MSI X99S Gaming 7 Motherboard Review

[section_title title=”Conclusion”]

Conclusion

So the MSI X99S Gaming 7 might not be the flagship model in their enthusiast range but since when has that ever stopped MSI from delivering a mid-range (if you can call Haswell-E mid-range) product which exceeds expectations?  One of MSI’s strong points is cluster banging impressive feature sets onto boards well below their expected price point; in other words, premium features on boards considered too “cheap” to have them.  Has MSI done enough to impress me today and is the X99S Gaming 7 a quality purchase?  Let’s find out…

Opening on the bread and butter of any motherboard review (the performance), the MSI X99S Gaming 7 has plenty of beef and juice to run amok with any of the 3 CPU’s; more specifically the one on test here today (the Intel Core i7 5960x).  Synthetic benchmark performance was pretty even across the spectrum and was pretty much neck and neck with ASRock in terms of performance with their Extreme6/ac model which given both boards are of course powerful enough to house an 8 core 16 thread CPU overclocked, performance is marginal at best in any synthetic scenario with our testing kit.  In games however, the MSI X99S Gaming 7 really showed its worth and given that this board is particular designed to deliver the best gaming experience, MSI have done a cracking job of giving substance to their claim!  In relation to gaming performance, if the ASRock Extreme6 was a Ford Focus, the MSI X99 Gaming 7 would be the RS Turbo version, marvellous!

Sometimes manufactures can laden products with unnecessary features which gives it a great spin because you feel you get extra value for money, but MSI actually give you things you can USE!  Firstly the ever popular Killer NIC is included which although in my opinion, it doesn’t give the benefits as much as thought over regular gigabit Ethernet ports but I will certainly say that it is a much better quality port and I have never had an issue with one; so far “touch wood”.  Another impressive inclusion in regards to software is a 6 month license to XSplit Gamecaster which personally, I think is one of the easiest and most intuitive bits of streaming software on the market; yes OBS (Open Broadcast Software) is better and free but it is so easy to mess up and with Gamecaster, the fear of choosing the wrong setting is alleviated by the ability to optimise it via the software.

Audio is another thing MSI have taken seriously this time round and haven’t only used the Realtek ALC1150 audio chip, but they have combined it with an Audio Boost 2 chip for improved clarity.  To further improve upon this for the best possible experience, the MSI X99S Gaming 7 also features direct USB Audio Power which offers a stable 5v current for better and uninterrupted transmission of signal; sounds gimmicky but if you want the best, these are the tweaks that need to be made.

The design is pretty much either love or hate in terms of appeal as red and black is common throughout most brands these days; the MSI Gaming range however is one of the more predominant ones along with the Republic of Gamers (ROG) range by ASUS.  That being said, the vibrant mix of reds and blacks throughout give a nice pleasing aesthetic with the board having a very nice and practical layout; having 2 x front panel USB 3.0 headers is a particular highly for me as after all, this platform is all about the high end enthusiast.

£197.99 is the price of this particular model which effectively and obviously puts it in the sub £200 category; one which has quite a few competitors but it puts it in direct firing range of the other board which it was compared to; the ASRock X99 Extreme6.  With £2 separating the prices, both boards in my opinion have much different uses and for its intended purpose, the MSI X99S Gaming 7 wins out overall due to the striking aesthetic, many useful features included and of course the free 6 month subscription to XSplit Gamecaster which comes included.  Couple that with the slightly marginal gaming performance, this particular gaming board shows that gamers are the focus and that is exactly what I was hoping for today!

Overall, the MSI X99S Gaming 7 motherboard does exactly what it says on the tin; a solid gaming board with a plethora of handy features topped off by a great performing DNA infused into their sub £200 Gaming series board.  If I was in the market for a motherboard and it had to be red and black, for under £200 this choice really does offer excellent value for money even for £200; it is an enthusiast platform overall and for gaming, this is all you are going to need!

Huge thanks to MSI for sending the X99S Gaming 7 in for review!