MSI X299-A PRO User manual

1
Quick Start
Quick Start
Thank you for purchasing the MSI® X299-A PRO 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
Intel® LGA 2066 CPU
CPU Fan
DDR4 Memory
Graphics Card
SATA Hard Disk Drive SATA DVD Drive
Phillips Screwdriver
Chassis
Power Supply Unit
A Package of Screws
Thermal Paste

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

4Safety Information
Installing DDR4 memory
http://youtu.be/T03aDrJPyQs
⚽
1
2
2
3

5
Safety Information
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
⚽

6Safety Information
Installing the Motherboard
2
1
3
https://youtu.be/wWI6Qt51Wnc
⚽
Torque:
3 kgf·cm*
*3 kgf·cm
= 0.3 N·m
= 2.6 lbf·in

7
Safety Information
Connecting the Power Connectors
http://youtu.be/gkDYyR_83I4
ATX_PWR1 CPU_PWR1
⚽

8Safety Information
Installing SATA Drives
http://youtu.be/RZsMpqxythc
1
23
4
5

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

10 Safety Information
Connecting Peripheral Devices

11
Safety Information
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....................................................................................................... 14
Package contents ................................................................................................ 19
Block Diagram .................................................................................................... 20
Rear I/O Panel ..................................................................................................... 21
LAN Port LED Status Table .................................................................................. 21
Audio Ports Configuration.................................................................................... 21
Realtek Audio Console ......................................................................................... 22
Overview of Components .................................................................................... 24
CPU Socket ........................................................................................................... 26
DIMM Slots............................................................................................................ 27
PCI_E1~5: PCIe Expansion Slots.......................................................................... 30
CPU_PWR1, ATX_PWR1: Power Connectors....................................................... 32
JFP1, JFP2: Front Panel Connectors................................................................... 33
M2_1~2: M.2 Slots (Key M) ................................................................................... 33
U2_1: U.2 Connector............................................................................................. 34
SATA1~8: SATA 6Gb/s Connectors....................................................................... 35
VRAID1: Virtual RAID on CPU Connector ............................................................. 36
JAUD1: Front Audio Connector ............................................................................ 37
CPU_FAN1, PUMP_FAN1, SYS_FAN1~4: Fan Connectors.................................. 37
JUSB1~2: USB 2.0 Connectors............................................................................. 38
JUSB3~4: USB 3.2 Gen1 Connectors ................................................................... 38
JUSB5: USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C Connector............................................................. 39
JTBT1: Thunderbolt Add-on Card Connector ...................................................... 39
BIOS_SW1: Multi-BIOS Switch ............................................................................. 40
POWER1, RESET1: Power Button, Reset Button ................................................. 41

13
Contents
JBAT1: Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS) Jumper........................................................... 41
JCI1: Chassis Intrusion Connector....................................................................... 42
JRGB1: RGB LED connector................................................................................. 43
Onboard LEDs...................................................................................................... 44
EZ Debug LED....................................................................................................... 44
XMP LED ............................................................................................................... 44
Installing OS, Drivers & Utilities ......................................................................... 45
Installing Windows® 10......................................................................................... 45
Installing Drivers .................................................................................................. 45
Installing Utilities ................................................................................................. 45
BIOS Setup........................................................................................................... 46
Entering BIOS Setup............................................................................................. 46
Resetting BIOS...................................................................................................... 47
Updating BIOS....................................................................................................... 47
EZ Mode ................................................................................................................ 48
Advanced Mode .................................................................................................... 50
SETTINGS.............................................................................................................. 51
Advanced............................................................................................................... 51
Boot....................................................................................................................... 57
Security................................................................................................................. 58
Save & Exit............................................................................................................ 59
OC.......................................................................................................................... 60
M-FLASH .............................................................................................................. 66
OC PROFILE.......................................................................................................... 67
HARDWARE MONITOR.......................................................................................... 68
RAID Configuration.............................................................................................. 69
Enabling Intel® Rapid Storage Technology .......................................................... 69
Creating RAID Volume ......................................................................................... 70
Removing a RAID Volume .................................................................................... 71
Resetting Disks to Non-RAID............................................................................... 72
Rebuilding RAID Array.......................................................................................... 73
Installing RAID Driver........................................................................................... 74
Installing Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Software.......................................... 74
Intel® Optane™ Memory Configuration.............................................................. 75
System Requirements ......................................................................................... 75
Installing the Intel® Optane™ memory ................................................................ 75
Removing the Intel® Optane™ memory................................................................ 77
Troubleshooting ................................................................................................. 78

14 Specifications
Specifications
CPU Supports Intel® Core™ X-Series Processor Family for
LGA2066 Socket
Chipset Intel® X299 Chipset
Memory
∙8x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 256GB
▪Supports DDR4 4200+(OC)/ 4000(OC)/ 3800 (OC)/
3733(OC)/ 3600(OC)/ 3466(OC)/ 3400(OC)/ 3333(OC)/
3300(OC)/ 3200(OC)/ 3000(OC)/ 2933/ 2666/ 2400/ 2133
MHz*
∙Quad channel memory architecture
∙Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
∙Supports non-ECC UDIMM memory
∙Supports un-buffered memory
* For the latest information about memory, please visit http://www.msi.com
** Please refer the DIMM Slots section for more details.
Expansion Slot
∙4x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots
▪Support x16/x4/x16/x8 mode with the 48-lane CPU*
▪Support x16/x4/x16/x8 mode with the 44-lane CPU*
▪Support x16/x4/x8/x4 modes with the 28-lane CPU*
▪Support x8/x4/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4/x4 modes with the 16-
lane CPU*
∙1x PCIe 3.0 x1 slot
* Please refer to page 29 for PCIe 3.0 bandwidth table.
Multi-GPU ∙Supports NVIDIA® SLI™ Technology
∙Supports AMD® CrossFire™ Technology
Storage
Intel® X299 Chipset
∙8x SATA 6Gb/s ports*
∙2x M.2 slots (Key M)*
▪Supports up to PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA 6Gb/s
▪M2_1 slot supports 2242/ 2260 /2280 storage devices
▪M2_2 slot supports 2242/ 2260 /2280/ 22110 storage
devicesIntel® Optane™ Memory Ready
∙1x U.2 port **
▪Supports PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe storage
* M.2 slots and SATA ports share the same bandwidth. Please refer to page 36
for U.2, M.2 & SATA combination table.
** PCI_E2 shares bandwidth with U2_1. If you install a PCI_E2 device, the U2_1
will be disabled.
Continued on next page

15
Specifications
Continued from previous page
RAID
Intel® X299 Chipset
∙Supports RAID 0, RAID1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 for SATA
storage devices
∙Supports RAID 0 and RAID 1 for M.2 PCIe storage devices
LAN 1x Intel I219-V Gigabit LAN controller*
* I219 LAN doesn’t support G3 to S5 Wake
USB
∙Intel® X299 Chipset
▪8x USB 3.2 Gen1 (SuperSpeed USB) ports (4 Type-A
ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the
internal USB connectors)
▪5x USB 2.0 (High-speed USB) ports (4 Type-A ports on
the back panel, 1 port available through the internal USB
connector)
∙ASMedia® ASM3142 Chipset
▪2x USB 3.2 Gen2 (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps) ports (1
Type-A port and 1 Type-C port on the back panel)
▪1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port internal USB connector
∙USB 2.0 Hub GL850G
▪3x USB 2.0 (High-speed USB) ports available through
the internal USB connectors.
Audio
1x Realtek® ALC1220 Codec
∙7.1-Channel High Definition Audio
∙Supports S/PDIF output
Back Panel
Connectors
∙1x PS/2 keyboard/ mouse combo port
∙1x Clear CMOS button
∙4x USB 2.0 Type-A ports
∙4x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports
∙1x LAN (RJ45) port
∙1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A port
∙1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port
∙5x OFC audio jacks
∙1x Optical S/PDIF OUT connector
Continued on next page

16 Specifications
Continued from previous page
Internal Connectors
∙1x 24-pin ATX main power connector
∙1x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
∙8x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
∙2x USB 2.0 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 2.0
ports)
∙2x USB 3.2 Gen1 connectors (supports additional 4 USB
3.2 Gen1 ports)
∙1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port
∙1x 4-pin CPU fan connector
∙1x 4-pin Water Pump connector
∙4x 4-pin system fan connectors
∙2x Front panel connectors
∙1x Front panel audio connector
∙1x RGB extension connector
∙1x TPM module connector
∙1x Virtual RAID on CPU connector
∙1x Thunderbolt add-on card connector
Internal Buttons ∙1x Power button
∙1x Reset button
Jumper ∙1x Clear CMOS jumper
∙1x Chassis Intrusion 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 ∙ATX Form Factor
∙12 in. x 9.6 in. (30.5 cm x 24.3 cm)
BIOS Features
∙2x 128 Mb flash
∙UEFI AMI BIOS
∙ACPI 6.0, SM BIOS 3.0
∙Multi-language
Continued on next page

17
Specifications
Continued from previous page
Software
∙Drivers
∙DRAGON CENTER
∙CPU-Z MSI GAMING
∙Google Chrome™, Google Toolbar, Google Drive
∙Norton™ Internet Security Solution
Dragon Center
Features
∙Mystic Light
∙Hardware Monitor
∙True Color
∙Live Update
∙Speed Up
∙Smart Tool
∙Super Charger
∙DPC Latency tuner
Please refer to http://download.msi.
com/manual/mb/DRAGONCENTER2.
pdf for more details.
Special Features
∙Audio
▪Audio Boost 4
∙Network
▪Intel LAN with Network Manager
∙Storage
▪Turbo U.2
▪Twin Turbo M.2
∙Fan
▪Pump Fan
▪Smart Fan Control
∙LED
▪Mystic Light Extension
▪Mystic light SYNC
▪EZ DEBUG LED
Continued on next page

18 Specifications
Continued from previous page
∙Protection
▪PCI-E Steel Armor
▪U.2 Steel Armor
∙Performance
▪Multi GPU – SLI Technology
▪Multi GPU – CrossFire Technology
▪DDR4 Boost
▪OC Engine(Clock gen)
▪USB with type A+C
▪Lightning USB with ASM3142
▪Front Lightning USB 3.2 Gen2 type C
∙Stability
▪7000+ Quality Test
∙BIOS
▪Click BIOS 5
▪Dual BIOS
∙Certification
▪Quadro SLI Ready
▪Quadro Ready

19
Package contents
Package contents
Please check the contents of your motherboard package. It should contain:
Motherboard X299-APRO
Documentation
User manual 1
Case stand-off notification 1
Quick installation guide 1
Application Driver DVD 1
Cables SATA 6G cables 2
Accessories
Case badge 1
SATA cable stickers 1
Product registration card 1
IO shielding 1
M.2 screws 3
⚠
Important
If any of the above items are damaged or missing, please contact your retailer.

20 Block Diagram
Block Diagram
x2
3x USB 3.2 Gen2
2x M.2
PCIE Bus
PCIE Bus
PCIE Bus
Intel I219-V
Gigabit LAN
DMI 3.0
PCI Express Bus
X299 PCH
NV6795
Super I/O
Realtek
ALC1220
GL850
Switch
Switch
8x SATA 6Gb/s
8x USB 3.2 Gen1
5x USB 2.0
3x USB 2.0
1x U.2
PCIe x1 slot
ASMEDIA
ASM3142
Audio Jacks
Processor
4 Channel DDR4 Memory