ASUS ROG STRIX X299-E Gaming Motherboard Review

Final Thoughts

Price

The ASUS RoG STRIX X299-E Gaming Motherboard is available now from Amazon for just £299.99. That’s not exactly cheap, but for a well-equipped gaming motherboard, it’s pretty much on par with the competition. It’s around the same price as the Gigabyte X299 Gaming 3. Of course, the big hit is in the CPU prices, with the Core i9-7900X we used today costing well over £1000.

Overview

Testing the ASUS Gaming motherboard has been a lot of fun, it’s only the second motherboard we’ve tested in the X299 range, but it certainly won’t be the last. At £300, this board isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s clear that ASUS has put the effort in to include a bunch of value-adding features to help justify the price tag. For example, it still managed to hit a decent 4.7GHz overclock, the same as the £500 Gaming 9 from AORUS.

Gaming?

When it comes to a gaming system, you want a decent amount of options to ensure you get the best performance. The networking on this motherboard is competent, with fast ethernet and high-performance Wi-Fi that’s sure to suit your needs. Then we’ve got a good amount of USB connections for all your peripherals. Finally, the inclusion of the SupremeFX S1220A audio hardware and Sonic Studio III ensures your headsets/speakers perform their best right out of the box too.

M.2, SATA, and Beyond!

Storage options are nothing crazy, but more than enough. There’s high-speed M.2 support, and lots of SATA 6Gbps connections, so building a rig around your favourite SSDs, and even using external storage device should be a breeze.

Overclocking is nice and easy on this motherboard, either doing it on your own or using their 5-Way Optimization mode. This means that anyone can overclock their system with ease, even if they don’t have experience of working in the BIOS.

Intel X-Series…

While I’ve got some reservations about the latest Intel CPUs, as I do feel they’re a bit rushed to market and very expensive, I can’t argue with their performance. The X299 platform is a bit of a wallet-buster right now, but when it’s benching scores that top our charts, all bets are off. There’s a big market out there and those who want the best performance are often willing to pay up for it.

Pros

• Supports latest Intel CPUs
• More PCIe lanes
• Easy overclocking
• Stylish aesthetics
• Built-in RGB lighting
• Built-in rear I/O shroud
• Armoured PCIe slots
• Excellent on-board audio
• Blazing fast LAN and Wi-Fi

Cons

• Still pretty expensive

Neutral

• Stock CPU performance was a little lacking in some tests, but competitive with more expensive boards once overclocked

“The ASUS X299-E Gaming offers all the features most system builders will need, stunning aesthetics, and great overclocking performance. It’s an ideal choice for anyone wanting to invest in the latest Intel CPUs for a gaming PC”