MSI X99S MPower Motherboard Review

[Crashman]

MSI know that if you’re going to hype a feature, it had better work under most configurations. The X99S MPower gets there by lane switching, but does it have enough added features to breach the $300 class?

MSI X99S MPower Motherboard Review : Read more

 

[dovah-chan]

Have you guys gotten a sample of the X99S SLI Plus? I'm pretty interested in it because of its matte black scheme. Also it's a nicely priced board (for 2011-3 standards) that has guaranteed support for Xeons and ECC RAM.

Maybe a throw down between it and Asus's X99-E WS for what board takes the workstation crown?

 

[Crashman]

Yes, the SLI Plus arrived late for the roundup that included the Gaming 7. Since the Gaming 7 had arrived on time, the substitute model is still sitting in the intake bin

 

[ElHarry]

PCIe 3.0 switches are not really minor components. They may not be very exciting, but they are a pain in the as to work with.

 

[Wizard5678]

I like these motherboards and I have enjoyed your site content. Where else can someone source these items?

 

[Wizard5678]

There is another source here: http://pcsdesign.ca/Products/Motherboards

 

[Crashman]

PCIe 3.0 switches are not really minor components. They may not be very exciting, but they are a pain in the as to work with.

They're inexpensive (the ones that don't have logic) and available on cheap Z97 motherboards, so one would think that implementing them on an X99 board (rather than shutting things off) would be a priority.

 

[Ctsephion]

Am I the only one that thinks they're capitalizing on the Metro series' font type?

 

[RedJaron]

I've thought that a few times as well.

 

[d3stroyah]

mobo reviews are so useless..like ones for ram modules..

 

[RedJaron]

mobo reviews are so useless..like ones for ram modules..

Why do you say that?

 

[drwhimsy]

it has been suggested in other sources that the M is subject to an extensive burn-in and that it has the pick of components vs. the S, any confirmation?

 

[MSIGeno]

Hey MSI Geno here,

The X/M power series motherboards do go through a more rigorous testing phase and burn-in to ensure OC capabilities as well as stability. I am unsure if they cherry pick the best components for each of the X/M power series boards, but all of them use components that are of high quality to ensure the highest standards

 

[KurtM]

I see that MSI has just released the X99A MPower with 2 USB 3.1 ports. In the block diagram in their manual (p.1-7), it shows the ASMedia ASM1142 USB 3.1 chip connected to the X99 PCH by an x1 PCIe connection. Is this correct? If so, then it will not be able to run at full USB 3.1 speed. Your Jan 21st article testing USB 3.1 on the MSI X99A Gaming 9 ACK, and the block diagram in their manual for this MB shows a PCIe x2 connection to the ASM1142 chip. Is this just a mistake in their manual for the X99A MPower, or did they take a shortcut that cripples the USB 3.1 implementation?

 

[Crashman]

I see that MSI has just released the X99A MPower with 2 USB 3.1 ports. In the block diagram in their manual (p.1-7), it shows the ASMedia ASM1142 USB 3.1 chip connected to the X99 PCH by an x1 PCIe connection. Is this correct? If so, then it will not be able to run at full USB 3.1 speed. Your Jan 21st article testing USB 3.1 on the MSI X99A Gaming 9 ACK, and the block diagram in their manual for this MB shows a PCIe x2 connection to the ASM1132 chip. Is this just a mistake in their manual for the X99A MPower, or did they take a shortcut that cripples the USB 3.1 implementation?

In this case I'd differ to the manual and use it to criticize the feature. But you're right, I should have hardware to test USB 3.1 implementation. What hardware would you suggest?

 

[KurtM]

You could use the ASMedia ASM1352R development board used in the USB 3.1 Performance test article (Toms Hardware, Jan 21, 2015) -
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/usb-3.1-performance-benchmark,4037.html

 

[Crashman]

You could use the ASMedia ASM1352R development board used in the USB 3.1 Performance test article (Toms Hardware, Jan 21, 2015) -
I]http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/usb-3.1-performance-benchmark,4037.html

I guess I can ask Chis if he still has it