MSI X99S Gaming 9 AC Motherboard Review

Overclocking and Conclusion

Overclocking

To give a feel for the overclocking performance potential of the X99S Gaming 9 AC motherboard, we attempted to push it to known CPU-supported performance parameters with minimal tweaking. We were easily able to get the board running stable for over 4hrs at a 4.50GHz CPU speed, a 2400MHz memory speed, and a 4.0GHz ring bus speed with a 100MHz base clock. Try as we might, we could not get the system stable with a 125MHz base clock speed however. Additionally, memory speed would not stabilize at any speeds above 2400MHz. System stability was tested running the AIDA64 stability test in conjunction with EVGA's OC Scanner X graphical benchmark running at 1280×1024 resolution and 8x MSAA in stress test mode. Note that 32GB (4 x 8GB) of Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR3-2666 memory modules were used for the overclocking tests.

Note that this is is meant only as a quick preview of the board's performance potential. With more time to tweak the settings to a greater extent, pushing to a higher base clock and ring bus speed may have been achievable, in addition to an overnight stability run without issue.

Performance

The MSI X99S Gaming 9 AC motherboard performed well at both stock and overclocked speeds with no stability issues encountered. Board performance remained in-line with similarly classed boards during all subsystem and benchmark test runs as well.

Pricing

As of October 15, the MSI X99S Gaming 9 AC motherboard was available at Amazon.com for $406.10 with Prime shipping. The board was also available from Newegg.com for $428.79.

Conclusion

The MSI X99S Gaming 9 AC motherboard is another crowning achievement for MSI, combining innovations from their previous board lines with the raw power embodied in the Intel X99 chipset. I quickly became enamored with the board after its initial unboxing, its sleek black and red highlighted design appealing to my inner computer enthusiast. Aesthetically, MSI put a lot of thought in to the implementation an layout of this board. The armor overlay sitting on top of the audio components and I/O cover give the board a nice and uniform appearance. Once powered, the board becomes even slicker looking with its glowing Dragon logo embedded in the chipset heat sink and red glowing audio PCB separator and chipset. The red glow gives the board an under-lit appearance along the back edge as well, adding too its allure. Layout-wise, MSI did a good job keep the component well spaced out and usable, owed in large part to the board's E-ATX stature. The board performed like a champ as well, easily taking whatever was thrown its way. The inclusion of the MSI Streaming Engine hardware and the 802.11ac wireless is the cherry on top of a nicely designed board.

With most every board, there are some things that could be tweaked the X99S Gaming 9 AC is no exception. The lack of PCIe x4 or x1 slots was a surprising find, but understandable given the space constraints of the layout considering the locations of the Streaming Engine chipset and M.2 PCIe SSD slot. The CMOS battery location along the upper edge of the primary PCIe x16 slot was also questionable, since the battery is inaccessible with a card populating that slot. Overclocking-wise, the board did manage a respectable showing even if it could not run the memory at its rated 2666MHz speed or hit the anticipated 125Hz base clock strap value. The Intel X99 chipset is still maturing though, and I'm sure that with time, these issues will be easily addressed.

Strengths

• Stock performance
• Overclocking potential
• Board aesthetics
• Board layout and design
• Audio overlay and I/O panel cover design
• Motherboard manual details and quality
• UEFI BIOS design and usability
• Performance integrated Killer NIC
• Integrated CMOS reset jumper
• Integrated AVerMedia-based Streaming Engine chipset

Weaknesses

• CMOS battery placement
• lack of PCIe x1 or x4 slots
• Lack of second wired GigE NIC
• Inability to boot memory at 2666MHz or with 125MHz base clock speeds