ASUS TUF X299 Mark 1 review - Product Showcase

The Mark 1 motherboard is to be considered a high-end class solution in that enthusiast segment of X299 series motherboards. The board is built using the best components, assuring high reliability and a long life-span. Some interesting features are its unique shielding, dual M.2 as well as an intricate AURA LED Lighting system.
 

 
The motherboard includes all of the standardized X299 enhancements with two M.2 SSD slots and will support SLI and Crossfire (3-way). Your PCIe lane configuration will be highly dependent on the processor you purchase, unfortunately.

Only the 10-core (and more core versions) CPU will get a full 44 PCIe lanes available. The board follows a 12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm ) ATX Form Factor.

The I/O panel of the Mark 1 reveals eleven USB ports of which one has a type-c connector. Intel does not have native USB 3.1 Gen 2 support from the processor hence the motherboard manufacturers make use of external 3rd party controllers like ASMedia's 3142. USB 3.1 comes from the chipset though. The motherboard features three PCIe x16 Gen 3.0 expansion slots. A Realtek ALC1220S audio codec is the source for audio which will use enhanced quality capacitors, used on most motherboards these days.

The board gets two 10/100/1000 Ethernet controller from Intel I219-V / I211. There is no PS/2 combo port that can be used for either a keyboard or mouse.

• 2 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)
• 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A + USB Type-CTM
• 4 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 
• 4 x USB 2.0 (one port can be switched to USB BIOS Flashback) 
• 1 x Optical S/PDIF out
• 5 x Audio jack(s)
• 1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button(s)
• 1 x TUF Detective USB port

The board is lacking WIFI in any form or option. The board is powered by one 8-pin and one 4-pin ATX power header to the processor, that 4-pin connector can be used optionally. 

I need to make a big remark here, see how close the fan connector pins are to the ATX power connector? Now look at the next photo.

 
Typically from your PSU there will be a 2x 4-pin cable used, e.g. be VERY CAREFUL, your unused 4-pin CPU power connector could be hanging around in that area with the fan pins exposed, it's a risk alright and a bit of a sloppy implementation from ASUS.

Depending on your processor you can opt for dual and quad channel memory. Kaby Lake-X is limited to dual-channel and Skylake-X processors will support quad channel memory. This board is rated to support up to DDR4 4133 MHz memory (overclocked), you may install up-to 128 GB of it or 64 GB when using Kaby-Lake-X processors. If you look at the overview of the board you'll spot a nice black design with white styled elements on the heatsink plating. 

• User's manual
• ASUS Q-Shield
• 1 x Vertical M.2 bracket set
• 4 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)
• 1 x ASUS 2-Way/3-Way SLI bridge
• 1 x M.2 Screw Package
• 1 x Supporting DVD
• 1 x SLI HB BRIDGE(2-WAY-M)
• 1 x Q-Connector
• 1 x TUF Certification card(s)
• 1 x TUF 5 Year Warranty manual(s) (by region)
• 1 x TUF Inside sticker(s)(white)
• 1 x STAY COOL BE TUF sticker(s)(gray)
• 1 x TUF Dongle
• 1 x Accessory Package(s):
• - 3 x PCIe x16 slot dust cover(s)
• - 1 x PCIe x4 slot dust cover(s)
• 1 x TUF VGA Holder