System Performance

Not all motherboards are created equal. On the face of it, they should all perform the same and differ only in the functionality they provide - however, this is not the case. The obvious pointers are power consumption, but also the ability for the manufacturer to optimize USB speed, audio quality (based on audio codec), POST time and latency. This can come down to manufacturing process and prowess, so these are tested.

Power Consumption

Power consumption was tested on the system while in a single GPU configuration with a wall meter connected to the Corsair HX 750 power supply. This power supply is Platinum rated. As I am in the US on a 120 V supply, leads to ~87% efficiency > 75W, and 92%+ efficiency at 375W, suitable for both idle and multi-GPU loading. This method of power reading allows us to compare the power management of the UEFI and the board to supply components with power under load, and includes typical PSU losses due to efficiency. These are the real world values that consumers may expect from a typical system (minus the monitor) using this motherboard.

While this method for power measurement may not be ideal, and you feel these numbers are not representative due to the high wattage power supply being used (we use the same PSU to remain consistent over a series of reviews, and the fact that some boards on our test bed get tested with three or four high powered GPUs), the important point to take away is the relationship between the numbers. These boards are all under the same conditions, and thus the differences between them should be easy to spot.

Power: Long Idle (w/ GTX 980)

Power: OS Idle (w/ GTX 980)

Power: Prime95 Blend (w/ GTX 980)

In our Long Idle testing, the EVGA X299 Micro used the 63W at the wall which is a margin of error difference next to the least power hungry board in the FTW K. OS Idle numbers were middle of the also tied for second using 68W. The load test, using a Prime 95 Blend load, yielded a 179W reading which was the least in the group by a few watts. The reason we see this result is due to the BIOS, by default, setting the AVX offset to -3 thus using less voltage and clock speed than the other boards who do not set this offset at stock.

Non UEFI POST Time

Different motherboards have different POST sequences before an operating system is initialized. A lot of this is dependent on the board itself, and POST boot time is determined by the controllers on board (and the sequence of how those extras are organized). As part of our testing, we look at the POST Boot Time using a stopwatch. This is the time from pressing the ON button on the computer to when Windows 10 starts loading. (We discount Windows loading as it is highly variable given Windows specific features.

Non UEFI POST Time

POST times for the Micro managed to be up there with the best of them at 25.1 seconds by default and 23.8 seconds when stripped. By default, the Micro has Fast Boot enabled which helps the times a bit, but this has a downside to it, by having a shorter time to enter the BIOS.

Rightmark Audio Analyzer 6.2.5

Rightmark:AA indicates how well the sound system is built and isolated from electrical interference (either internally or externally). For this test we connect the Line Out to the Line In using a short six inch 3.5mm to 3.5mm high-quality jack, turn the OS speaker volume to 100%, and run the Rightmark default test suite at 192 kHz, 24-bit. The OS is tuned to 192 kHz/24-bit input and output, and the Line-In volume is adjusted until we have the best RMAA value in the mini-pretest. We look specifically at the Dynamic Range of the audio codec used on board, as well as the Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise.

Due to circumstances currently out of our control, we were unable to get RMAA results for this board. The problem does not lie with the board itself. Once we are able to get it working properly, the space will be updated with data. 

DPC Latency

Deferred Procedure Call latency is a way in which Windows handles interrupt servicing. In order to wait for a processor to acknowledge the request, the system will queue all interrupt requests by priority. Critical interrupts will be handled as soon as possible, whereas lesser priority requests such as audio will be further down the line. If the audio device requires data, it will have to wait until the request is processed before the buffer is filled.

If the device drivers of higher priority components in a system are poorly implemented, this can cause delays in request scheduling and process time. This can lead to an empty audio buffer and characteristic audible pauses, pops and clicks. The DPC latency checker measures how much time is taken processing DPCs from driver invocation. The lower the value will result in better audio transfer at smaller buffer sizes. Results are measured in microseconds. 

Deferred Procedure Call Latency

DPC Latency is in the expected range, below 300 on the X299 platform. The Micro's result was towards the higher end of our group but within the expected range. This showcases one of the downsides of a HEDT system: while other platforms (like Z170) were getting under 100 regularly, the additional featureset of these large platforms results in a higher DPC Latency.

Benchmark Overview CPU Performance: Short Form
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  • casteve - Friday, February 9, 2018 - link

    "This showcases one of the downsides of a HEDT system: while other platforms (like Z170) were getting under 100 regularly, the additional featureset of these large platforms results in a higher DPC Latency."

    I don't think it's the feature set. It just showcases that Intel failed to optimize for DPC latency with this chipset. eg: z77 good dpc latency, z87 bad, z97 and 170 good... sometimes Intel is on the ball, sometimes it isn't.
  • jabber - Friday, February 9, 2018 - link

    Excellent, a X299 board for the over 25's!
  • wolfemane - Friday, February 9, 2018 - link

    Hey some of us over 25's are kids at heart... and have kids. I love RGB. I'd happily add RGB to a system with this board.
  • DanNeely - Friday, February 9, 2018 - link

    OTOH even at 18 I'd've probably been like "Really?!?!?" Other than being brushed aluminum when that was still far from common the case I used for the system built right after my 20th was mundane as they come.
  • Samus - Saturday, February 10, 2018 - link

    Ditto. Even when I was a teenager I preferred the look of my corporate-class Prolinea or industrial design of a boxy Lian-Li to something with a window and lights. The most adventurous thing I've done is put a LED in my water pump so I can tell when the coolant is flowing.
  • peevee - Friday, February 9, 2018 - link

    Isn't having only 2 memory slots defeats the purpose of X299-compatible CPUs?
  • DanNeely - Friday, February 9, 2018 - link

    It has 4, 2 on each side. It's still quad channel so you get the double bandwidth vs the mainstream dual channel CPUs. You're still down 50% on capacity; but between the larger socket size of LGA20xx (AMD Epyc with a ~3500 pin socket is even worse, to the extent that something like half the board for it are the even larger E-ATX form factor that's rarely been used outside of 2 socket boards in the past) and all the extra stuff the bigger CPUs can support there's not enough space on the PCB to do everything that the CPU itself could do on anything smaller than a full ATX. Micro ATX with these CPUs requires picking and choosing what features you need instead of just taking everything.
  • Samus - Saturday, February 10, 2018 - link

    Basically, if you need more than 32GB of memory, you are better off spending more on a bigger board because the cost of high-density DDR4 will effectively kill any cost savings. ie, 4x8GB DIMMs are substantially cheaper than 2x16GB DIMMs.
  • cosmotic - Friday, February 9, 2018 - link

    On the first page: "This specific review will cover the ASRock X299E-ITX/ac." (probably pasted from said review to this one, which is for an EVGA board)
  • Joe Shields - Monday, February 12, 2018 - link

    Updated.

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