After a long wait, Asus has finally announced a new Deluxe version of an X79 motherboard -- plainly called the X79-Deluxe. The motherboard uses the LGA2011 socket and is built specifically for the Ivy Bridge-E CPUs. To be clear, this is not the older P9X79-Deluxe. The motherboard has been reviewed by TheTechReport, though we haven't seen an official press release yet.
The motherboard has a 10-phase VRM circuit, which is powered by a single 8-pin EPS connector. The motherboard draws its power from a 24-pin ATX connector. Regarding memory, users will find a total of eight memory slots (supporting up to 64 GB of DDR3 memory), as well as four PCIe 3.0 x16 slots and two PCIe 2.0 x1 slots.
Regarding its appearance, the motherboard has adopted the new gold-colored scheme that Asus has, so it is no longer blue. As such, the motherboard's PCB is black; the heatsinks are gold.
Connectivity is extensive, as we're accustomed to from Asus' Deluxe motherboards. The motherboard's rear I/O features four USB 2.0 ports, six USB 3.0 ports (an additional two can be found through an onboard header), two Gigabit Ethernet ports, two eSATA ports, connectors for the 802.11ac WiFi module, 7.1 channel HD audio, an optical TOSLINK output, and a CMOS reset switch. On the motherboard itself users will find eight SATA3 ports as well as another four SATA2 ports. A number of USB 2.0 headers are also present.
The motherboard is said to become available starting next week, and it should carry an MSRP of $349.99.
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