Best Motherboard for i7 6950X

ASUS ROG RAMPAGE V EXTREME

ASUS Rog Rampage V Extreme comes with an easy installation and setup. The Bios is laid out well and is easier to navigate. The drivers come in with a usb stick instead of a CD drive. The I/O shield is pre-installed which was super good and time-saving during the board’s installation. It has the q-code that helps to determine the problems on the whole system. The board looks really great with some aesthetic touches and the aura sync creates a magnificent illumination. However, it has a larger build that you need to note before choosing a case. Though Asus was really a good manufacturer, it nowadays has become dull at some point. You can see many complaints on the forums. This motherboard works greatly yet some of the customers found it unstable and unreliable.

Our Review

One best thing about this motherboard is that it supports Multi-GPU. It supports both SLI and CROSSFIRE Technology with both 3 & 4 ways. As for connectivity, it has Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth V 4.0. The Wi-fi is way faster with more than 1300Mbps transfer speed rate and dual band frequency of 2.4/5 GHz. The I/O shield is pre-installed, Bios is well laid out. You can get a stable power supply even with the overclocking. Moreover, it has more than enough SATA ports as well as eSATA ports. That way you can add a huge number of HDDs and SSDs. You can easily handle a couple of numbers software with its RAM channel. It handles the software really well and perfectly.

Who Will Use This Most

This motherboard can also be called an all-rounder. You can overclock it easily while following some easy steps. You can also play games smoothly. Moreover, daily works are like nothing to it.

Key Features & Downsides

Key Features: ASUS ROG RAMPAGE V EXTREME is a good motherboard with 8 x DDR4 DIMM memory slots. These are of 64GB max memory and 3300 MHz (OC). It features 4 x PCI Express 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16, x16/x16, x16/x8/x8 modes), 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode), 1 x PCIe 2.0 x1, 1 x M.2 socket 3, 10 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports, and 2 x eSATA ports. Furthermore, it comes with 4 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, 6 x USB 2.0 ports, and 10 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports. Rampage also includes 2 x 4- pin CPU Fan connectors, and 6 x 4-pin Chassis Fan connectors.

Downsides: This motherboard has issues with detecting the keyboard and the mouse. Also the price is extreme like its name.

Final Thoughts

ASUS is one of the great manufacturers of tech products. This one is no exception. It is of both higher price and premium features. Moreover, it can handle all types of work you can throw at it.

ASRock X99 EXTREME4

The motherboard works really fine with some satisfactory requirements. It comes with an older BIOS version that may make things difficult for the first timers. With lots of expandability it does a great job. However, the bios is easy to use and the overclocking settings is pretty easy to work with. Its price to performance ratio is great. ASRock X99 EXTREME4 has too many critics because of the compatibility problem. That’s why it must be checked whether your system can support this motherboard before the purchase.

Our Review

X99 EXTREME4 is worthy of its price. It has lots of USB ports that are more than enough. It comes with 12 power phase design that is enough for the power supply. Though it does not have wi-fi or Bluetooth, it works finely like those with wi-fi and bluetooth options. It uses Gigabit LAN that works on 10/100/1000 Mb/s for connectivity. Moreover, it supports both Nvidia SLI and AMD CROSSFIRE technology. The overclocking ability of this mobo is top notch. Even a beginner will be able to handle this well. It has an older BIOS platform yet does the job well. You can squeeze out your system’s max power with the help of this board.

Who Will Use This Most

EXTREME4 is a great option for the OC enthusiast. However, you can also play and work heavy one as this one has lots of RAM slots as well as sufficient power supply.

Key Features: ASRock X99 EXTREME4 comes with 8 x DDR4 DIMM memory slots. These are of up to 128GB max memory and more than 3000 MHz (OC). It includes 3x PCI-Express 3.0 x16 Slots (x8 mode), 1x PCI-Express 2.0 x16 Slot (mode x4), 1x PCI-Express 2.0 x1 Slot, 1 x ultra M.2 socket, 10 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports, and 1 x eSATA ports. Moreover, it comes with 6x USB 3.0 Ports, and 8x USB 2.0 Ports. This mobo also includes 2 x (4- pin and 3-pin) CPU Fan connectors, 1 x 3-pin power fan connector, and 3 x (1 x 4-pin and 2 x 3-pin) Chassis Fan connectors.

Downsides: The motherboard’s aesthetic should have been better. The look is not up to date.

Final Thoughts

ASRock X99 EXTREME4 is not perfect in all aspects yet it performs a good output. The price to performance ratio may vary from the people.

ASUS X99-A

This motherboard has plenty of USB and SATA ports as well as lots of options. It is very stable and easy to set up. The BIOS is also easy to set up and use. There may be some problems if you use automatic overclocking options. That's why it is better to use the BIOS/UEFI setup for overclocking. It has awesome features that exceed the expectations. This one is also highly recommended and it turns out to be a great mobo. It works flawlessly out of the box. It does its job well and there is nothing broken or wrong with the board.

Our Review

ASUS X99-A offers awesome performance that includes some premium features. The UEFI BIOS is easy to set up as well as to work with. The 5-way optimization has always been a thing of the ASUS things. It works smoothly and optimizes the system with a click. This one also supports Nvidia 3-way SLI and AMD 3-way CROSSFIRE technology. The Fan Xpert 3 ensures every fan acquires equal and best balance of cooling performance and low noise. The on-board audio totally meets up with the expectations. You will get a reliable performance. Though it is a entry level motherboard, it sometimes works better than some high-end motherboards.

Who Will Use This Most

ASUS X99-A is a noteworthy motherboard for daily work. You can sometime play games but still it is for everyday flawless workloads.

Key Features: ASUS X99-A features 8 x DDR4 DIMM memory slots. These are of 64GB max memory and 3200 MHz (OC). It features 3 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 for 40-lane CPU, and 3 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16, 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16, 2 x PCIe 2.0 x1for 28-lane CPU. Furthermore, it comes with 1 x M.2 socket 3, 8 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors, 5 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, and 8 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports. This mobo also features 2 x 4- pin CPU Fan connectors, and 6 x 4-pin Chassis Fan connectors.

Downsides: Most people still are confused with this motherboard. Though it supports 3-way SLI, it has no tri-SLI bridge.

Final Thoughts

The X99-A offers reliable and stable performance that reaches one’s expectations. ASUS has always made awesome motherboards and it is one of them.

MSI X99A WORKSTATION

MSI X99A is a straight up beauty out of the box. Its sleek and stylish design makes it look more than average. It is truly a good motherboard unless there is any fault with the product. Apart from being attractive, it makes the system work extremely faster and it is unexpectedly good. There are many other motherboards that are expensive only because of the looks and aesthetics. But this one comes with everything you’d want from a motherboard. It has a solid built quality, is reliable and works smoothly with all those USBs and SATA connectors. This one is really recommended by more than half of the buyers. They stated it offers possibly everything to have a perfect PC system. Moreover, it works like a beast and can do anything you throw at it.

Our Review

WORKSTATION really lives up to its name. It has solid build quality, fast performance, great color scheme with black and white color. This one also supports 3-way SLI and AMD technology. You can control the fans speed, voltage and check on the temperature. It has plenty of SATA and USB ports. Overall, it is another great X99 motherboard to choose from. The idea of its dual BIOS is something new. The UEFI BIOS has a variety of options for advanced gaming as well as for overclocking. And it is easy to work with too.The installation process is easy and needs some few steps to follow that too are written nicely on the manual.

Who Will Use This Most

The MSI X99 is perfect for video editing, graphics design and the works of the same fields. It does the job without any issues at all. You can smoothly complete your everyday work as well.

Key Features: MSI X99A WORKSTATION comes with 8 x DDR4 DIMM memory slots. These are of 128GB max memory and 3333 MHz (OC). It features 3 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots (x16/x8 modes), 2 x PCIe 2.0 x1 slots, 1 x M.2 slot, and 10 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors. Moreover, it includes 4 x USB 3.1 Gen1, 8 x USB 2.0, 1 x 4- pin CPU Fan connector, and 3 x 4-pin system Fan connectors.

Downsides: There is some confusion for mounting the CPU as well as connecting wires. The instructions would have been better with more detailed steps.

Final Thoughts

The motherboard is totally awesome for its performance and the price is also perfect for the features. Look no more if you want an all-rounder motherboard for graphics designing work or video editing.

Asus TUF SABERTOOTH X99

It is one of the most amazing motherboards in our recommendation. It is a solid X99 motherboard with awesome customization options. The BIOS runs easily without any issues. The aesthetic looks and the “stealth” look fits perfectly this motherboard. It has built-in USB 3.1 and it needs no add-on card. ASUS has always been a great manufacturer for awesome build quality motherboards. This one is no different. Also, the AI suite is great. This one is totally heavy due to the TUF armor and heat shielding properties. However, it is one of the best TUF motherboards. Even the fan control is fantastic. You can hardly point out any fault with this motherboard. Another point to be noted, this motherboard is not a piece for totally beginners.

Our Review

The Sabertooth is an amazing X99 TUF motherboard to begin with. It has some awesome features and options along with a sleek design. The aesthetic looks it has can slay any PC rig. The thermal armor of this board can reduce the temperature more than 10°C. The BIOS is easy to set up as well as to handle. The built-in USB 3.1 and dual Type-A ports can transfer USB data in a faster way. The AI suite is on another level of awesomeness. It has 5-years of warranty and you can get the best of it in all these whole years.

Who Will Use This Most

ASUS TUF SABERTOOTH X99 is the best for workstation. It can slay anything you throw at it.

Key Features: ASUS TUF SABERTOOTH X99 features 8 x DDR4 DIMM memory slots. These are of 64GB max memory and 2400 MHz un-buffered memory. It features 3 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 slots for 40-lane CPU, and 3 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 slots, 1 x PCIe 2.0 x4 (x2 mode), & 1 x PCIe 2.0 x1 for 28-lane CPU. Moreover, it has 1 x M.2 Socket 3, 8 x SATA 6Gb/s ports, 8 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, 8 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports, 1 x 4- pin CPU Fan connector, 4 x 4-pin Chassis Fan connectors, and 5 x 4-pin Assistant Fan connectors.

Downsides: The cooling fan can be loud sometimes and it is really heavy.

Final Thoughts

The SABERTOOTH motherboard is really a good motherboard and has loads of options to choose from.