MSI X399 Gaming Pro Carbon AC Review

Peter Donnell / 7 years ago

Final Thoughts

Price

The MSI X399 Gaming Pro Carbon AC AMD Ryzen Threadripper Motherboard is currently available for around £339.99 to £360. That’s a lot of money, but for a board designed for higher end chip like the 16c/32t 1950X, it’s hardly going to be the most expensive part of any build using it. It’s also a little cheaper than a few rival offerings, albeit only by £10. Either way, you get a huge amount of features for your investment.

Overview

Threadripper is a very interesting mix of high-end components and while it doesn’t topple the Intel Core i9 in terms of gaming, it pretty much slaughters it when it comes to multitasking and rendering tasks. The new motherboard from MSI is certainly a good match with the latest AMD CPU, and it’s sure to keep anyone investing in Threadripper more than happy.

Gaming?

It’s interesting that this is a gaming board, and it certainly is, but I must stress that I would see it more for the enthusiast gaming streaming crowd, and 4K or VR gamers. Our benchmarks here today didn’t paint Threadripper or the X399 motherboard in the best light when it comes to gaming. However, while not the fastest, the performance was obviously competitive. We’re refreshing how we test motherboards to catch up with modern demands, such as 4K gaming. Of course, we’ll re-test this motherboard using the new system too, and I’m eager to show you how that pans out. For now, though, this is still one of the fastest Motherboard and CPU combinations we’ve ever tested.

Armoured!

Build quality on this motherboard is rock solid, and it needs to be. Threadripper puts out a lot of head, often able to tip over 100C even on a half decent AIO cooler. The thicker PCB of the motherboard, the chunky socket, the thick VRM heat sink all help greatly in maintaining performance. Add to that the fully armored PCI slots, DIMM slots, and M.2 mounts, and you’ve got a durable motherboard that looks great and can deliver reliable performance.

RGB and Carbon = Win

Aesthetics are a big part of the system building market these days. Of course, with RGB lighting, matte black hardware, and lots of armor components, this board looks drop-dead gorgeous. It’s not too over the top, but the fake carbon fiber decals look slick too, but that’s very subjective.

Should I Buy One?

If you’re ready to build a high-end system that caters to 4K gaming, VR, and heavy duty work station tasks such as video rendering and games development. Then, of course the TR4 platform is going to fit the bill. Sure, Intel have some compelling options too right now, but Threadripper is the strongest AMD platform to date for a lot of tasks, and the latest motherboard from MSI is more than up to the job.

Pros

Supports latest TR4 processors
Easy to overclock
Durable build quality
Stylish aesthetics
RGB lighting
Armoured hardware
Great storage connectivity
64-PCIe lanes
Competitively priced
Quad-channel memory

Cons

Rear I/O cover could be better designed
Some exposed wiring near rear I/O could be tidied up

“If you’re ready to rock the latest AMD Threadripper CPUs, the MSI X399 Gaming Pro Carbon AC is packed full of features that are sure to impress!”