ASRock Fatal1ty X99 Professional Motherboard Review

1. Introduction2. ASRock Fatal1ty X99 Professional: Packaging and Bundle3. ASRock Fatal1ty X99 Professional: Board Layout and Features4. ASRock X99 UEFI5. ASRock X99 Software6. Testing Methodology7. Tests: System-related8. Tests: Processor-related9. Tests: Gaming-related10. Tests: Motherboard-related11. Overclocking: Frequencies12. Overclocking: Performance13. Technical: Power Consumption14. Closing Thoughts15. View All Pages

M.2 connector

We use Plextor‘s fast M6e 256GB M.2 SSD to test the speed of a motherboard's M.2 connector. We reviewed the 512GB Plextor M6e (and its PCIe x2 adapter card) HERE.

Unfortunately we do not have access to a faster, PCIe 2.0 x4-based SSD to fully test the M.2 connectors' performance limits.

An M.2 SSD, such as Plextor's M6e, is given room to flex its full potential in both of the motherboard's slots. Even the fastest M.2 SSDs on the market, such as Samsung's SM951 and the Plextor M7e, will be powered without any speed handicap in the 32Gbps-capable Ultra M.2 slot.

That said, Samsung's ultra-fast SM951 will push right up against the 20Gbps bandwidth limitation of ASRock's ‘standard' chipset-fed M.2 connector.

SATA

For SATA 6Gb/s testing we use a Kingston HyperX 3K (SandForce SF-2281) SSD.

SATA performance is as we would expect from the X99-fed 6Gbps ports.

USB 3.0

We tested USB 3.0 performance using the Kingston HyperX 3K SSD connected to a SATA 6Gb/s to USB 3.0 adapter powered by an ASMedia ASM1053 controller.

USB 3.0 transfer rates are consistent across the ports fed directly from the X99 PCH and those routed through ASMedia's ASM1074 hub chipset.

Users without Windows 8.1 will be limited to sub-350MBps transfer rates because ASRock does not supply a UASP-activating tool for Windows 7.

Audio

We use RightMark Audio Analyzer (RMAA) to analyse the performance of the motherboard’s onboard audio solution. A sampling mode of 24-bit, 192 kHz was tested.

ASRock’s Purity Sound 2 audio system is based around the Realtek ALC1150 codec. Nichicon Fine Gold series capacitors smooth the audio signal while a pair of Texas Instruments NE5532 amplifiers cater for high impedance headphones. A dedicated cover for the codec and a segregated audio path aim to minimise the level of EMI.

According to RMAA, ASRock's Purity Sound 2 audio solution delivers Very Good general performance. The audio test results put ASRock's solution behind that used on Asus' X99-Deluxe, although it is competitive with the system applied by MSI's X99S Gaming 7.

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