Pros: Moderately priced, neutral colors, tons of accessories, tons of features
Cons: A bit cramped because it's ATX, most PCIe slots are useless if using multiple cards, water pump header placement is odd, vertical M.2 slot
If you're looking for an X99 motherboard for your next build, you can't go wrong with the Deluxe II. Most people don't need the Rampage V or Godlike unless you're looking for specific features or just want to hit the highest overclock (dependent on CPU as well). For most enthusiasts and gamers, the Deluxe II has more than enough features. It has plenty of IO connections, dual LAN ports, wifi, two M.2 slots (one is a PCIe expansion card), and decent onboard sound. It also has reinforced PCIe slots for heavier graphics cards. There are plenty of fan headers, all of them 4-pin, so you can control each one precisely in the BIOS. Even though they are 4-pin, you have the option of controlling them via voltage (3-pin fans) in the BIOS as well. There's also a header dedicated for a water pump if you're doing custom liquid cooling, but it's in a very awkward position that isn't easily accessible through most cable openings. It is on the left side right next to the IO ports. I ended up just using a regular fan header for my pump.
This motherboard comes with a ton of accessories. There are a bunch of cables, mounts, screws, and other things for installing drives and accessories. There are two options for M.2 drives: a vertical slot on the right side and a PCIe expansion card. Asus claims that vertical mounting allows for more air to hit the drive so it doesn't throttle. While M.2 cards do throttle when they get hot, I don't think they need to be mounted vertically to get enough air. I used the PCIe card on the lowest slot and was able to get proper airflow to cool the drive. I think this is a better mounting option and doesn't get in the way.
This motherboard overclocks Broadwell-E processors relatively well, and for most people, the processor itself will be the limiting factor rather than the motherboard itself. I was able to get a 6850k to be stable around 4.3 GHz, but not any higher.
Because it's an ATX mobo, it feels a bit cramped. I was using an EATX before, so I had more space to work with. However, it's still pretty good and I like that I can fit it inside a smaller case. I like that the colors are neutral, so they should go well with any color scheme. I went with a black and white build, and it looks very clean. This is a great price for a fully featured motherboard. If you have the Deluxe, then I don't think it's worth upgrading to the II; you're not getting that much more, however, if you're jumping onto X99 right now, give this board some thought.
| Processor | core_i7 |
|---|---|
| RAM | DIMM |
| Memory Speed | 2133 MHz |
| Wireless Type | 802.11ac |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 12 |
