MSI Creator X299, Intel X299 motherboard - socket 2066 [7B96-004R]

This chipset, code-named "Lewisburg", proves to be a true all-rounder thanks to its up to 30 HSIO lanes (high-speed input / output) and the maximum of 24 PCI Express 3.0 lanes to be used, which allows the simultaneous use of several internal Connections allowed.

The features of the MSI Creator X299 at a glance:
- 4x PCIe (3.0) x16 (2x x16 / 2x x8)
- 1x USB 3.2 Type C (1x external), 4x USB 3.1 (4x Type-A internal)
 -11x USB 3.0 (7x external Type-A / 4x internal) & 6x USB 2.0 (2x Type-A / 4x internal)
- 3x M.2 / M-Key (2x PCIe 3.0 x4 / 1x PCIe 3.0 x4 / SATA) / 1x M.2 / E-Key (occupied by WLAN module) / 1x U.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4) / 8x SATA 6G
- 8x DIMM slots for DDR4-RAM (max. 256 GB with Cascade-Lake-X, quad-channel, max. 4266 GHz OC)
- MSI Mystic Light RGB LED lighting (2 zones)

The MSI Creator X299 in detail
The MSI Creator X299 is a well-equipped enthusiast motherboard in E-ATX format (SSI CEB), which is suitable for power users and hardware enthusiasts who are interested in an X299 & Skylake-X, Coffee Lake-X, Coffee Lake-S-Refresh-X or Cascade-Lake-X team. The extremely stylish, white-gray board has four, metal-reinforced PCIe-x16 slots, two of which are connected to the chipset with full 16 lanes, while the other two are electrically connected with eight data lines. This means that even NVIDIA 4-way SLI or AMD 4-way CrossFireX configurations are possible when using a 28 to 48 lane CPU.

Equipped with a total of eight DIMM slots for DDR4 memory, a CPU with 28 to 44 data lines allows all slots to be used in quad-channel mode and up to a maximum capacity of 128 GB. When using an Intel CPU of the Cascade Lake X generation (10xxx) with 48 lanes, even 265 GB RAM can be used. Officially, DDR4 modules can then be used with up to 2,933 MHz, although after overclocking, much higher clock rates are also possible: 4,266 MHz!

For data carriers, the board provides extensive equipment with three M.2 slots for particularly fast NVMe M.2 SSDs with a data transfer rate of just under 4 GB / s. This means that M.2 PCIe SSDs are up to eight times faster than SATA 6G SSDs! Two of these are connected directly to the CPU, when using a CPU with only 24 lanes only one of them is available. Another M.2 M key slot is made available from the chipset, which can be connected both via PCIe-Express and with SATA. There is also an M.2 E-Key slot, which is occupied by the included wifi module. Finally, there is a U.2 slot for NVMe SSDs, which is also connected via four PCIe lanes, and eight SATA 6G connectors for 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch hard drives and SSDs ( RAID support) available. In addition, all three M.2 slots are equipped with a so-called M.2 shield, which reduces the heat development on the modules and therefore performance is not lost.

External connections
There are numerous useful connections on the I / O panel of this performance mainboard, which should make life easier for the user. In addition to a novel USB 3.2 Type-C port, which is particularly thin and can finally be inserted on both sides, the board has a downward-compatible USB 3.1 port. Thanks to the ASMedia 3142 USB 3.1 controller, maximum speeds of up to 16 Gbit / s can be achieved, which is more than three times as fast as conventional USB 3.0 connections. Of course, the board for input devices and other gaming peripherals also has seven USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports.

For unlimited network connections, the MSI Creator X299 also has an Aquantia 10 Gigabit and an Intel I219V 1 Gigabit LAN port to enable an absolutely lag-free gaming and streaming experience. The Realtek ALC1220 codec and the five audio ports with gold-plated connectors, which are complemented by an optical S / PDIF-Out connector, ensure decent sound. In addition, a classic PS / 2 port for keyboard or mouse is included in the I / O panel.

Other equipment features
The special features of the MSI Creator X299 include extensive RGB LED lighting based on MSI Mystic Light. In addition to two lighting zones directly on the board, several digitally addressable LED strips can also be connected and also controlled perfectly using the Mystic Light software. The fact that practically endless colors and numerous effects can be selected is now almost a matter of course. The scope of delivery includes both an air-cooled PCIe card for a total of four M.2 memory cards and one with a Thunderbolt connection.

Modding and overclocking features
Overclockers are pleased with the numerous small favors that the MSI Creator X299 has to offer: The CPU can be overclocked in twelve steps via a rotary switch on the mainboard. The 12-phase power supply with 90-ampere power amplifier is equipped with extensive heat spreaders, which cover the power supply on the processor including I / O shield, the chipset and the three M.2 slots. The heat spreader on the I / O panel and on the chipset is equipped with RGB LED lighting. The PCIe slots are also reinforced and can withstand frequent new configurations. The mainboard has power and reset buttons and a clear CMOS button on the I / O shield for quickly resetting the BIOS settings. Thanks to DualBIOS technology, a backup with secure settings can be called up at any time if something really goes wrong. There are a number of LED indicators on the board that indicate errors in the CPU, RAM, graphics card or bootable media. There is also an LED that indicates whether XMP is active.

Modders will appreciate the monochrome design of the Gigabyte X299X Designare 10G. The combination of black PCB, matt black covers and silver elements allows you to freely choose the accent colors of cable sleeves, coolants and lighting. There are a total of three RGB LED headers on the board; two 3-pin connectors for digitally addressable accessories with 5 volts and one 4-pin connectors for RGB accessories with 12 volts. The lighting can be configured and synchronized via MSI Mystic Light Sync.

Technical details:
format
E-ATX form factor (30.5 x 27.2 cm)
chipset
Intel X299 ("Lewisburg")
Base:
2066 (for Intel CPUs of the Skylake-X, Coffee Lake-X, Coffee Lake-S-Refresh-X and Cascade-Lake-X generation)
R.A.M:
8x DDR4 (from Cascade-Lake-X: DDR4-2.933; up to 256 GB with a CPU with 48 lanes)
8x DDR4 (from Skylake-X to Coffee-Lake-S-Refresh-X: DDR4-2.666; up to 128 GB with a CPU with 28 to 44 lanes)
4x DDR4 (Kaby Lake-X: DDR4-2.666; up to 64 GB with a CPU with 16 lanes)
Quad-channel (from Skylake-X; supported for CPUs with 28 to 48 lanes)
Dual-Channel (Kaby Lake-X; supported for CPUs with 16 lanes)
Slots (physical):
44- and 48-lane CPU:
2x PCIe 3.0 x16
1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (electrical x8)
or
1x PCIe 3.0 x16
3x PCIe 3.0 x16 (electrical x8)
28-lane CPU:
1x PCIe 3.0 x16
1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (electrical x8)
or
3x PCIe 3.0 x16 (electrical x8)
Compatible multi-VGA configurations: 4-way SLI * (quad-GPU), 4-way CrossFireX * (quad-GPU)
1x M.2 (Key E; occupied with WLAN / WiFi / BT modules) 1x Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200, Bluetooth 5.0

Internal connections:
8x SATA 6G
2x M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4, 2242/2260/2280/22110)
1x M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4 & SATA, 2242/2260/2280/22110)
1x U.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4)
1x USB 3.1 (USB 3.2 Gen2, Type-C, one header)
4x USB 3.0 (USB 3.2 Gen1, two headers)
4x USB 2.0 (two headers)
1x CPU fan (4-pin)
6x system fan (4-pin)
1x system fan / pump connection (4-pin)
1x flow sensor (3-pin)
1x RGB LED header (4-pin)
2x dRGB LED headers (3-pin)
1x JCORSAIR RGB header (3-pin)
2x front panel headers
1x front panel audio header
1x TPM header (Trusted Platform Module)
1x chassis intrusion connector
1x Thunderbolt connector
2x thermal sensors connector (2-pin)
1x Virtual Raid on CPU Connector
1x power button
1x reset button
1x Clear CMOS jumper
1x USB BIOS flashback
1x multi-BIOS switch
External connections:
1x PS / 2 keyboard / mouse
1x USB 3.2 (USB 3.2 Gen2x2, Type-C)
7x USB 3.0 (USB 3.2 Gen1, Type-A)
2x USB 2.0
1x RJ45 LAN port (Intel I219V, 1 Gbit)
1x RJ45 LAN port (Aquantia AQtion AQC107, 10 Gbit)
1x BIOS flashback button
1x Clear CMOS button
1x optical S / PDIF out connection
5x audio (Realtek ALC1220)
Power supply:
1x 24-pin ATX
3x 8-pin ATX 12V
Scope of delivery:
1x M.2 XPANDER-AERO GEN4 card
1x Thunderbolt card
1x manual
1x quick start guide
1x MSI logo sticker
1x DVD with drivers and utilities
1x WLAN antennas
4x SATA data cable
1x JRGB Y cable
1x JRAINBOW cable
1x JCORSAIR cable
1x thermistor cable
1x Tunderbolt cable