MSI X299 Tomahawk, Intel X299 motherboard socket 2066 [7B05-001R]

 This chip set, with the code name "Lewisburg", is a true all-rounder thanks to its up to 30 HSIO lanes (high-speed input / output) as well as the maximum 24 PCIe Express 3.0 lanes to be used Connections.

The features of the MSI X299 Tomahawk at a glance:

4 x PCIe (3.0) x16 (2 x x16 / 1 x x8 / 1 x x4)
3 × USB 3.1 (1 × Type C / 1 × Type A / 1 × internal)
8 × USB 3.0 (4 × Type A / 4 × Internal) & 7 × USB 2.0 (3 × Type A / 4 × internal)
2 × M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4) / 1 × U.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4) / 8 × SATA 6G
8 × DIMM slots for DDR4-RAM (max. 128 GB with 28 or 44 Lane CPU)
MSI Mystic Light RGB LED lighting
The MSI X299 Tomahawk in detail

The MSI X299 Tomahawk is a well equipped enthusiast motherboard in ATX format, suitable for power users and hardware fools who have chosen an X299 & Skylake-X or Kaby Lake-X team. The extremely stylish black board has four PCIe x16 slots, two of which are connected to the chipset with full 16 lanes, while the other two are electrically connected with eight or four data lines. This makes it possible to use NVIDIA 3-Way SLI or AMD 3-Way CrossFireX configurations when using a 28 or 44 Lane CPU.

Equipped with a total of eight DIMM slots for DDR4 memory, all CPUs with 28 or 44 data lines can be used in quad-channel mode and up to a maximum capacity of 128 GB. A CPU with 16 lanes supports the dual-channel operation of four slots with a maximum capacity of 64 GB. Officially DDR4 modules with up to 2.666 MHz can be used, whereby after overclocking also considerably higher clock rates are possible: 4.266 MHz!

For data carriers, the board provides an extensive set-up with two M.2 slots for particularly fast NVMe M.2 SSDs, a U.2 slot for NVE SSDs and eight SATA 6G connectors for 3.5 " Or 2.5-inch hard drives and SSDs (including RAID support). The M.2 ports and the U.2 port are connected to the chipset via four PCIe lanes in the 3.0 standard and, combined with the NVMe protocol, enable a data transfer rate of just under 4 GB / s. Thus, M.2 PCIe SSDs are up to eight times faster than SATA 6G SSDs! In addition, an M.2 slot is equipped with a so-called M.2 shield, which reduces the heat generation on the modules and thus does not lose power.

External connections

On the I / O panel of this performance motherboard, there are numerous useful connections to make life easier for the user. In addition to a new type-C USB 3.1 port, which is particularly thin and can be plugged in at both ends, the board has a further downward compatible USB 3.1 port. Thanks to the ASMedia 3142 USB 3.1 controller, even maximum speeds of up to 16 Gbps are achieved, which is more than three times as fast as conventional USB 3.0 connections. Of course, the board also has four USB 3.0 and three USB 2.0 ports for input devices and other gaming peripherals.

For unlimited network connectivity, the X299 Tomahawk also has an Intel Gigabit LAN port to provide a lag-free gaming experience. The Realtek ALC1220 Codec and the five audio ports with gold-plated connectors, which are supplemented by an optical S / PDIF-out connector, provide for neat sound. In addition, a classic PS / 2 port for keyboard or mouse is included in the I / O panel.

Other equipment

The special features of the MSI X299 Tomahawk include an extensive RGB LED lighting based on MSI Mystic Light. In addition to numerous lighting zones directly on the board, you can also connect several LED strips and also control them perfectly via the Msytic-Light software. The virtually endless colors and numerous effects can be selected, is now almost a matter of course. The X299 Tomahawk also provides an M.2 slot (Key-E) for optional WLAN / BT modules.

Technische Details:

Format:
ATX Formfaktor (30,5 x 24,4 cm)
Chipsatz:
Intel X299 ("Lewisburg")
Sockel:
2066 (für Intel-CPUs der Skylake-X und Kaby Lake-X Generation)
RAM:
8× DDR4 (Skylake-X: DDR4-2.666; bis zu 128 GB mit einer CPU mit 44 oder 28 Lanes)
4× DDR4 (Kabylake-X: DDR4-2.666; bis zu 64 GB mit einer CPU mit 16 Lanes)
Quad-Channel (Skylake-X; unterstützt bei CPUs mit 44 oder 28 Lanes)
Dual-Channel (Kabylake-X; unterstützt bei CPUs mit 16 Lanes)
Slots (physisch):
2× PCIe 3.0 x16
1× PCIe 3.0 x16 (elektrisch x8)
1× PCIe 3.0 x16 (elektrisch x4)
Kompatible Multi-VGA-Konfigurationen: 3-Way-SLI* (Quad-GPU), 3-Way-CrossFireX* (Quad-GPU)
2× PCIe 3.0 x1
1× M.2 (Key E; für WLAN/WiFi/BT-Module)
Interne Anschlüsse:
8× SATA 6G
1× M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4 & SATA, 2242/2260/2280/110)
1× M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4 & SATA, 2242/2260/2280)
1× U.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4)
1× USB 3.1 (Typ-C)
4× USB 3.0 (zwei Header)
4× USB 2.0 (zwei Header)
1× CPU-Fan (4-Pin)
4× System-Fan (4-Pin)
1× System-Fan / Pumpenanschluss (4-Pin)
1× LED-Header
2× Front-Panel-Header
1× Front-Panel-Audio-Header
1× TPM-Header (Trusted Platform Module)
1× Chassis-Intrusion Connector
1× Thunderbolt Connector
1× Power Button
1× Reset Button
1× Clear CMOS Jumper
1× Multi-BIOS-Switch
Externe Anschlüsse:
1× PS/2 Tastatur/Maus
1× USB 3.1 (Typ-C)
4× USB 3.1 (Typ-A)
4× USB 3.0 (Typ-A)
3× USB 2.0 (Typ-A)
2× RJ45 LAN-Port (Intel I219V)
1× BIOS-Flashback-Button
1× Clear CMOS Button
1× Optischer S/PDIF-Out-Anschluss
5× Audio (Realtek ALC1220)
Stromversorgung:
1× 24-Pin ATX
1× 8-Pin ATX 12V
1× 4-Pin ATX 12V