MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH

***Veridian3*** · Jan 3, 2012, 09:17 AM

MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Motherboard Review @ HH

"MSI are expanding their range of X79 products with today's launch of an enthusiast board which aims to be the best motherboard a consumer can buy for Intel's new high end CPUs. We have one on our test bench and will be putting it through a selection of real world and synthetic tests."

steves6403 · Jan 3, 2012, 09:53 AM

Apparently they are real bullets

***Veridian3*** · Jan 3, 2012, 12:10 PM

Not sure about that... they are metal rather than plastic... but not real imo.

Tyrsonswood · Jan 3, 2012, 12:27 PM

Just not sure calling a motherboard "Big Bang" is a good idea..... hope they don't run into any power issues.

***Veridian3*** · Jan 3, 2012, 12:29 PM

Supposedly its to signify an explosion beyond all imagination... or something.

blibbax · Jan 3, 2012, 04:05 PM

If I was in the market for an X79 board, I'd buy this one. If it didn't have the bullets.

shALKE · Jan 3, 2012, 08:49 PM

Just saw the video of this card,

Sihastru · Jan 4, 2012, 11:45 AM

I don't think that real bullet cartridges look like boxes of crayons.

Where it matters (electrical design) the board looks good, but where it shouldn't matter (visual design) the board looks wrong. Sorry.

What ever happened to sensible industrial design?

IvanV · Jan 4, 2012, 12:56 PM

What happened to any form of sensibility nowadays? But if you're one of the sensible types and your computer case is not a display cabinet with lights and stuff, who cares what the things inside look like?

It looks like a great board, from everything seen, it deserved the high grades it got. Which adds to my personal opinion that MSI is an often underrated brand.

Sihastru · Jan 4, 2012, 02:49 PM

MSI is indeed an uderrated brand.

I don't really care of how the thing looks inside my mate black windowless case, but I do feel sad that form does not follow function anymore. And I will look a little bit like a douche if I'm going to buy this one. I mean, is that a minigun? Inside my case? It's ok that it only cools my power regulators? I could try to say that "it's more than meets the eye" but that would make me a bigger douche.

[...] Oh, I get the irony now. If I think about it for a minute (it hurts when I do that). It's pure irony. It's an ironic design. How do you cool something? You take a minigun and put holes in it. All that extra "ventilation" should help a lot. MSI have invented the first irony heatsink.

It's also passive. A passive minigun. That does not work. How do you make a minigun passive?

You can make beautiful things without turning them into attack helicopters. At least I think it's possible.

blibbax · Jan 4, 2012, 07:27 PM

One solid option would be to rip off that heatsink and fit an aftermarket one, no?

Sihastru · Jan 4, 2012, 08:51 PM

Yes, that would be an option, I think EK always does those full motherboard water blocks, but that implies water cooling. If you're not into water cooling there are no aftermarket options. Thermalright has a few, but installing those most of the time conflicts with your setup (like multi GPU).

Like I said. The thing is an electrical design masterpiece, the only think I don't like it's the "motherboard that wants to be an attack helicopter" vibe that it gives. I guess it's geared towards "gamers", whatever those things are. I mean only on Steam I have literally 114 games installed, I'm wondering how many more should I have before I'm considered a "gamer" person-thing.

And that's ok, I don't have to like it, there are other options on the market, and MSI themselves should have at least comparable model (one with "8D" in the name) with a much "quieter" design.

IvanV · Jan 4, 2012, 09:57 PM

You do have a thing against attack helicopters, don't you?

It is a little silly if you look too closely and think about it too much, but, at a glance, being all black with just one copper detail, I actually find the board's looks more understated compared to the red and black ASUS.

Franklin Lora · Jan 5, 2012, 07:54 PM

Wahoo that motherboard looks amazing!!!

SeaWulf · Jan 5, 2012, 10:12 PM

A question from a novice but an MSI fan......... the board is described as XL-ATX form. I have not seen this before.......... I am interested since my case/chassis is huge(Thermatake Armour +) and can handle E ATX,ATX,M-ATX,SSI CEB. but XL ATX is not listed. Would it fit? (Assuming mounting holes allign etc)

Thanks

It would like a bit weird to see the crayons/bullets" through the side window.........

***Veridian3*** · Jan 5, 2012, 11:11 PM

I'm thinking if its not mentioned then it probably doesnt fit. The specs for this board are:

Dimension
• 34.5cm(L) x 26.4cm(W) XL-ATX Form Factor

Mounting
• 12 mounting holes

You could do a quick measurement to get an idea then maybe email the case manufacturer to confirm for sure if it looks like it would fit.

blibbax · Jan 5, 2012, 11:35 PM

The Armour+ is a 7 slot case. This board (although it only has 7 slots) is the height of a 9 slot board.

IvanV · Jan 6, 2012, 03:00 AM

I believe that Blibbax has nailed it, although EATX boards are 330mm long, which is relatively close to the 345mm of this board.

blibbax · Jan 6, 2012, 11:25 AM

Actually, a quick google-image search reveals that there's more than one case called the Armor+, one of which is ten-slot. It's possible that XL-ATX would fit in that. You could post a pic of the inside of your case?

SeaWulf · Jan 6, 2012, 01:17 PM

Thanks for all the replies, I will check (at work)on which case I have to see whether I have 8 or 10 slots......I just do not remember

thanks again

SeaWulf · Jan 9, 2012, 08:43 PM

I have the ten slot version.......... as I was sizing the board it looks like the XL ATX board might cover the cable opening or crowd the HDDs...............thinking about X79a-GD65 (8D) board instead ......

thanks everyone

Ronsanut · Feb 10, 2012, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veridian3

MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Motherboard Review @ HH

"MSI are expanding their range of X79 products with today's launch of an enthusiast board which aims to be the best motherboard a consumer can buy for Intel's new high end CPUs. We have one on our test bench and will be putting it through a selection of real world and synthetic tests."

Does anyone know when this board will be released for sale in the US ?

LeadSled · May 22, 2012, 01:48 AM

After having a ASUS Ramapage IV Extreme and RMA it with abroken holddown clip which brok trying to get the video card out (clip was faulty) ASUS refused the RMA and sent it back with cruched pins and some where clipped off destroying the board. I ordered the MSI , the g you can byASUS was limited to 5.2Ghz without havibg extreme cooling IE: phase chage sub-zero cooling I hope to push my 3930k to new levels since it would OC to 5.2Ghz with only 1.479 volts and was only heating up to 33C under load after a few hours of BF3. I was also able to make the crossfire 7970's look slow with my SLI EVGA GTX570 Classified clocked to 993/2341 (the max the Nvidia tool would go) but would run in the 130-140 fps. They are also liquid cooled with liquid silicone (WilWood brake fluid DOT5 650 ) and ranged in temps under load at 24C and 25C . 3 pumps 2 MCP 655's and a old MCP 600 with three radiators 1 360 3 core, 1 240 duel core and another 280 triple core then to the EK HF Supream modified to flow at least 3 times the stock and cools by far the best of anything better then the you can buy.The silicone works aswell or better then water and flows faser then water so better cooling ( $100) for the coolant but worth every cent and smalll cost in the sceam of things. I my Revo drive can install Windows 7 in 9 minutes when cpu is at stock speed of 3.2ghz. I am also sure it will boot in ess then 20 seconds I just wish it will show up soon. ASUS I warn you of RMA I waisted $480 with tax. But ASUS will never get another cent on mine, but it seems MSI will be the new king. Long live the King.

Jan 3, 2012, 09:17 AM	#1
*Veridian3* Administrator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Cloaked Posts: 5,028 Rep Power: 181	MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Motherboard Review @ HH "MSI are expanding their range of X79 products with today's launch of an enthusiast board which aims to be the best motherboard a consumer can buy for Intel's new high end CPUs. We have one on our test bench and will be putting it through a selection of real world and synthetic tests."

Jan 3, 2012, 09:53 AM	#2
steves6403 HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: lilydale australia Posts: 249 Rep Power: 27 System Specs	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH Apparently they are real bullets

Jan 3, 2012, 12:10 PM	Thread Starter #3
*Veridian3* Administrator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Cloaked Posts: 5,028 Rep Power: 181	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH Not sure about that... they are metal rather than plastic... but not real imo.

Jan 3, 2012, 12:29 PM	Thread Starter #5
*Veridian3* Administrator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Cloaked Posts: 5,028 Rep Power: 181	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH Supposedly its to signify an explosion beyond all imagination... or something.

Jan 3, 2012, 04:05 PM	#6
blibbax What does this do? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 4,230 Rep Power: 254 System Specs	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH If I was in the market for an X79 board, I'd buy this one. If it didn't have the bullets. __________________ Donate the spare computing power of your PC to help to cure Alzheimer's, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease and cancer: Fold for HH!

Jan 3, 2012, 08:49 PM	#7
shALKE HH Panther Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Romania, Bucharest Posts: 203 Rep Power: 29 System Specs	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH Just saw the video of this card,

Jan 4, 2012, 11:45 AM	#8
Sihastru Never been clicked Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 433 Rep Power: 45 System Specs	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH I don't think that real bullet cartridges look like boxes of crayons. Where it matters (electrical design) the board looks good, but where it shouldn't matter (visual design) the board looks wrong. Sorry. What ever happened to sensible industrial design? __________________ There are more things in heaven and earth then are dreamt of in your philosophy. Intel Core i7 3820 \| Corsair H80 \| Asus P9X79 \| Kingston HyperX T1 Black 32GB DDR3 \| Gigabyte 8800 GTS 512 \| 2xIntel X25-M 160GB RAID0 + 2xWD 1TB Green RAID1 \| Asus Xonar DX \| Asus ES2-750 \| Sony OptiArc DVD+/-RW \| Corsair AX850 Gold \| Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium \| Dell 3007WFP-HC2 30" 2560x1600 \| Corsair SP2500 \| Logitech UltraX Premium \| CM Storm Advance \| Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64bit

Jan 4, 2012, 12:56 PM	#9
IvanV HH Assassin Guild Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 5,914 Rep Power: 333 System Specs	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH What happened to any form of sensibility nowadays? But if you're one of the sensible types and your computer case is not a display cabinet with lights and stuff, who cares what the things inside look like? It looks like a great board, from everything seen, it deserved the high grades it got. Which adds to my personal opinion that MSI is an often underrated brand. __________________ If anyone has Portal 2 and hasn't played the co-op and wants to do me a favour, let me know (PM me or whatever).

Jan 4, 2012, 02:49 PM	#10
Sihastru Never been clicked Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 433 Rep Power: 45 System Specs	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH MSI is indeed an uderrated brand. I don't really care of how the thing looks inside my mate black windowless case, but I do feel sad that form does not follow function anymore. And I will look a little bit like a douche if I'm going to buy this one. I mean, is that a minigun? Inside my case? It's ok that it only cools my power regulators? I could try to say that "it's more than meets the eye" but that would make me a bigger douche. [...] Oh, I get the irony now. If I think about it for a minute (it hurts when I do that). It's pure irony. It's an ironic design. How do you cool something? You take a minigun and put holes in it. All that extra "ventilation" should help a lot. MSI have invented the first irony heatsink. It's also passive. A passive minigun. That does not work. How do you make a minigun passive? You can make beautiful things without turning them into attack helicopters. At least I think it's possible. __________________ There are more things in heaven and earth then are dreamt of in your philosophy. Intel Core i7 3820 \| Corsair H80 \| Asus P9X79 \| Kingston HyperX T1 Black 32GB DDR3 \| Gigabyte 8800 GTS 512 \| 2xIntel X25-M 160GB RAID0 + 2xWD 1TB Green RAID1 \| Asus Xonar DX \| Asus ES2-750 \| Sony OptiArc DVD+/-RW \| Corsair AX850 Gold \| Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium \| Dell 3007WFP-HC2 30" 2560x1600 \| Corsair SP2500 \| Logitech UltraX Premium \| CM Storm Advance \| Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64bit

Jan 4, 2012, 07:27 PM	#11
blibbax What does this do? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 4,230 Rep Power: 254 System Specs	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH One solid option would be to rip off that heatsink and fit an aftermarket one, no? __________________ Donate the spare computing power of your PC to help to cure Alzheimer's, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease and cancer: Fold for HH!

Jan 4, 2012, 08:51 PM	#12
Sihastru Never been clicked Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 433 Rep Power: 45 System Specs	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH Yes, that would be an option, I think EK always does those full motherboard water blocks, but that implies water cooling. If you're not into water cooling there are no aftermarket options. Thermalright has a few, but installing those most of the time conflicts with your setup (like multi GPU). Like I said. The thing is an electrical design masterpiece, the only think I don't like it's the "motherboard that wants to be an attack helicopter" vibe that it gives. I guess it's geared towards "gamers", whatever those things are. I mean only on Steam I have literally 114 games installed, I'm wondering how many more should I have before I'm considered a "gamer" person-thing. And that's ok, I don't have to like it, there are other options on the market, and MSI themselves should have at least comparable model (one with "8D" in the name) with a much "quieter" design. __________________ There are more things in heaven and earth then are dreamt of in your philosophy. Intel Core i7 3820 \| Corsair H80 \| Asus P9X79 \| Kingston HyperX T1 Black 32GB DDR3 \| Gigabyte 8800 GTS 512 \| 2xIntel X25-M 160GB RAID0 + 2xWD 1TB Green RAID1 \| Asus Xonar DX \| Asus ES2-750 \| Sony OptiArc DVD+/-RW \| Corsair AX850 Gold \| Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium \| Dell 3007WFP-HC2 30" 2560x1600 \| Corsair SP2500 \| Logitech UltraX Premium \| CM Storm Advance \| Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64bit

Jan 4, 2012, 09:57 PM	#13
IvanV HH Assassin Guild Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 5,914 Rep Power: 333 System Specs	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH You do have a thing against attack helicopters, don't you? It is a little silly if you look too closely and think about it too much, but, at a glance, being all black with just one copper detail, I actually find the board's looks more understated compared to the red and black ASUS. __________________ If anyone has Portal 2 and hasn't played the co-op and wants to do me a favour, let me know (PM me or whatever). Last edited by IvanV; Jan 4, 2012 at 10:04 PM.

Jan 5, 2012, 07:54 PM	#14
Franklin Lora HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 7 Rep Power: 0	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH Wahoo that motherboard looks amazing!!!

Jan 5, 2012, 10:12 PM	#15
SeaWulf HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Burbs of Philly Posts: 102 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH A question from a novice but an MSI fan......... the board is described as XL-ATX form. I have not seen this before.......... I am interested since my case/chassis is huge(Thermatake Armour +) and can handle E ATX,ATX,M-ATX,SSI CEB. but XL ATX is not listed. Would it fit? (Assuming mounting holes allign etc) Thanks It would like a bit weird to see the crayons/bullets" through the side window......... __________________ Double Secret Probation Additional system information Titanium X FI PCIE 2 LG H55L DVD+RW (IDE) Last edited by SeaWulf; Jan 5, 2012 at 10:18 PM.

Jan 5, 2012, 11:11 PM	Thread Starter #16
*Veridian3* Administrator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Cloaked Posts: 5,028 Rep Power: 181	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH I'm thinking if its not mentioned then it probably doesnt fit. The specs for this board are: Dimension • 34.5cm(L) x 26.4cm(W) XL-ATX Form Factor Mounting • 12 mounting holes You could do a quick measurement to get an idea then maybe email the case manufacturer to confirm for sure if it looks like it would fit.

Jan 5, 2012, 11:35 PM	#17
blibbax What does this do? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 4,230 Rep Power: 254 System Specs	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH The Armour+ is a 7 slot case. This board (although it only has 7 slots) is the height of a 9 slot board. __________________ Donate the spare computing power of your PC to help to cure Alzheimer's, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease and cancer: Fold for HH!

Jan 6, 2012, 03:00 AM	#18
IvanV HH Assassin Guild Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 5,914 Rep Power: 333 System Specs	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH I believe that Blibbax has nailed it, although EATX boards are 330mm long, which is relatively close to the 345mm of this board. __________________ If anyone has Portal 2 and hasn't played the co-op and wants to do me a favour, let me know (PM me or whatever).

Jan 6, 2012, 11:25 AM	#19
blibbax What does this do? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 4,230 Rep Power: 254 System Specs	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH Actually, a quick google-image search reveals that there's more than one case called the Armor+, one of which is ten-slot. It's possible that XL-ATX would fit in that. You could post a pic of the inside of your case? __________________ Donate the spare computing power of your PC to help to cure Alzheimer's, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease and cancer: Fold for HH!

Jan 6, 2012, 01:17 PM	#20
SeaWulf HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Burbs of Philly Posts: 102 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH Thanks for all the replies, I will check (at work)on which case I have to see whether I have 8 or 10 slots......I just do not remember thanks again __________________ Double Secret Probation Additional system information Titanium X FI PCIE 2 LG H55L DVD+RW (IDE)

Jan 9, 2012, 08:43 PM	#21
SeaWulf HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Burbs of Philly Posts: 102 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH I have the ten slot version.......... as I was sizing the board it looks like the XL ATX board might cover the cable opening or crowd the HDDs...............thinking about X79a-GD65 (8D) board instead ...... thanks everyone __________________ Double Secret Probation Additional system information Titanium X FI PCIE 2 LG H55L DVD+RW (IDE)

May 22, 2012, 01:48 AM	#23
LeadSled HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kanata , Ontario , Canada Posts: 2 Rep Power: 0	Re: MSI Big Bang Xpower 2 X79 Review @ HH After having a ASUS Ramapage IV Extreme and RMA it with abroken holddown clip which brok trying to get the video card out (clip was faulty) ASUS refused the RMA and sent it back with cruched pins and some where clipped off destroying the board. I ordered the MSI , the g you can byASUS was limited to 5.2Ghz without havibg extreme cooling IE: phase chage sub-zero cooling I hope to push my 3930k to new levels since it would OC to 5.2Ghz with only 1.479 volts and was only heating up to 33C under load after a few hours of BF3. I was also able to make the crossfire 7970's look slow with my SLI EVGA GTX570 Classified clocked to 993/2341 (the max the Nvidia tool would go) but would run in the 130-140 fps. They are also liquid cooled with liquid silicone (WilWood brake fluid DOT5 650 ) and ranged in temps under load at 24C and 25C . 3 pumps 2 MCP 655's and a old MCP 600 with three radiators 1 360 3 core, 1 240 duel core and another 280 triple core then to the EK HF Supream modified to flow at least 3 times the stock and cools by far the best of anything better then the you can buy.The silicone works aswell or better then water and flows faser then water so better cooling ( $100) for the coolant but worth every cent and smalll cost in the sceam of things. I my Revo drive can install Windows 7 in 9 minutes when cpu is at stock speed of 3.2ghz. I am also sure it will boot in ess then 20 seconds I just wish it will show up soon. ASUS I warn you of RMA I waisted $480 with tax. But ASUS will never get another cent on mine, but it seems MSI will be the new king. Long live the King.