MSI X99A WORKSTATION User Manual

Unpacking

npacking

Thank you for buying the MSI® X99A WORKSTATION motherboard. Check to make sure your motherboard box contains the following items. If something is missing, contact your dealer as soon as possible.

SATA Cable x8

SLI Bridge

Connector x3

Drivers & Utilities

Disc

Motherboard User

Guide

I/O Shield

Motherboard

* These pictures are for reference only and may vary without notice. ** The packing contents may vary according to the country you purchased.

RGB LED Extension

Cable x1

SATA Cable Labels

Safety Information

y The components included in this package are prone to damage from electrostatic

discharge (ESD). Please adhere to the following instructions to ensure successful computer assembly.

y Ensure that all components are securely connected. Loose connections may cause

the computer to not recognize a component or fail to start.

y Hold the motherboard by the edges to avoid touching sensitive components. y It 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.

y Store the motherboard in an electrostatic shielding container or on an anti-static

pad whenever the motherboard is not installed.

y Before turning on the computer, ensure that there are no loose screws or metal

components on the motherboard or anywhere within the computer case.

y Do not boot the computer before installation is completed. This could cause

permanent damage to the components as well as injury to the user.

y If you need help during any installation step, please consult a certified computer

technician.

y Always turn off the power supply and unplug the power cord from the power

outlet before installing or removing any computer component.

y Keep this user guide for future reference. y Keep this motherboard away from humidity. y Make sure that your electrical outlet provides the same voltage as is indicated on

the PSU, before connecting the PSU to the electrical outlet.

y Place the power cord such a way that people can not step on it. Do not place

anything over the power cord.

y All cautions and warnings on the motherboard should be noted. y If 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.

y Do not leave this motherboard in an environment above 60°C (140°F), it may damage

the motherboard.

Quick Start

Intel® LGA 2011-3 CPU

DDR4 Memory

Graphics Card

SATA Hard Disk Drive

SATA DVD Drive

A Package of Screws

Phillips Screwdriver

Chassis

Power Supply Unit

CPU Fan Thermal Paste

Quick Start

Preparing Tools and Components

Quick Start

Installing a Processor

789

Quick Start

Installing DDR4 memory

Quick Start

Connecting the Front Panel Header

2 10

JFP1

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

RESET SW

POWER SW

POWER LED+

POWER LED-

HDD LED

RESET SW

JFP1

HDD LED

HDD LED HDD LED +

POWER LED POWER LED +

POWER LED

Quick Start

Installing the Motherboard

BAT1

Quick Start

Installing SATA Drives

Quick Start

Installing a Graphics Card

Quick Start

Connecting Peripheral Devices

Quick Start

Connecting the Power Connectors

JPWR1

JPWR2

Quick Start

Power On

Contents

Unpacking .............................................................................................................. 1

Safety Information ................................................................................................. 2

Quick Start ............................................................................................................. 3

Preparing Tools and Components .......................................................................... 3

Installing a Processor ............................................................................................. 4

Installing DDR4 memory ........................................................................................ 5

Connecting the Front Panel Header ....................................................................... 6

Installing the Motherboard ..................................................................................... 7

Installing SATA Drives............................................................................................. 8

Installing a Graphics Card ...................................................................................... 9

Connecting Peripheral Devices ............................................................................ 10

Connecting the Power Connectors ....................................................................... 11

Power On............................................................................................................... 12

Specifications ....................................................................................................... 15

Rear I/O Panel ..................................................................................................... 21

LAN Port LED Status Table................................................................................... 21

Audio Ports Configuration .................................................................................... 21

Realtek HD Audio Manager .................................................................................. 22

Overview of Components .................................................................................... 24

Component Contents ............................................................................................ 25

CPU Socket ........................................................................................................... 26

DIMM Slots ............................................................................................................ 27

PCI_E1~5: PCIe Expansion Slots .......................................................................... 29

PCIe x16 slots bandwidth table ............................................................................ 29

SATA1~10: SATA 6Gb/s Connectors ..................................................................... 32

SE1_65: SATAe Connector .................................................................................... 32

M2_1: M.2 Slot (Key M) ......................................................................................... 33

U2_1: U.2 Connector ............................................................................................. 34

JPWR1~2: Power Connectors ............................................................................... 37

JFP1, JFP2: Front Panel Connectors ................................................................... 38

JUSB1~2: USB 3.1 Gen1 Connectors ................................................................... 38

JTPM1: TPM Module Connector ........................................................................... 39

JUSB3~4: USB 2.0 Connectors ............................................................................. 40

JLED1: RGB LED connector ................................................................................. 40

CPUFAN1,SYSFAN1~3,PUMPFAN1: Fan Connectors .......................................... 41

JAUD1: Front Audio Connector ............................................................................ 42

JCI1: Chassis Intrusion Connector ....................................................................... 42

Contents

BIOS1: Multi-BIOS Switch .................................................................................... 43

POWER1, RESET1: Power Button, Reset Button ................................................. 44

JBAT1: Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS) Jumper ........................................................... 44

JSLOW1: Slow Mode Booting Jumper .................................................................. 45

LED Status Indicators .......................................................................................... 46

LED Status Table................................................................................................... 46

Debug Code LED ................................................................................................... 47

BIOS Setup ........................................................................................................... 50

Entering BIOS Setup ............................................................................................. 50

Resetting BIOS ...................................................................................................... 51

Updating BIOS ....................................................................................................... 51

EZ Mode ................................................................................................................ 52

Advanced Mode .................................................................................................... 54

SETTINGS .............................................................................................................. 55

Advanced ............................................................................................................... 55

Boot ....................................................................................................................... 61

Security ................................................................................................................. 61

Save & Exit ............................................................................................................ 62

OC .......................................................................................................................... 63

M-FLASH .............................................................................................................. 72

OC PROFILE .......................................................................................................... 73

HARDWARE MONITOR .......................................................................................... 74

Software Description ........................................................................................... 75

Installing Windows® 7/ 8.1/ 10.............................................................................. 75

Installing Drivers .................................................................................................. 75

Installing Utilities ................................................................................................. 75

COMMAND CENTER ............................................................................................. 76

LIVE UPDATE 6 ...................................................................................................... 80

SHORTCUT MANAGER .......................................................................................... 82

MYSTIC LIGHT ....................................................................................................... 84

M-CLOUD .............................................................................................................. 85

RAMDISK............................................................................................................... 88

USB SPEED UP ..................................................................................................... 89

Intel

Extreme Tuning Utility ................................................................................ 90

RAID Configuration .............................................................................................. 91

Using Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Option ROM ........................................... 91

Degraded RAID Array ........................................................................................... 94

Troubleshooting .................................................................................................. 96

Regulatory Notices .............................................................................................. 97

Speciﬁcations

Specifications

CPU

y Supports New Intel

Core™ i7 Processor Extreme Edition

for LGA2011-3 Socket

y Supports Intel

Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0*

* This function will be supported depend on the CPU.

Chipset Intel® X99 Chipset

Memory

y 8x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 128GB

 Supports DDR4 3333(OC)/ 3200(OC)/ 3000(OC)/ 2933(OC)/

2800(OC)/ 2666(OC)/ 2600(OC)/ 2400/ 2200(OC)/ 2133

MHz

y Quad channel memory architecture y Supports ECC/ non-ECC un-buffered memory y Supports DDR4 ECC RDIMM Memory y Supports Intel

Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)

Expansion Slots

y 3x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots

 Support x16, x16/x16, x8/x16/x8*  Support x16, x16/x8, x8/x8/x8**

y 2x PCIe 2.0 x1 slots

* For the CPU with 40 PCIe lanes support. ** For the CPU with 28 PCIe lanes support.

Multi-GPU

y Supports 3-Way AMD

CrossFire™ Technology

y Supports 3-Way NVIDIA

SLI™ Technology

USB

y ASMedia

ASM1142 Chipset

 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps) port on the

back panel

 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 (Super Speed USB 10Gbps) Type-C port

on the back panel

y ASMedia

ASM1074 Chipset

 4x USB 3.1 Gen1 (SuperSpeed USB) ports on the back

panel

y Intel

X99 Chipset

 4x USB 3.1 Gen1 (SuperSpeed USB) ports available

through the internal USB 3.1 connectors

 8x USB 2.0 (High-speed USB) ports (4 ports on the back

panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB 2.0

connectors)

Continued on next page

Speciﬁcations

Continued from previous page

Storage

Intel

X99 Chipset

y 10x SATA 6Gb/s ports (2 ports from SATAe port)

 SATA1~6 support RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10  SATA7~10 only support IDE mode and AHCI mode

y 1x M.2 slot (Key M)

 For 40-lanes CPU, it supports up to PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA

6Gb/s

 For 28-lanes CPU, it supports up to PCIe 2.0 x2 and SATA

6Gb/s

 Supports 2242/ 2260/ 2280/ 22110 storage devices

y 1x U.2 port

 Supports PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe storage

y 1x SATAe port* (compatible with 2 SATA ports)*/ **

 Supports up to PCIe 2.0x2

y Supports Intel

Smart Response Technology***

* For the motherboard with 40-lanes CPU, SATAe port (include SATA5~6) will

be unavailable when installing M.2 SATA SSD module in M.2 slot.

** For the motherboard with 28-lanes CPU, SATAe port (include SATA5~6) will

be unavailable when installing M.2 SATA/ PCIe SSD module in M.2 slot.

***This function will be supported depend on the CPU.

Audio

y Realtek

ALC1150 Codec

y 7.1-Channel High Definition Audio y Supports S/PDIF output

LAN

1x Intel

I218LM Gigabit LAN controller

1x Intel

I210AT Gigabit LAN controller

y Supports Intel LAN Teaming Technology

Back Panel Connectors

y 1x PS/2 keyboard/ mouse combo port y 4x USB 2.0 ports y 1x Clear CMOS button y 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 port y 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port y 4x USB 3.1 Gen1 ports y 2x LAN (RJ45) ports y 1x Optical S/PDIF OUT connector y 5x OFC audio jacks

Continued on next page

Speciﬁcations

Continued from previous page

Internal Connectors

y 1x 24-pin ATX main power connector y 1x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector y 10x SATA 6Gb/s connectors y 1x SATA Express connector y 1x M.2 slot y 1x U.2 port y 2x USB 2.0 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 2.0

ports)

y 2x USB 3.1 Gen1 connectors (supports additional 4 USB

3.1 Gen1 ports)

y 1x 4-pin CPU fan connector y 1x 4-pin Water Pump connector y 3x 4-pin system fan connectors y 1x Front panel audio connector y 2x Front panel connectors y 1x TPM module connector y 1x Chassis Intrusion connector y 1x Clear CMOS jumper y 1x Power button y 1x Reset button y 1x Multi-BIOS switch y 1x RGB LED connector y 1x Slow mode booting jumper

I/O Controller NUVOTON NCT6792D Controller Chip

Hardware Monitor

y CPU/System temperature detection y CPU/System fan speed detection y CPU/System fan speed control

Form Factor

y ATX Form Factor y 12 in. x 9.6 in. (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)

BIOS Features

y 2x 128 Mb flash y UEFI AMI BIOS y ACPI 5.0, PnP 1.0a, SM BIOS 2.8 y Multi-language

Continued on next page

Speciﬁcations

Continued from previous page

Software

y Drivers y COMMAND CENTER y LIVE UPDATE 6 y FAST BOOT y SUPER CHARGER y SHORTCUT MANAGER y MYSTIC LIGHT y M-CLOUD y RAMDISK y USB SPEED UP y SMART UTILITIES y Intel

Extreme Tuning Utility

y Norton

™

Internet Security Solution

y Google Chrome

™

,Google Toolbar, Google Drive

y CPU-Z MSI GAMING

Specification Highlights

y DDR4 BOOST Support

 Quad-Channel DDR4 Memory Support  Isolated DDR4 Circuit Design  DDR4 XMP Ready  Steel Armor Ready

y PCI Express 3.0 Support

 3-Way Nvidia SLI

Support

 3-Way AMD CrossFire

Support

y Multi-GPU with Steel Armor y USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A/ Type-C Ready y Turbo M.2 Ready

 PCIe 3.0 x4 (32 Gb/s) Support  PCIe/ SATA Dual Mode Support  Steel Armor Ready

y U.2 Ready y NVMe / AHCI Driver Support y 2-Digit Debug Code LED y EZ Debug LED y RGB LED pin header

Continued on next page

Speciﬁcations

Continued from previous page

MSI Exclusive Features

y CLICK BIOS 5

 EZ Mode & Advanced Mode Switching  Board Explorer  Hardware Monitor

y MILITARY CLASS 5

 Military Class Component  Military Class Stability and Reliability

 ESD Protection  EMI Protection  Humidity Protection  Circuit Protection  High Temperature Protection  VGA Armor Slot

y COMMAND CENTER

 System Monitor  Smart Fan Control

y RAMDISK y LIVE UPDATE 6 y M-CLOUD y CPU-Z MSI GAMING y SUPER CHARGER

Block Diagram

LPC Bus

2x USB 3.1 Gen2

4 Channel DDR4 Memory

4x USB 3.1 Gen1

1x SATA Express

1x M.2

10x SATA 6Gb/s

PCI Express Bus

PS/2 Mouse / Keyboard

DMI 2.0

PCI Express Bus

X99 PCH

Processor

NV6792

Super I/O

Realtek

ALC1150

ASMEDIA ASM1074

ASMEDIA ASM1142

Switch

S/PDIF-Out

(2 ports reserved for SATA Express)

Line-OutRS-Out

CS-Out

MIC

4x USB 3.1 Gen1

8x USB 2.0

1x U.2

PCIe x1 slot

Rear I/O Panel

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

LAN Port LED Status Table

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)

y Clear CMOS button - Power off your computer. Press and hold the Clear CMOS

button for about 5-10 seconds to reset BIOS to default values.

PS/2

LAN

USB 2.0

Audio Ports

Clear CMOS

Optical S/PDIF-Out

USB 3.1 Gen1

USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C

USB 3.1 Gen2

USB 3.1 Gen1

USB 2.0

Rear I/O Panel

Realtek HD Audio Manager

After installing the Realtek HD Audio driver, the Realtek HD Audio Manager icon will appear in the system tray. Double click on the icon to launch.

Jack Status

Device Selection

Connector Strings

Profiles

Main Volume

Application Enhancement

Advanced Settings

y Device Selection - allows you to select a audio output source to change the related

options. The check sign indicates the devices as default.

y Application Enhancement - the array of options will provide you a complete

guidance of anticipated sound effect for both output and input device.

y Main 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.

y Profiles - toggles between profiles. y Advanced Settings - provides the mechanism to deal with 2 independent audio

streams.

y Jack Status - depicts all render and capture devices currently connected with your

computer.

y Connector Settings - configures the connection settings.

Auto popup dialog

When you plug a device into 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.

Rear I/O Panel

AUDIO INPUT

Rear Front

Side Center/

Subwoofer

Audio jacks to headphone and microphone diagram

Audio jacks to stereo speakers diagram

Audio jacks to 7.1-channel speakers diagram

AUDIO INPUT

Overview of Components

BAT1

PUMPFAN1

CPUFAN1

PCI_E1

PCI_E2

JTPM1

PCI_E3

PCI_E4

PCI_E5

CPU Socket

JPWR2

DIMM2

DIMM1

M2_1

DIMM8

SYSFAN2

DIMM6

DIMM7

DIMM5

JBAT1

RESET1

POWER1

JUSB4

JUSB3

JFP1

BIOS1

JFP2

SYSFAN3

JAUD1

SE1_65

JLED1

JPWR1

EZ Debug LED

JUSB1

JCI1 U2_1

SATA1_2

DIMM3

DIMM4

SYSFAN1

JUSB2

SATA3_4

SATA7_8

SATA9 SATA10

JSLOW1

Overview of Components

Port Name Port Type Page

BIOS1 Multi-BIOS Switch 43

CPUFAN1,SYSFAN1~3,PUMPFAN1 Fan Connectors 41

CPU Socket LGA2011-3 26

DIMM1~8 DIMM Slots 27

JAUD1 Front Audio Connector 42

JBAT1 Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS) Jumper 44

JCI1 Chassis Intrusion Connector 42

JFP1, JFP2 Front Panel Connectors 38

JLED1 RGB LED connector 40

JPWR1~2 Power Connectors 37

JSLOW1 Slow Mode Booting Jumper 45

JTPM1 TPM Module Connector 39

JUSB1~2 USB 3.1 Gen1 Connectors 38

JUSB3~4 USB 2.0 Connectors 40

M2_1 M.2 Slot (Key M) 33

PCI_E1~5 PCIe Expansion Slots 29

POWER1, RESET1 Power Button, Reset Button 44

SATA1~10 SATA 6Gb/s Connectors 32

SE1_65 SATAe Connector 32

U2_1 U.2 Connector 34

Component Contents

Overview of Components

CPU Socket

Introduction to the LGA 2011-3 CPU

The surface of the LGA2011-3 CPU has four alignment keys and a yellow triangle to assist in correctly lining up the CPU for motherboard placement. The yellow triangle is the Pin 1 indicator.

Important

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

Please 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.

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

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

Overheating 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.

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

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

This 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.

Overview of Components

DIMM Slots

DIMM1

DIMM3

Channel A Channel B

DIMM2

DIMM4

Memory module installation recommendation

DIMM3

DIMM5

DIMM7

DIMM1

DIMM3

DIMM1

DIMM8

DIMM6

Channel D Channel C

DIMM7

DIMM5

DIMM7

DIMM3

DIMM1

DIMM2

DIMM6

Overview of Components

Important

Always insert a memory module in the DIMM1 slot first.

To ensure system stability for Dual/ Triple/ Quad channel mode, memory modules must be of the same type, number and density. And for every channel, the odd number DIMM slot must to be installed first.

Due to chipset resource usage, the available capacity of memory will be a little less than the amount of installed.

Based on Intel CPU specification, the Memory DIMM voltage below 1.35V is suggested to protect the CPU.

Please note that the maximum capacity of addressable memory is 4GB or less for 32-bit Windows OS due to the memory address limitation. Therefore, we recommended that you to install 64-bit Windows OS if you want to install more than 4GB memory on the motherboard.

Some memory may operate at a lower frequency than the marked value when overclocking due to the memory frequency operates dependent on its Serial Presence Detect (SPD). Go to BIOS and find the Memory Try It! to set the memory frequency if you want to operate the memory at the marked or at a higher frequency.

It is recommended to use a more efficient memory cooling system for full DIMMs installation or overclocking.

The stability and compatibility of installed memory modules depend on installed CPU and devices when overclocking.

DIMM5

DIMM7

DIMM3

DIMM1

DIMM2

DIMM6

DIMM4

DIMM8

Overview of Components

BAT1

PCI_E1~5: PCIe Expansion Slots

PCI_E1: PCIe 3.0 x16

PCI_E2: PCIe 2.0 x1

PCI_E3: PCIe 2.0 x1

PCI_E4: PCIe 3.0 x16

PCI_E5: PCIe 3.0 x8

Important

For a single PCIe x16 expansion card installation with optimum performance, using the PCI_E1 slot is recommended.

When adding or removing expansion cards, always turn off the power supply and unplug the power supply power cable from the power outlet. Read the expansion card’s documentation to check for any necessary additional hardware or software changes.

PCIe x16 slots bandwidth table

for 40-lanes CPU

Single-card 2-Way 3-Way

PCI_E1 x16 ─ ─ x16 ─ x8 x8 PCI_E4 ─ x16 ─ x16 x16 ─ x16 PCI_E5 ─ ─ x8 ─ x8 x8 x8

(─: N/A)

for 28-lanes CPU

Single-card 2-Way 3-Way

PCI_E1 x16 ─ ─ x16 ─ x8 x8 PCI_E4 ─ x8 ─ x8 x8 ─ x8 PCI_E5 ─ ─ x8 ─ x8 x8 x8

(─: N/A)

Overview of Components

x16

x16*/ x8**

Multiple graphics cards installation recommendation

* Only for the CPU with 40 PCIe lanes support. ** Only for the CPU with 28 PCIe lanes support.

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MSI X99A WORKSTATION User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual