MSI X99S SLI Plus

[crashtech]

I've been browsing through available X99 boards, and frankly I am a bit disappointed. Nearly all of the boards in a sane price range seem to be missing features or have a goofy color scheme. Move a little higher up the price range and the bells and whistles just get ridiculous, imo. So I started looking at boards I wouldn't normally consider, and found that the X99S SLI PLUS has everything I want and nothing I don't. But I haven't owned an MSI board in years, and frankly I am leery of both the brand and the too-good-to-be-true price (at least in comparison to other X99 boards). So what is the consensus here, any downside I'm not seeing? Bit of an information vacuum right now. Really the only ding against it is the lack of a higher-end audio solution, but that really doesn't bother me much.

 

[biostud]

What specific things are you looking for?

Have you looked into the Asrock X99 Extreme4?

One of the reason I didn't go with MSI, is the lack of dual spacing between the x16 slots.

 

[crashtech]

The Asrock X99 Extreme4 does not have onboard switches or a debug LED, and it is blue with gold caps, which is fine I guess, just not really what I want. I don't see a problem with the slot spacing on the X99S SLI Plus, but maybe I am missing something. I want to run a second R9 290, not a tri or quad setup.

 

[biostud]

The Asrock X99 Extreme4 does not have onboard switches or a debug LED, and it is blue with gold caps, which is fine I guess, just not really what I want. I don't see a problem with the slot spacing on the X99S SLI Plus, but maybe I am missing something. I want to run a second R9 290, not a tri or quad setup.

The "problem" is that if you only have one slot between the two cards, then the top card won't have so much breathing room as it would have with two slots between them. So you should be able to get better temps with two slots between them.

I went with the Asrock Fatal1ty X99X Killer. One of the reasons was debug leds.

 

[crashtech]

I went with the Asrock Fatal1ty X99X Killer. One of the reasons was debug leds.

That is a nice board. Have you been able to see any performance difference between the Intel and Killer LAN chips?

I used to avoid the Killer NICs but the technology has matured enough to where there don't seem to be problems.

 

[biostud]

That is a nice board. Have you been able to see any performance difference between the Intel and Killer LAN chips?

I used to avoid the Killer NICs but the technology has matured enough to where there don't seem to be problems.

Haven't gotten it yet

The good thing is that you can just use the intel nic if you want to avoid killer.

 

[TheGoat Eater]

The current MSI boards are good - I have used many of them and I have to say they have come a long way from years ago and the current boards are definitely competent to be picked for a system

 

[Rvenger]

I have an X99S SLI Plus and no complaints here. Onboard sound is terrible so I bought a Xonar DGX.

 

[crashtech]

I didn't think the 892 was terrible. Not great, maybe. A mainstream solution. Are you a critical listener? What was the problem?

 

[DooKey]

I have an X99S SLI Plus and no complaints here. Onboard sound is terrible so I bought a Xonar DGX.

Yep, I have one too and it's a great stable board.

 

[crashtech]

Now I just have to get over the price of the rest of the components.

 

[LeonarD26]

I'm going to be ordering this board this weekend from Amazon. Looking forward to pairing it with a 5820k.

From all the reviews and discussions I' ve read it seems to be very stable and great value for the money..

 

[crashtech]

Definitely seems to be one of the value leaders. Please post your impressions once you get it working!

 

[Rvenger]

Yep, I have one too and it's a great stable board.

I have it cruising at 4ghz @ 1.12v stable the first time I attempted the overclock. Temps max out around 63c with an H100i. Happy as a clam.

Onboard sound is flat and somewhat muffled. Typical Realtek chip without any filtering or headphone amp.

 

[crashtech]

Onboard sound is flat and somewhat muffled. Typical Realtek chip without any filtering or headphone amp.

OK, so you mean onboard in general, then, I would guess. So it's not like boards with the ALC1150 would necessarily be better? Because that is one of the compromises that was made with this board.

 

[biostud]

I have my Asrock X99X Killer up and running. So far so good. Also have ALC1150.

 

[crashtech]

I'm thinking there isn't a whole lot of sound quality difference between the two chips unless other steps are taken to isolate the audio signal and use a high quality amp. But I am somewhat hearing damaged so it is probably all academic to me, though I can still tell the difference between uncompressed and poorly compressed audio.

 

[Rvenger]

I knew the difference right away. I had a Z97-A with the Crystal Sound 2 utilized by the same ALC892 and it sounded superb compared to this MSI. That is the only complaint I have. The onboard sound is one of the worst I have heard in a while. Its not horrible, but if you have a nice set of headphones, it makes your headphones sound flat.

 

[crashtech]

I knew the difference right away. I had a Z97-A with the Crystal Sound 2 utilized by the same ALC892 and it sounded superb compared to this MSI. That is the only complaint I have. The onboard sound is one of the worst I have heard in a while. Its not horrible, but if you have a nice set of headphones, it makes your headphones sound flat.

So it's the implementation, not the chip.

That does negate a bit of the value proposition if you figure in the minimal cost of a sound card that would bring sound quality up to the level of many of the other X99 boards.

 

[TheGoat Eater]

I would definitely suggest an external DAC/AMP if you want good audio for any system.

 

[Xerin7]

I'm trying to choose my X99 motherboard and struggling with some of the same questions.

I would love to save $200 with the SLI Plus, but have 3 concerns:

1) Several reviews criticize the ALC1150 sound implementation, compared to other available X99 boards

2) Not as much space between video cards if I SLI down the road

3) No Wifi

Honestly, the last two don't bother me much since I will be using a wired LAN and am unlikely to go SLI. But it would be nice to have the option.

My biggest concern is the sound implementation. I could buy an external sound card like the Xonar, but I went through two of those with my current rig and never could get a quality solution due to static. Also, the value proposition is less since you're now having to buy a sound card to fill the gap.

Other options I'm considering:

Asus X99 Deluxe
MSI X99S Gaming 9

I'm not a huge overclocker, and although the aesthetics of the higher end boards are nice I don't need to pay a $200 premium for them.

Any other thoughts/options? Guess I'm leaning toward the SLI Plus still, I just don't like feeling like I'm getting a crappy sound implementation when sound does matter to me in my games.

 

[Rvenger]

I would definitely suggest an external DAC/AMP if you want good audio for any system.

I bought an open box Xonar DGX for $27. Fit the bill nicely.

 

[TheGoat Eater]

I bought an open box Xonar DGX for $27. Fit the bill nicely.

That definitely is a nice upgrade and a good deal I Use a FiiO E17 Alpen since I can use it between computers - my X99 setup and my notebook currently. I have the E09K dock for the desktop though, which is nice for the desk.

 

[biostud]

I'm trying to choose my X99 motherboard and struggling with some of the same questions.

I would love to save $200 with the SLI Plus, but have 3 concerns:

1) Several reviews criticize the ALC1150 sound implementation, compared to other available X99 boards

2) Not as much space between video cards if I SLI down the road

3) No Wifi

Honestly, the last two don't bother me much since I will be using a wired LAN and am unlikely to go SLI. But it would be nice to have the option.

My biggest concern is the sound implementation. I could buy an external sound card like the Xonar, but I went through two of those with my current rig and never could get a quality solution due to static. Also, the value proposition is less since you're now having to buy a sound card to fill the gap.

Other options I'm considering:

Asus X99 Deluxe
MSI X99S Gaming 9

I'm not a huge overclocker, and although the aesthetics of the higher end boards are nice I don't need to pay a $200 premium for them.

Any other thoughts/options? Guess I'm leaning toward the SLI Plus still, I just don't like feeling like I'm getting a crappy sound implementation when sound does matter to me in my games.

Take a look at the Asrock Extreme (3,4,6) boards or the Asrock fatal1ty X99X killer, all have good spacing for SLI and good audio implementation.

http://www.asrock.com/microsite/IntelX99/

 

[Karl Agathon]

Yep, I have one too and it's a great stable board.

Am about to attempt my very first build and the X99S SLI Plus is one of the boards I've been eyeing. Glad to hear from regular folks around here that it's stable, because stability is the main thing I'm concerned about.

Still a little worried I'll mess things up somehow though lol