Published: September 15, 2014 | Source: MSI | Author: Tom Logan

MSI X99S Gaming 7 Review

Test Setup

MSI X99S Gaming 7
Intel Core i7-5960X
nVidia GTX780Ti
Corsair LPX 2800 DDR4
Gskill RipJaws 4 3000 DDR4
Corsair AX760i
Sandisk Extreme Pro SSD
Corsair H105
Custom Corsair 540 Air
Windows 7 x64

Overclocking

We came away from our time overclocking the MSI X99S Gaming 7 with two distinct impressions. Firstly there were two or three new BIOS releases during our testing and each of them dramatically improved what had been a difficult initial experience. We’re sure that as the BIOS matures the Gaming 7 will be capable of getting close to the kind of performance we’ve seen from our first two X99 motherboards.

Secondly although we have a sample size of one, it appears that the ASUS OC Socket actually does make a difference. At average overclocking levels the Gaming 7 is very capable, but as you start to push both the memory and the CPU it’s very difficult to keep them both performing well.