MSI X299 XPower Gaming AC Motherboard Pictured

[btarunr]

Here's the first picture of MSI's flagship socket LGA2066 motherboard, the MSI X299 XPower Gaming AC. It features a polarizing silvery/white design, which you'll either love or hate. Built in the ATX form-factor (well, midway between ATX and E-ATX), the board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX, 4-pin ATX, 8-pin EPS, and an optional 4-pin Molex. A 14-phase VRM conditions it for the CPU, which is wired to eight DDR4 DIMM slots, and four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x16/NC/x16/NC or x16/NC/x8/x8 or x8/x8/x8/x8).

Can you imagine five M.2 SSDs in your rig? MSI can, and besides three 32 Gb/s M.2 slots on the board (two 110 mm and one 80 mm), an included PCIe 3.0 x8 riser card gives you two additional 110 mm 32 Gb/s slots. Other storage options include a 32 Gb/s U.2 port, and ten SATA 6 Gb/s. The board supports NVMe RAID and Optane. Networking is care of two Intel i219-V driven GbE interfaces, and an Intel-driven 802.11ac WLAN with Bluetooth 4.1 connection. MSI Mystic Light RGB software marshals not just a splattering of RGB LEDs all over the board, but also an "art in motion" LED ornament on the PCH heatsink.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Caring1]

The silver plastic bits just cheapen it and make it look tacky, also the LED's need a dimmer switch.

 

[Chaitanya]

The silver plastic bits just cheapen it and make it look tacky, also the LED's need a dimmer switch.

Worse is that m.2 shield below 1st PCI-E slot. It few millimeters away from blocking that 2nd slot.

 

[Kronvict]

I sure hope this isn't their flagship model and a Godlike or similar will be coming out. Not liking this color scheme at all.

 

[bogami]

Beast! but how can it have such a high class board so a basic audio. The frame looks very cheap and plastic. Great addition part 2x M.2 .

 

[Ubersonic]

Head designer: Hmm, we should probably consider that some customers will want to use more than three laptop NVMe drives, better add a two drive expansion card!
Assistant designer: Great idea sir, and for desktop NVMe drives?
Head designer: Add a U.2 port!
Assistant designer: Just one sir?
Head designer: And TEN SATA ports for the lols!

 

[MagnuTron]

Good god.. What are the designers thinking.

 

[Nuckles56]

Put some better looking plastic parts on the board or better yet, aluminium for the areas that need it and leave the rest and then this board might have a chance

 

[PLAfiller]

Reactor Core Two Point Oh.

 

[Duality92]

At least they went with the adjustable 2066 socket versus the fixed one, this will please LN2 benchers.

 

[ypsylon]

We should have Award for the most kitsch piece of hardware in each category.

This one wins the motherboard category hands down (& up!).