Great more rainbows, cuz nothing spells "pro" like rainbows do. IMO people already know that RGB LEDs implies they can change color, so rainbows aren't really necessary, unless trying to appeal to a specific and fairly narrow market niche.
If a GTX 980 is a bottleneck for 1080p gaming, then I'm officially done with the PC Gaming Industry ... forever. Have fun playing games that look pretty and run crappy.
Oh no! a 2014 GPU is a bottleneck in the newest games in 2017?!? WHO WOUDDA THUNK?!?
The 980 is a good gaming chip, but for benchmarks like this, it's been long known that there are better parts for the job. 980ti/1070 should be the minimum.
Since the gaming PC is the only area where PC sales aren't slumping that niche might not be so small. You'd be amazed how many people dream of having a gaming system with the typical gaudy computer case, mandatory transparent side-panel, as many LEDs splashed around in every little component, the RGB-er the merrier, hopefully any kind of custom watercooling loop to show fluorescent tubing on top of everything else.
It even says "Gaming Pro", not "Pro".
Ian, are you sure about the $0.002 per HDMI connector thingy?
It's probably not far off. When you get to quantities in the tens of thousands and up, stuff like that gets CHEAP. It's not $0.002 in final cost; production time and resources aren't free. Having an HDMI connector vs. not probably ends up being a difference of $0.10 (+/- $0.05). Folks that know electronics manufacturing better than I, please correct.
ddriver wasn't complaining about the RGB LEDs, but rather that to advertise them they put them in a rainbow configuration, he thinks that it should be obvious and so they shouldn't do it, unless they were trying to attract people who like rainbows. I don't agree with him, rainbow advertising material makes it clear that the LEDs are INDEPENDENTLY controlled.
I don't think I agree with you. I'd say the best feature of customizable RGB lighting is that you can turn it off or just pick a suitable colour scheme. That way it doesn't matter what you want, the board will still appeal. I'm not big for the gaudy crap (I once bought an Alienware m14x R2 because of the massive discount and ran it with only the keyboard lights on an set to white the whole time), but it doesn't really bother me if the LEDs are there as long as I can turn it off. The reason you're seeing these everywhere is that they don't add very much cost to the bill of materials.
I don't think you got my point. I don't have a problem with customizable RGB LEDs, I was just pointing out that the rainbow showcasing really ruins the "pro" looks of the product.
We get your point, now are you going to get the point that it's "GAMING Pro" and not just "pro"?
I mean it's not like LEDs help you game better, but this board caters to that crowd. MSI has other boards that are for workstations specifically for "real pros" like you.
I think that some of the gripes go back to adding the LEDs and necessary control mechanisms for them drives up cost. For situations like yours where you're going to disable the LEDs anyway, there's not much point in them being included at all. When someone is buying a product at the MSRP, they're going to soak up that cost or seek out a different product with possibly a less desirable set of features and capabilites. It's a minor quibble, I admit, but you know how people tend to build trivial things into more trouble than is reasonable.
Those people would likely be better served waiting a month for Ryzen. We won't know until we know, but it still seems like a ludicrous buy today on 2/6/17.
Or more pcie lanes from the cpu. I just bought an x79 and ivy bridge cpu for crossfire r9 nano and the improvement in games vs z97 and i7 is drastic. Tested with 4 ivy bridge cores and 6. 4 was a great improvement and 6 even better.
I felt the same way about glossy plastic on laptops. It's likely there aren't many years left for the RGB fad. A lot of companies have gotten into it and they're naturally going to have to seek out other ways to differentiate products in the near future to attract customers. The good news is that if you're on pre-RGB hardware that's relatively modern, there aren't too many compelling reasons to upgrade outside of a picking up a modern GPU if gaming is your thing.
I remember when the Macintosh first came out. For regular users, it was their introduction to fonts and being able to easily choose among them. There was a year or two there were it seemed like any printed page would have 5+ fonts on it.
I'm hoping this lit up PC components phase goes the same way. Double or triple for components that are generally hidden within a case.
Recognizing this review is a tad bit late, I still appreciate having it now. This MSI offering spanks the 'Godlike' Carbon with the integrated Killer Network hardware.
If you're seeking a true X99A performer, do yourself a favor and save some coin - skip the 'Godlike' and buy this.
The MSI X99A Gaming Pro Carbon Motherboard is a very professionally designed motherboard for the gaming. happy to see the reviews here. the reviews are same as expected. http://gamingtoolkit.net/
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ddriver - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
Great more rainbows, cuz nothing spells "pro" like rainbows do. IMO people already know that RGB LEDs implies they can change color, so rainbows aren't really necessary, unless trying to appeal to a specific and fairly narrow market niche.tarqsharq - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
Are you guys looking to update your review GPU?A GTX980 is seriously falling behind the times and will bottleneck a CPU in many titles even at 1080p.
TEAMSWITCHER - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
If a GTX 980 is a bottleneck for 1080p gaming, then I'm officially done with the PC Gaming Industry ... forever. Have fun playing games that look pretty and run crappy.TheinsanegamerN - Wednesday, February 8, 2017 - link
Oh no! a 2014 GPU is a bottleneck in the newest games in 2017?!? WHO WOUDDA THUNK?!?The 980 is a good gaming chip, but for benchmarks like this, it's been long known that there are better parts for the job. 980ti/1070 should be the minimum.
close - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
Since the gaming PC is the only area where PC sales aren't slumping that niche might not be so small. You'd be amazed how many people dream of having a gaming system with the typical gaudy computer case, mandatory transparent side-panel, as many LEDs splashed around in every little component, the RGB-er the merrier, hopefully any kind of custom watercooling loop to show fluorescent tubing on top of everything else.It even says "Gaming Pro", not "Pro".
Ian, are you sure about the $0.002 per HDMI connector thingy?
ddriver - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
I meant leprechauns doh :D80-wattHamster - Tuesday, February 7, 2017 - link
It's probably not far off. When you get to quantities in the tens of thousands and up, stuff like that gets CHEAP. It's not $0.002 in final cost; production time and resources aren't free. Having an HDMI connector vs. not probably ends up being a difference of $0.10 (+/- $0.05). Folks that know electronics manufacturing better than I, please correct.Murloc - Thursday, February 9, 2017 - link
ddriver wasn't complaining about the RGB LEDs, but rather that to advertise them they put them in a rainbow configuration, he thinks that it should be obvious and so they shouldn't do it, unless they were trying to attract people who like rainbows.I don't agree with him, rainbow advertising material makes it clear that the LEDs are INDEPENDENTLY controlled.
Flunk - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
I don't think I agree with you. I'd say the best feature of customizable RGB lighting is that you can turn it off or just pick a suitable colour scheme. That way it doesn't matter what you want, the board will still appeal. I'm not big for the gaudy crap (I once bought an Alienware m14x R2 because of the massive discount and ran it with only the keyboard lights on an set to white the whole time), but it doesn't really bother me if the LEDs are there as long as I can turn it off. The reason you're seeing these everywhere is that they don't add very much cost to the bill of materials.ddriver - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
I don't think you got my point. I don't have a problem with customizable RGB LEDs, I was just pointing out that the rainbow showcasing really ruins the "pro" looks of the product.niva - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
We get your point, now are you going to get the point that it's "GAMING Pro" and not just "pro"?I mean it's not like LEDs help you game better, but this board caters to that crowd. MSI has other boards that are for workstations specifically for "real pros" like you.
BrokenCrayons - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
I think that some of the gripes go back to adding the LEDs and necessary control mechanisms for them drives up cost. For situations like yours where you're going to disable the LEDs anyway, there's not much point in them being included at all. When someone is buying a product at the MSRP, they're going to soak up that cost or seek out a different product with possibly a less desirable set of features and capabilites. It's a minor quibble, I admit, but you know how people tend to build trivial things into more trouble than is reasonable.ChristopherF - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
Great article Ian! On page 2 the chipset is listed as z170fanofanand - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
Who is buying into X99 today? This is a chipset released in 2014!joex4444 - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
People who need more than 4C/8T.wolfemane - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
Or those that think they need more than 4c/8tgalta - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
People who really need (or really think they need, or think they really need etc.) more than 4c/8t usually don't like leds.doggface - Tuesday, February 7, 2017 - link
Speak for yourself.Pfft. You can build a decent PC and take care of the aesthetics at the same time.
fanofanand - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
Those people would likely be better served waiting a month for Ryzen. We won't know until we know, but it still seems like a ludicrous buy today on 2/6/17.MarkieGcolor - Tuesday, February 7, 2017 - link
Yea but maybe you can find good deals and who likes to wait?MarkieGcolor - Tuesday, February 7, 2017 - link
Or more pcie lanes from the cpu. I just bought an x79 and ivy bridge cpu for crossfire r9 nano and the improvement in games vs z97 and i7 is drastic. Tested with 4 ivy bridge cores and 6. 4 was a great improvement and 6 even better.fanofanand - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
Typo Ian?"On the LED side, the four zones on the board are coming trolled through the bundled software."
Conclusion page.
ddriver - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
LOL coming trolled instead of controlled. How and why does such a mistake happen :Ddstarr3 - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
Sounds like autocorrect to me. Written on a tablet?LiviuTM - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
Intel Z170 chipset - are you sure? :)Gunbuster - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
For $300+ I expect at minimum 3 light up carbon fiber dragons. Up your game MSI!dstarr3 - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
God, this RGB LED On Everything phase is so achingly hideous. I can't wait for this to pass.BrokenCrayons - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
I felt the same way about glossy plastic on laptops. It's likely there aren't many years left for the RGB fad. A lot of companies have gotten into it and they're naturally going to have to seek out other ways to differentiate products in the near future to attract customers. The good news is that if you're on pre-RGB hardware that's relatively modern, there aren't too many compelling reasons to upgrade outside of a picking up a modern GPU if gaming is your thing.wsjudd - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
The 'deep dive' link on the first page links to the Z170 deep dive, not the X99 one :-)brucek2 - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
I remember when the Macintosh first came out. For regular users, it was their introduction to fonts and being able to easily choose among them. There was a year or two there were it seemed like any printed page would have 5+ fonts on it.I'm hoping this lit up PC components phase goes the same way. Double or triple for components that are generally hidden within a case.
The_Assimilator - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
Good to see someone else still rocking a TRUE Copper! :DLiquidSilverZ - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
Love my Ultra 120 Extreme! Still keeps my i7-2600K @4.8GHz, <60C at stock voltage, no problem!shabby - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
Ridiculous... $330 and it doesn't have eXtreme in the name?!?Shadowmaster625 - Monday, February 6, 2017 - link
jesus, those prices are flat-out absurd and insane.GoMoeJoe - Tuesday, February 7, 2017 - link
Recognizing this review is a tad bit late, I still appreciate having it now.This MSI offering spanks the 'Godlike' Carbon with the integrated Killer Network hardware.
If you're seeking a true X99A performer, do yourself a favor and save some coin -
skip the 'Godlike' and buy this.
Barens - Wednesday, February 15, 2017 - link
I just found this amazing graphic video and play to all games now! Price is too much, but is amazinghttp://trucchia360gradi.net/
gamingtoolkit - Friday, September 8, 2017 - link
The MSI X99A Gaming Pro Carbon Motherboard is a very professionally designed motherboard for the gaming. happy to see the reviews here. the reviews are same as expected.http://gamingtoolkit.net/