ASUS X99-A (LGA 2011-3) Motherboard Review

Introduction, Specifications and Packaging

Intel’s current flagship consumer chipset, X99 has been around since August 2014. The X99 chipset was the first motherboard range to fully utilise DDR4 memory modules and put the much higher speeds to use. It’s starting to age slightly, being around 8 months old, so let’s see if this motherboard has any new tricks to bring to the game.

Today we have the ASUS X99-A ATX motherboard. In the X99 line-up, it’s the cheapest ASUS motherboard to date, with the next in line being the X99-S. ASUS has faltered lately, being knocked off the top motherboard manufacturer spot by Gigabyte (only by 300,000 units). Let’s see if this new budget X99 board has what it takes to bring ASUS back into the top spot.

Key Features

Manufacturers nowadays need to find innovative ways to stand out from the crowd, ASUS is no different and has brought a huge array of features to this motherboard.

• 5 Way Optimisation by Dual Intelligent Processors 5
  • DIGI+ Power
  • TPU
  • EPU
  • ASUS
  • Turbo App
• UEFI BIOS
• ASUS HomeCloud Server
• Remote GO!
• Media Streamer
• NFC Express 2 Support
• Turbo LAN
• Crystal Sound 2
• Steam Support
• UEFI BIOS EZ Mode
  • OC Tuner
  • CrashFree BIOS 3
  • EZ Flash 2
• Q-Design
  • Q-Code
  • Q-Shield
  • Q-LED
  • Q-Slot
  • Q-DIMM
  • Q-Connector
• USB 3.0 Boost
• USB Charger+
• Disk Unlocker
• Ai Suite 3
• MemOK!
• EZ XMP

For more information on these functions, please visit the ASUS X99-A product page.

Packaging and Accessories

ASUS like to play it safe on their more wallet friendly motherboards. Keeping the box a simple black and white/ silver, which flows into the design of the motherboard itself. Extra’s are what you would expect, SATA cables, IO panel, manuals, driver CD, SLI bridge and a few stickers.