Any *real* difference between these MBs??

[ranalli]

I'm embarking on another build after years of buying off-the-shelf PCs and there are WAY too many options out there now. To put things in perspective you only had an ABIT BX6 or an Asus P2B for high performance back when I was building

I'm looking at these two MSI boards in particular and besides the nearly $100 difference I don't see anything in the stats making the more expensive one really standout in performance, reliability or configuration flexibility over the other.

X99S SLI PLUS
X99S MPOWER

What am I missing here? And mind you Asus has an even more perplexing lineup to me and their MBs are up near $400.

 

[Burpo]

Better sound.. that's about it that I can see (unless more power stages)..

 

[Ken g6]

AnandTech reviews:

SLI Plus: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8557/...k-x99-ws-msi-x99s-sli-plus-intel-haswell-e/18
MPower: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8978/msi-x99s-mpower-review

From the SLI Plus review:

At $230, it is obvious that MSI skimps on a few details. We are limited to 3-way multi-GPU setups, we get a single network port (Intel I218-V) and the audio codec is a Realtek ALC892 solution. While we do get 12 USB 3.0 ports total, four on the rear panel are behind a VIA 4-to-1 controller, which is one of the cheapest cost-per-USB solutions available. On the plus side, SATA Express is here, and the M.2 slot can feed off of the CPU for a full 32 Gbps bandwidth if needed. M.2 is unfortunately limited to a maximum of 2280 sized devices however.

From the MPower review:

On the hardware side, the MSI X99S MPower promotes its overclocking credentials through the two-stage OC Genie button, onboard OC buttons as well as an easier to use overclocking BIOS compared to previous generations. Other hardware over the default configuration include Audio Boost (an upgraded Realtek ALC1150 audio solution with an EMI shield, PCB separation and additional filter caps), a SATA Express port, an M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 port, support for multiple graphics cards and the yellow/black livery and styling.

So there's better audio. There's also some overclocking stuff. I'm not completely sure about the PCIe slots and M.2.

 

[donwschultz]

I'm embarking on another build after years of buying off-the-shelf PCs and there are WAY too many options out there now. To put things in perspective you only had an ABIT BX6 or an Asus P2B for high performance back when I was building

I'm looking at these two MSI boards in particular and besides the nearly $100 difference I don't see anything in the stats making the more expensive one really standout in performance, reliability or configuration flexibility over the other.

X99S SLI PLUS
X99S MPOWER

What am I missing here? And mind you Asus has an even more perplexing lineup to me and their MBs are up near $400.

Yes, there is a real difference between the two:

SLI PLUS:

Lower end ALC892 audio CODEC, which is definitely not that great of a CODEC. You would want to use a sound card if you are at all picky about your audio.

The SLI PLUS lacks the following that the MPOWER provides:

Higher end sound solution. Isolated PCB area and EMI shielded ALC1150 audio CODEC with dedicated sound-specific capacitors. This solution is far better than the one on the SLI PLUS, but still not *quite* as good as say a Sound Blaster Z.

Hi-C caps, and DrMOS mosfets. This equates to a "beefed up" VRM.

Enhanced OC socket (a CPU socket designed for de-lidding your CPU to allow direct contact with your cooling solution with the CPU die). OC optimized PCB. Thermally and electrically enhanced PCB, geared for overclocking.

OC Certified, which basically means they OC and Prime95 the mobo for a full 24 hours before putting a "pass" sticker on it.

More OC options present in the BIOS.


If you are not a hardcore/die hard overclocker than I would skip the MPOWER and spend that extra $100 on a decent sound card or upgrade your video card(s).

And I am sure I will be flamed for this, but I sympathize with your confusion over the ASUS lineup. It is a mess. I personally, from experience, dislike ASUS motherboards anyway. I find myself going MSI nearly every build. I have had a lot of trouble with ASUS motherboards and I am a 22 year veteran of building PCs.

Hope this helps you out!

No cursing in the technical forums please. Letter replacements still count.

mfenn
General Hardware Moderator