MSI MEG X399 Creation Preview
Up Close cont
As always we’re somewhat limited in what we can tell you, and we also trust that our readership aren’t idiots and can recognise common hardware items. A picture tells a thousand words so we’ll just point out the highlights and let you pore over the details until we are free to tell you more about the MEG X399 Creation.
Two 12v 8pin CPU power inputs certainly mean that if some future processor requires more power than currently available ones then the MEG has got you covered and wont leave you wanting. Not that there are any more power hungry processors around at the time of writing. Hypothetical processors, that’s what we meant. It’s good to know that the MSI design team have potentially had the foresight to ensure that the MEG follows the AMD “two or three CPUs without buying a new motherboard” ethos. You can also see how many fan headers are up at the business end where your CPU cooler will be.
At the other end of the MEG X399 Creation we find loads of USB headers, the famous MSI OC dial, and a slew of fan headers for yet more cooling capacity. We’d much rather have the headers lined up like this that scattered across the PCB. The fact that there is even a fan header squeezed into the bottom right corner shows how serious MSI have been about making this the best possible motherboard it can be.
If you’ve got a very power hungry GPU setup then the extra power input might come in handy. Why not go all out if you have the funds to do so, and the MEG X399 Creation hardly looks like the kind of motherboard that’s going to sneak in at the £100 mark.
The “case stand keep out zone” is a curious addition. Surely nobody is putting all the stands onto their motherboard tray regardless of whether they are being used? That’s the road to shorted out connections and hardware death. Otherwise you can get a good feel for how much is bolted on to the PCB by how much of the back is covered in screws and solder.
Motherboards that only have two or four SATA ports and nowhere near enough USB ports drive us crazy, so it’s great to see that this assuredly wont be a problem with the MEG X399 Creation. Even the Mr Orange on the OC3D team would struggle to fill this up. With both USB 3.0 and a USB 3.1 header the MEG is ready to go whether you have an older case or the very latest design.
If the IO section is the rule of thumb about how high end a motherboard is then the MEG X399 Creation is very high end indeed. 10 USB ports, 9 Type-A and one Type-C, along with two GigaBit Intel LAN ports, WiFi and the jacks for the Nahimic supporting Audio Boost 4. Excellent.
