EVGA’s X99 Micro board gets refreshed with a couple of new toys, but without a jump in price.
With USB 3.1 and USB Type-C slowly dripping their way onto the market, hardware vendors have to keep their products updated in order to keep pace with the demand for the new tech. To that end, EVGA introduced its X99 Micro2 motherboard, which is a Micro-ATX motherboard based on the X99 platform. The motherboard is similar to the X99 Micro, but with a couple of key changes to its connectivity.
Going across the board, you’ll find an LGA2011 socket that is wired to four DDR4 memory slots and three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots. With these slots, you’ll be able to run 3-Way SLI, under the assumption that you can find a single-slot graphics card to squeeze in the middle and an SLI bridge that is small enough. The CPU socket is powered by a 6-phase digital VRM.
Part of the reason for this motherboard’s existence is USB 3.1, as the board has a USB Type-C connector – something the X99 Micro did not have. The motherboard also has a total of 10 SATA3 (6 Gb/s) ports and an M.2 slot that is capable of pushing up to 32 Gb/s. EVGA did not equip the board with any SATA-Express connectors, a decision we can understand due to the lack of SATA-Express client devices.
The motherboard has a handful of additional high-end features, which include sequestered audio hardware for better sound quality with less noise; onboard power, reset and clear CMOS switches; and nickel plating on the CPU socket that is polished to a shine. There is even a little LCD on the motherboard that will show the CPU temperature.
EVGA did not reveal official pricing, but did list it in its webshop for $229.99, which is the same price the older X99 Micro is listed for.
