MSI Creator X299 User manual

1
Quick Start
Quick Start
Thank you for purchasing the MSI®Creator X299 motherboard. This Quick Start
section provides demonstration diagrams about how to install your computer. Some
of the installations also provide video demonstrations. Please link to the URL to watch
it with the web browser on your phone or tablet. You may have even link to the URL by
scanning the QR code.
Preparing Tools and Components
DDR4 Memory
Graphics Card
SATA Hard Disk Drive SATA DVD Drive
Phillips Screwdriver
Chassis
Power Supply Unit
A Package of Screws
Thermal Paste
CPU Fan
Intel®LGA 2066 CPU

2Quick Start
Safety Information
∙The components included in this package are prone to damage from electrostatic
discharge (ESD). Please adhere to the following instructions to ensure successful
computer assembly.
∙Ensure that all components are securely connected. Loose connections may cause
the computer to not recognize a component or fail to start.
∙Hold the motherboard by the edges to avoid touching sensitive components.
∙It is recommended to wear an electrostatic discharge (ESD) wrist strap when
handling the motherboard to prevent electrostatic damage. If an ESD wrist strap is
not available, discharge yourself of static electricity by touching another metal object
before handling the motherboard.
∙Store the motherboard in an electrostatic shielding container or on an anti-static
pad whenever the motherboard is not installed.
∙Before turning on the computer, ensure that there are no loose screws or metal
components on the motherboard or anywhere within the computer case.
∙Do not boot the computer before installation is completed. This could cause
permanent damage to the components as well as injury to the user.
∙If you need help during any installation step, please consult a certified computer
technician.
∙Always turn off the power supply and unplug the power cord from the power outlet
before installing or removing any computer component.
∙Keep this user guide for future reference.
∙Keep this motherboard away from humidity.
∙Make sure that your electrical outlet provides the same voltage as is indicated on
the PSU, before connecting the PSU to the electrical outlet.
∙Place the power cord such a way that people can not step on it. Do not place
anything over the power cord.
∙All cautions and warnings on the motherboard should be noted.
∙If any of the following situations arises, get the motherboard checked by service
personnel:
▪Liquid has penetrated into the computer.
▪The motherboard has been exposed to moisture.
▪The motherboard does not work well or you can not get it work according to user
guide.
▪The motherboard has been dropped and damaged.
▪The motherboard has obvious sign of breakage.
∙Do not leave this motherboard in an environment above 60°C (140°F), it may damage
the motherboard.

3
Quick Start
Installing a Processor
1
2
3
6
4
5
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
https://youtu.be/ecdkLMmkya4

4Quick Start
Installing DDR4 memory
http://youtu.be/T03aDrJPyQs
B1 B2 A1 A2 CPU C2 C1 D2 D1
1 DIMM
Intel® Core™ X-series
10000/ 9000/ 78xx (above)
processors
2 DIMMs
4 DIMMs
8 DIMMs
1
2
2
3

5
Quick Start
HDD LED
RESET SW
Connecting the Front Panel Header
http://youtu.be/DPELIdVNZUI
JFP1
HDD LED HDD LED -
HDD LED +
POWER LED -
POWER LED +
POWER LED
1
2 10
9
+
+
+- -- -
+
Power LED
HDD LED Reset Switch
Reserved
Power Switch
JFP1
1 HDD LED + 2 Power LED +
3 HDD LED - 4 Power LED -
5 Reset Switch 6 Power Switch
7 Reset Switch 8 Power Switch
9 Reserved 10 No Pin
RESET SW
POWER SW
POWER LED+
POWER LED-
HDD LED

6Quick Start
BAT1
Installing the Motherboard
1
2

7
Quick Start
Connecting the Power Connectors
http://youtu.be/gkDYyR_83I4
ATX_PWR1
CPU_PWR3
PCIE_PWR1
CPU_PWR1 CPU_PWR2

8Quick Start
Installing SATA Drives
http://youtu.be/RZsMpqxythc
1
23
4
5

9
Quick Start
Installing a Graphics Card
1
http://youtu.be/mG0GZpr9w_A
2
3
4
5
6

10 Quick Start
Connecting Peripheral Devices

11
Quick Start
Power On
4
3
12

12 Contents
Contents
Quick Start ............................................................................................................. 1
Preparing Tools and Components.......................................................................... 1
Safety Information.................................................................................................. 2
Installing a Processor ............................................................................................ 3
Installing DDR4 memory ........................................................................................ 4
Connecting the Front Panel Header ...................................................................... 5
Installing the Motherboard..................................................................................... 6
Connecting the Power Connectors ........................................................................ 7
Installing SATA Drives............................................................................................ 8
Installing a Graphics Card...................................................................................... 9
Connecting Peripheral Devices............................................................................ 10
Power On .............................................................................................................. 11
Specifications....................................................................................................... 15
JCORSAIR1 Connector Specification .................................................................. 21
Package contents ................................................................................................ 21
Block Diagram .................................................................................................... 22
Rear I/O Panel ..................................................................................................... 23
LAN Port LED Status Table .................................................................................. 23
Audio Ports Configuration.................................................................................... 23
Realtek Audio Console ......................................................................................... 24
Installing Antennas............................................................................................... 26
Overview of Components .................................................................................... 27
CPU Socket ........................................................................................................... 29
DIMM Slots............................................................................................................ 30
PCI_E1~4: PCIe Expansion Slots.......................................................................... 32
PCIe, M2_2 and M2_3 slots bandwidth table ....................................................... 32
VRAID1: Virtual RAID on CPU Connector ............................................................. 34
U2_1: U.2 Connector............................................................................................. 35
M2_1~3: M.2 Slots (Key M) ................................................................................... 36
SATA1~8: SATA 6Gb/s Connectors....................................................................... 40
JFP1, JFP2: Front Panel Connectors................................................................... 40
CPU_PWR1~3, ATX_PWR1, PCIE_PWR1: Power Connectors ............................. 41
OC1: OC GENIE 4 Knob ........................................................................................ 42
OC_RT1: OC Retry Jumper................................................................................... 44
OC_FS1: OC Force Enter BIOS Jumper................................................................ 44
󳖮󴉣󴁂

13
Contents
JSLOW1: Slow Mode Booting Jumper.................................................................. 44
CPU_FAN1, PUMP_FAN1, SYS_FAN1~4, EXS_FAN1~2: Fan Connectors........... 45
W_FLOW1: Water Flow Meter Connector ............................................................ 46
T_SEN1: Thermal Sensor Connector................................................................... 46
V-Check Points ..................................................................................................... 46
JUSB5: USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C Connector............................................................ 47
JUSB3~4: USB 3.2 Gen1 Connector ..................................................................... 47
JUSB1~2: USB 2.0 Connectors............................................................................. 48
JTPM1: TPM Module Connector........................................................................... 48
JAUD1: Front Audio Connector ............................................................................ 49
JCI1: Chassis Intrusion Connector....................................................................... 49
JBAT1: Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS) Jumper........................................................... 50
POWER1, RESET1: Power Button, Reset Button ................................................. 50
JTBT1: Thunderbolt Add-on Card Connector ...................................................... 50
BIOS_SW1: Multi-BIOS Switch ............................................................................. 51
JRGB1: RGB LED connector................................................................................. 52
JRAINBOW1~2: Addressable RGB LED connectors ............................................ 53
JCORSAIR1: CORSAIR Connector ........................................................................ 54
Onboard LEDs...................................................................................................... 55
EZ Debug LED....................................................................................................... 55
JPWRLED1: LED power input............................................................................... 55
XMP LED ............................................................................................................... 55
Multi-BIOS LEDs................................................................................................... 56
Debug Code LED................................................................................................... 56
Hexadecimal Character Table.............................................................................. 56
Boot Phases.......................................................................................................... 56
Debug Code LED Table......................................................................................... 57
ACPI States Codes................................................................................................ 60
CPU Temperature................................................................................................. 60
Installing OS, Drivers & Utilities ......................................................................... 61
Installing Windows®10.......................................................................................... 61
Installing Drivers .................................................................................................. 61
Installing Utilities ................................................................................................. 61
BIOS Setup........................................................................................................... 62
Entering BIOS Setup............................................................................................. 62
Resetting BIOS...................................................................................................... 63
Updating BIOS....................................................................................................... 63
EZ Mode ................................................................................................................ 65

14 Contents
Advanced Mode .................................................................................................... 67
SETTINGS.............................................................................................................. 68
Advanced............................................................................................................... 68
Boot....................................................................................................................... 73
Security................................................................................................................. 74
Save & Exit............................................................................................................ 75
OC.......................................................................................................................... 77
M-FLASH .............................................................................................................. 85
OC PROFILE.......................................................................................................... 86
HARDWARE MONITOR.......................................................................................... 87
Nahimic 3 ............................................................................................................. 88
Installation and Update ........................................................................................ 88
Audio Tab .............................................................................................................. 88
Microphone Tab.................................................................................................... 89
Sound Tracker Tab ............................................................................................... 90
Settings Tab.......................................................................................................... 90
RAID Configuration.............................................................................................. 91
Enabling Intel®Rapid Storage Technology........................................................... 91
Creating RAID Volume ......................................................................................... 92
Removing a RAID Volume .................................................................................... 93
Resetting Disks to Non-RAID............................................................................... 94
Rebuilding RAID Array.......................................................................................... 95
Installing RAID Driver........................................................................................... 96
Intel® Optane™ Memory Configuration.............................................................. 97
System Requirements ......................................................................................... 97
Installing the Intel® Optane™ memory ................................................................ 97
Removing the Intel® Optane™ memory................................................................ 99
Troubleshooting ............................................................................................... 100

15
Specifications
Specifications
CPU Supports Intel® Core™ X-series 10000/ 9000/ 78xx (above)
processors for socket LGA2066
Chipset Intel® X299 Chipset
Memory
∙8x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 256GB*
▪Support DDR4 4266+(OC)/ 4133(OC)/ 4000(OC)/
3866(OC)/ 3733(OC)/3600(OC)/ 3466(OC)/ 3400(OC)/
3333(OC)/ 3300(OC)/ 3200(OC)/ 3000(OC)/ 2933/ 2666/
2400/ 2133
∙Quad channel memory architecture
∙Supports non-ECC UDIMM memory
∙Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
* Please refer www.msi.com for more information on compatible memory.
Expansion Slots
∙4x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots
▪Support x8/ x8/ x16/ x8 and x16/ x0/ x16/ x8 modes
with the 48-lane CPU.
▪Support x8/ x8/ x16/ x8 and x16/ x0/ x16/ x8 modes
with the 44-lane CPU.*
▪Support x8/ x8/ x8/ x0 and x16/ x0/ x8/ x0 modes with
the 28-lane CPU.**
* The PCI_E4 slot will run 3.0 x4 speed with 44-lane CPU when installing M.2
PCIe device into M2_3 slot.
** The PCI_E4 slot is unavailable with 28-lane CPU.
Multi-GPU
∙Supports 4-Way NVIDIA®SLI®Technology*
∙Supports 4-Way AMD®CrossFire™ Technology*
* Depends on the installed CPU.
LAN ∙1x Intel® I219V Gigabit LAN controller
∙1x Aquantia® AQC107 10-Gigabit LAN controller
Wireless LAN &
Bluetooth®
Intel®Wi-Fi 6 AX200
▪Supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, MU-MINO Rx, 2.4GHz-
5GHz (160MHz) up to 2.4Gbps
▪Supports Bluetooth®5
▪The Wireless module is pre-install in the M2_4 (Key-E)
slot
Audio
Realtek®ALC1220 Codec
∙7.1-Channel High Definition Audio
∙Supports Optical S/PDIF output
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16 Specifications
Continued from previous page
Storage
Intel® X299 Chipset
∙8x SATA 6Gb/s ports
∙1x M.2 slot (M2_1, Key M)*
▪Supports up to PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA 6Gb/s, 2242/
2260/ 2280/ 22110 storage devices
▪Intel® Rapid Start Technology
▪Intel® Optane™ Memory Ready
∙1x U.2 port, supports PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe storage
∙Supports Intel® Smart Response Technology
Intel® CPU
∙2x M.2 slots (M2_2 & M2_3, Key M)*
▪Support up to PCIe 3.0 x4, 2242/ 2260/ 2280/ 22110
storage devices*
* M2_3 slot is unavailable with 28-lane CPU.
RAID
Intel® X299 Chipset
∙Supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 for SATA
storage devices
∙Supports RAID 0 and RAID 1 for M.2 PCIe storage devices
USB
ASMedia® ASM3242 Chipset
▪1x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 (SuperSpeed USB 20 Gbps) Type-C
port on the back panel
ASMedia® ASM3142 Chipset
▪1x USB 3.2 Gen2 (SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps) Type-C
port through the internal USB connector
ASMedia® ASM1074 Chipset
▪7x USB 3.2 Gen1 (SuperSpeed USB) Type-A ports on
the back panel
Intel® X299 Chipset
▪4x USB 3.2 Gen1 (SuperSpeed USB) ports through the
internal USB connectors
▪6x USB 2.0 (High-speed USB) ports (2 Type-A ports
on the back panel, 4 ports through the internal USB
connectors)
Continued on next page

17
Specifications
Continued from previous page
Internal Connectors
∙1x 24-pin ATX main power connector
∙3x 8-pin ATX 12V power connectors
∙1x flat 4-pin ATX 12V power connector (Provides additional
power for PCIe x16 slots)
∙8x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
∙1x U.2 port
∙2x USB 2.0 connectors (support additional 4 USB 2.0 ports)
∙2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 connectors (support additional 4 USB 3.2
Gen 1 ports)
∙1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C Port
∙1x 4-pin CPU fan connector
∙4x 4-pin system fan connectors
∙2x 4-pin extend system fan connectors
∙1x 4-pin water-pump fan connector
∙1x 3-pin Water Flow connector
∙1x Front panel audio connector
∙2x System panel connectors
∙1x TPM module connector
∙1x Chassis Intrusion connector
∙1x 2-pin Thermal Sensors connector
∙1x Thunderbolt Add-on Card Connector
∙1x Virtual RAID on CPU connector
LED Connectors
∙1x 4-pin RGB LED connector
∙2x 3-pin RAINBOW LED connectors
∙1x 3-pin CORSAIR connector
Switch ∙1x Multi-BIOS switch
Internal Buttons
∙1x Power button
∙1x Reset button
∙1x OC GENIE 4 knob
Jumpers ∙1x Clear CMOS jumper
∙1x Slow mode booting jumper
Debug LED ∙1x Debug Code LED
∙4x EZ Debug LEDs
Continued on next page

18 Specifications
Continued from previous page
Back Panel
Connectors
∙1x Clear CMOS Button
∙1x Flash BIOS Button
∙2x Wi-Fi Antenna connectors
∙1x PS/2 keyboard/ mouse combo port
∙2x USB 2.0 ports
∙7x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports
∙1x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C port
∙1x Gigabit LAN (RJ45) port
∙1x 10-Gigabit LAN (RJ45) port
∙5x OFC audio jacks
∙1x Optical S/PDIF Out connector
I/O Controller NUVOTON NCT6797 Controller Chip
Hardware Monitor
∙CPU/ System temperature detection
∙CPU/ System fan speed detection
∙CPU/ System fan speed control
Form Factor ∙EATX Form Factor
∙12 in. x 10.7 in. (30.5 cm x 27.2 cm)
BIOS Features
∙2x 128 Mb flash
∙UEFI AMI BIOS
∙ACPI 6.1, SM BIOS 2.8
∙Multi-language
Software
∙Drivers
∙CREATOR CENTER
∙Nahimic Audio
∙CPU-Z MSI GAMING
∙MSI App Player (BlueStacks)
∙Open Broadcaster Software (OBS)
∙Google Chrome™ ,Google Toolbar, Google Drive
∙Norton™ Internet Security Solution
Continued on next page

19
Specifications
Continued from previous page
Creator Center
Features
∙Creator Optimization
∙Creator Hotkey
∙Mystic Light
∙Hardware Monitor
∙True Color
∙Live update
∙Speed Up
∙Smart Tool
∙Super Charger
Please refer to http://download.msi.
com/manual/mb/CREATORCENTER.
pdf for more details.
Special Features
∙Audio
▪Audio Boost 4
▪Nahimic 3
▪Voice Boost
∙Network
▪10G Super LAN
▪LAN Manager
▪Dual LAN
▪Intel WiFi
∙Storage
▪Triple Turbo M.2
∙Cooling
▪Extended Heatsink Design
▪M.2 Shield Frozr
▪Pump Fan
▪Fan Control
∙LED
▪Mystic Light
▪Mystic Light Extension (RGB)
▪Mystic Light Extension (RAINBOW)
▪Mystic Light Extension(CORSAIR)
▪Mystic light SYNC
▪Ambient Link
▪EZ DEBUG LED
Continued on next page

20 Specifications
Continued from previous page
Special Features
∙Protection
▪DDR4 Steel Armor
▪M.2 Shield Frozr
▪PCI-E Steel Armor
▪Pre-installed IO shielding
∙Performance
▪Multi GPU-SLI Technology
▪Multi GPU-CrossFire Technology
▪DDR4 Boost
▪Core Boost
▪OC Engine (Clock gen)
▪USB with type A+C
▪Lightning USB
▪Lightning USB 20G
▪Front Lightning USB (20PIN)
▪Triple CPU Power
∙User Experience
▪Creator CENTER
▪Creator HOTKEY
▪Speed Up
▪Total Fan control
▪Live Update
▪APP Player
∙BIOS
▪Click BIOS 5
▪System saver
▪Dual BIOS