Thursday, June 7th 2018

EVGA X299 Micro 2 and B360 Gaming Motherboards Pictured

EVGA unveiled two new motherboards this Computex, with the X299 Micro 2, and the B360 Gaming. The X299 Micro 2 is a huge step up from the original X299 Micro launched last year. The retail board features an I/O shroud, which has been detached from the exhibit. The biggest change with the X299 Micro 2 is its CPU VRM, which has been redesigned to cope better with Core i9 HCC processors (12 to 18 cores), particularly the 16-core and 18-core models. While the original X299 Micro drew power from just one 8-pin EPS, the new X299 Micro 2 draws from two 8-pin EPS connectors, has higher current MOSFETS, and a much larger VRM heatsink that's actively cooled by a 40 mm fan. There's also an optional 6-pin PCIe power input, which stabilizes power-delivery to graphics cards.

Also unlike the original X299 Micro, the Micro 2 features steel-reinforced DDR4 memory and PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots. You lose out on the third x16 slot slot, which has been replaced by an x4 slot. Lastly, you also get 802.11ac + Bluetooth 5.0 wireless networking, which is lacking in the original. Next up, is a bold strategic choice by EVGA, the B360 Gaming. EVGA traditionally confined itself to higher-end motherboard chipsets, going no lower than Hx70 chipset for a given platform. This is the company's first B-series chipset based product. This board is narrow (about the width of the 3-slot/2-DIMM mATX boards), but is 4-slot long, with two DIMM slots. Important connectors such as the 24-pin ATX, USB 3.1 front-panel, and SATA ports are angled.
Storage connectivity on the EVGA B360 Gaming includes six SATA 6 Gbps, and a single 32 Gbps M.2 slot. Besides the lone PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot, you get a PCI-Express 3.0 x4, and an x1. There's also an M.2-2240 slot meant for add-on WLAN cards. There are some interesting premium features, including Intel i219-V driven gigabit Ethernet, 6-channel onboard audio with a gaming headphones amplifier and de-pop circuit, and two USB 3.1 gen 2 ports at the rear panel.
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10 Comments on EVGA X299 Micro 2 and B360 Gaming Motherboards Pictured

#1
Dammeron
Small fans strike again. And here we thought we got rid of this plague...
Posted on Reply
#2
btarunr
Editor & Senior Moderator
DammeronSmall fans strike again. And here we thought we got rid of this plague...
Wanna know what's worse? Small fans with RGB!
Posted on Reply
#3
cryohellinc
I wonder if we will ever see AMD Mobo's from EVGA.
Posted on Reply
#4
Dammeron
btarunrWanna know what's worse? Small fans with RGB!
And now You just went and gave them a new idea. I hope You're proud of Yourself... :P
Posted on Reply
#5
dj-electric
btarunrWanna know what's worse? Small fans with RGB!
Posted on Reply
#6
RH92
cryohellincI wonder if we will ever see AMD Mobo's from EVGA.
EVGA used to make AMD boards back in the days so it wouldn't be this surprising after all . I get why they stoped doing it for some time but now that AMD is clearly back in the CPU department and could even take the lead in 2019 with the 10nm issues Intel is facing , well they could potentialy be loosing alot of customers . Time will say but i believe if AMD shows in 2019 that they are here to stay then it could happen .
Posted on Reply
#7
dj-electric
EVGA is nvidia's right hand. Hell is going to defrost after freezing before we'll see an EVGA AMD product
Posted on Reply
#8
Hood
dj-electricEVGA is nvidia's right hand. Hell is going to defrost after freezing before we'll see an EVGA AMD product
Yes, those inefficient AMD cards are causing global warming, making hell hotter than ever.
Posted on Reply
#9
Jism
DammeronSmall fans strike again. And here we thought we got rid of this plague...
Actually, on every motherboard, wether it was needed or not, i applied minimum airflow by either a fan or good caseflow.

I cant really rely on the standard cooling they provide on a high-end board in general. Same as video cards. Some VRM's run up to 80 degrees while GDDR5 chips are sitting right next to it.



This is the VRM of a 1080Ti exceeding the 100 degrees mark. See that bunch of GDDR5 chips right next to it?
Posted on Reply
#10
AltCapwn
DammeronSmall fans strike again. And here we thought we got rid of this plague...
Reminds me of the ASUS P5N-D SLI that you could put an optional fan on the northbridge.
Then my next mobo was a sabertooth x77 which had a small fan too to cool underneath the shield.

Might be because of that that I kind of like the small fans on VRMs and chipsets... It gives an impression of power.
Posted on Reply
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