ECS X79R-AX Motherboard

Main Specifications

The main specifications for the ECS X79R-AX include:

• Socket: 2011
• Chipset: Intel X79 Express
• Super I/O: ITE IT8728F
• Parallel ATA: None
• Serial ATA: Four SATA-300 ports, two SATA-600 ports, and four SAS-600/SATA-600 ports controlled by the chipset (RAID 0, 1, 10, and 5), and two SATA-600 ports controlled by an ASMedia ASM1061 chip
• External SATA: Two eSATA-600 ports controlled by another ASMedia ASM1061 chip
• USB 2.0: 10 USB 2.0 ports, six soldered on the motherboard rear panel and four available through two headers on the motherboard
• USB 3.0: Six USB 3.0 ports, four soldered on the motherboard rear panel and controlled by a Texas Instruments TUSB7340 chip, and two available through a motherboard header on the motherboard, controlled by a Texas Instruments TUSB7320 chip
• FireWire (IEEE 1394): None
• On-board video: No
• On-board audio: Produced by the chipset together with a Realtek ALC892 codec (7.1+2 channels, 24-bit resolution, up to 192 KHz sampling rate for both the inputs and outputs, 90 dB signal-to-noise ratio for the inputs and 97 dB signal-to-noise ratio for the outputs), on-board optical SPDIF output
• On-board LAN: Two Gigabit Ethernet ports controlled by two Realtek RTL8111E chips supporting “Teaming,” and a Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g/n module, controlled by an Atheros AR9271 chip
• Buzzer: Yes
• Infrared interface: No
• Power supply required: EPS12V
• Slots: Four PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots (x16/x8/x16/x8, supporting SLI and CrossFireX) and two PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots
• Memory: Four DDR3-DIMM sockets (up to DDR3-2500, 32 GB maximum)
• Fan connectors: One four-pin connector for the CPU cooler, one four-pin connector for an auxiliary fan, and three three-pin connectors for auxiliary fans
• Extra features: POST diagnostics display, Bluetooth 2.1, thermometer strips for the chipset and voltage regulator
• Number of CDs/DVDs provided: One
• Programs included: Motherboard utilities
• More Information: https://www.ecs.com.tw
• Average price in the US*: USD 310.00

* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.