MSI 990FXA GAMING Motherboard Review

[section_title title=”Conclusion”]

Conclusion

Well, I’ve gotten my dirty paws all over this nice new motherboard and have had my way with it. Overall it’s a very solid and capable board and the red isn’t overdone in the aesthetics department, it is toned down just enough to make it look quite nice. Is it worth your hard earned dollar? Well, let’s break it down and find out!

Performance

The 990FXA Gaming offers all the performance one would expect from and AM3+ Gaming based motherboard. It offers plenty of room for overclocking, and the slow mode switch is sure to come in handy and be a big hit with those that are into extreme overclocking. Aside from that, there is the Audio Boost 2 and Killer E2200 networking which come as standard on MSI Gaming boards and are well worth it! Those 2 features alone make this an excellent gaming board. When paired up with a GTX 770 and an FX-8370e there is nothing that this board can’t conquer. When all is said and done, any performance issues that you may occur will not be down to the board, it will be something somewhere else causing the issues.

Design

The design is a rather simple one aesthetically speaking, though it is still very pleasing and does have a nice red and black theme going as we would expect from a Gaming motherboard. The toned down red accenting is actually quite appealling and doesn’t leave an overdone taste in my mouth. Aside from that, the board is layed out to be very functional and that it is!

MSI have also gone with top of the line components to make this board which is another reason why it performs so well. The attention to detail in everything is great, the Audio Boost 2 features EMI shielding alongside dual headphone ampliefiers and High Quality Nichicon Japenese capacitors to offer an unparalled listening experience. Killer E2200 Gaming Networking? Check! USB 3.1? Check! The 990FXA is designed to offer users the edge of their opponents in any game they play and it surely will.

Value

This is far from being the cheapest AM3+ board on the block but it still offers superb value for the money! If you want the best of the best, you are going to pay for it and that is what we have here. The price of around £130 puts it almost in the top tier pricewise and while you may find other boards that come with more accessories and may offer some more features, they won’t really offer any better performance which is what is important. No point in buying a motherboard if it isn’t going to perform up to standards is there? Well, you won’t have to worry about that with the 990FXA as it’s performance more than lives up to its price tag, simple as that.

Final Thoughts

The MSI 990FXA Gaming motherboard will be a great addition to any AM3+ setup and will surely do you proud. It offers great performance and has some amazing features, especially the overclocking and audio ones. If you are looking for something featuring the 990FX chipset then look no further, the MSI 990FXA Gaming has you covered.

Gold Award – The MSI 990FXA Gaming is being given our Gold Award today due to the fact it offers great performance and the included audio and the overclocking features are top-notch and help set it apart from the rest!

As always, big thanks to MSI for sending in this review sample.