If you're building around Intel's new Core X CPUs on a budget, MSI's X299 SLI Plus is worth checking out. The board delivers solid features and even a little style without going overboard.

Internal and external USB 3.1 Type-C; Two M.2 connectors and a U.2 connector; Classy RGB LED lighting with MSI Mystic Light software; Clearly marked headers and connectors

Lacks Wi-Fi; Video card can block chipset LED; "SLI" focus in name; but some users will want more gaming features

If you've been waiting for a good excuse to spend lavish amounts of money on a new PC, Intel X299 and an accompanying Core X-Series processor may be just the ticket. The new High-end Desktop (HEDT) platform arrives as a long-overdue successor to X99 and offers the highest level of performance we've...

Supports up to 18 cores / 36 threads; More PCIe lanes than you're likely to need; Quad-channel DDR4 memory; Compatible with LGA2011v3 coolers; Ample expansion opportunities; Lots of overclocker-friendly options

Some features reserved for premium CPUs; Pricey compared to X370 rivals; Software still being optimised

MSI has gone and stripped "GAMING" and "X-POWER" from its motherboard, and what's left is what we've got to look at today. MSI's X299 SLI PLUS is exactly what its name says it is and not much more... or is it more than anyone could have hoped for?

With the launch of Intel's Core X Series processors we have the brand new X299 chipset and with it a

– Has all of the core X299 features you want; – Good overall performance; – Solid overclocking; – MSI App Manager; – Price

– RGB LEDs really aren't needed; – Command Center app has wrong readings for our memory

We've finally got round to looking at one of MSI's shiny new X299 motherboards, and sitting sweetly on our test bench currently is the X299 SLI Plus, which is a more budget-focussed motherboard compared to others in MSI's X299 arsenal, retailing for around ￡260.

This is a functional motherboard. Receiving a dead board, on top of two complications with the board that I attribute to poor design, I would not recommend the board. I haven't installed a new motherboard in about 3 years, so perhaps I am out of date, but these design decisions seem to cause...

Will update when replacement from Newegg arrives; Likely won't go above 3 eggs; (keeping 1 egg

-First board received DOA

Used this for my first ever custom build.

Worked fine for two weeks then quit. Just won't power up at all. Waiting for RMA replacement to arrive and install. While it was working it was quite good. Didn't have any boot, BIOS, or operating issues.

Intel's X299 platform is an appealing choice to consumers requiring high core count CPUs and plentiful system memory. Yet an X299 system build can get seriously expensive with the motherboard comprising a large share of that expense.

Competitively priced X299 motherboard; Neutral aesthetics with RGB lighting; Abundant overclocking and diagnostic tools; Dual Gigabit Ethernet; Great all-round connectivity; M2 Shield

RGB lighting software needs optimisation; White LED zone is bewildering; Extra CPU fan header would be ideal

I've used this motherboard for 3 months now and it has been the biggest headache and the most problematic hardware I've owned within the last 20 years. The good thing is that when it worked it was very stable and hardly crashed.