Gigabyte X299 Designare EX Ports
USB 2.0 Port(s): Universal Serial Bus (USB) port for connecting USB 2.0 and older devices (480 Mb/s).
PS/2 Hybrid Port: Connection supporting either a PS/2 mouse or PS/2 keyboard.
Displayport Input for USB C: Connect a DisplayPort cable from your video card to passthrough to the USB-C / TB port.
Thunderbolt 3 Port: Thunderbolt 3 high speed data port. Also supports USB 3.1 or DisplayPort video output with adapter.
Gigabit LAN Port (RJ-45): RJ-45 plug for connecting to a wired Local Area Network (LAN) via Ethernet at up to 1000 Mbps.
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB 3.0) Port(s): Universal Serial Bus (USB) port for connecting USB 3.2 Gen 1 and older devices (5 Gb/s).
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WiFi Antenna Connector: Connection for WiFi antenna (included). Antenna must be connected to get proper reception.
Center / Subwoofer Audio Jack: 3.5mm analog audio jack for output to center speaker and subwoofer (if using surround sound).
Rear Speakers: 3.5mm analog audio jack for output to rear speakers (if using surround sound).
Optical S/PDIF Out: Digital audio output port compatible with optical S/PDIF cables / devices (also called TOSLINK).
Line In Audio Jack: 3.5mm analog audio jack for line-level input to the computer.
Front Speakers: 3.5mm analog audio jack for output to speakers (front, if using surround sound) or headphones.
Microphone Audio Jack: 3.5mm analog audio jack for microphone input to the computer.
Gigabyte X299 Designare EX Schematic
A wide range of connectivity is provided as well: six standard USB ports, a pair of Thunderbolt 3 (Type C) ports, dual Gb Ethernet, WiFi, audio, and even a legacy PS/2 port. Internally it has eight SATA ports, three M.2 connectors, and a mix of PCI-Express 3.0 slots.
Note the following:
When middle M.2 slot is populated it will disable PCIEX4_1 (Slot 3)
When bottom M.2 slot is populated it will disable SATA ports 4-7.
Please note that the PCI-Express slot speeds depend on the processor installed. Some older, lower-end chips have fewer PCI-E lanes, so if you plan on getting a lot of expansion cards you may want to check with our consultants to make sure you get a CPU that will support everything you need.
The Gigabytle X299 Designare is a solid X299 board with support for up to three dual-slot GPUs and a good array of rear-panel connectivity. It even has built-in dual Thunderbolt 3 ports and two gigabit Ethernet ports, which saves a couple slots worth of potential expansion cards. Large heatsinks for the chipset and voltage regulators round out the package, and there are even dedicated heatsinks for all three M.2 slots!
Model: Gigabyte X299 DESIGNARE EX (rev. 1.0)
Specifications
| Socket | 2066 |
| CPU Compatibility | SkyLake-X |
| Form Factor | ATX |
| Chipset Manufacturer | Intel |
| Chipset | X299 |
| Network Connectivity | Dual Gigabit Networking + 802.11 A/B/G/N/AC |
| Network Controller | Intel |
| Audio Controller | Onboard Realtek ALC 1220 |
| Cooling System | Heatsink and Fan |
| Number of Fans | 1 |
| Color | Grey |
Memory Support | |
| Type | DDR4 |
| Maximum Speed | 2666 MHz |
| Number of Slots | 8 |
| Maximum Size per Slot | 32 GB |
| Maximum Amount Supported | 256 GB |
External Connections | |
| USB 2.0 | 2 |
| USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB 3.0) | 4 |
| PS/2 Mouse | Yes |
| PS/2 Keyboard | Yes |
| Audio Out | Surround Sound (7.1) |
| Audio In | Line-In/Microphone |
| S/PDIF | Optical |
| LAN (RJ45) | 2 |
| Wireless Antenna Port | Yes |
| Thunderbolt Ports | 2 |
| Thunderbolt Version | 3 |
Internal Connections | |
| USB 2.0 | 2 (providing 4 ports) |
| USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB 3.0) | 2 |
| USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type C | 1 |
| SATA III 6.0Gbps | 8 |
| M.2 Connector | 3 |
| M.2 Support | M Key x4 |
| TPM (module sold separately) | 1 |
| Compatible TPM | Gigabyte GC-TPM2.0_S 2.0 |
SATA Controllers | |
| SATA III 6.0Gbps Controller 1 | -Intel (6 Ports) |
| SATA III 6.0Gbps Controller 2 | -ASMedia (2 Ports) |
Expansion Slots | |
| Slot 1 | PCI Express 3.0 x16 |
| Slot 2 | Slot not available on this board |
| Slot 3 | PCI Express 3.0 x4 in a x16 size |
| Slot 4 | PCI Express 3.0 x16 |
| Slot 5 | PCI Express 3.0 x4 in a x16 size |
| Slot 6 | PCI Express 3.0 x8 in a x16 size |
Additional Information | |
| SLI Compatible | Yes |
| Crossfire Compatible | Yes |
| RAID Support | 0/1/5/10 |
| Bluetooth | Yes (4.2) |
| Dual GPU Slot Spacing | 3-Slot |
| Integrated IO Shield | Yes |
BIOS Features | |
| UEFI BIOS | Yes |
| EZ Flash | Yes |
| OC Profiles | Yes |
Dimensions | |
| Height | 305 mm (12.0 in) |
| Width | 244 mm (9.6 in) |
32GB DIMMs only compatible with X-10000 series CPUs
