MSI X299 SLI Plus Motherboard Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. Board Layout and Features4. UEFI5. Software6. Testing Methodology7. Tests: CPU Related8. Tests: Memory Related9. Tests: Gaming Related10. Tests: Motherboard Features Performance11. Overclocking & Power Consumption12. Closing Thoughts13. View All Pages

The term “affordable” isn't exactly synonymous with X299 but MSI's X299 SLI Plus at least brings the entry barrier to Intel's flagship consumer platform down to a palatable level. Incredibly, the MSI X299 SLI Plus isn't MSI's most affordable X299 motherboard, that feat goes to the X299 RAIDER, but the SLI Plus is easily the best “all rounder” in MSI's X299 range.

For a motherboard that's near the bottom of MSI's X299 range the SLI Plus is a surprisingly competent, well-built and well-equipped. Connectivity is a strong point of Intel's X299 platform and MSI does a good job to harness it with copious amounts of USB and storage connectivity as well as dual Gigabit Ethernet connections.

The motherboard doesn't look or feel like an entry-level product with a smart design that uses neutral colours and quality finishing touches like PCIe shielding. MSI enhances the design with a tidy set of onboard LEDs and an RGB header. MSI does, however, need to work on its RGB software, Mystic Light, and reconsider why the third LED zone is “white only” when everything else supports full RGB.

 

VRMs are a hot topic, so to speak, for X299 motherboards and MSI's X299 SLI Plus certainly can't match top-end motherboards in this regard. However, it's 8 true-phase CPU VRM is robust and has sufficient cooling for an appropriate CPU running on air or AIO liquid cooling with a sizeable overclock.

We'd be hesitant to heavily overclock Intel's Core i9 7980XE on this motherboard but consumers spending such an exorbitant sum of money on said CPU would do well to put it on a motherboard of equivalent stature. The MSI X299 SLI Plus is best placed for the following Skylake-X CPUs – i7 7800X, i7 7820X and i9 7900X. Anything higher up the stack should warrant a higher-end motherboard and anything lower-end likely warrants opting for a different platform such as Intel Coffee Lake or AMD Ryzen.

In the past motherboard vendors have typically skimped on overclocking and diagnostic features on “entry” level boards, saving them for further up the range. MSI's X299 SLI Plus seems to have bucked that trend as MSI has equipped a code reader, debug LEDs, a dual BIOS with DIP switch, onboard power, onboard reset, clear CMOS and BIOS flashback buttons.

Incidentally, the cheaper MSI X299 RAIDER is lacking in most of these overclocking and diagnostic features hence why the MSI X299 SLI Plus tends to be a better choice for a fairly small increase in cost.

The MSI X299 SLI Plus is available at Overclockers UK for £259.99. MSI offers a 3 year manufacturer warranty with this product.

Pros:

• Competitively priced X299 motherboard
• Neutral aesthetics with RGB lighting
• Abundant overclocking and diagnostic tools
• Dual Gigabit Ethernet
• Great all-round connectivity
• M2 Shield

Cons:

• RGB lighting software needs optimisation
• White LED zone is bewildering
• Extra CPU fan header would be ideal

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KitGuru says:  A competitively priced and excellent all-rounder for Intel's X299 platform, the MSI X299 SLI Plus is the thinking man's choice.

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