Those with 28-PCIe-lane CPUs and lots of components should look elsewhere. But buyers with 44-lane chips should consider the ROG Strix x299-E.

The idea of a $300 board being mainstream might sound ludicrous, but entry-level X299 boards cost around $200, and Intel’s high-end desktop series is designed for big spenders. Mid-level might be a better term for this price, and the Asus ROG Strix X299-E Gaming (which sells for at or just under $300 when we wrote this) gets there with a combination of dual USB 3.1 Gen2 controllers, a 867Gb/s Wi-Fi module, enhanced overclocking and competitive RGB lighting features.