[Update] Gigabyte’S Newest X299 Motherboard Is An Armored Showpiece

This motherboard has lots of armor.

Do yous retrieve the spiffy looking X399 Designare EX motherboard Gigabyte released inwards Oct for AMD's Threadripper processors? Well, instantly there's a version for Intel's Core X-series processor, the X299 Designare EX, amongst the same visual flare.
The novel X299 Designare EX offers sum back upwardly for Intel's 18-core/36-thread Core i9-7980XE, along amongst the residuum of Intel's Skylake-X too Kaby Lake-X lineup, downwards to the Core i5-7640X.
Similar to the X399 version, the X299 Designare EX is level amongst armored bits. Gigabyte does this both for looks too to transcend on critical components cool for added stability, peculiarly if overclocking. There's fifty-fifty a large metallic base of operations plate on the backside of the motherboard, which is generally to protect the board from sagging or bending when installing heavier CPU coolers too graphics graphics cards.
Beyond the armored bling, the X299 Designare EX has 8 DIMM slots supporting upwardly to 128GB of DDR4 memory, or upwardly to 512GB when using registered DIMMs. It also has 5 reinforced PCIe x16 slots, iii M.2 connectors, 8 SATA 6Gbps ports, too back upwardly for Intel's Optane Memory.

The board has built-in dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, along amongst Bluetooth 4.2. And for wired connectivity, users volition discovery dual Intel GbE LAN ports. As for USB connectivity, the nurture I/O panel is domicile to 4 USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, ii USB 2.0 ports, too ii Thunderbolt 3 connectors (USB Type-C amongst USB 3.1 Gen 2 support).
Gigabyte says it outfitted the X299 Designare EX amongst server-level chokes too a server-class digital mightiness design. Combined amongst the many amenities, this board is nigh every bit high-end every bit it gets.
There's no give-and-take even too then on cost or availability. As a indicate of reference, the X399 Designare EX for Threadripper sells for $400. The X299 version is probable to hold out inwards the same ballpark.

Thanks PC GAMER