Gigabyte X99 Designare EX Motherboard Review

Motherboard evolution generally follows a natural progression that becomes more elaborate with every design.  Simply put companies tend to build on previous designs by building on what works and removing what is no longer needed.  A good example of this would be high-quality audio solutions.  These days all the major motherboard makers have taken steps to ensure their onboard audio solutions are the best and have physically separated sections on a motherboard to prove it.

In this review I’ll be looking at the Gigabyte X99 Designare-EX.  This is a new X99 motherboard that brings with it the next evolution in motherboard features massive connectivity.  Typically motherboard makers take what is provided by the chipset and create a baseline of features from that.  With the X99 Designare-EX I believe that Gigabyte has taken a different approach by looking at what they are trying to accomplish and then figuring out what is needed to get there.

• Supports Intel^® Core™ i7 6950X Processor Extreme Edition
• Support Intel^® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0
• Quad Channel, Registered / Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR4, 8 DIMMs
• Intel^® USB 3.1 with USB Type-C™ & PD 2.0 36W Support
• Premium 3-Way PCIe x16 Multi-Graphics Support
• NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 22110 M.2 Interface & U.2 Interface for Intel® SSD 750
• SATA Express Connector for Up to 10Gb/s Data Transfer
• Dual Intel^® GbE LAN with cFosSpeed Internet Accelerator Software
• 115dB SNR HD Audio with Built-in Rear Audio Amplifier
• Ambient Surround LED with RGB Multi-Color Choices
• Ultra Durable Metal Shielding over PCIe and DDR Slots
• Ultra Durable Anti-Sulfur Resistors for Longer Lifespan
• Ultra Durable Anti-Rust Rear I/O Connectors
• Dual Hybrid Fan Headers with Precise PWM / Voltage Control for Water Pump & Fan
• GIGABYTE UEFI DualBIOS™ with Q-Flash Plus USB ports
• APP Center Including EasyTune™ and Cloud Station™ Utilities
• Intel^® 802.11ac Dual Band Wireless Connection & Bluetooth^® 4.2
• Rear Panel DisplayPort-In for Future Feature Upgrade

As you can see from the long list of features showing that considerable effort has gone into building the X99 Designare-EX.  Some of these features I would classify as marketing for the sake of marketing while others have a real impact on the end user. 

For a full list of specifications be sure to check out the Gigabyte website or consult the User Manual.