Gigabyte Is Making Me Rethink X99

[Pudgie]

I was pretty smug in my position of bypassing the Intel X99 platform due to my "beliefs" concerning Intel's treatment of us X79 users concerning CPU development.................. ..........until I ran across this beauty..........

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128748

1st & foremost......I LOVE HEATPIPE cooling on mobos!

When I noted the heatpipe cooling solution was integrated across ALL the necessary components & the way in which Gigabyte has laid this out caught my eye & I haven't found this layout on any other mobo makers products.....regardless of socket or manuf.......

Next is the mobo layout itself along w/ the color scheme.....
Simple & clean w/ just enough bling.....& the right color scheme to match my case & components........
This board will allow me to keep a full PCI-E 3.0 x16 lanes to my vid card, install my current Plextor M6e BK PCI-E SSD & another PCI-E SSD in M.2 slot & bypass the SATAIII ports entirely if I so choose from a storage standpoint..........

This is Gigabyte's Gaming series mobo (built on the Ultra Durable theme using all heavy duty parts & components) which has also caught my attention & the board looks good in this area to me & w\ the heatpipe cooling on the main components this has me really liking this mobo................

Until I start thinking about the CPU............

If I do go this route I will go w\ the Intel I7 5820K CPU but here we go again w/ a CPU for an Intel advertised high end "enthusiast" grade platform w/ a "pedestrian" stock CPU clock rate (3.3 Ghz stock-3.6 Ghz turbo) that doesn't fit the advertisement IMHO for the costs to acquire it....this CPU should be clocked stock IMHO around 4.2 Ghz w/ a turbo clock of 4.6 Ghz & able to OC in excess of 5.0 Ghz on 4 cores, heck even 2 cores I would be satisfied....now THIS CPU profile would most definitely qualify this platform as "enthusiast gaming grade" in my eyes then the Intel I7 5930K & 5960X CPU's can hold their dual purpose platform role that they are already touted for.....................

It is this issue that really turns me sour against Intel X99 platform..........as this reminds me of the Intel X79 platform letdown that I'm already "suffering" thru...........

 

So here I am once again having to make a hard decision w\ Intel's platform choices come time to upgrade my box...........do I go Skylake & give up this beauty of a mobo & the setup possibilities but get the higher stock\performance CPU clocks OR snap up this beauty of a mobo along w/ the setup potential that it can provide but give up the higher stock\performance CPU clocks & pay more for it all to boot............unless AMD can save me from this w\ Zen...............

 

Sigh, woe is me.............
 
 

Ok I feel better now................

 

[Chalenge]

I use the i7 5930K with a minimal overclock of 3.8GHz and memory running at 2667. With that overclock and running the GTX 980s in SLI and overclocked too the system can keep pace with the 980 Ti SLI system with no overclock. Games will realistically see very little difference in fps, so I would not buy one of these systems for pure gaming. You almost have to use the system for more, and then I would not use a micro-ATX board. It's almost funny that manufacturers call any micro-ATX system an enthusiast system, but that's just my opinion.

I like heatpipe boards, too, but I know how to maintain them (they do need more maintenance).

The price on that MB is excellent, considering what you get. It just doesn't meet my usage needs.

[Pudgie]

Hi Chalenge,

The only real reason I'm attracted to this X99 platform is the color scheme, board layout & the integrated heat pipe system that Gigabyte used here as I had stated I cannot find another mobo in Z170 or Z97 from any other board maker, including Gigabyte, that has exactly the same characteristics & layout as this mobo has..........

What can I say, this is very appealing to me..........

 

It is also the intent of a gaming only box is why I tend to go w/ a microATX board as I do not have any desire to go w/ a SLI\Crossfire vid card setup & so for my usage this design is more than adequate...............

Outside of what I posted here I tend to agree w/ you.

The rest of my prior post was me just getting a gripe out so that I can "feel" better..........

 

The fact is, my current X79 box w\ my Intel I7 4820K CPU is more than capable to handle the games that I play for quite some time to come (all run at stock speeds) & so I am in no hurry or need to upgrade any of it but I do always keep check on what's out there & available just in case this Asus RIVG ROG X79 mobo gives out on me. I have already noted that Asus has EOL this mobo & replacements have pretty much dried up at other sites & the ones left have jacked up prices on them which make them unattractive to me...........................

I have already set up in Newegg a Z170 build, a Z97 build & this X99 build & when I run across a product that catches my eye I upgrade the corresponding build list so that I can make a fairly quick decision when the time comes.......... 

 

[MADe]

that's a tasty looking mobo. I'm dying to build a new rig but I don't need it.

I'm a gigabyte fan. 2 mobos and now a vid card. terrible website, bad forums, prolly poor support, but the mobos are rock solid, both ultra durables, years of service for my oc'ed x58.
yes that x board is tasty, have to see about a atx version.