin ATX
    1 × 8-pin ATX 12V