MSI X99S Gaming 9 AC Motherboard Review

Features and Motherboard Layout

Features

Courtesy of MSI

• Supports New Intel® Core™ i7 processors Extreme Edition in LGA 2011-3 socket
• Supports Quad Channel DDR4-3333(OC) Memory
• Turbo M.2 : Delivering next generation M.2 Gen3 x4 performance with transfer speeds up to 32 Gb/s
• SATA Express + USB 3.0 + SATA 6Gb/s
• Streaming Engine: Fantastic Full HD hardware streaming at 60 Mbps without impacting CPU performance
• Multi-GPU: 4-Way NVIDIA SLI & AMD CrossFire Support
• OC Engine: Reach higher overclocking results with more flexible BCLK adjustments at 100/125/167MHz.
• Audio Boost 2: Reward Your Ears with True Quality
• Killer Ethernet: Kill Your Lag
• USB Audio Power: Super Stable 5V Power & Better Signal Transmission over USB
• XSplit Gamecaster: Show off you skills to the world with a 2 year premium license for this popular streaming software
• Guard-Pro: Improved Protection and Power Efficiency
• OC Genie 4: Overclock in 1 Second
• Gaming App: Boost your framerate
• Click BIOS 4: Easily Fine-tune Your System
• Sound Blaster Cinema 2: Benefit from Creative software to get a more realistic surround sound experience
• Gaming Device Port: Optimized with Triple Gold-plating for High Polling Rate Gaming Devices
• Wi-Fi 802.11AC with speeds up to 867Mbps, Bluetooth 4.0

Motherboard Layout

MSI designed their X99S Gaming 9 AC board in-line with their Dragon Series flare, featuring a black board and components with red highlights on its on-board heat sinks. Additionally, they integrated a metal overlay on top of the audio components, as well as including an aluminum I/O cover for the rear panel assembly. Both overlays are flat black covered to match the board's style. The E-ATX sizing of the board allowed MSI to provide more than adequate space around all of the integrated components.

The backside of the X99S Gaming 9 AC is mostly free of components with the exception of some chips associated with the Streaming Engine related circuitry on the top side of the board. The area directly surrounding the CPU socket is completely free of components with a thin metal plate protecting the circuitry underneath the CPU VRMs and chokes The metal plate also acts as a secondary heat dissipation path for the CPU power circuitry.

MSI included the following ports into the X99S Gaming 9 AC's rear panel: a keyboard / mouse PS/2 port, 2 USB 2.0 ports (red colored), 2 USB 3.0 ports controlled by the Intel X99 chipset (located just under the GigE NIC port), 4 USB 3.0 ports controlled by the VIA controller (located to the right of the CMOS reset button), 2 USB 3.0 ports controlled by the ASMedia controller (located to the left of the GigE NIC port), a Qualcomm Atheros Killer NIC port (outside RJ-45 port), a CMOS reset button, an optical audio port, and 6 analogue audio ports. Note that the red-colored analogue audio port is wired through the integrated OP-AMPs for use with audio headphones. Plugging the Wi-Fi card into the rear panel adds dual 802.11ac / Bluetooth ports. The included rear panel port cover completely covers the rear panel ports without inhibiting their use or function.

The X99s Gaming 9 AC motherboard has a total of five PCI-Express device ports – five PCI-Express x16 slots only. For the integrated PCIe x16 slots, the board supports full x16 bandwidth with a single card populated for any CPU. For a 28-lane CPU, the board supports x16-x8 bandwidth with dual cards, x8-x8-x8 with three cards, and x8-x8-x8-x4 with four cards populated. For a 40-lane CPU, the board supports x16 bandwidth with dual cards, x16-x16-x8 with three cards, x8-x8-x16-x8 with four cards, and x8 across all slots with five cards populated. In between the primary and secondary PCIe x16 slots are the CMOS battery and integrated Streaming Engine chipset. MSI integrated an AVerMedia-based HD media streaming solution into the board, capable of streaming in-game content at a 1080p resolution and a steady 60 Mbps bitrate.

The X99S Gaming 9 AC includes an audio solution built on an isolated PCB to minimize noise and crosstalk from other integrated components. The audio components are covered by a black aluminum overlay with the PCB separator line and audio chipset cover illuminated in red when the board is powered. The Direct Power Audio switch, front panel audio header, and Direct Audio Power connector are to the left of the audio chipset. and switch, and the power, reset, and OC Genie buttons. The Direct Audio Power connector provides additional power to drive the OP-AMP circuits tied to the dedicated headphone audio port. You simply plug in the provided adapter to the port on the board and into a MOLEX connector from the PSU. The additional power is provided to the audio circuits when the Direct Audio Power switch is enabled (switch toggled to the right).

Along the lower left of the fifth PCIe x16 slot are the front panel audio header, the Direct Audio Power connector, a system fan header, a trusted module platform header, the CMOS reset jumper (JBAT1), and the Slow Mode switch. When enabled (switch set to the down position), The Slow Mode Booting switch is used in conjunction with LN2-based cooling to force the board to boot at a slower and more stable CPU speed for testing.

The trusted module port header, the Slow Mode switch, and two on-board USB 2.0 headers located to the lower left of PCI Express x16 slot 5. Note that both on board USB 3.0 headers are controlled by the X99 chipset controller. In between PCIe slot 4 and 5 is the PCIe x4 M.2 slot. The slot supports PCIe-based SSDs sized from 40mm to 80mm.

The front panel headers, the Multi-BIOS switch, on of the Intel X99-controlled USB 3.0 headers, a chassis intrusion header, a system fan header, and the diagnostic LED are located in the lower left corner of board. The Multi-BIOS switch determines which BIOS chip is active at boot time. This feature is useful if your primary BIOS chip becomes corrupted. You simply power down the system, switch to the secondary BIOS chip, and reboot into system setup. The diagnostic LED display can be used in conjunction with the table provided in the user manual to identify and troubleshoot board boot-related issues.

The Intel X99 chipset is covered by large black heat sink with red highlights, located just below the PCIe x16 slots. The heatsink is embossed with the MSI corporate logo as well as the Dragon Gaming Series brand logo. The heat sink Dragon Gaming logo glows white when the board is powered with the power cord plugged into a header to the right of the sink.

MSI integrated eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports and a single SATA Express 10 Gb/s port located just under the chipset cooler, all controlled by the Intel X99 controller. The SATA Express ports are automatically disabled when an M.2 device is installed in the on-board M.2 PCIe slot.

The eight DDR4 memory slots frame the CPU socket, four directly beneath the CPU socket and four directly above it. Quad Channel memory mode is enabled with memory modules seated in slots 1 and 3 in the upper set and slots 5 and 7 in the lower set. Slot 1 in the upper set is the top-most slot, while slot 5 in the lower set is the bottom-most slot. The board supports up to 128GB of memory running at a maximum speed of 3333MHz. Note that memory speeds above 2133MHz are considered overclocked speeds and are outside of the official Intel stock memory speed specifications. To the lower left of the lower set of DIMM slots are one of the on-board Intel X99-controlled USB 3.0 headers, a system fan header, and the 24-pin ATX power connector.

To the lower left of lower set of DIMM slots are the power, reset, and OC Genie buttons, V-Check voltage measurement points, the OC Genie Mode switch, and the CPU fan header. The V-Check voltage measurement points allow for direct board voltage measurement using a volt meter using the included connector cables. The OC Genie button invokes the automated overclocking engine, enacting the preset profile selected based on the OC Genie Mode switch position. In the gear 1 position (up), the default overclocking presets are enabled, indicated by a blue LED. When the switch is moved to the gear 2 position (down), the aggressive overclocking presets are enabled, indicated by a red LED. A secondary CPU fan header is located to the upper left of the upper set of DIMM slots.

The CPU socket ares is fully clear of obstructions, allowing for use of most CPU coolers. The socket is framed above and below by DIMM slots and on its right by the CPU VRM heat sink. MSI integrated a total of eight digital power phases to ensure board stability under all operating conditions. The VRM heat sink is attached to a heat sink just above the upper set of DIMM slots by a heat pipe.

MSI includes dual ATX12V power ports on the X99S Gaming 9 AC, an 8-pin power connector and a 4-pin power connector. The VRM heat sink was formed so it doe not inhibit use of either power connector.