MSI X99S Gaming 9 AC Motherboard Review

CPU Cooler Fit & Included Accessories

CPU Cooler Fit

To test the amount of space surrounding the CPU socket, we mounted a Noctua NH-D15 cooler to the CPU socket. This behemoth CPU air cooler sports a dual fan construction and two huge vertical cooling towers.

Noctua NH-D15

With the NH-D15 oriented to blow air towards the back of the case, the cooler fits within the space constraints of the CPU socket area, not conflicting with either the VRM cooler or the front or back set of memory slots. The one conflict is in using a video card in the primary PCIe x16 slot. With this large of a cooler, you are physically unable to use a card in the primary slot, forcing the use of the PCIe x16 slot 2 as the primary. This is a common issue with the majority of Intel X99-based boards because of the physical space requirements in integrated four to five PCIe x16 slots.

Looking at the cooler from the side views, it becomes readily apparent how well MSI designed the space around teh CPU socket to accommodate larger coolers without sacrificing memory slot utility.

Noctua SecureFirm2 mounting system

Noctua's SecureFirm2 mounting system is a good method to quickly determine how well the CPU socket laid out to accommodate a larger cooler. The mount easily fits within the allocated space, without coming into contact with any of the surrounding components or impeding use of either of the memory slot sets.

Included Accessories

MSI includes in everything you need to get the board up and running with accessories for supporting the board's more esoteric features.

MSI included several manuals with the X99S Gaming 9 AC board, including a user guide detailing out motherboard setup and features, a software and application user guide, and a quick setup guide. Several disks are included for installing all necessary driver and support software as well.

The rear panel shield has a flat black base with port identifying text and icons colored red to match the board's color scheme with a Dragon Gaming Series logo prominently placed over the USB port cutouts. The audio port highlighted in red designates the dedicated headphone port for use with the headphone specific audio circuitry integrated into the audio subsystem's design. The red text and icons may be hard to see under certain lighting conditions however.

MSI included a total of six 6Gb/s rated SATA cables for use with the integrated port. The cables have integrated port locks and a mix of straight and 90 degree connectors.

For multi-GPU use, MSI includes a two 2-way NVIDIA SLI cables.

For use with the on-board front panel headers, MSI included their M-Connector plugs. You simply plug the front panel plugs into the M-Connector and plug the M-Connector into the appropriate board header. It makes installation the front panel plugs much easier.

The included V-Check cables plug into the ports in the V-Check Point assembly to give easy access for measuring board voltages directly. Instead of having to stick multi-meter leads directly into the assembly block, you attach them to these extension cables.

MSI also includes a rear panel eSATA port bracket with MOLEX power and two eSATA ports integrated. All cables required for use of the bracket are packaged as well.

For 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality, MSI includes an add-in card that plugs into a header located in the board's rear panel assembly, adding dual antenna ports to the rear panel. The add-in card features an Intel Dual-Band 802.11ac 7260 mPCIe card with support for Intel WiDi technology, dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity.

For use with the dual-band 802.11ac PCIe add-in card, MSI included two 802.11ac-rated antennas. The antennas can be rotated in a 90 degree radius for optimal signal reception.

For powering the integrated audio hardware directly from the PSU, MSI includes an audio power adapter. You plug one end into the Direct Audio Power connector on the board and the other into a 4-pin MOLEX from the PSU. The audio Power switch must be set to the Direct Power mode settings for power to be drawn from the port however.

The IO Cover is a black anodized aluminum cover that fits over the rear panel assembly to give the board a clear look from the inside. The panel is stamped with the board name on top and has rubber padding along the inside to minimize electrical contact and shorting of any connections. The panel is held in place with two motherboard mounting screws – you can use the ones included or the ones that come with your case.

MSI also includes an Dragon Gaming-themed door knob hanger, a foldout wall poster, SATA cable labels, and a Dragon Gaming Series case badge.