Gigabyte presents the Aorus X299 Gaming motherboard specifically designed for Kaby Lake-X CPUs

The Aorus X299 Gaming motherboard is specifically designed for Intel's i7-7740X and i5-7640X CPUs. (Source: Gigabyte)

This Kaby Lake-X-specific mid-range motherboard includes support for 4X DDR4-4133 RAM and 3-way SLI or Crossfire. Being marketed as a gaming product, it also comes with programmable RGB LEDs.

by Bogdan Solca, 2017/08/07

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Intel released the Kaby Lake-X i7-7740X and i5-7640X CPUs back in July, and reviewers were quick to point out that they are not worth buying a new expensive X299 motherboard. The new processors lack the integrated GPU and would utilize only half of the available PCI-E lanes, plus only four of eight memory DIMM slots would be used. Gigabyte noticed these problems and now presents the first motherboard specifically designed for Kaby Lake-X processors – the Aorus X299 Gaming.

First apparent feature is the inclusion of only 4 DIMM modules that can support up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4-4133 RAM. The motherboard supports 3-way SLI or Crossfire configurations, integrates two M.2 storage slots and offers Intel Optane Memory compatibility. Other features include:
•   ATX form factor
•   8 x SATA 6Gbps
•   Intel GbE LAN chip (10/100/1000 Mbit)
•   Realtek ALC1220 HD Audio codec
•   2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A
     10 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports
      4 x USB 2.0/1.1
•   built-in temperature sensors
•   hybrid fan headers and water pump connectors
•   RGB LEDs controllable through the RGB Fusion software
•   Smart Fan 5 software

Pricing and availability information is not yet available, but, considering the Kaby Lake-X CPUs are marketed as mid-range products, the Aorus X299 Gaming would probably fit in the US$150 price range.