The X99 platform is an expensive platform to go into. The processors are expensive, the quad channel DDR4 is expensive, and the motherboards are expensive as well. With Gigabyte’s second round of X99 motherboards they wanted to bring out a fully-featured board that could get you on the X99 platform at a reasonable cost. This is where the X99-SLI comes in. It is very much like Gigabyte’s X99-UD4, with a few features left out. Probably ones most users won’t even notice. You still have an all digital power design, 3 and 4-way graphics support, dual M.2 slots, SATA Express, Gigabyte’s AMP-UP audio, and much more! If you are looking to get into the X99 platform and want a solid board that is not going to break the bank this could be the board for you. Let’s see what it can do!
Special thanks to Gigabyte for providing us with the X99-SLI Motherboard to review.
Features
– Supports New Intel® Core™ i7 Processor Extreme Edition
– Support for DDR4 XMP up to 3333MHz
– Genuine All Digital Power Design with IR Digital PWM & IR PowIRstage® ICs
– 4-Way Graphics with Premium PCIe Lane
– Dual M.2 Technology for SSD Drive and WIFI card
– Realtek ALC1150 115dB SNR HD audio with built-in Rear Audio Amplifier
– Independent Right and Left Audio Channel PCB Layers
– High end Nichicon audio capacitors
– LED lighting for the audio guard light path
– All Stainless Steel connectors on rear panel
– SATA Express support for up to 10 Gb/s data transfer
– GIGABYTE UEFI DualBIOS™ with Q-Flash Plus USB port
– Long lifespan Durable Black™ Solid caps
– APP Center including EasyTune™ and Cloud Station™ utilities
– Thunderbolt™ Ready
– Safer design around screw mounting holes
Packaging
The X99-SLI comes in Gigabyte’s typical retail packaging for motherboards. The front of the box lets us know that it is the X99-SLI and Gigabyte is advertising their Ultra Durable design.
Flipping the box over there is a full overview of the motherboard and rear I/O. It also goes into detail on many of the features of the board.
Getting everything out of the box as far as accessories go you have the I/O shield, 2 bags of SATA cables, SLI bridge, CrossFire connector, driver and utility CD, and the user’s manual.
For a full unboxing and overview of the X99-SLI be sure to check out our video below.
