21/02/2026
PCGuys Pick of the Week: Machinist X99 MR9 Pro Motherboard
We've been building with Machinist X99 boards for a while now and we trust the brand. The MR9 Pro is their strongest version of this platform yet, and this week it's our pick for any DIY builder who wants serious compute without serious money.
Here's the deal. This board runs Intel's LGA 2011-3 socket, which means Xeon E5 V3 and V4 processors (up to 22 cores) and high-end Core i7 5th and 6th gen chips. No i3, i5, or budget options, this was always a workstation and server platform, which is exactly why second hand Xeons for it are so cheap right now. You can build a 12 or 14 core machine for genuinely silly money if you know where to look, and we can help with that.
The memory situation is where it really shines. Quad-channel DDR4, up to 128GB, and it takes ECC Registered RAM from decommissioned servers that's flooding the second hand market right now. We're talking 64GB for what 16GB of new desktop RAM costs. For video editing, rendering, or running a home lab with Proxmox or ESXi, that headroom is a game changer.
Storage is well sorted too. Two M.2 NVMe slots at PCIe 3.0 x4 speed, four SATA 3.0 ports, and a third M.2 slot for a WiFi card. The VRM is better than you'd expect at this price, using MOSFET triplets rather than the cheaper doubler design you get on entry level X99 boards, it handles CPUs up to 140W TDP without drama.
It's not a plug and play board, you need a bit of confidence to build with it. But if you do, it rewards you with a platform that punches well above its weight.
Available via our partner link below, or get in touch if you want it built into a full system. We also stock components directly so check with us before you go elsewhere.
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c2J4omOR
