Which X99 motherboard?

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its probably better to state what you intend to do with an x99 system. i'm of the opinion that 'because its the best' isn't a sufficient answer. once i thin out some of the gear i've accumulated, i'm going to be building an x99 system of my own.

1)which cpu do you intend to use with the system?

personally i'm going with the 8 core 5960x. my intentions are to use the system as a test bed for multi gpu in configurations of up to 3 video cards. i want to be able to simulate hex, quad, and dual core systems (with ht on and off) and examine their ability to properly feed a multi gpu array up to 4k resolutions.

2)what will you be doing with the system? content creation, gaming, etc?

i'm building a gaming test rig and i'll be continuing to rip my extensive blu ray collection into smaller 720p files so my workload won't require the enhanced storage bandwidth provided by boards with more extensive m.2 capabilities. as a multi gpu heavy system, i'll need plenty of pci-e x16 3.0 slots with good spacing between them. for this reason specifically, i have my eye on the gigabyte x99 ud4 board. for two way cf/sli i have two expansion slots worth of space between the cards, and if i had to add a third card the last pci-e x16 3.0 slot operates at 8x. all of the msi boards including the xpower and gaming boards sandwich video cards right on top of the other with no expansion slot space between them.

3)will you be overclocking?

i will be overclocking, and more so i will be trying to overclock an 8 core chip. that means i need a board that has the vrm design to support such an endeavor. for me, no less than 8 phase power design will do. considering [H]'s success in overclocking their 5960x to 4.5ghz, that's another check that goes in favor of the gigabyte ud4.

4)building with a budget in mind or skies the limit?

i'd like to spend somewhere in the $250 range for the board with up to $20 wiggle room

5)does board aesthetics matter?

i prefer my boards to have a more neutral color so that i can accentuate my builds with led fan colors, memory heat spreader colors, and single braided power cable colors.
 
Go with the least expensive board that has the features you want, from a brand you trust. For my X79 build I wanted a board that was newly released for Ivy Bridge-E (not Sandy Bridge), with an updated audio codec, > 2 USB 3.0 ports, > 2 SATA 6G ports. You need to figure out what you need along those lines and filter out the boards that don't meet those criteria. Also filter out brands known to put out poor quality products or that have poor RMA processes. (I only went with ASUS because they were the one brand to offer what I wanted in terms of features - I would avoid them otherwise).
 
Was just glossing over X99 boards at egg and they appear to be problematic.

boot loop looks to be the main complaint.

buggy bios or just the chipset?
 
If you're unsure, then just go with the brand that you're most comfortable with. For example, with the 2 companies you listed, I'd just go with Asrock and find the board that fits your features and budget.
 
Was just glossing over X99 boards at egg and they appear to be problematic.

boot loop looks to be the main complaint.

buggy bios or just the chipset?

I suspect the bootloop issue is more of a UEFI/BIOS problem. I had a similar issue with my new Gigabyte mATX X99 board and a beta BIOS solved the problem. Other then that it has been rock stable with my 5820k @ 4.5GHz.

The UEFI firmware adds much more complexity, which is why I think there are so many issues.
 
Despite the negative reviews, my Gigabyte X99-UD4 has been rock solid. Even with the initial BIOS.
 
  • ASUS Rampage V Extreme
  • ASUS X99-A
  • ASUS X99 Deluxe
  • MSI X99S XPower AC
  • ASRock X99-WS
Any of these would be extremely solid choices.
 
I am about to purchase the Asrock OC Formula. This would be my first non ASUS board since the MSI 975X Platinum.
 
  • ASUS Rampage V Extreme
  • ASUS X99-A
  • ASUS X99 Deluxe
  • MSI X99S XPower AC
  • ASRock X99-WS
Any of these would be extremely solid choices.

You've left out some odd balls with good features if you want something extra.

The MSI Gaming 9 is good as well if you like the features. It's only competitor for audio is one of the Gigabytes, the streaming is nice, combining ethernet + wifi can be good.

The ASUS workstation board is worth a look as well.

Or this http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Core/X99/C7X99-OCE-F.cfm ;)
 
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