MSI again teases us with another X99 motherboard and this time it’s geared towards the overclocking enthusiasts – the MSI X99S XPOWER AC motherboard. MSI first revealed the MSI X99S SLI Plus that features an all-black color theme. Next, the company teased us with their MSI X99S Gaming 9 AC which is obviously geared towards hardcore gamers and enthusiasts. And just recently, they also revealed the X99S XPOWER AC that is geared towards extreme overclockers who are comfortable using LN2. Check out more details below.
UPDATE: This motherboard is now available. You can order one now. See its best price here.
MSI X99S XPOWER AC Revealed
The MSI X99S XPOWER AC shares common features with the X99S Gaming 9 AC and X99S SLI Plus, however more of its features (other than the usual things on an X99 motherboard) are for extreme overclockers or enthusiasts who are very much comfortable tweaking and pushing the limits of their system. As you can see from the picture above, the motherboard is covered in ice, indicating that the motherboards went through an LN2 (Liquid Nitrogen) session.
Based on visual observation, the MSI X99S XPOWER AC shares some features or components found on the Z97 XPOWER AC. It features a 12 phase power design or probably more to handle extreme overclocking even on subzero temperatures. It supports the latest Intel Haswell-E processors (Intel Core i7-5960X, Core i7-5930K and Core i7-5820K) and comes with a new socket type, LGA 2011-3. It has a total of 8x DDR4 DIMM slots supporting quad channel memory. We can also see some OC-related onboard buttons and V-Check Points 2 as well as debug LED for monitoring. Of course, the on board power, reset, clear CMOS, LN2 switches and buttons are present as well.
Currently, I’m not sure if the X99S XPOWER AC will also feature a Delid Die Guard like in its Z97 counterpart, but I’m sure it will feature OC Engine or perhaps something better than the one in the Z97 XPOWER AC. We can’t see the rear I/O ports yet, but expect there’s a WIFI antenna connector, some USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit LAN, audio ports and the likes.
On the lower portion of the MSI X99S XPOWER AC, we see five PCIE x16 Gen3 slots and a PCIE x1 as well. Perhaps it might also feature a PLX-chip to enable 4-Way SLI / CrossFire configuration. Below the 5th PCIE x16 slot is a 4-pin molex connector for additional power in case you plan to install multiple graphics cards. There’s also a slot for M.2 NGFF SSDs as well. It looks like it will be using the same Audio Boost core we saw on the Z97 XPOWER AC. There are also some fan headers, USB 2.0 headers and other types of headers as well.
On the storage department, aside from the M.2 port, we can see 8x SATA III 6Gbps ports and 1 SATA Express port, or 10x SATA III ports if the SATA Express is not in use. There are two USB 3.0 headers; one is located right above the SATA ports with a 90 degree angle, and the other one is located below.
The MSI X99S XPOWER AC also features four on board heatsinks and based on the looks of it, this one has an E-ATX form factor. The heatsink for the X99 chipset looks pretty big, and perhaps there might be other chips hidden beneath that big heatsink other than the Intel X99 chipset.
For now, these are only some of the features and specifications I saw based on visual observation. Expect that MSI will reveal more of its features soon. And I’ll try to post updates when that happens so be sure to follow ThePCEnthusiast on Facebook.
