Msi x99a tomahawk review (full review)

MSI has released this summer enough motherboards with X99 chipset compatible with Intel Broadwell-E processors as standard and without the need to update the BIOS, this time we bring you the analysis of the MSI X99A Tomahawk a motherboard that is about 260 euros and offers great benefits.

We thank MSI Spain for trusting the product for its analysis:

MSI X99A TOMAHAWK technical features

Unboxing and Design MSI X99A TOMAHAWK

The MSI X99A Tomahawk It comes in a box with a standard size. On its cover we see an image of a missile, the model with very large letters, Intel certifications and its compatibility with the 2011-3 socket design.

While in the rear area we have all the most important technical characteristics of the product.

Once we open the box we find the following bundle:

MSI X99A Tomahawk motherboard .Instruction manual and quick guide. Software CD. SLI and CrossFireX bridge. SATA cable kits. Control panel quick connector. Stickers. Control panel and USB extenders.

As we can see the MSI X99A Tomahawk it is ATX format with dimensions of 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm for the LGA 2011-3 socket. The plate is pleasing to the eye and will combine very well with any component. Its military style and the combination of black color on the PCB and slightly lighter tones on the heatsinks gives a very good impression.

Rear view of the motherboard, for the most curious.

The MSI X99A Tomahawk has excellent cooling in both the power phases and the X99 chipset. It has a total of 8 digital phases and has Military Class V technology.

Among the improved components we find the Choke Titanium that has 40% more durability and 30% more efficient than in previous generations. Also the use of Japanese capacitors that offer greater resistance.

The chipset cooling takes care of a large heatsink that maintains extraordinary temperatures.

Once we removed the heatsinks we found in greater detail the excellent power phases and the small X99 chipset.

The board incorporates a total of 8 128 GB DDR4 RAM memory sockets with frequencies from 2133 MHz to 3333 MHz in Quad Channel and is compatible with the XMP 2.0 profile.

The MSI X99A Tomahawk It presents a distribution between its PCI Express connections quite interesting for a MultiGPU system. In it we find 6 PCI Express 3.0 connections and a PCI Express x1 connection. Which allows us to install a maximum of 2 graphics cards in SLI (Nvidia) or CrossFireX (AMD) with the following configuration:

One graphics card: x16. Two graphics cards: x16 / x16 (CPU of 40 LANES) or x16 / x8 (CPU of 28 LANES).

Both PCI Express connectors and DIMM memory slots are equipped with a metal shield. What is it for? It simply improves the transfer and supports greater weight of components (especially in high-end graphics cards).

Among the PCI express connections we find two M.2 connectors to install any SSD with type 2242/2260/2280/22110 format with the benefits of the 32 GB / s bandwidth.

In storage we find ten 6 GB / s SATA III connections with RAID 0.1, 5 and 10 support and two SATA Express connections for high speed disks. We also find two U.2 connections that allow you to connect PCIe 3.0 x4 NVM Express storage.

The integrated sound card is enhanced with Audio Boost 3 technology. What improvements does it offer us? Better sound quality through the use of premium quality audio components with 8 channels. What will make us enjoy a more crystalline sound and with a high impedance headphone amplifier

In this image we see a part of the control panel, the DEBUG LED and the heads for the USB connections.

Finally we detail the rear connections:

PS / 2 connector. BIOS clear button. 9 USB 3.0 connections. USB 3.1 Type C and Type A connector. 2 Gigabit LAN network cards. Sound card connections.

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Test bench and tests

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel Core i7-6900K
Base plate:	MSI X99A Tomahawk
Memory:	4 × 8 = 32GB DDR4 @ 3200 MHZ G.Skill Trident Z.
Heatsink	Corsair H100i V2.
HDD	Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB.
Graphic card	Nvidia GTX 1070.
Power supply	EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2

To check the stability of the i7-6900K processor at 4500 MHZ and the motherboard we have stressed with Prime 95 Custom and air cooling.

The graph we have used is a GTX 1070, without further delay, let's see the results obtained in our tests with a 1920 × 1080 monitor.

We look at your UEFI BIOS

In this second generation of X99 motherboards, which are compatible with Intel Broadwell-E processors as standard, it incorporates a much more renewed BIOS, much more stable and with a multitude of options.

Final words and conclusion about MSI X99A Tomahawk

The MSI X99A Tomahawk is an inexpensive motherboard for the LGA 2011-3 platform and compatible with Broadwell-E series processors, that means we don't need to update the BIOS.

Among its most important features we find an elegant design, great performance, the possibility of installing up to 128 GB of DDR4 RAM and 8 power phases supported by Military Class V technology.

We recommend reading our guide to the best motherboards on the market.

In our tests with an Nvidia GTX 1070 and an i7-6900k processor the result is great. And although it has some details to be a top of the range, without a doubt it is one of the best quality / price options on the market.

Currently we can find it for about 242 euros in an online store and it is available for immediate purchase. A 100% recommended purchase.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ DESIGN.	- YOU MAY ACCEPT A LARGER NUMBER OF GRAPHICS CARDS.
+ QUALITY OF THE COMPONENTS.
+ VERY GOOD PERFORMANCE.
+ STABLE BIOS.
+ GOOD PRICE.