EVGA X299 Micro Motherboard Review

Sandra is a software collection of synthetic benchmarks that will give us a basic idea as to what a system is capable of. It should be noted that SiSoft numbers change depending on what hardware is being tested.  These were recorded using Sandra Professional Version 24.43.2017.10

One of the most difficult things about doing reviews is finding some kind of common ground to establish a benchmark on so that when we say something is good our readers know it is based on something they can try themselves.  In the case of audio reproduction there are too many factors to consider such as hearing quality, sound equipment (speakers) and room dimensions so we are turning to the RightMark Audio Analyzer to give us a set of audio specs.  We will then use those numbers to determine what kind of audio quality you can expect.

This test was performed using a loopback cable which is basically a jack that connects the analog line-out plug back into the analog line-in.  That way we can remove almost all of the variables and concentrate on what is actually being reproduced and recorded.

Specs
Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB: +0.07, -0.46
Noise level, dB (A):  -36.1
Dynamic range, dB (A): 79.1
THD, %:  0.0077
THD + Noise, dB (A):  -24.0
IMD + Noise, %:  6.214
Stereo crosstalk, dB:-98.0
IMD at 10 kHz, %: 0.0076
General performance Good

Color coding indicates good to bad, Bright green = Excellent - Bright Red = Poor - Black = Good

Synthetic performance never really tells the entire story, but is a good indication of what the system would probably be capable of doing under the right conditions.  For this set of benchmarks I mixed up the performance spectrum a bit to represent all of the major platforms.  X299 is the focus while X99 is what most of you would be upgrading from followed by the popular Z270 Kaby Lake combo for a mainstream approach.  As you can expect the monster Core i9 7900X has power to spare and will naturally pull ahead when it comes to processing performance however, when it comes to memory things tend to settle down a bit.

The Rightmark audio benchmark is a great tool for exposing audio specs for the various chips and software used and read much like if you were buying an amplifier or sound system for your house.  It is rather sad to see a “Good” rating for sound quality when the board shares an audio design with other EVGA motherboards.  Maybe it has to do with the more compact design.

 Measuring audio performance usually comes down drivers and how they are configured for the test.  For the best results the input and output frequencies are matched with audio enhancements disabled, assuming the driver supports doing that.