Test System

Initial Setup

Getting the ASUS X99 DELUXE up and running was not difficult at all, with plenty of spacing all around. There is plenty of clearance below the DIMM slots for a VGA with a backplate, so swapping out memory is done without any difficulties.


The 8-pin EPS connector is in a great location, directly above the CPU VRM section, bringing the power plug as close as possible to the delivery section, which also eliminates excess heat in the area nicely. The plastic cover over the rear I/O towers comes really close to the DIMM slots, so much so that installing a DIMM with a heatspreader may have the heatspreader touch or come really close to the cover, which I personally wasn't too fond of. I would have shaved a millimeter or two off this cover or moved it over slightly. That said, it did not pose any real problems with the DDR4 kits I have on hand.


Easily booting into my freshly installed OS, drivers were effortlessly installed off the provided disc. Once complete, I ran CPU-Z and captured the information displayed above. Once I completed my baseline testing, I also took the time to quickly overclock the system. CPU-Z screenshots of the overclock have also been included above. ASUS's OC socket really shows its strength here, allowing for full overclocks to all CPU domains, including CPU cores, cache, BCLK, and memory, at the same time, which I couldn't do simultaneously on other products. The more consistent voltage and better clock stability offered by the OC socket truly makes a difference, so much so that I now have to wonder what other brands will do in order to keep up with ASUS in that regard. There simply is no possible comparison at this time. Some BIOS tweaks may get the others closer to ASUS, but ASUS will utilize the time to squeeze even more out of boards equipped with their OC socket. I have several beta BIOSes here to test with, and I really like what I see coming from ASUS.