Aquantia AQtion Controller Powers ASRock Motherboard

By Paula Bernier
Executive Editor, TMC

A new motherboard from ASRock is taking gaming to the next level. This solution is called the Fatal1ty X299 Professional Gaming i9. And it’s a multi-gigabit solution designed to work with Intel’s Core X series HEDT processors.

The ASRock Fatal1ty X299 Professional Gaming i9 solution falls into the extreme or workstation-grade category, explains an AnandTech article by Anton Shilov that posted today. This solution is “aimed at systems that run processors with 10 or more cores, feature multiple graphics cards” and rely on up to a dozen storage devices, Shilov writes.

ASRock, with this new motherboard, delivers a product with a 10 GbE port, 130-phase digital VRM, multiple PCIe slots, and a Wi-Fi module. It has eight DDR4 DIMM slots. Three of its four PCIe 3.0 x 16 slots can be used for graphic cards; the other can be used for an SSD or other devices.

According to Shilov, a key selling point of the ASRock Fatal1ty X299 Professional Gaming i9 motherboard is its Aquantia (News - Alert) AQtion 10 Gb/s Ethernet controller, which supports 2.5G and 5G operation. “Installing this specific controller on a motherboard that is priced significantly below $500 makes a great deal of sense, as 10 GbE infrastructure (routers, switches) is still very expensive for most users (even those who buy Intel (News - Alert) Core X-series CPEs), whereas 2.5G and 5G equipment promises to be a lot cheaper,” Shilov says.

That is noteworthy because, as Aquantia explains, applications like enterprise backup based on local network attach storage, image rendering, large database transfers, multi-core simulations, and more are pushing the limits of legacy gigabit Ethernet connectivity. So Aquantia recently rolled out its AQrate technology, which can deliver multi-gigabit Ethernet over copper cables like Cat5e ones. And now the company offers the AQtion controller solution, which supports multi-gigabit speeds.

 “We are now delivering the last piece of the puzzle in enterprise, gaming, and SMB networks, the multi-gigabit client connectivity,” Kamal Dalmia, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Aquantia, recently commented. “Targeting the hundreds of millions of high-performance machines selling every year worldwide and their upgrade to the multi-gig speeds is exciting and has caught the attention of major OEMs.”