Top end mainboard. End of life: 2022, you won't get support anymore. Just like now with 3/4 Rampage 5 models.

Getting now a top end x399, when zen2 is around the corner, is it a safe bet?

asturur:

Getting now a top end x399, when zen2 is around the corner, is it a safe bet?

No, wait.

fantaskarsef:

Top end mainboard. End of life: 2022, you won't get support anymore. Just like now with 3/4 Rampage 5 models.

Spot on, the last update to the BIOS they did for their x99 was for the specter and meltdown a few months after the fact with a beta version (not sure if all the boards got it). They never updated it with a full version. Their wireless drivers only get a beta release when Windows 10 went live, after that nothing. Same for the rest of the drivers. You can find updates for most of them yourself but with a lot of digging. Don't know how long other MB manufacturers support their products, but don't expect anything longer than 2 years from Asus, even for their top end MB.

Sarex:

Spot on, the last update to the BIOS they did for their x99 was for the specter and meltdown a few months after the fact with a beta version (not sure if all the boards got it). They never updated it with a full version. Their wireless drivers only get a beta release when Windows 10 went live, after that nothing. Same for the rest of the drivers. You can find updates for most of them yourself but with a lot of digging. Don't know how long other MB manufacturers support their products, but don't expect anything longer than 2 years from Asus, even for their top end MB.

Exactly. Not bringing out latest patches for security is a no go... I could live with trickling and finally ending support for drivers, that I'd believe, but as good as Asus' hardware might be, the support is more like something I'd have expected from Zotac (ironically, their support probably is better). Currently they only support the useless RGB galore edition of the Rampage5 with the latest BIOS, which anyway DOES NOT cover anything beyond the very first patch issued by m$ / Intel, so out of date anyway. The R5E in it's first and second iteration (R5E and R5E USB3.1) haven't gotten any updates at all... and that even though it's basically the same board, just without RGB everywhere on it, yet the forums show the BIOS versions aren't compatible... All in all, I would not buy an Rampage mainboard again, especially seeing they support their 400$+ mainboards not even in the most prominent of issues. Total fail. But maybe I'm just expecting too much from the world's leading mainboard manufacturer, or a 400$+ mainboard...

I'm still rocking the Rampage IV Extreme. Just the onboard sound that's defect.

my p6t deluxe v2 got pretty decent support span. ( intel x58 )

asturur:

Getting now a top end x399, when zen2 is around the corner, is it a safe bet?

Depends on future support from Asus, but there is no reason this board couldn't support Zen2. Some early references to future processors were already found in the MSI MEG x399 BIOS, so I think it is very likely Zen2 will (eventually) work on any of the 2018-19 X399 boards that have the improved VRM designs - MSI MEG, Gigabyte Auorus Xtreme, and this Zenith Alpha board

Does anyone even use U.2 ports??