MSI X399 SLI Plus, AMD X399 Mainboard - Socket TR4 [7B09-008R]

PCIe NVMe SSDs connect directly to the CPU on AMD's X399 motherboards, and entire 12 PCIe lanes are reserved by Threadripper for this purpose. This allows the extreme read and write rates of NVMe M.2 and U.2 SSDs to be used optimally without being slowed down by the data set being redirected by the chipset. The connection via four PCI Express 3.0 lanes per PCIe NVMe slot in U.2 or M.2 format enables enormously high data transfer rates of up to 32 Gbit / s, which is almost eight times as fast as SATA 6G.

The X399 chipset on Socket TR4 motherboards will be connected to the processor via four PCIe lanes as usual, and the X399 platform natively supports USB 3.1, so typically no additional USB controllers are needed to support the extremely fast USB Standard with maximum speeds of 10 Gbps per port. Main memory is operated on X399 motherboards in particularly fast quad-channel mode and via OC depending on the motherboard RAM clock rates beyond the 4000 MHz mark are possible.

As another feature, X399 mainboards support overclocking of the Ryzen thread ripper CPUs, and the motherboards with the TR4 socket, along with the threadripper processors, form AMD's enthusiast platform for gamers and content creators.

Features of the MSI X399 SLI PLUS in ATX format

The MSI X399 SLI PLUS is a motherboard in ATX format and has four PCI Express 3.0 slots for graphics cards, two of which are connected to the chipset with full 16- or 8-lanes. Additional expansion cards can be plugged into two PCIe x1 slots, and as an X399 motherboard, the MSI X399 SLI PLUS also supports AMD's Crossfire and NVIDIA SLI technology for multi-GPU setups. The eight RAM banks take up to 128 GB of DDR4 memory, whereby the corresponding memory can run natively at a maximum of 2,400 megahertz, but overclocking supports clock rates of up to 3,600 MHz.

The special features of the MSI X399 SLI PLUS mainboard at a glance:

    4x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 / x16 / x8 / x8) for high-end graphics cards
    3x USB 3.1: Type A & Type C & 12x USB 3.0
    DDR4 memory up to 3,600 MHz in quad-channel mode
    3x M.2 slot PCIe 3.0 x4 & 8x SATA
    Steel reinforced PCIe slots & large heat sink for voltage transformers

The board manages data carriers such as SSDs and hard disks via eight SATA 6G ports (including RAID support) as well as three M.2 slots, which are connected directly to the CPU with four PCI Express 3.0 lanes each. It also supports the advanced NVM Express protocol, which has been specifically optimized for highly parallelized disk access of modern PCIe SSDs. The first M.2 slot

A small highlight of the MSI X399 SLI PLUS is also that the I / O panel on the back of the mainboard has a USB 3.1 connector with Type C socket. The new USB type C port is very thin and can finally be plugged in on both sides. USB 3.1 or USB 3.1 Gen 2 achieves maximum speeds of 10 Gbit / s per port. A LAN port, a USB 3.1 type A port and eight USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports complete the port repertoire for peripherals.

Other internal ports include two headers each for USB 3.1, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 for 4 ports each, and multiple 4-pin headers for CPU and chassis fans. In addition to the usual 24-pin ATX connector, two 8-pin and one 6-pin connectors ensure a stable power supply. Accordingly, the selection of a suitable power supply should be considered. Also noteworthy is the high heatsink with its many fins for the voltage transformer above the CPU socket. It may be important when choosing your own CPU cooler or AiO. In such a lushly equipped motherboard, of course, a RGB lighting must not be missing. It lights up on the I / O panel and the heatsink of the chipset.

Note: Due to the size of the Ryzen Threadripper CPU, the TR4 socket differs greatly from conventional sockets. When inserting the CPU, please carefully observe the instructions in the assembly instructions of the CPU or the mainboard! It is an LGA socket! The pins are on the socket, not the CPU.

Technical details:

    Format: ATX
    Chipset: AMD X399
    Socket: TR4 (for Ryzen Threadripper)
    R.A.M:
    8x DDR4 (2,400 MHz, using OC up to 3,600 MHz)
    Quad-Channel
    Max. 128 GB
    slots:
    2x PCIe 3.0x16
    2x PCIe 3.0 x16 (electric x8)
    Multi-GPU configurations: 4-way CrossFireX (16/8/16/8), 4-way SLI (16/8/16/8)
    2x PCIe 2.0 x1
    Internal connections:
    8x SATA 6G (RAID 0, 1, 10)
    2x M.2 2280 (M-Key, PCIe 3.0 x4 with max 32 Gbps, horizontal)
    1x M.2 22110 (M-Key, PCIe 3.0 x4 with max 32 Gbps, horizontal)
    1x USB 3.1 header (1 port)
    2x USB 3.0 header (4 ports)
    2x USB 2.0 header (4 ports)
    1x 4-pin pump
    1x 4-pin CPU fan
    4x 4-pin system fan
    2x front panel
    1x front panel audio
    2x RGB LED
    1x TPM module
    1x LED demo
    External connections:
    2x USB 3.1 (1 × Type A and Type C each)
    8x USB 3.0
    2x USB 2.0
    1x Gigabit LAN (Intel I211)
    1x S / PDIF
    5x audio (7.1 ALC1220)
    1x CMOS switch
    1x BIOS flashback switch
    1x PS / 2 Combi port (keyboard / mouse)
    Power supply:
    1x 24-pin ATX12V (for motherboard)
    2x 8-pin ATX12V (for motherboard)
    1x 6-pin ATX12V
    Special features: integrated RGB LED lighting