MSI X299 TOMAHAWK AC User manual

I
Quick Start
Quick Start
Thank you for purchasing the MSI®X299 TOMAHAWK/ X299
TOMAHAWK AC 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.

󳍾 MSI®X299 TOMAHAWK/ X299 TOMAHAWK AC 
󸠁󱘔󸑨󾗘
PC󶧩󶓈󳿐󴰡󲓔󳰴󸮚
󶧩󶓈󳧼󹯌󱝑󲷬󴿕󳱠󱡹
󶔎󴉄󴉅󴇦󸍙󸮚URL
󸊏QR URL
󱭴󱾌󵐲󹯆
󼶤󼀓󼸯󽀧
MSI®X299 TOMAHAWK/ X299 TOMAHAWK AC 󻟃󼓧󻩣󻉋󻛫
󻺏󼹌󽋣󼙫󻻃󻺋 󺥿󻸛󽋘󻀷󻁓. 󼓣󻫯󻫳󼌿󻺋󻀃 󼱣󽉗󼺟󻛫 󻺓󼯇󽋇󻀃 󻦘󻨄󼌿 󻁯󽋋
󻃟󻠗 󻁓󼓣󼌣󺭧󻔗󺩫 󼓫󻫯 󻃟󻠗 󻅈󼍰󻸰󼒳 󼖋󺩤󽋇󺩏 󼓷󼀤󻀷󻁓. 󽒣󻁯󼕳󽏃
󻍿󻀃 󼹋󻮃󻜮󼓇 󼑨󻭻󻓫󼐟󼕯󻛫 󼼤󽋇󼍛 URL󼌿󻜰󼷛󽋋 󽐳󻺓󼯇 󻅈󼍰󻸰󼒳
󺥿󻸰󽋇󼁋󺮟 󻦃󻓼󻀷󻁓. 󻍿󻀃 QR 󼳃󻉋󻛫 󼀓󼰃󽋇󼍛 URL󼌿󻜰󼷛󽋏 󻾇󻄳
󼓷󼀤󻀷󻁓.
󳗑󸷁󳬙󳑙
󳟏󸕳󳜂󸡲󸠁 MSI®X299 TOMAHAWK/ X299 TOMAHAWK AC 󱙛 󴟆 󴋃󾗘󴉆
󳗑󸷁󳬙󳑙󶓯󶚰󳱠󱡹󳜂󲶿󸄅󹧗󷇂󵵙󶆻󶚶󲔍󸋲󾗚󱜁󳱠󱡹󸽩󱲶󶧪󱝾󵵙󲶿󸄅󶆻󶚶
󳔈󵗻󽘫󸒿󳜂󱝤󴄑󳡖󲖸󳧼󴟆󳦕󳌣󴋃󵵙󵆔󸊳󲏝󸷏󱘔 URL 󶫋󲕈󸷯󸀅󸊻󵸰󳜁󱚓
󱿔󱝥󳯠󳱟 QR code 󵵙󳿑󳑎󳗐󸷀󸷎󳰚󷋼󶫊󲕈󾗘
󳗐󸷀󱮧󹠗
󳟎󸜈󳜁󸢾󱚩 MSI®X299 TOMAHAWK/ X299 TOMAHAWK AC 󱙛󴋄󴉆󳗐
󸷀󱮧󹠗󸽩󱲵󳱠󱡹󱛌󴈄󱯃󲤖󱠇󲶾󸃔󸚇󶙟󴉝󴿖󶆺󲓤󴍅󱛩󸚤󳿗󸴏󳱠󱡹󱛌󸋁󹲙
󴿖󶆺󸛝󱡋󵫞󳜁󵵙󳧼󴉝󳦕󳌣󴋄󵫰󷄑󱘔󵵙󶶙󹱽󴳚󸋃󲏝󹛧󳰚󷋼󶶙󲕈󸊽󵸰󳜁
󱚓󱿔󱝥󸶲󸳣󳨫󳱞QR󵿇󹛧󳰚󱳭URL

II Quick Start
Youtube
󱞰󹁰
http://v.youku.com/v_show/
id_XMjgwNzMzNTM0NA==.html
Installing a Processor/ CPU󱾫󱝑/
󽉳󻗋󻺧󻺋 󻺓󼯇󽋇󺮟/ 󲶿󸄅󷲷󵢻󲏝/ 󲶾󸃔󲠦󵢻󲏝
1
2
3
6
4
5
789
https://youtu.be/ecdkLMmkya4
10
11
12
13

III
Quick Start
Installing DDR4 memory/ DDR4󱾫󱝑/
DDR4 󻟃󻠗󻜛 󻺓󼯇󽋇󺮟/ 󲶿󸄅 DDR4 󸍚󳣫󺂴/ 󲶾󸃔 DDR4 󱯜󲵙
http://youtu.be/T03aDrJPyQs
Youtube 󱞰󹁰
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNzUyMTI5ODI4.html
1
2
2
3
DIMMC1

IV Quick Start
Connecting the Front Panel Header/
  󳰛 󶪔 / 󼕳󻟣 󽂗󺹿 󼱓󺺔󼺟 󼍟󺨟󽋇󺮟/
󸷏󳰛󱴚󶷉󹪸󴋃󹄻󷇢/ 󸴗󳰛󱴚󶷉󹪸󴋃󳰛󲢃
http://youtu.be/DPELIdVNZUI
1
2 10
9
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
HDD LED
RESET SW
JFP1
HDD LED HDD LED -
HDD LED +
POWER LED -
POWER LED +
POWER LED
Youtube 󱞰󹁰
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjcyMTczMzM2.html

V
Quick Start
Installing the Motherboard/ 󱾫󱝑/
󻟃󼓧󻩣󻉋 󻺓󼯇󽋇󺮟/ 󲶿󸄅󱙛󴟆󴋃/ 󲶿󸃔󱙛󴋃
BAT1
1
2

VI Quick Start
1
23
4
5
Installing SATA Drives/ SATA󱾫󱝑/
SATA 󻉋󻓫󼓣󻭻 󻺓󼯇󽋇󺮟/ 󲶿󸄅 SATA 󶃣󶂩󴟆/ 󲶾󸃔 SATA 󸚤󲠫
http://youtu.be/RZsMpqxythc
http://v.youku.com/v_show/
id_XNDkzODU5MTky.html
Youtube
󱞰󹁰

VII
Quick Start
1
2
3
4
5
6
Installing a Graphics Card/ 󱾫󱝑/
󺭧󻔇󽊬 󼯣󻉋 󻺓󼯇󽋇󺮟 / 󲶿󸄅󹱰󶆻󱻴/ 󲶾󸃔󴂲󱻴
http://youtu.be/mG0GZpr9w_A
http://v.youku.com/v_show/
id_XNDkyOTc3MzQ4.html
Youtube
󱞰󹁰

VIII Quick Start
Connecting Peripheral Devices/ 󲂑󸳂󴟆󲏝󳰛󶪔/
󼙫󻨯 󼔔󼯇 󼍟󺨟󽋇󺮟/ 󸷏󳰛󲂑󸻚󸎅󱨵/ 󸴗󳰛󲡌󲓖󸚤󲠫
(Optional)

IX
Quick Start
Connecting the Power Connectors/ 󹧖󴻢󳰙󶪓/ 󼕳󼐿
󼱓󺺔󼺟 󼍟󺨟󽋇󺮟/ 󳱥󱘔󹧗󴻣󳰛󹰈/ 󸴗󳰚󵫰󴻣󳰚󲢃
http://youtu.be/gkDYyR_83I4 http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDkzODU0MDQw.html
Youtube 󱞰󹁰
ATX_PWR1 CPU_PWR1

XQuick Start
1
4
2
3
Power On/ 󸶱󹧖/ 󼕳󼐿 󼲋󺮟/ 󲈍󱷼󹧗󴻣/ 󳐴󴉝

1
Contents
Contents
Safety Information................................................................................................. 3
Specifications......................................................................................................... 4
Rear I/O Panel ..................................................................................................... 10
LAN Port LED Status Table................................................................................... 10
Audio Ports Configuration.................................................................................... 10
Realtek HD Audio Manager .................................................................................. 11
Installing Antennas (Optional).............................................................................. 13
Overview of Components .................................................................................... 14
CPU Socket ........................................................................................................... 15
DIMM Slots............................................................................................................ 16
PCI_E1~6: PCIe Expansion Slots.......................................................................... 19
PCIe slots bandwidth table................................................................................... 19
U2_1: U.2 Connector............................................................................................. 21
M2_1~2: M.2 Slots (Key M) ................................................................................... 22
SATA1~8: SATA 6Gb/s Connectors ....................................................................... 23
CPU_PWR1, ATX_PWR1: Power Connectors ....................................................... 25
VRAID1: Virtual RAID on CPU Connector............................................................. 25
JFP1, JFP2: Front Panel Connectors................................................................... 26
JUSB3, JUSB4: USB 3.1 Gen1 Connectors........................................................... 26
JUSB5: USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C Connector............................................................. 27
JUSB1~2: USB 2.0 Connectors............................................................................. 28
JTPM1: TPM Module Connector........................................................................... 28
CPU_FAN1, PUMP_FAN1, SYS_FAN1~4: Fan Connectors................................... 29
JTBT1: Thunderbolt Add-on Card Connector ...................................................... 29
JAUD1: Front Audio Connector ............................................................................ 30
JCI1: Chassis Intrusion Connector....................................................................... 30
BIOS_SW1: Multi-BIOS Switch............................................................................. 31
JBAT1: Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS) Jumper........................................................... 32
POWER1, RESET1: Power Button, Reset Button ................................................. 32
JLED1: RGB LED connector ................................................................................. 33
Onboard LEDs ...................................................................................................... 34
EZ Debug LEDs..................................................................................................... 34
DIMM LEDs ........................................................................................................... 34
XMP LED ............................................................................................................... 34
Fan LEDs............................................................................................................... 35
PCIe x16 slot LEDs................................................................................................ 35
Debug Code LED................................................................................................... 36

2Contents
Debug Code LED Table ......................................................................................... 36
ACPI States Codes................................................................................................ 38
CPU Temperature ................................................................................................. 38
Updating LED Firmware....................................................................................... 39
BIOS Setup ........................................................................................................... 40
Entering BIOS Setup............................................................................................. 40
Resetting BIOS...................................................................................................... 41
Updating BIOS....................................................................................................... 41
EZ Mode ................................................................................................................ 43
Advanced Mode .................................................................................................... 45
OC Menu................................................................................................................ 46
Software Description........................................................................................... 52
Installing Windows®10......................................................................................... 52
Installing Drivers .................................................................................................. 52
Installing Utilities ................................................................................................. 52

3
Safety Information
Safety Information
yThe components included in this package are prone to damage from electrostatic
discharge (ESD). Please adhere to the following instructions to ensure successful
computer assembly.
yEnsure that all components are securely connected. Loose connections may cause
the computer to not recognize a component or fail to start.
yHold the motherboard by the edges to avoid touching sensitive components.
yIt 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.
yStore the motherboard in an electrostatic shielding container or on an anti-static pad
whenever the motherboard is not installed.
yBefore turning on the computer, ensure that there are no loose screws or metal
components on the motherboard or anywhere within the computer case.
yDo not boot the computer before installation is completed. This could cause
permanent damage to the components as well as injury to the user.
yIf you need help during any installation step, please consult a certified computer
technician.
yAlways turn off the power supply and unplug the power cord from the power outlet
before installing or removing any computer component.
yKeep this user guide for future reference.
yKeep this motherboard away from humidity.
yMake sure that your electrical outlet provides the same voltage as is indicated on the
PSU, before connecting the PSU to the electrical outlet.
yPlace the power cord such a way that people can not step on it. Do not place anything
over the power cord.
yAll cautions and warnings on the motherboard should be noted.
yIf 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.
yDo not leave this motherboard in an environment above 60C (140F), it may damage
the motherboard.

4Specifications
Specifications
CPU ySupports Intel®Core™ X-Series Processor Family for
LGA2066 Socket
Chipset Intel® X299 Chipset
Memory
y8x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 128GB*
yQuad channel memory architecture with the CPU that
supports up to 4-channels DDR4**
X-series processor support DDR4 4133(OC)/ 4000(OC)/
3866(OC)/ 3800(OC)/ 3733(OC)/ 3600(OC)/ 3466(OC)/
3400(OC)/ 3333(OC)/ 3200(OC)/ 3000(OC)/ 2933(OC)/
2800(OC)/ 2667/ 2400/ 2133 MHz*
yDual channel memory architecture with the CPU that
supports up to 2-channels DDR4**
X-series processor support DDR4 4500(OC)/ 4400(OC)/
4333(OC)/ 4266(OC)/ 4200(OC)/ 4133(OC)/ 4000(OC)/
3866(OC)/ 3800(OC)/ 3733(OC)/ 3600(OC)/ 3466(OC)/
3400(OC)/ 3333(OC)/ 3200(OC)/ 3000(OC)/ 2933(OC)/
2800(OC)/ 2667/ 2400/ 2133 MHz*
ySupports Intel®Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
* For the latest information about memory, please visit http://www.msi.com
** Please refer the DIMM Slots section for more details.
Expansion Slots
y4x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots
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.
y2x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots
* The PCI_E3 lanes are supported by PCH. Please refer to page 19 for PCIe slots
bandwidth table.
Multi-GPU ySupports up to 3-Way AMD®CrossFire™Technology
ySupports up to 3-Way NVIDIA®SLI™Technology
LAN 1x Intel I219-V Gigabit LAN controller
Wirsless LAN &
Bluetooth®
(Optional)
yIntel®Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 module
The Wireless module is pre-install in the M2_3 (Key-E)
slot.
Supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual band (2.4GHz,
5GHz) up to 867 Mbps speed.
Supports Dual Mode Bluetooth®2.1, 2.1+EDR, 3.0, 4.0,
BLE, 4.2
Continued on next page

5
Specifications
Continued from previous page
Audio
yRealtek®ALC1220 Codec
y7.1-Channel High Definition Audio
ySupports S/PDIF output
USB
yASMedia®ASM3142 Chipset
1x USB 3.1 Gen2 (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps) Type-A port
on the back panel
2x USB 3.1 Gen2 (Super Speed USB 10Gbps) Type-C
ports(1 port on the back panel, 1 port available through
the internal USB connector)
yASMedia®ASM1074 Hub
3x USB 3.1 Gen1 (SuperSpeed USB) Type-A ports on the
back panel
yIntel®X299 Chipset
5x USB 3.1 Gen1 (SuperSpeed USB) ports (1 port on the
back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB
connectors)
7x USB 2.0 (High-speed USB) ports (3 ports on the
back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB
connectors)
Storage
Intel®X299 Chipset
y8x SATA 6Gb/s ports*
y2x 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
devices
Intel Optane™ Memory Ready**
y1x U.2 port *
Supports PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe storage
ySupports Intel®Smart Response Technology
* PCI_E3 slot, M.2 slots, U.2 port and SATA ports share the bandwidth. Please
refer to page 23 for PCI_E3/ U.2/ M.2/ SATA Combination table .
** Please refer the Intel Optane Memory Installation Guide on www.msi.com
Continued on next page

6Specifications
Continued from previous page
RAID
Intel®X299 Chipset
ySupports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 for SATA
storage devices
ySupports RAID 0 and RAID 1 for M.2 storage devices*
* M.2 PCIe RAID volume can be created with M.2/Optane Genie.
Internal Connectors
y1x 24-pin ATX main power connector
y1x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
y8x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
y3x M.2 slots (Key M x2, Key E x1)
y1x U.2 port
y2x USB 2.0 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 2.0
ports)
y2x USB 3.1 Gen1 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 3.1
Gen1 ports)
y1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port
y1x 4-pin CPU fan connector
y1x 4-pin Water Pump connector
y4x 4-pin system fan connectors
y1x Front panel audio connector
y2x Front panel connectors
y1x TPM module connector
y1x Chassis Intrusion connector
y1x Clear CMOS jumper
y1x Power button
y1x Reset button
y1x Multi-BIOS switch
y1x RGB LED connector
y1x Virtual RAID on CPU connector
y1x Thunderbolt Add-on Card Connector
Continued on next page

7
Specifications
Continued from previous page
Back Panel
Connectors
y1x Clear CMOS button
y1x Flash BIOS button
y1x PS/2 keyboard/ mouse combo port
y3x USB 2.0 Type-A ports
y4x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports
y1x LAN (RJ45) port
y1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A port
y1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port
y1x Optical S/PDIF OUT connector
y5x OFC audio jacks
I/O Controller NUVOTON NCT6795 Controller Chip
Hardware Monitor
yCPU/System temperature detection
yCPU/System fan speed detection
yCPU/System fan speed control
Form Factor yATX Form Factor
y12 in. x 9.6 in. (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)
BIOS Features
y2x 128 Mb flash
yUEFI AMI BIOS
yACPI 6.0, PnP 1.0a, SM BIOS 3.0
yMulti-language
Continued on next page

8Specifications
Continued from previous page
Software
yDrivers
yAPP MANAGER
ySUPER CHARGER
yCOMMAND CENTER
yLIVE UPDATE 6
yMSI SMART TOOL
yDRAGON EYE
yGAMING APP
yX-BOOST
yMYSTIC LIGHT
yRAMDISK
yGAMING LAN Manager
yDPC Latency Tuner
yFAST BOOT
yNahimic Audio
yXSplit Gamecaster V2
yTridef VR & Smart Cam
ySteelSeries Engine 3
yWTFast*
yCPU-Z MSI GAMING
yIntel®Extreme Tuning Utility
yGoogle Chrome™,Google Toolbar, Google Drive
yNorton™Internet Security Solution
* This offer is valid for a limited period only, for more information please visit
www.msi.com
MSI Special
Features
yAudio Boost 4
yNahimic 2
yGAMING LAN with Gaming LAN Manager
yTurbo U.2
yTwin Turbo M.2
yPump Fan
ySmart Fan Control
Continued on next page

9
Specifications
Continued from previous page
MSI Special
Features
yMystic Light
yMystic Light Extension
yGaming DNA with bottom LED
yMystic light SYNC
yEZ DEBUG LED
yM.2 Shield FROZR
yPCI-E Steel Armor
yU.2 Steel Armor
yVR Cover
yMuitl GPU - SLI Technology
yMuitl GPU - CrossFire Technology
yDDR4 Boost
yOC Engine (Clock gen)
yUSB with type A+C
yLightning USB with ASM3142
yFront Lightning USB 3.1 Gen type C
yMilitary Class 6
y7000+ Quality Test
yVR Boost
yVR Ready
yIntel WiFi (optional)
yGAMING HOTKEY
yGAMING MOUSE Control
yClick BIOS 5
yFlash BIOS Button
yDual BIOS
yQuadro SLI Ready
yQuadro Ready
yGAMING Certified
ySteelSeries Certified

10 Rear I/O Panel
Rear I/O Panel
yClear CMOS button - Power off your computer. Press and hold the Clear CMOS
button for about 5-10 seconds to reset BIOS to default values.
yFlash BIOS port/ button - Please refer to page 42 for Updating BIOS with Flash BIOS
Button.
Link/ Activity LED
Status Description
Off No link
Yellow Linked
Blinking Data activity
Speed LED
Status Description
Off 10 Mbps connection
Green 100 Mbps connection
Orange 1 Gbps connection
LAN Port LED Status Table
Audio Ports Configuration
Audio Ports
Channel
2468
Center/ Subwoofer Out  
Rear Speaker Out 
Line-In/ Side Speaker Out 
Line-Out/ Front Speaker Out 
Mic In
(: connected, Blank: empty)
PS/2 Wi-Fi Antenna
connectors (Optional)
Flash BIOS button
Audio Ports
Clear CMOS
button
Optical
S/PDIF-Out
USB 2.0/
Flash BIOS port
USB 3.1 Gen1
Type-A USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A
USB 3.1 Gen2
Type-C
LAN
USB 2.0
USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A