MSI X99A Workstation Motherboard Review

1. Introduction2. MSI X99A Workstation: Packaging, Bundle, Layout and Features3. MSI X99A Workstation: UEFI BIOS4. Testing Methodology and Configuration5. Tests: Maxon Cinebench R156. Tests: Futuremark PC Mark 87. Tests: SPECviewperf 128. Tests: Disk Performance9. Closing Thoughts10. View All Pages

We were supplied with an Intel Xeon E5-2640 v4 CPU for testing this motherboard, since it is aimed at professional applications. This is from Intel's Broadwell-EP generation, and is somewhere in the middle of the range.

The processor has a base clock of 2.4GHz, with a 3.4GHz Turbo Boost mode, and ten physical cores, which Hyper-Threading doubles to 20 virtual cores. It's a 90W part, so not particularly power hungry. Unfortunately, being a Xeon, this processor is not multiplier unlocked and has no overclocking capabilities, so we couldn’t test this aspect of the board.

We equipped the motherboard with 32GB of Kingston 2,400MHz DDR4 SDRAM, in four 8GB modules. This allowed the quad-channel memory configuration to be enabled, for maximum bandwidth. It's also the kind of memory allocation we would expect to see in a system built around this motherboard.

For graphics, we used the PNY NVIDIA Quadro M5000. This is an ultra-high-end card, suiting the specification of processor and RAM. It sports 2,048 CUDA cores and 8GB of GDDR5 memory, so is extremely capable for professional applications. Finally, we used a SATA-based 480GB PNY Client CL4111 SSD for the operating system. This is a MLC NAND SSD using a Seagate SandForce SF2281 controller, and promises reading and writing in excess of 500MB/sec.

We ran four tests. First, Maxon Cinebench R15's rendering and OpenGL tests, to assess the base performance with the installed processor and graphics card. We ran FutureMark 8 to test general system performance, and SPECviewperf 12.1 for professional graphics performance. Finally, we ran Crystal DiskMark 5.0.2 on the SSD.

For some of these tests, we compared results with those from a PC Specialist Workstation based around a six-core Intel Core i7-5820K running at 4.4GHz, and sporting the Quadro M5000's predecessor, the K5200.

Motherboard test specification:

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2640 v4
• Cooler: Noctua NH-D15S
• Memory: 32GB (4 x 8GB) 2,400MHz Kingston DDR4 SDRAM
• Graphics: 8GB GDDR5 PNY NVIDIA Quadro M5000
• Storage: 480GB PNY Client CL4111 SSD

PC Specialist Workstation Specifications:

• Intel Core i7-5820K @ 4.4GHz
• 16GB ECC DDR4 SDRAM @ 2,133MHz
• 8GB GDDR5 PNY NVIDIA Quadro K5200
• ASUS X99-E WS Motherboard
• 240GB Kingston HyperX 3K SATA III 6Gb/s SSD
• 2TB Western Digital Caviar Black WD2003FZEX SATA III 6Gb/s HDD
• CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (120mm) Fan CPU cooling
• Corsair 750W CS Series Modular 80 Plus Gold PSU
• Corsair Carbide Series 200R Compact chassis
• Windows 8.1 Pro 64bit

Tests:
Maxon Cinebench R15 – all-core CPU benchmark and OpenGL graphics performance
PCMark 8 2.7.613 – general system performance
SPECviewperf 12.1 – professional graphics performance
Crystal DiskMark 5.0.2 – storage transfer rates

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