If you aren’t into flashy builds or if you are building a PC to be used in an office environment it seems like it is getting harder and harder to find simple but feature filled motherboards. Thankfully a few of the manufacturers like MSI have Pro focused lines. This is especially important with X299, a platform that overall seems better focused on workstation builds. Well MSI just happened to send over the X299 SLI Plus from their Pro lineup and today I’m going to check it out and see what it has going on.
Product Name: MSI X299 SLI Plus
Review Sample Provided by: MSI
Written by: Wes Compton
Pictures by: Wes Compton
Amazon Affiliate Link: HERE
Specifications |
|
CPU Support |
Supports Intel® Core™ X-Series Processor Family for LGA2066 Socket |
Chipset |
Intel® X299 Chipset |
Memory |
• 8 x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 128GB • Quad channel memory architecture with the CPU that supports up to 4-channels DDR4** - X-series processor support DDR4 4133-2133 MHz • Dual channel memory architecture with the CPU that supports up to 2-channels DDR4** - X-series processor support DDR4 4500-2133 MHz • Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) |
Slots |
4 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots - Support x16/x16/x8 mode with the 44-lane CPU.* - Support x16/x8/x4 modes with the 28-lane CPU.* - Support x8/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4 modes with the 16-lane CPU.* • 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots |
Multi-GPU |
Supports NVIDIA® SLI™ Technology • Supports AMD® CrossFire™ Technology |
Storage |
• Intel® X299 Chipset • 8 x SATA 6Gb/s ports* • 2 x M.2 slot (Key M) - Supports up to PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA 6Gb/s - M2_1 slot supports 2242/ 2260 /2280 storage devices - M2_2 slot supports 2242/ 2260 /2280/ 22110 storage devices - Supports Intel® Optane™ Memory Ready for all M.2 slots • 1 x U.2 port *** - Supports PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe storage • Supports Intel® Smart Response Technology for Intel Core™ processors |
RAID |
• Intel® X299 Chipset - Supports RAID 0, RAID1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 for SATA storage devices - Supports RAID 0 and RAID1 for M.2 PCIe storage devices* * M.2 PCIe RAID volume can be created with M.2/Optane Genie. Please refer to user manual for Creating a M.2 PCIe SSD RAID with M.2/Optane Genie. |
USB |
• ASMedia® ASM3142 Chipset - 3 x USB 3.1 Gen2 (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps) ports (1 Type-A port and 1 Type-C port on the back panel, 1 Type-C port available through the internal USB connector) • ASMedia® ASM1074 Hub - 3 x USB 3.1 Gen1 (SuperSpeed USB) ports on the back panel • Intel® X299 Chipset - 5 x USB 3.1 Gen1 (SuperSpeed USB) ports (1 Type-A port on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB connectors) - 8 x USB 2.0 (High-speed USB) ports (4 Type-A ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB connectors) |
Audio |
• Realtek® ALC1220 Codec - 7.1-Channel High Definition Audio - Supports S/PDIF output |
LAN |
• 1 x Intel® I219-V Gigabit LAN controller • 1 x Intel® I211 Gigabit LAN controller |
Internal I/O Connectors |
- 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector - 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector - 8 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors - 2 x USB 2.0 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 2.0 ports) - 2 x USB 3.1 Gen1 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 3.1 Gen1 ports) - 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port - 1 x 4-pin CPU fan connector - 1 x 4-pin Water Pump connector - 4 x 4-pin system fan connectors - 2 x Front panel connectors - 1 x Front panel audio connector - 1 x RGB LED connector - 1 x TPM module connector - 1 x Virtual RAID on CPU connector - 1 x Thunderbolt add-on card connector |
Back Panel I/O Ports |
- 1 x Clear CMOS button - 1 x BIOS FLSAHBACK+ button - 1 x PS/2 keyboard/ mouse combo port - 1 x BIOS FLASHBACK+ port - 4 x USB 2.0 Type-A ports - 1 x BIOS FLASHBACK+ port - 4 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports - 2 x LAN (RJ45) ports - 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A port - 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port - 5 x OFC audio jacks - 1 x Optical S/PDIF OUT connector |
Dimension |
• 12 in. x 9.6 in. (30.5 cm x 24.3 cm) • ATX Form Factor |
Mounting |
9 mounting holes |
Rear I/O |
Clear CMOS Button Keyboard / Mouse USB 2.0 Dual Intel® LAN Golden Audio Connectors BIOS Flashback Button USB 2.0 / BIOS Flashback+ USB 3.1 Gen1 USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A/C Optical S/PDIF-Out |