Gigabyte has released a tease of its new and upcoming lineup of X99 motherboards called the GA-X99 Designare EX and GA-X99 Ultra Gaming – both of which are compatible with Intel’s upcoming Broadwell-E processors. Like many other motherboard manufacturers out there, Gigabyte is expected to showcase both of its motherboards during Computex 2016.
Gigabyte GA-X99 Designare EX
The first upcoming motherbord by Gigabyte would be the GA-X99 Designare EX. Sources are saying that this motherboard is made for hardcore PC gamers and enthusiasts. The E-ATX (E for Extended) motherboard is covered with a “larger than normal” heatsink to ensure that it will stay cool during intense gaming or overclocking sessions.
Specification-wise, the Gigabyte GA-X99 Designare EX motherboard will come with eight RAM slots along with an 8+1 phase PWM supply that’ll power the Intel LGA 2011-3 socket. Storage slots include: two SATAe slots; eight SATA III 6Gbps slots; two U.2 slots; and one “Ultra” M.2 slot capable of speeds up to 32Gbps. When it comes to expansion slots, the motherboard comes with five PCI-e 3.0 x16 slots and one PCI-e x1 slot. In addition, the GA-X99 Designare EX will also come with four USB 3.0 ports; two USB 3.1 ports; and one USB 3.1 Type-C port.
Aesthetically, the GA-X99 Designare EX motherboard is designed with a blue and white theme. Of course, one does not simply release a motherboard without RGB lighting nowadays. Alongside the RGB lighting found on the GA-X99 Designare EX motherboard is a new feature called “Ambient Surround LED” which – according to Gigabyte – allows users to freely customise the colour output of certain parts of the motherboard.
Gigabyte GA-X99 Ultra Gaming
Next up is the the Gigabyte GA-X99 Ultra Gaming motherboard. Like its name, the motherboard is made to cater for both casual and hardcore gamers. Interestingly, the overall design of the motherboard resembles that of the GA-X99 Designare EX motherboard. According to sources, the GA-X99 Ultra Gaming will be somewhat “affordable” compared to other gaming motherboards that are currently in the market.
That aside, the GA-X99 Ultra Gaming motherboard will come with four PCI-e 3.0 x16 slots and one PCI-e 3.0 x1 slot. In addition, there are also two M.2 slots; one U.2 slot and SATAe slots; as well as eight SATA III 6Gbps slots. Besides that, the motherboard will also be equipped with eight RAM slots. I/O ports include: five USB 3.0 ports; along with one USB 3.1 Type-C and Type-A ports each. Interestingly, the “thought to be defunct” PS/2 port is also included with the RGB-lit GA-X99 Ultra gaming motherboard.
