ASRock Fatal1ty X299 Pro Gaming i9 Motherboard Review

Packaging and Overview

ASRock has been steadfast with their Fatal1ty line of motherboards and box design. While the box is red and black, the motherboard doesn't have much red built into it. Packaging is high-end, the best ASRock has to offer, and the motherboard is extremely well protected from the elements.

The accessory package includes two WIFI antenna, four SATA6Gb/s cables, IO shield, three M.2 screws, 3-way SLI bridge, 2-way SLI HB Bridge, driver DVD, and manuals.

ASRock put five fan headers on the Fatal1ty X299 Professional Gaming i9, and while they are all hybrid PWM/DC mode headers, they don't all offer the same current capability. The CPU fan header circled in red offers up to 1A of output, while the other four circled in blue offer 1.5A. Some of these headers are labeled pump header, and in pump mode, they provide full power for your water pump.

All headers can be switched between DC and PWM modes in the UEFI, and you have excellent fan control in Windows and in the UEFI. The back of the motherboard has a ton of components, and this is to make the front of the PCB look cleaner. Be careful when handling the motherboard.

The IO shield offers two PS/2 keyboard/mouse, two USB 2.0 ports, WIFI antenna, BIOS Flash Back button, Clear CMOS button, four USB 3.0 ports, two Intel Gbit LAN ports, one 10Gbit Aquantia LAN port, USB 3.1 type-A, USB 3.1 type-C, and 7.1 gold plated audio outputs with S/PDIF out.

The PCI-E lane allotment is complicated just like it is on other X299 motherboards. PCI-E slots (x16) from top to bottom are PCI-E 1/2/3/4. A 44 lane CPU will run they are a maximum distribution of x8/x8/x16/x8, a 28 lane CPU will run them at x8/x0/x8/x8 at maximum, and a 16 lane CPU will run at x8/x0/x4/x0. The PCI-E x1 slot is routed to the PCH through a hub and operates at PCI-E 2.0. The motherboard has three x4 PCI-E M.2 slots, and all of them share bandwidth with the SATA6Gb/s ports. You need to check out the manual to check out what slots/ports will be disabled when the other is in use.

Surprisingly the motherboard only offers a single 8-pin power connector, but ASRock has optimized stuff such as density and copper content so that it can handle over 300W. There is a USB 3.0 internal header right below the 24-pin power connector; a USB 3.1 internal header sits right below the USB 3.0 header.

There is also one right-angled USB 3.0 internal header near the SATA ports. There is a total of 10 SATA6Gb/s ports, eight of them are from the PCH while two are from an ASMedia controller. The motherboard does offer power and reset buttons, along with a POST code display.

One RGB LED header is located at the top right corner of the motherboard, while the other is located near the Clear CMOS jumper near the audio section of the PCB. The motherboard also has a VROC header, as well as two USB 2.0 internal headers.

All heat sinks are screwed on to the motherboard, but a single heat sink to cool the 10Gbit NIC uses pushpins.