EVGA X99 Micro 2
X99 microATX perfection?
THE X99 PLATFORM is incredibly attractive. Six cores or more, quad-channel memory, plenty of PCIe lanes, expanded storage options, the list goes on. But for those looking to move to a smaller form factor in the process, options are limited. MicroATX and smaller X99 boards are few and far between. There’s a grand total of one ITX X99 board, and four microATX ones—slim pickings indeed. And when you’re looking for the perfect motherboard to round out a slick new themed build, well… let’s just say it’s a little challenging.
EVGA’s X99 Micro 2 mobo, then, provides a good base for any builder looking to put a well-rounded build together. Aesthetically, it’s gorgeous. With a lightweight metallic rear I/O cover, black heatsinks, and a stunning mix of black PCB and limited white LED lighting, it’s absolutely on point when it comes to overall design. Its neutral color palette will work inside any build you place it in, and, thankfully, EVGA has removed the black and red capacitors found on its previous edition. BYE-BYE SATA EXPRESS! As far as expandability goes, obviously options are a little more limited than on the larger ATX boards. By default, you only have access to four DIMM slots, for a single set of quad-channel memory, as opposed to the full eight. There’s access to three PCIe slots (configurable as either 1x16, 2x16, or 3x8), there’s a single x4 M.2 socket, and SATA support is covered with 10 6Gb/s ports. Although there’s no hint of SATA Express here, that’s hardly a loss in our eyes. That aside, the board is exceptionally clean and exceedingly well rounded. There’s an on-board power and reset button, diagnostic LED display, USB 3.0, and no fewer than five PWM fan headers, with two being right-angled.
So, it’s feature-rich, but how does it perform? Well, we’ll be honest: almost like every other X99 motherboard we’ve tested. As far as the platform goes, there’s very little difference between boards outside of LN2 support and expanded power phases, for those lucky enough to net themselves a well-balanced overclocking processor. Compared to the full-sized Asus X99 Sabertooth, the Micro 2 scored slightly higher in both Cinebench R15 and Tech ARP’s x264 benchmark; there was less than a 0.62GB/s difference in memory bandwidth; and overall performance was pretty much the same. What did impress us was the reduced power draw, with the Micro 2 sucking 63W from the wall at idle, and 349W at load. Although not as low as the Sabertooth, it stomped under Asus’s latest X99 Strix Gaming. Speaking of gaming, yet again we scored an impressive average of 42 frames per second in the FarCryPrimal 4K benchmark, but with a slightly lower overall score in 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme, at 9,603.
The overclocking experience on the EVGA X99 Micro 2 can only be described as curious. EVGA’s BIOS is exceptionally clean. The overall layout is simple and straight to the point—there’s no advanced mode buttons here—and mashing that Delete key draws you straight into the OC section. However, there are controls that we wish we had access to (power phase optimization, for instance), which both MSI and Asus provide access to—they seem to be hidden away here, locked behind imaginary walls. That aside, we managed an impressive 4.3GHz out of the Micro 2, on only 1.3V—the lowest we’ve seen to date. Although predominantly dependent on the chip, the motherboard does play a part in voltage control, usually through the control of VDrop—the voltage that is actually provided by the motherboard when the setting is input into the BIOS. In this case, the Micro 2 blew us away with a 0.1V difference between our prescribed setting and how much it actually needed to maintain that overclock.
So, does the Micro 2 satisfy our X99 needs? It definitely does. It’s affordable, performs well, and in today’s age of twoway maximum SLI and PCIe storage solutions, keeps us more than happy. Couple that with its sleek, yet sharp aesthetic, and EVGA is on to a winner. Expect to see this motherboard appearing in a custom build soon—boy, would it be a shame just to waste it!
EVGA X99 Micro 2
GARGANTUAN Clean style; solid expandability; great value; on-board power; debug LED; good overclocker.
MINI BIOS limitations. $200, www.evga.com