Introduction

It's only been a short while since Intel's latest HEDT platform launched, and already I have in one of my systems ASRock's top-end overclocking motherboard, the ASRock X299 OC Formula. That OC Formula name has been around for many generations, but now, we have a new look from ASRock's X299 OC Formula, along with everything else that makes ASRock's OC Formula boards so great for those who like to push the limits of what modern hardware can do.

Intel's X299 platform supports not just a CPU, but two totally different ones (KabyLake-X and SkyLake-X) inside the same socket without the need for any fuss; just swap the CPU out, plop in the new one, and you are good to go. That means there are plenty of CPUs for benchmarkers to play with this go around, and we even have the HCC (High Core Count) CPUs which have just been released. Building and designing a motherboard capable of meeting the needs of any user who might want to push any CPU or memory that is compatible with Intel's X299 socket under LN2 is no easy task, especially given the added complexity of multiple CPU designs and the HCC chips. That's why ASRock has Nick Shih working closely with this motherboard, so much so that his name is literally on these motherboards; printed right on to the board's surface. As an extreme overclocker and hardware guru with many records under his belt, there are few on this planet who are as capable as he is in making sure a benchmarker's needs are met, never mind his high level of understanding when it comes to the difficulties those users experience when attempting to break records.

With the previous top-dog Intel 7900X CPU, we have 10 cores and 20 threads of a CPU grunt, but the actual power pulled from the socket is pretty modest even under an overclock, with a good slice of silicon. Pushing 250W while overclocked is easily done and handled by most motherboards, but there are some motherboards out there with a 275-285 W power limit programmed into the BIOS when power isn't as stable as it could be. These boards, however, do tend to have a proven record that shows they can handle that 250W just fine. The ASRock X299 OC Formula, on the other hand, is ready to push 450W easily (provided the VRM has the required airflow), making it one of the few boards out there ready to push the new i9-7980XE CPU I have sitting here on my desk. These CPUs can pull that 250W at stock, if not more, when Turbo is enabled. So if you've got plans on getting one of Intel's HCC CPUs, you best pay attention to this motherboard that is ready to break past such limits.

Specifications

Packaging and Contents

There can be no denying that there is something different with this board from ASRock; just look at the box! I must say, ASRock has been listening! This packaging is fantastic, both front and rear. It is simple and elegant; very little extraneous info to be found here. I specifically like how ASRock has designed the rear of the box; the information provided here is well laid-out, which makes digesting what's there much easier on the eyes.


The box does feature a large window at its face, so you can see the board inside without having to open the box; that's one feature I love on some motherboard boxes for sure. The board is also wrapped in two layers of foam; one you can remove without any hassle, but it does take a pair of scissors or snips to free the board from within the confines of the other.


There are many accessories included in the box. Here's what I found:

• Quick installation guide, manual, support DVD, and other papers
• 1x Rear I/O cover
• 4x SATA 6Gb/s cables
• 1x SLI HB bridge
• 2x 3-Way SLI bridge (differing slot lengths; one three-slot, the other four-slot)
• 1x 4-Way SLI bridge

It was a bit shocking to find so many rigid SLI bridges here in the box, but none for two-way SLI with older videocards. OK, most overclockers will already have one for sure, but I still couldn't help but wonder why one was not included here...

Board Layout

There is so much I want to say about this motherboard from ASRock... but just feast your eyes on what you behold before you instead. There is much to see here, both front and rear. Removing the yellow from the OC Formula series and switching to gray was a fantastic choice.


The huge socket area is closely flanked by the memory slots, but there is just enough room here for insulation for sub-zero overclocking. There is a hole inside the socket you can use to thread a thermal probe to, so you can get an idea of the temperature on the underside of the CPU's PCB, too.


There are only four DIMM slots on the ASRock X299 OC Formula. This allows the memory to scale up much higher in speed than if the board had all eight possible slots, and since most users are likely to be happy with 32 GB by the way of four 8 GB sticks, four slots are more than enough for such a purpose-designed board as this.


There are but two M.2 slots on the ASRock X299 OC Formula; one above and another below the board's chipset cooler.


You get five PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, a PCIe 3.0 x4 slot, and a PCIe 2.0 x1 slot. Electrical connectivity for these slots depends on which CPU you use. KabyLake-X CPUs do get SLI support. SATA connectivity features six ports through the Intel X299 chipset, while an additional two have been added using an ASMedia ASM1061 controller. It is pretty obvious which ports are which.


The board's bottom edge carries a whole host of pin headers and such, including dual front-panel audio headers, one of which is right-angled. The board's POST display is here as well.


The X299 OC Formula's rear I/O ports include USB ports in all flavors, dual LAN ports, audio plugs, and both a Clear CMOS button and USB Flashback button for BIOS restoration. You know, all that good stuff. Those LAN ports are pushed via a pair of Intel LAN controllers; the I219-V and I211-AT, naturally.