Intel’s new “Haswell-E” high-end desktop platform recently launched with the Core i7 5960X 8 core CPU leading the way - be sure to check our review of that right here. To accompany Intel’s new Haswell-E CPUs we have a brand new platform based on the X99 Express chipset and DDR4 memory. Today we are reviewing our first motherboard based on X99 Express and it is actually the same motherboard we used in our Core i7 5960X – theGigabyte G1 Gaming 5 X99 motherboard. To put it through its paces we are using Intel’s flagship Core i7 5960X and a hefty 32GB of Crucial DDR4 2133MHz memory which is fresh off the Micron production line. Gigabyte’s newest X99 series of boards draw a lot of their inspiration from the recent Z97 releases: they use the same colour schemes, they offer similar audio and networking combos and they are orientated towards the same market segments, albeit at a higher premium. The Gigabyte X99 Gaming 5 has impressive specifications, largely due to the fact the X99 chipset offers so much. Gigabyte have opted for the “gamer” orientation with this board by equipping the usual Killer networking and high quality audio package, we also have the almost-cliché red & black colour scheme which has proved so popular.



Link: eTeknix