MSI Introduces New X299 Motherboards for Cascade Lake-X Processors

By admin On Oct 7, 2019

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MSI releases new X299 motherboards with support for the upcoming Cascade Lake-X CPUs. These are the Creator X299, the X299 Pro and the X299 Pro 10G. It is not yet clear when the motherboards will be released. Prices are also unknown.

The X299 Pro, X299 Pro 10G and Creator X299 are intended for Intel’s upcoming Cascade Lake-X CPUs, but they will use the same LGA2066 socket as previous-generation Hedt CPUs. The Creator X299 is MSI’s high-end model. This motherboard has an e-atx form factor and includes a twelve-phase power design with a maximum theoretical capacity of 90 amps. The Creator also includes three 8-pin EPS connectors.

The Creator X299 contains seven USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, has one USB-C port with a maximum speed of 20Gbit/s and two USB 2.0 connections. The Creator has two LAN ports, one of which supports 10 gigabits. The motherboard supports Wi-Fi 6 with a built-in 802.11ax radio. The Creator contains three m2 slots and a u2 connection. It appears that MSI is shipping the Creator X299 with a Thunderbolt 3 expansion card. The motherboard seems to contain a modest amount of RGB LEDs on the VRM cooling and the south bridge.

The X299 Pro and X299 Pro 10G have a somewhat simpler design without RGB lighting. For example, the X299 Pro does not have an integrated 10Gbit network card and no Thunderbolt 3 card is included. Both motherboards have an atx form factor. MSI won’t say anything about the VRMs, but the board contains at least nine chokes. The X299 Pro includes two 8-pin EPS connectors. The motherboard contains four USB 3.0 and four USB 2.0 ports on the back. A single USB 3.2 gen 2×2 port is also provided and supports speeds of up to 20Gbit/s. The X299 Pro 10G comes with a 10Gbit network card and an expansion card with two m2 slots.

It is still unclear when the X299 motherboards from MSI will be on the market, but the motherboards are expected to come out around the release of the Cascade Lake-X CPUs in November. Prices of the motherboards are also not yet known.