The Gigabyte GA-X99-Designare EX is an enthusiast-grade motherboard - and the first X99 board we have carried with native Thunderbolt 3 support. Like all X99 boards, it supports Intel's Core i7 and Xeon E5 processors. Eight slots are present for DDR4 memory, and it works with ECC Registered memory modules too (even though that isn't advertised by the manufacturer). Those are available in high capacities, allowing for up to 512GB of memory in total on the board.
A host of connectivity is provided: the aforementioned Thunderbolt 3 port, five USB 3.0 ports, one USB 3.1 port, and one legacy PS/2 port. The Thunderbolt port can also work as a USB 3.1 Type C, if needed. For networking there are dual Gb Ethernet ports plus WiFi, and a full set of analog and digital audio connections are present as well. Internally it has 10 SATA connections, one M.2 slot, and two of the new U.2 ports.
A host of connectivity is provided: the aforementioned Thunderbolt 3 port, five USB 3.0 ports, one USB 3.1 port, and one legacy PS/2 port. The Thunderbolt port can also work as a USB 3.1 Type C, if needed. For networking there are dual Gb Ethernet ports plus WiFi, and a full set of analog and digital audio connections are present as well. Internally it has 10 SATA connections, one M.2 slot, and two of the new U.2 ports.
William George (Puget Labs) Says:
If you need Thunderbolt 3 on a PC, look no further! This is the first board we've carried here at Puget Systems with that type of connection, and it has taken us a lot of testing to find a board where it finally worked well. Thunderbolt is, by its nature, a combination of DisplayPort for graphics with PCI-Express for data - and getting that combination to work well is tricky on systems that are not tightly integrated (like laptops and Macs).
Because of the way that combo works, this motherboard has a DisplayPort *input*. You *must* run a short DisplayPort cable from the primary video card in the system to the motherboard in order for the Thunderbolt 3 connector to supply a video signal.
Also, please note that Thunderbolt 1 & 2 used a different shape connector - one similar to a Mini DisplayPort, rather than the Type C connector that Thunderbolt 3 uses. If you have an older Thunderbolt device it should work, but you will need an adapter cable to connect with the Type C port on this board.
If you need Thunderbolt 3 on a PC, look no further! This is the first board we've carried here at Puget Systems with that type of connection, and it has taken us a lot of testing to find a board where it finally worked well. Thunderbolt is, by its nature, a combination of DisplayPort for graphics with PCI-Express for data - and getting that combination to work well is tricky on systems that are not tightly integrated (like laptops and Macs).
Because of the way that combo works, this motherboard has a DisplayPort *input*. You *must* run a short DisplayPort cable from the primary video card in the system to the motherboard in order for the Thunderbolt 3 connector to supply a video signal.
Also, please note that Thunderbolt 1 & 2 used a different shape connector - one similar to a Mini DisplayPort, rather than the Type C connector that Thunderbolt 3 uses. If you have an older Thunderbolt device it should work, but you will need an adapter cable to connect with the Type C port on this board.
Model: Gigabyte GA-X99-DESIGNARE EX V1.0
Specifications:
Specifications:
| Socket | 2011-3 |
| CPU Compatibility | Intel Core i7 Processors on LGA 2011-v3 Socket |
| Form Factor | ATX |
| Chipset Manufacturer | Intel |
| Chipset | X99 |
| Front Side Bus | QuickPath Interconnect |
| Network Connectivity | Dual Gigabit Networking + 802.11 A/B/G/N/AC |
| Audio Controller | Realtek ALC1150 codec |
| Cooling System | Heatsink |
| Color | Black & White |
| Memory Support | |
| Type | DDR4 ECC Registered |
| Maximum Speed | 2400 MHz |
| Number of Slots | 8 |
| Maximum Size per Slot | 64 GB |
| Maximum Amount Supported | 512 GB |
| External Connections | |
| USB 3.0 | 5 |
| USB 3.1 | 1 |
| USB 3.1 Type C | 1 |
| PS/2 Keyboard | Yes |
| Audio Out | Surround Sound (7.1) |
| Audio In | Line-In/Microphone |
| S/PDIF | Optical |
| LAN (RJ45) | 2 |
| Wireless Antenna Port | Yes |
| Thunderbolt | 1 |
| Thunderbolt Version | 3 |
| Internal Connections | |
| USB 2.0 | 2 (providing 4 ports) |
| USB 3.0 | 2 (providing 4 ports) |
| SATA III 6.0Gbps | 10 |
| SATA Express | 1 |
| M.2 Connector | 1 |
| M.2 Support | Socket 3, M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 PCIe x4/x2 SSD |
| U.2 Connector | 2 |
| TPM | 1 |
| SATA Controllers | |
| SATA III 6.0Gbps Controller 1 | 6 port - Intel X99 |
| SATA III 6.0Gbps Controller 2 | 4 port - Intel X99 |
| Expansion Slots | |
| Slot 1 | PCI Express 3.0 x16 |
| Slot 3 | PCI Express 2.0 x1 |
| Slot 4 | PCI Express 3.0 x16 |
| Slot 5 | PCI Express 2.0 x4 in a x16 size |
| Slot 6 | PCI Express 3.0 x16 |
| Slot 7 | PCI Express 3.0 x8 in a x16 size |
| Additional Information | |
| SLI Compatible | Yes |
| Crossfire Compatible | Yes |
| RAID Support | 0,1,5,10 (Only on ports 0-5) |
| Bluetooth | Yes (4.0) |
| BIOS Features | |
| UEFI BIOS | Yes |
| EZ Flash | Yes |
| OC Profiles | Yes |
| Dimensions | |
| Height | 305 mm (12.0 in) |
| Width | 244 mm (9.6 in) |
* The PCIEX8 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIEX16_1 slot. When the PCIEX8 slot is populated, the PCIEX16_1 slot operates at up to x8 mode.
* The U2_32G_2 connector shares bandwidth with the PCIEX16_2 slot. When the U2_32G_2 connector is populated, the PCIEX16_2 slot operates at up to x8 mode.
* The M2_32G connector shares bandwidth with the PCIEX16_3 slot. When the M2_32G connector is populated, the PCIEX16_3 slot operates at up to x8 mode.
* The SATA_EXPRESS connector shares bandwidth with the PCIEX4 slot. When the SATA_EXPRESS connector is populated, the PCIEX4 slot operates at up to x2 mode.
* The USB 3.1 and the Type C ports on are not bootable as of BIOS rev. F4C
- Gigabyte GA-X99-Designare EX Rev 1.0 Drivers
- Chipset
- mb_driver_chipset_intel_x99_refresh.zip
Version 10.1.2.19 Released 05/30/16
For Win7_64, Win8_64, Win10_64
- mb_driver_chipset_intel_x99_refresh.zip
- Management Engine
- mb_driver_intel_me_x99_refresh.zip
Version 11.0.2.1183 Released 05/30/16
For Win7_64, Win8_64, Win10_64
- mb_driver_intel_me_x99_refresh.zip
- Intel RST
- mb_driver_intel_irst_x99_refresh.zip
Version 14.8.0.1042 Released 05/30/16
For Win7_64, Win8_64, Win10_64
- mb_driver_intel_irst_x99_refresh.zip
- Intel USB 3.0
- mb_driver_intel_usb3_x99.zip
Version 4.0.3.49 Released 01/13/16
For Win7_64
- mb_driver_intel_usb3_x99.zip
- Intel USB 3.1
- mb_driver_usb31_ar.zip
Version 15.2.30.250 Released 09/18/15
For Win7_64
- mb_driver_usb31_ar.zip
- Intel LAN
- mb_driver_lan_intel_x99_refresh.zip
Version 20.7 Released 05/30/16
For Win7_64, Win8_64, Win10_64
- mb_driver_lan_intel_x99_refresh.zip
- Audio
- mb_driver_audio_realtek_x99_refresh.zip
Version R4.39 Released 05/30/16
For Win7_64, Win8_64, Win10_64
- mb_driver_audio_realtek_x99_refresh.zip
- Thunderbolt
- mb_driver_thunderbolt_x64_r.zip
Version 16.1.47.275 Released 06/24/16
For Win7_64, Win8_64, Win10_64
- mb_driver_thunderbolt_x64_r.zip
- WLAN
- mb_driver_intel_wifi.zip
Version 0886G Released 08/27/15
For Win7_64, Win8_64
- mb_driver_intel_wifi.zip
- Bluetooth
- mb_driver_intel_bt_7260_8260.zip
Version 19.02 Released 09/19/16
For Win7_64, Win8_64
- mb_driver_intel_bt_7260_8260.zip
- Chipset
- Gigabyte GA-X99-Designare EX Rev 1.0 Manual
- mb_manual_ga-x99-designare-ex_e.pdf
Version 1002 Released 01/06/17
- mb_manual_ga-x99-designare-ex_e.pdf
- Gigabyte GA-X99-Designare EX Rev 1.0 Firmware
- Thunderbolt
- mb_utility_thunderbolt-fw_x99-ex.zip
Version B16.0811.2 Released 08/11/16
For Win7_64, Win8_64, Win10_64
- mb_utility_thunderbolt-fw_x99-ex.zip
- Thunderbolt
- Gigabyte GA-X99-Designare EX Rev 1.0 BIOS
- mb_bios_ga-x99-designare-ex_f4c.zip
Version F4C Released 08/31/16
- mb_bios_ga-x99-designare-ex_f4c.zip
Configure a custom workstation with the Gigabyte GA-X99-Designare EX Rev 1.0.