Msi MEG X299 User Manual

Quick Start

Thank you for purchasing the MSI® MEG X299 CREATION motherboard. This Quick Start section provides demonstration diagrams about how to install your computer. Some of the installations also provide video demonstrations. Please link to the URL to watch it with the web browser on your phone or tablet. You may have even link to the URL by scanning the QR code.

Preparing Tools and Components

Intel® LGA 2066 CPU

CPU Fan

Chassis

DDR4 Memory

Power Supply Unit

Graphics Card

Thermal Paste

SATA Hard Disk Drive	SATA DVD Drive

Phillips Screwdriver

A Package of Screws

Quick Start 1

Safety Information

yThe components included in this package are prone to damage from electrostatic discharge (ESD). Please adhere to the following instructions to ensure successful computer assembly.

yEnsure that all components are securely connected. Loose connections may cause the computer to not recognize a component or fail to start.

yHold the motherboard by the edges to avoid touching sensitive components.

yIt is recommended to wear an electrostatic discharge (ESD) wrist strap when handling the motherboard to prevent electrostatic damage. If an ESD wrist strap is not available, discharge yourself of static electricity by touching another metal object before handling the motherboard.

yStore the motherboard in an electrostatic shielding container or on an anti-static pad whenever the motherboard is not installed.

yBefore turning on the computer, ensure that there are no loose screws or metal components on the motherboard or anywhere within the computer case.

yDo not boot the computer before installation is completed. This could cause permanent damage to the components as well as injury to the user.

yIf you need help during any installation step, please consult a certified computer technician.

yAlways turn off the power supply and unplug the power cord from the power outlet before installing or removing any computer component.

yKeep this user guide for future reference.

yKeep this motherboard away from humidity.

yMake sure that your electrical outlet provides the same voltage as is indicated on the PSU, before connecting the PSU to the electrical outlet.

yPlace the power cord such a way that people can not step on it. Do not place anything over the power cord.

yAll cautions and warnings on the motherboard should be noted.

yIf any of the following situations arises, get the motherboard checked by service personnel:

Liquid has penetrated into the computer.

The motherboard has been exposed to moisture.

The motherboard does not work well or you can not get it work according to user guide.

The motherboard has been dropped and damaged.

The motherboard has obvious sign of breakage.

yDo not leave this motherboard in an environment above 60°C (140°F), it may damage the motherboard.

2 Safety Information

Installing a Processor

3	1
	2	https://youtu.be/ecdkLMmkya4

4

5

		6
9	8	7

10
	11
13	12

Safety Information 3

Installing DDR4 memory

http://youtu.be/T03aDrJPyQs

1

2

2

3

DIMMC1

4 Safety Information

Connecting the Front Panel Header

http://youtu.be/DPELIdVNZUI

		-
		LED
	LED+		POWER
			POWER
	LED
SW		HDD
POWER
SW
RESET

		Power LED							Power Switch
				+ - + -
	JFP1			2										10
				1										9
				+ - - +											Reserved
			HDD LED							Reset Switch
1	HDD LED +							2							Power LED +
3	HDD LED -							4							Power LED -
5	Reset Switch							6							Power Switch
7	Reset Switch							8							Power Switch
9	Reserved							10							No Pin

HDD LED

POWER LED

RESETSW

HDDLED

HDD LED - HDD LED +

POWER LED - POWER LED +

Safety Information 5

Installing the Motherboard

1

2

6 Safety Information

Installing SATA Drives

http://youtu.be/RZsMpqxythc	1

2	3

5

4

Safety Information 7

Installing a Graphics Card

http://youtu.be/mG0GZpr9w_A

1

3

2

5

4

6

8 Safety Information

Connecting Peripheral Devices

Safety Information 9

Connecting the Power Connectors

http://youtu.be/gkDYyR_83I4

ATX_PWR1	CPU_PWR1	CPU_PWR2

PCIE_PWR1

CPU_PWR3

10 Safety Information

Power On

1

2

3

4

Safety Information 11

Contents
Quick Start .............................................................................................................	1
Preparing Tools and Components..........................................................................	1
Safety Information.................................................................................................	2
Installing a Processor.............................................................................................	3
Installing DDR4 memory ........................................................................................	4
Connecting the Front Panel Header.......................................................................	5
Installing the Motherboard.....................................................................................	6
Installing SATA Drives.............................................................................................	7
Installing a Graphics Card ......................................................................................	8
Connecting Peripheral Devices ..............................................................................	9
Connecting the Power Connectors.......................................................................	10
Power On...............................................................................................................	11
Specifications.......................................................................................................	15
ThunderboltM3 Card Specification.......................................................................	21
JCORSAIR1 Connector Specification....................................................................	21
Package contents.................................................................................................	22
Block Diagram ....................................................................................................	23
Rear I/O Panel......................................................................................................	24
2.5G LAN Port LED Status Table ..........................................................................	24
1G LAN Port LED Status Table .............................................................................	24
Audio Ports Configuration ....................................................................................	25
Realtek Audio Console .........................................................................................	26
Installing Antennas...............................................................................................	27
Overview of Components ....................................................................................	28
CPU Socket ...........................................................................................................	30
DIMM Slots............................................................................................................	31
PCI_E1~5: PCIe Expansion Slots..........................................................................	34
PCIe and M2_3 slot bandwidth table....................................................................	34
U2_1: U.2 Connector.............................................................................................	37
M2_1~3: M.2 Slots (Key M) ...................................................................................	38
Installing M.2 XPANDER-AERO Card ...................................................................	39
SATA1~8: SATA 6Gb/s Connectors .......................................................................	41
VRAID1: Virtual RAID on CPU Connector .............................................................	41
JFP1, JFP2: Front Panel Connectors ...................................................................	42
JAUD1: Front Audio Connector ............................................................................	42
CPU_PWR1~3, ATX_PWR1, PCIE_PWR1: Power Connectors..............................	43
OC1: GAME BOOST Knob .....................................................................................	44

12 Contents

OC_RT1: OC Retry Jumper ...................................................................................	46
OC_FS1: OC Force Enter BIOS Jumper................................................................	46
JSLOW1: Slow Mode Booting Jumper..................................................................	46
CPU_FAN1, PUMP_FAN1, SYS_FAN1~4, EXS_FAN1~2: Fan Connectors ...........	47
W_FLOW1: Water Flow Meter Connector.............................................................	48
T_SEN1: Thermal Sensor Connector...................................................................	48
JTBT1: Thunderbolt Add-on Card Connector ......................................................	48
Installing ThunderboltM3 Card ............................................................................	49
JUSB3~4: USB 3.1 Gen1 Connectors ...................................................................	50
JUSB1~2: USB 2.0 Connectors.............................................................................	51
JUSB5: USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C Connector.............................................................	51
POWER1, RESET1: Power Button, Reset Button .................................................	52
JBAT1: Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS) Jumper ...........................................................	52
JCI1: Chassis Intrusion Connector.......................................................................	53
BIOS_SW1: Multi-BIOS Switch .............................................................................	54
JRGB1, JRAINBOW1~2: RGB LED connectors.....................................................	55
JCORSAIR1: CORSAIR Connector ........................................................................	56
Onboard LEDs......................................................................................................	57
EZ Debug LED.......................................................................................................	57
DIMM LEDs ...........................................................................................................	57
XMP LED ...............................................................................................................	57
Multi-BIOS LEDs...................................................................................................	58
JPWRLED1: LED power input...............................................................................	58
Debug Code LED...................................................................................................	59
Hexadecimal Character Table ..............................................................................	59
Boot Phases..........................................................................................................	59
Debug Code LED Table .........................................................................................	59
ACPI States Codes ................................................................................................	64
CPU Temperature .................................................................................................	64
Installing OS, Drivers & Utilities .........................................................................	65
Installing Windows® 10.........................................................................................	65
Installing Drivers ..................................................................................................	65
Installing Utilities .................................................................................................	65
MYSTIC LIGHT......................................................................................................	66
Device LED effect control screen .........................................................................	66
Nahimic 3.............................................................................................................	69
Installation and Update ........................................................................................	69
Audio Tab ..............................................................................................................	69
Microphone Tab ....................................................................................................	70
Sound Tracker Tab................................................................................................	71

Contents 13

Settings Tab ..........................................................................................................	71
BIOS Setup...........................................................................................................	72
Entering BIOS Setup.............................................................................................	72
Resetting BIOS......................................................................................................	73
Updating BIOS.......................................................................................................	73
EZ Mode ................................................................................................................	75
Advanced Mode ....................................................................................................	77
SETTINGS..............................................................................................................	78
Advanced...............................................................................................................	78
Boot.......................................................................................................................	84
Security.................................................................................................................	85
Save & Exit............................................................................................................	86
OC..........................................................................................................................	87
M-FLASH ..............................................................................................................	94
OC PROFILE..........................................................................................................	95
HARDWARE MONITOR..........................................................................................	96
RAID Configuration..............................................................................................	97
Enabling Intel® Rapid Storage Technology...........................................................	97
Creating RAID Volume .........................................................................................	98
Removing a RAID Volume ....................................................................................	99
Resetting Disks to Non-RAID .............................................................................	100
Rebuilding RAID Array........................................................................................	101
Installing RAID Driver.........................................................................................	102
Installing Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Software ........................................	102
Intel® Optane™ Memory Configuration ............................................................	103
System Requirements .......................................................................................	103
Installing the Intel® Optane™ memory ..............................................................	103
Removing the Intel® Optane™ memory .............................................................	105
Troubleshooting ................................................................................................	106

14 Contents

Specifications

	CPU	Supports Intel® Core™ X-Series Processor Family for
		LGA2066 Socket
	Chipset	Intel® X299 Chipset
		y8x DDR4 memory slots
		yQuad channel memory architecture with the CPU that
		supports up to 4-channels DDR4**
		Quad channel support up to 128GB
		X-series processor support DDR4 4200(OC)/ 4100(OC)/
		4000(OC)/ 3800(OC)/ 3733(OC)/ 3600(OC)/ 3466(OC)/
		3400(OC)/ 3333(OC)/ 3200(OC)/ 3000(OC)/ 2933(OC)/
		2800(OC)/ 2666/ 2400/ 2133 MHz*
	Memory	yDual channel memory architecture with the CPU that
		supports up to 2-channels DDR4**
		Dual channel support up to 64GB
		X-series processor support DDR4 4133(OC)/ 4000(OC)/
		3866(OC)/ 3800(OC)/ 3733(OC)/ 3600(OC)/ 3466(OC)/
		3400(OC)/ 3333(OC)/ 3200(OC)/ 3000(OC)/ 2933(OC)/
		2800(OC)/ 2666/ 2400/ 2133 MHz*
		ySupports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
		* Please refer www.msi.com for more information on compatible memory.
		** Please refer the DIMM Slots section for more details.
		y4x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots
		Support x16/x0/x16/x8, x8/x8/x16/x8 mode with the
		44-lane CPU.*
	Expansion Slot	Support x16/x0/x8/x4, x8/x8/x8/x4 mode with the 28-
		lane CPU.*
		Support x8/x0/x4/x4 mode with the 16-lane CPU.*
		y1x PCIe 3.0 x1 slot
		* Please refer to page 34 for PCIe 3.0 bandwidth table.
	Multi-GPU	ySupports NVIDIA® SLI™ Technology
		ySupports AMD® CrossFire™ Technology
	LAN	y1x Intel I219-V Gigabit LAN controller
		y1x Realtek RTL8125-CG 2.5G LAN controller
		Intel® Wireless-AC 9260
	Wirsless LAN &	ySupports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, MU-MIMO Rx, 2.4GHz/ 5GHz
	Bluetooth®	(160MHz) up to 1.73Gbps
		ySupports Bluetooth®2.1, 2.1+EDR, 3.0,4.0, 5
		Continued on next page

Specifications 15

Continued from previous page

		Intel® X299 Chipset
		y8x SATA 6Gb/s ports*
		y3x M.2 slots (Key M)
		M2_1 & M2_2 support up to PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA 6Gb/s,
		2242/ 2260/ 2280/ 22110 storage devices
		M2_3 supports up to PCIe 3.0 x4, 2242/ 2260/ 2280
		storage devices**
	Storage	Intel® Optane™ Memory Ready for M2_1, M2_2 slots ***
		y1x U.2 port
		Supports PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe storage
		* The SATA1 connector will be unavailable when a SATA M.2 SSD has been
		installed in the M.2_1 slot.
		* The SATA2 connector will be unavailable when a SATA M.2 SSD has been
		installed in the M.2_2 slot.
		** M2_3 slot and PCIe slots share the bandwidth. Please refer to page 34 for
		details.
		*** Before using Intel® Optane™ memory modules, please ensure that you have
		updated the drivers and BIOS to the latest version from MSI website.
		Intel® X299 Chipset
	RAID	ySupports RAID 0, RAID1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 for SATA
		storage devices
		ySupports RAID 0 and RAID 1 for M.2 PCIe storage devices
		yIntel® X299 Chipset
		4x USB 3.1 Gen1 (SuperSpeed USB) ports available
		through the internal USB connectors
		6x USB 2.0 (High-speed USB) ports(2 ports on the
		back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB
		connectors)
	USB	yASMedia® ASM3142 Chipset
		3x USB 3.1 Gen2 (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps) ports (1
		Type-C and 1 Type-A port on the back panel, 1 Type-C
		internal connector)
		yASMedia® ASM1074 Chipset
		6x USB 3.1 Gen1 (SuperSpeed USB) ports on the back
		panel
		y1x Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
	Audio	7.1-Channel High Definition Audio
		Supports S/PDIF output
		Continued on next page

16 Specifications

Continued from previous page

	y1x BIOS FlashBack button
	y1x Clear CMOS button
	y1x PS/2 keyboard/ mouse combo port
	y2x USB 2.0 Type-A ports
	y6x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports
Back Panel	y1x 2.5G LAN (RJ45) port
Connectors	y1x 1G LAN (RJ45) port
	y1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A port
	y1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port
	y2x Wi-Fi Antenna connectors
	y5x OFC audio jacks
	y1x Optical S/PDIF OUT connector
	y1x 24-pin ATX main power connector
	y3x 8-pin ATX 12V power connectors
	y1x flat 4-pin ATX 12V power connector*
	y8x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
	y1x U.2 port
	y2x USB 2.0 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 2.0
	ports)
	y2x USB 3.1 Gen1 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 3.1
	Gen1 ports)
	y1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port
	y1x 4-pin CPU fan connector

Internal Connectors y1x 4-pin Water Pump connector

y4x 4-pin system fan connectors

y2x 4-pin extend system fan connectors

y1x 3-pin Water Flow connector

y1x Front panel audio connector

y2x System panel connectors

y1x TPM module connector

y1x Chassis Intrusion connector

y1x 2-pin Thermal Sensors connector

y1x Virtual RAID on CPU connector

y1x Thunderbolt Add-on Card Connector

*Provides additional power to PCIe x16 slots

Continued on next page

Specifications 17

		Continued from previous page
		y1x 4-pin RGB LED connector
	LED Connectors	y2x 3-pin RAINBOW LED connectors
		y1x 3-pin CORSAIR LED connector
	OC Connectors	y1x OC retry connector
		y1x OC force enter BIOS connector
		y1x GAME BOOST knob
	Internal Buttons	y1x Power button
		y1x Reset button
	Switches	y1x Multi-BIOS switch
	Jumper	y1x Slow mode jumper
		y1x Clear CMOS jumper
	Debug LED	y1x 2-Digit Debug Code LED
		y4x EZ Debug LED
	I/O Controller	NUVOTON NCT6797 Controller Chip
		yCPU/System temperature detection
	Hardware Monitor	yCPU/System fan speed detection
		yCPU/System fan speed control
	Form Factor	yE-ATX Form Factor
		y12 in. x 10.7 in. (30.5 cm x 27.2 cm)
		yDual BIOS
		y2x 128 Mb flash
	BIOS Features	yUEFI AMI BIOS
		yACPI 6.1, SMBIOS 3.0
		yMulti-language
		Continued on next page

18 Specifications

Continued from previous page

	yDrivers
	yDRAGON CENTER
	yMYSTIC LIGHT
	yNahimic Audio
Software	yCPU-Z MSI GAMING
	yMSI App Player (BlueStacks)
	yIntel® Extreme Tuning Utility
	yGoogle Chrome™, Google Toolbar, Google Drive
	yNorton™ Internet Security Solution
	yGAME OPTIMIZATION
	yOC Performance
Dragon Center	yHardware Monitor
Features	yEyerest
	yLAN Manager	Please refer to http://download.msi.
	yLive Update	com/manual/mb/DRAGONCENTER2.
		pdf for more details.
	yAudio
	Audio Boost 4
	Nahimic 3
	yNetwork
	GAMING LAN with Gaming LAN Manager
	Dual LAN (2.5G+1G)
	Intel WiFi
Special Features	yStorage
	Turbo U.2
	3 x Turbo M.2
	yFan
	Pump Fan
	Smart Fan Control
	yPerformance
	Multi GPU – SLI Technology
	Multi GPU – CrossFire Technology
	Continued on next page

Specifications 19

Continued from previous page

		yLED
		Mystic Light 3
		Mystic Light Extension (RGB)
		Mystic Light Extension (RAINBOW)
		Mystic Light Extension (CORSAIR)
		Mystic Light Sync
		EZ DEBUG LED
		yProtection
		DDR4 Steel Armor
		M.2 FORZR
		PCI-E Steel Armor
		U.2 Steel Armor
		yDDR4 Boost
		GAME Boost(go to 11)
		OC Engine(Clock gen)
	Special Features	Lightning USB(3142)
		Front Lightning USB(20PIN)
		yStability
		7000+ Quality Test
		yVR
		VR Ready
		yGamer Experience
		GAMING HOTKEY
		GAMING MOUSE Control
		yBIOS
		Click BIOS 5
		BIOS FLASHBACK+
		Dual BIOS
		yCertification
		Quadro SLI Ready
		Quadro Ready
		GAMING Certified

20 Specifications

ThunderboltM3 Card Specification

	Chipset	Intel Thunderbolt 3 controller
		y2 x thunderbolt 3 port (type C)
		up to 40 Gbps for Thunderbolt devices
	External connector	up to 10 Gbps for USB 3.1 devices
		y1 x 5 pin TB header
		y2 x DisplayPort input ports
		DisplayPort 1.2 specification
	Interface	PCIe 3.0 x4 (depends on MB supportive slot)
	Capabilities	Supports DisplayPort 1.2 with max, 4K x 2K @60/24 Hz
	Form factor	3.35 inch x 4.11 inch (8.5 cm x 10.4 cm)

JCORSAIR1 Connector Specification

	Supporting CORSAIR RGB Products	Maximum connection
	Lighting Node PRO LED Strip	20*
		* In the case of 20% brightness
	HD120 RGB Fan	6
	SP120 RGB Fan	6
	LL120 RGB Fan	6

Specifications 21

Package contents

Please check the contents of your motherboard package. It should contain:

	Motherboard	MEG X299 CREATION
	Documentation	User Manual	1
		Quick Installation Guide	1
	Application DVD	Driver DVD	1
		SATA 6Gb/s Cables	4
		1 to 2 RGB LED Extension Y Cable 80cm	1
	Cable	CORSAIR RGB LED Extension Cable 50cm	1
		RAINBOW RGB LED Extension Cable 80cm	1
		Thermistor Cable	1
		Thunderbolt Cable	1
		M.2 Xpander-AERO	1
		SLI HB BRIDGE L	1
		ThunderboltM3	1
		Antenna Set	1
	Accessories
		Case Badge	1
		SATA cable Labels	1
		VIP Card	1
		IO Shielding	1
		M.2 Screw	3

Important

If any of the above items are damaged or missing, please contact your retailer.

22 Package contents

Block Diagram

				2/ 4 Channel DDR4 Memory
			Processor
1x M.2	Switch	Switch
	PCI Express Bus
		DMI 3.0			PCIe x1 slot
					Wi-Fi /
					Bluetooth
	2x M.2				Realtek 8125
	8x SATA 6Gb/s	Switch			Intel I219
		BusPCIE	PCIEBus
	1x U.2
					x2
			X299 PCH	PCIE Bus	ASMEDIA
					ASM3142	3x USB 3.1 Gen2
	4x USB 3.1 Gen1
	6x USB 2.0				ASMEDIA
					ASM1074	6x USB 3.1 Gen1
		NV6797		Realtek
		Super I/O		ALC1220
		P/S2 Mouse / Keyboard		(Rear + Front)
				Audio Jacks

Block Diagram 23

Rear I/O Panel

		WiFi
	USB 3.1 Gen1	antenna		Audio Ports
PS/2	2.5G LAN	1G LAN connectors

Clear CMOS

BIOS

USB 2.0

USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C

FLASHBACK+

button

USB 3.1 Gen1

Optical

S/PDIF-Out

USB 2.0/

BIOS FLASHBACK+

USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A

port

yClear CMOS button - Power off your computer. Press and hold the Clear CMOS button for about 5-10 seconds to reset BIOS to default values.

yBIOS FLASHBACK+ button/port - Please refer to page 74 for Updating BIOS with BIOS FLASHBACK+.

2.5G LAN Port LED Status Table

Link/ Activity LED

Status	Description
Off	No link
Yellow	Linked
Blinking	Data activity

Speed LED

Status	Description
Off	10 Mbps connection
Green	1 Gbps/ 100 Mbps connection
Orange	2.5 Gbps connection

1G LAN Port LED Status Table

Link/ Activity LED

Status	Description
Off	No link
Yellow	Linked
Blinking	Data activity

Speed LED

Status	Description
Off	10 Mbps connection
Green	100 Mbps connection
Orange	1 Gbps connection

24 Rear I/O Panel

Audio Ports Configuration

Audio Ports

Channel

2

4

6

8

Center/ Subwoofer Out

●

●

Rear Speaker Out

●

●

●

Line-In/ Side Speaker Out

●

Line-Out/ Front Speaker Out

●

●

●

●

Mic In

(●: connected, Blank: empty)

Audio jacks to headphone and microphone diagram

Audio jacks to 7.1-channel speakers diagram

AUDIO INPUT

Rear	Front
Side	Center/
	Subwoofer

Rear I/O Panel 25

Realtek Audio Console

After Realtek Audio Console is installed. You can use it to change sound settings to get better sound experience.

Application Enhancement

Advanced Settings

Device

Selection

Main Volume

Connector Settings
	Jack Status

yDevice Selection - allows you to select a audio output source to change the related options. The check sign indicates the devices as default.

yApplication Enhancement - the array of options will provide you a complete guidance of anticipated sound effect for both output and input device.

yMain Volume - controls the volume or balance the right/left side of the speakers that you plugged in front or rear panel by adjust the bar.

yAdvanced Settings - provides the mechanism to deal with 2 independent audio streams.

yJack Status - depicts all render and capture devices currently connected with your computer.

yConnector Settings - configures the connection settings.

Auto popup dialog

When you plug into a device at an audio jack, a dialogue window will pop up asking you which device is current connected.

Each jack corresponds to its default setting as shown on the next page.

Important

The pictures above for reference only and may vary from the product you purchased.

26 Rear I/O Panel

Installing Antennas

1.Combine the antenna with the base.

2.Screw two antenna cables tight to the WiFi antenna connectors as shown.

2

1

3. Place the antenna as high as possible.

Rear I/O Panel 27

Overview of Components

JRAINBOW1

SYS_FAN1 PCI_E1

M2_1

PCI_E2

M2_2

PCI_E3

M2_3

PCI_E4

PCI_E5

	DIMMA2		CPU Socket		DIMMD1
	DIMMA1		CPU_PWR3		DIMMD2
DIMMB2					DIMMC1
DIMMB1			CPU_PWR2	DIMMC2
CPU_FAN1	CPU_PWR1
						OC
						PUMP_FAN1
						SYS_FAN4
						VRAID1
						JCORSAIR1
						ATX_PWR1
						JUSB5
						JUSB4
						SATA▼1▲2
						SATA▼3▲4
						SATA▼5▲6
						SATA▼7▲8
						U2_1
						JRAINBOW2
						JUSB3
JAUD1
JRGB1
PCIE_PWR1
	T_SEN1		JFP1		SYS_FAN3
	JTPM1		JUSB2
	JFP2
			SYS_FAN2	JUSB1
				BIOS_SW1
	EXS_FAN1		W_FLOW1			JPWRLED1
		EXS_FAN2
						JSLOW1
					POWER1	JTBT1
					RESET1 JBAT1
						JCI1

28 Overview of Components

Component Contents

	Port Name	Port Type	Page
	BIOS_SW1	Multi-BIOS Switch	54
	CPU_FAN1, PUMP_FAN1,	Fan Connectors	47
	SYS_FAN1~4, EXS_FAN1~2
	CPU_PWR1~3, ATX_PWR1,	Power Connectors	43
	PCIE_PWR1
	CPU Socket	LGA2066 CPU Socket	30
	JAUD1	Front Audio Connector	42
	JBAT1	Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS) Jumper	52
	JCI1	Chassis Intrusion Connector	53
	JCORSAIR1	CORSAIR Connector	56
	JFP1, JFP2	Front Panel Connectors	42
	JPWRLED1	LED power input	58
	JRGB1, JRAINBOW1~2	RGB LED connectors	55
	JSLOW1	Slow Mode Booting Jumper	46
	JTBT1	Thunderbolt Add-on Card Connector	48
	JUSB1~2	USB 2.0 Connectors	51
	JUSB3~4	USB 3.1 Gen1 Connectors	50
	JUSB5	USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C Connector	51
	M2_1~3	M.2 Slots (Key M)	38
	OC1	GAME BOOST Knob	44
	OC_FS1	OC Force Enter BIOS Jumper	46
	OC_RT1	OC Retry Jumper	46
	PCI_E1~5	PCIe Expansion Slots	34
	POWER1, RESET1	Power Button, Reset Button	52
	SATA1~8	SATA 6Gb/s Connectors	41
	T_SEN1	Thermal Sensor Connector	48
	U2_1	U.2 Connector	37
	VRAID1	Virtual RAID on CPU Connector	41
	W_FLOW1	Water Flow Meter Connector	48

Overview of Components 29

CPU Socket

Distance from the center of the CPU to the nearest DIMM slot.

59.02 mm

59.02 mm

Introduction to the LGA 2066 CPU

The surface of the LGA 2066 CPU has four notches and a golden triangle to assist in correctly lining up the CPU for motherboard placement. The golden triangle is the Pin 1 indicator.

Important

yAlways unplug the power cord from the power outlet before installing or removing the CPU.

yPlease retain the CPU protective cap after installing the processor. MSI will deal with Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) requests if only the motherboard comes with the protective cap on the CPU socket.

yWhen installing a CPU, always remember to install a CPU heatsink. A CPU heatsink is necessary to prevent overheating and maintain system stability.

yConfirm that the CPU heatsink has formed a tight seal with the CPU before booting your system.

yOverheating can seriously damage the CPU and motherboard. Always make sure the cooling fans work properly to protect the CPU from overheating. Be sure to apply an even layer of thermal paste (or thermal tape) between the CPU and the heatsink to enhance heat dissipation.

yWhenever the CPU is not installed, always protect the CPU socket pins by covering the socket with the plastic cap.

yIf you purchased a separate CPU and heatsink/ cooler, Please refer to the documentation in the heatsink/ cooler package for more details about installation.

yThis motherboard is designed to support overclocking. Before attempting to overclock, please make sure that all other system components can tolerate overclocking. Any attempt to operate beyond product specifications is not recommended. MSI® does not guarantee the damages or risks caused by inadequate operation beyond product specifications.

30 Overview of Components