Overall and Final Verdict
So the X299 SLI Plus ends up being in a weird spot. It isn’t really a budget board, you are still getting nearly all of the same features as the high-end X299 boards without all of the flashy fluff. It has a ton of USB connection options, both on the rear I/O and inside with 5 different USB headers. I really like the blacked out look as well as the inclusion of a rear I/O shield. This is from what I can tell the cleanest looking X299 board on the market. You even get a good BIOS and solid performance in all of our tests. For cons I didn’t really have any glaring issues when I first went through the board's features, I just would love to see WiFi be included. As a workstation board, I can see it being needed and I would gladly give up one of the two Intel NICs for it. I also think the VRM cooling might be pushing it if you plan on overclocking or running the upcoming high-end CPUs.
The reason the SLI Plus feels like it is in a weird place is because on any other platform this would be a high-end board. But with X299 it actually is a low to mid range board, with MSI just having one option below it. It is still a little too expensive for anyone looking at Kaby Lake X, not that I would even recommend looking at that. But it does end up being the low key value if you want a clean looking build on the X299 platform.
Pricing has the SLI Plus at $259.99 for the MSRP but it looks like X299 boards including this one are already getting some discounts less than a month after the launch. You can get this board for $229.99 on Amazon and for even less on Newegg when you include the mail in rebate. If you are planning a crazy off the wall build with the soon to be released $1000+ CPUs that Intel is bringing out to match ThreadRipper I don’t think this is the board. Paired with the 7800X or the 7820X though this might make for a powerful but clean looking build.
Live Pricing: HERE
