Review: MSI X299 SLI Plus

Conclusion

It has been a long time since we've seen Intel's feathers appear ruffled, and while the chip giant will hardly be quaking in its boots, there are clear signs that the arrival of AMD Ryzen has influenced the launch of X299 and accompanying Core X-Series processors.

Prices are down - the Core i9-7900X is 42 per cent cheaper than its predecessor - and in an effort to get to market as quickly as possible, motherboard vendors are rolling out BIOS updates at a feverish rate ahead of retail availability on June 26.

One thing an Intel launch will guarantee, however, is plenty of partner support, and the key players in the motherboard market are putting their full weight behind X299 with a range of boards covering the £200-£400 spectrum.

MSI arrives on the scene with eight new models - that's more than the firm's entire AMD X370 catalogue - and the reviewed X299 SLI Plus slots in as a feature-packed solution with plenty of overclocking goodies at a competitive £260 price point.

Presentation is tidy, storage choices are plentiful, connectivity is up to date, and though multi-GPU setups have lost some of their lustre, there are enough PCIe lanes to accommodate just about any enthusiast build. The caveat is that Intel's multifaceted Core X-Series line-up holds the key to certain features, and as such X299 only really makes sense with a premium Skylake-X processor.

Bottom line: it will be fascinating to see how AMD Threadripper compares in a couple of months' time, but for now X299 serves as the very best enthusiast platform and MSI is off to a solid start with the well-rounded X299 SLI Plus.

MSI X299 SLI Plus

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The MSI X299 SLI Plus motherboard is available to purchase from Scan Computers.

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