MSI X299 Tomahawk Arctic LGA 2066 ATX Motherboard

Description

Ready for Intel X-Series processors and VR, the X299 Tomahawk Arctic LGA 2066 ATX Motherboard from MSI is packed with heavy plated heatsinks, Military Class 5 components, Intel Optane Memory compatibility, Mystic Light Sync, plus more for a refined gaming experience. It is designed to fit in cases with an ATX form factor and only supports the Intel Core X-Series processor family, the LGA 2066 socket, and the X299 chipset. Also supported is USB 3.1 Type-A and Type-C, and USB 3.1 is supported via a front panel connector.

The ATX form factor of the X299 Tomahawk Arctic can support 128GB of RAM and comes with eight 288-pin quad-channel DIMM slots that can each hold 16GB of DDR4 4500+ (OC) dual-channel and DDR4 4122+ (OC) of quad-channel memory. It also has a total of 8 x SATA III 6 Gb/s ports that support RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10, 2 x M.2 slots (Key M) that support SATA III & PCIe 3.0 x4 SSDs, with options available for RAID 0 or 1. While one M.2 slot supports SSDs with a 2242, 2260, 2280, and 22110 form factor, the other supports 2242, 2260, and 2280 devices, and a separately sold U.2 card can support a PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe U.2 SSD. There is also 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C port (rear), 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A port (rear), 4 x USB 3.0 Type-A ports (rear), 3 x USB 2.0 Type-A ports (rear), and 1 x Gigabit LAN port. For those looking to expand their system using PCIe, there are 4 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots that support x16/4/x16/x8with 44-lane CPUs, x16/x4/x8/x4 with 28-lane CPUs, and x8/x4/x8/x0 and x8/x4/x4/x4 with 16-lane CPUs, as well as 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots.

The X299 Tomahawk Arctic does not contain integrated graphics support, meaning that users will be free to instal a dedicated GPU of their choice. Also supported is NVIDIA 3-Way SLI technology and AMD 3-Way CrossFireX technology. Using the ALC1220 audio codec, this motherboard can support 7.1-channel HD audio using its five audio jacks or S/PDIF audio-out jack.

The X299 Tomahawk Arctic LGA 2066 ATX Motherboard has also been designed with gaming features such as controllable fan headers, overclocking, low latency, LAN Protect, Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP), Load-Line Calibration, EZ Debug LED, Overvoltage Protection, DigitAll Power Design, X-Boost, Live Update, RAMDisk, Go2BIOS, CPU-Z, and more. This motherboard is protected by a limited 3-year warranty.

Features

General Features

Mystic Light

Personalise Your Gaming Rig

Customise and set up your own colour scheme with RGB Mystic Light sync. Select any of the colours from the palette using your smartphone or the MSI Gaming App to match your system style.

Extend Your RGB Experience

MSI's Mystic Light Extension pinheader provides an intuitive way to control additional RGB strips and other RGB peripherals added to a system, without needing a separate RGB controller. By simply connecting any 12V RGB LED strip to the 4-pin Mystic Light Extension RGB-strip header, gamers can sync colours to a variety of styles.

Mystic Light Sync: Synchronise Your LED Experience

With the convenience of Mystic Light Sync, you can control RGB LED solutions from other brands, such as CPU coolers, keyboards and mice or RGB system fans.

Cooling

Stay Cool While Gaming

Cooling your PC is essential for reliable performance. MSI has made sure to include enough fan headers with full control to allow you to cool your system.

Looking Cool While Keeping Cool

High quality materials and smart fan optimisations contribute to cooling all essential components, which is key to making sure your system runs stable with strong performance during long gaming sessions.

Fully Controllable Fan Headers

MSI motherboards let you manage speeds and temperatures for all your system and CPU fans, giving you full control to set up a cool & silent system.

DC or PWM Modes with Hysteresis

MSI fan headers running in DC or PWM mode for improved tuning of fan speeds and silence. Hysteresis also makes your fans spin up fluently to make sure your system stays silent.

Fan Control in BIOS and Software

Fan Control allows you to take control of your fans and cheque your primary system characteristics in a simplified graphical interface. You can also set up to four temperature targets for CPU and motherboard, which will adjust the fan speeds automatically.

Optimised for Water Cooling

The X299 Tomahawk Arctic is designed to support All-In-One and custom water cooling solutions. A dedicated water pump PIN header supports up to 2A, giving you full control of the water pump speed. A clearly marked "keep-out-zone" allows for easy and safe installation.

Gaming

Your In-Game Advantage

Outsmart and outperform your opponents in-game using an array of MSI hardware & software gaming tools.

Freedom & Ease

Programme your most-used commands and execute them with a single keystroke. You're free to choose any key you want, so choose wisely.

Gaming Hotkey

Simply assign functions to any key whether to launch your favourite games, load profiles, or do real-time overclocking with the push of a single button.

Dedicated Port for Gaming Peripherals

The Gaming Device Port is optimised to deliver connectivity for high-end gaming peripherals to fully utilise their features and responsiveness. Customise your mouse's dpi to enhance accuracy or programme macro combinations using the easy-to-use Mouse Master software to perform multiple commands with just one click.

Multi-GPU

Gaming enthusiasts are always looking for more performance to get an improved experience and using multiple graphics cards is a great way to find out just how good it gets. MSI GAMING motherboards fully support multi-GPU technologies and have strategic PCIe slot placement for the better thermal performance.

A Different View on Gaming

MSI Dragon Eye allows you to watch a YouTube video or Twitch stream while simultaneously playing a game. Simply add a link or stream to the Dragon Eye application and select the size, position, volume, transparency, and start gaming. The hotkeys allow you to start/pause your video or set the volume.

In-Game Feedback, On-Screen Display

Keep track of your system's performance with the OSD function in the Gaming App. This feature allows you to fully customise which statistics are shown on-screen while you play your games. Keep an eye on your CPU speed, fps counter, GPU temperature, and much more while gaming without having to leave the game.

Storage

Be the First on the Battlefield

This MSI GAMING motherboard supports a wide variety of storage standards. This allows you to connect fast storage devices, giving you in-game benefits. Start games faster, load levels faster, and more.

Optane: Boost Your HDD to Perform Like an SSD

Gamers and PC enthusiasts can now enjoy the performance of an SSD on their HDD by coupling it with an Intel Optane Memory device. Intel Optane technology provides a combination of high throughput, low latency, high quality of service, and high endurance. All MSI 200 Series motherboards are ready for Intel Optane Memory.

M.2 Shield FROZR

SSDs can start to deliver lower performance when getting hot. Part of the motherboard's heatsink design, M.2 Shield FROZR is an M.2 Thermal solution that can help avoid this by offering the improved thermal protection to help ensure the SSD maintains strong performance.

2 x Turbo M.2

Enjoy a fast system boot and quick loading of applications and games with MSI motherboards. Delivering speeds up to 32 Gb/s per device using PCIe Gen 3.0 x4, Turbo M.2 is over 5 times faster than a regular SATA III connection.

U.2 Connector with Steel Armour

U.2 delivers performance up to 32 Gb/s per device. The U.2 connector on this MSI motherboard also features Steel Armour for enhanced protection.

X-Boost Your Storage Performance

This tool is very simple to use and automatically detects your storage devices connected to the system. When enabled, X-Boost optimises your SSDs to keep your system fast and maximise storage performance.

Easy RAID Setup with M.2 Genie

Looking to go all out in terms of raw data speed and put multiple SSDs in RAID 0? Setting this up can prove to be quite the challenge. That's why MSI created the M.2 Genie, a brilliant feature to make setting up RAID 0 for M.2 and U.2 much easier and less time consuming.

SATA Mass Storage

MSI made sure each motherboard comes with enough SATA ports to connect loads of HDDs for long term storage of large files and system backups.

NVMe

MSI GAMING motherboards support the NVMe storage standard, offering fast storage options & performance.

Virtual Reality

Immerse Yourself into Virtual Worlds

Integrating cutting edge technologies on MSI hardware provides a smooth VR ride. Through joint efforts with major VR brands, combined with MSI features geared to VR, MSI brings gamers and VR professionals a vivid and realistic experience in which content truly comes alive.

VR Boost

Traditional USB ports can suffer signal drops, significantly impacting performance of connected devices. Exclusive to MSI motherboards, VR Boost is a smart chip that helps ensure a clean and strong signal to a VR optimised USB port, giving you an enjoyable VR experience.

One Click to VR

Both hardware and software need to be in tune for a smooth VR experience. One Click to VR makes it very fast and easy to get primed for VR. A single click sets all your key components to their highest performance and helps ensure other software applications won't impact your virtual adventure.

TriDef VR

TriDef VR enables gamers to play their favourite games in 3D on their HMD (head mounted display). DirectX 9, 10, and 11 games have been pre-configured to generate a 3D experience using GenMe's 2D-to-3D conversion technology. TriDef VR allows users to tweak their HMD to provide an improved user experience. It is compatible with both Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. It also offers a head tracked, hands-free user interface to allow users to launch games at will while wearing HMD. MSI offers a 3-month free licence to let gamers fully benefit from TriDef and get more from their VR.

Audio

Sounds That Pulls You into the Game

Get an immersive sound experience when gaming. MSI Audio Boost delivers the high sound quality through the use of premium audio components.

Amplify Your Game with Audio Boost 4

Built on years of experience in building motherboards dedicated to giving gamers true Hi-Fi sound, Audio Boost has developed into a high-quality audio unit, offering an advantage over your opponents when gaming.

Nahimic Sound Technology

Nahimic Sound Technology reflects surround sound at immersive levels, allows you as a gamer to experience improved sound & gameplay. Unique features, including a sound tracker which visually shows where the enemies are making noise in game, allow you to get the upper hand on the battlefield.

Isolated Audio Design with LED Border

Audio Boost operates like a dedicated soundcard by being physically isolated from the rest of the motherboard's circuitry to ensure a pure audio signal. A bright border illuminated by LEDs showcases and protects the Hi-Fi audio unit.

Separate Audio Layers for Clean Left & Right Channels

Using separated layers in the PCB helps ensure equal sound quality for both left and right audio channels.

De-Pop Protection

Audio Boost helps protect your ears by eliminating those annoying loud popping sounds when you plug/unplug devices or turn your PC on/off.

HD Audio Processors / Audio Boost 4

Audio Boost 4 is powered by an EMI-shielded high quality HD audio processor with a built-in DAC, making sure you enjoy pure sound quality in both stereo and surround sound. It provides 120 dB SNR / 32-bit and supports Direct Stream Digital (DSD Super Audio CD playback and recording.

Dedicated Headphone Amplifier that Automatically Detects Impedance

The built-in dedicated headphone amplifier rewards audiophiles with headphones up to 600 ohms impedance by delivering studio-grade sound quality from your gaming PC. Audio Boost 4 automatically detects the proper impedance for your headphones and adjusts the output for improved sound quality.

Chemi-Con Audio Capacitors

By dedicating golden audio capacitors to the front output, a high-fidelity sound experience with strong acoustics and realism for studio level headphones is ensured.

Golden Connectors for 7.1 Sound Quality

With golden audio connectors, you get signal output with the least chance of distortion. Using gold also helps prevent any corrosion or oxidation in the long run, which could impact signal quality.

Gaming LAN

Low Latency Gaming LAN Powered by Intel

Experience smooth gaming with Intel LAN. Intel LAN is optimised for championship level online and LAN eSports by reducing CPU overhead and offering high TCP and UDP throughput. This means your CPU can be used more effectively, giving you more fps when gaming.

MSI GAMING LAN Manager

MSI GAMING LAN Manager automatically classifies and prioritises the latency-sensitive applications for online games, giving you an online gaming experience with low latency.

LAN Protect to Shield Your System Against Power Surges

Featuring 15kV anti-surge protection to shield your network from lightning strikes and static electricity, the LAN Protect connector is designed to give you a reliable networking experience.

Memory

Enhanced Stability with Optimised Memory Layout

Optimised traces and a fully isolated memory circuitry helps ensure stability and performance, so you never have to worry about your system crashing during games.

DigitALL Memory Power Design

An all-digital power design offers lower power consumption and precise voltage delivery for enhanced efficiency and longer gaming sessions.

Shield Your Memory Signal with Steel Armour

Steel Armour helps protect your memory and memory slots from both physical damage and electrical overcurrent by adding extra ground points. It also helps ensure a clean data signal for your memory by shielding it from electromagnetic interference (EMI).

Memory Speed & Performance

The technical enhancements of DDR4 Boost allow for more stability at higher memory speeds. Enjoy the additional boost in gaming performance or when working with large video and photography files.

Easy XMP

Enable Intel Extreme Memory Profile with ease using a single option in the BIOS to gain performance and create a stable system.

Stability & Compatibility Testing

MSI conducts thorough memory testing to ensure your system runs stable. This helps optimise memory modules, configurations, and even overclocking.

Tuning

OC Engine 2

This external clock generator gives you more freedom in BCLK adjustments to achieve the maximum overclock for your setup. It also offers lower jitter & power consumption resulting in a more solid system under extreme conditions.

OC PCB

PCB design and added layers allows MSI to optimise all traces for overclocking. Power and signal traces are isolated, resulting in higher efficiency, stability, performance.

BIOS Flashback+#####

Simply flash an old or new BIOS version and start overclocking within minutes. BIOS Flashback+ even works without a CPU, memory, or graphics card installed.

Premium Power Phases

High quality components used in MSI motherboards ensure a stable and optimised power delivery for the best performance.

DigitALL Power Design

A fully digital power design allows for a faster and undistorted current delivery to the CPU, creating improved conditions for CPU overclocking.

EZ Debug LED

Run into trouble? Onboard LEDs for key components will indicate the source of the problem so you know exactly where to look to get up and running again.

Overvoltage Protection

Helps prevents potential short-circuit damage to the CPU and other critical components.

Load-Line Calibration

What you set is what you get. LLC helps makes sure your CPU voltage remains 100% stable under any load which improves stability when more CPU performance is required.

Debug LED

The digital LED display will indicate the source of the problem so you know where to look to get up and running again.

Clear CMOS Button

Placed on the IO panel, the Clear CMOS button lets you instantly reset the BIOS if needed, saving you the hassle of opening your case and removing the jumper.

USB

Double Bandwidth with Lightning USB 3.1 (USB 3.1 Gen 2)#####

Featuring the Lighting ASmedia 3142 USB 3.1 controller, MSI motherboards offer improved USB speeds when connecting multiple USB devices at the same time. The Lightning USB connectors are covered with gold to help ensure a better signal and performance.

Reversible Type-C Connector

Get all the performance benefits from USB 3.1 combined with the convenience of the USB Type-C connector. This reversible USB connector allows for effortless connecting of USB devices.

X-Boost Your USB Performance

When enabled, X-Boost optimises your devices for even better transfer speeds and can provide up to 20% increase in USB performance, saving a lot of time when transferring data. This handy tool is very easy to use and automatically detects & optimises the USB devices connected to your system.

Super Charge Your Phone & Gaming Gear

MSI's Super Charger USB ports charge any connected device faster. It delivers more power than regular USB ports to your smartphone, tablet, USB game controller, or portable console.

Frontside USB 3.0 Type-A and 3.1 Type-C

Ready for next generation cases and designed to use with the smartphones, the onboard frontside USB connector now offers high speeds through USB 3.0 Type-A and Type-C.

Double ESD Protection

The USB ports on MSI motherboards are shielded by a set of protective ICs to help prevent damage caused by Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) from plugging/unplugging USB devices.

Software

X-Boost Your Storage

This software allows you to boost the performance of any storage or USB device connected to your system. Simply use X-Boost's Easy or Advanced mode to tune your system for up to 20% increased speeds, higher system responsiveness, and faster loading of in-game levels.

App Manager

Use this smart tool to keep an easy overview of the available applications for your system to help you configure, tune, and set up your system to your personal preferences. Simply click on icon to instal additional apps such as Command Centre, Gaming App, Live Update, and many more.

Command Centre

MSI's Command Centre software is the perfect tool to get the most out of your motherboard. With an intuitive interface, Command Centre allows you to tune settings to increase system stability, maximise performance, and optimise your system's cooling features.

Up to Date

MSI Live Update automatically downloads and instals the latest drivers, BIOS, and software so you can focus on your game.

MSI RAMDisk

MSI motherboards include RAMDisk, allowing you to create a virtual drive from your system's RAM memory. Instantly load your favourite game and speed up your browser or your page file to significantly speed up your system.

MSI Fast Boot

With the latest operating systems supporting UEFI fast booting methods, MSI has added a "Fast Boot" option to take full advantage of this. Simply enable "Fast Boot" either in the BIOS or with the convenient application for faster boot times.

Go2BIOS

Avoid having to mash your DEL/F2 button to get into the BIOS with the Go2BIOS button in the MSI Fast Boot application. Your PC will automatically go to the BIOS on the next reboot and some models even have an onboard Go2BIOS button.

CPU-Z MSI GAMING Edition

MSI has worked closely with the CPUID team to develop a special edition of CPU-Z featuring the MSI GAMING dragon. Use CPU-Z to gather key information of your system's key components, like CPU speed, memory speed and timings, motherboard BIOS version, and much more.

Quality & Protection

PCIe Steel Armour

MSI PCI Express Steel Armour slots are armed with more solder points on the motherboard for a stronger hold, preventing damage due to heavy graphics cards. Steel Armour also protects PCI Express signals against electromagnetic interference for a purer gaming experience and even higher overclocking.

Shield Your SSD with Steel Armour

MSI Steel Armour protects your M.2 SSD and slot from physical harm. It also ensures a clean data signal between the motherboard and M.2 SSD by shielding against electromagnetic interference (EMI). Steel Armour helps to deliver a smooth gaming experience.

Double ESD Protection

MSI motherboards feature Double ESD protection with double layer grounding around the motherboard mounting holes, preventing electrostatic discharge (ESD) surges from damaging the motherboard.

Military Class 5 Components

MSI uses Military Class 5 components, which are shielded to help make sure your system runs smoothly under extreme gaming conditions.

Titanium Choke II

Ti Choke II is smaller in size and has improved by 30% in power efficiency and power delivery, allowing for better overclocking and stability.

Dark Caps

A key ingredient in high-end motherboard designs, Dark Caps have lower Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR) and an increased lifespan of over 10 years.

Dark Choke

A core design allows the Dark Choke to run at a lower temperature, offering better power efficiency and stability.

BIOS

High-Res BIOS Font

A high-resolution, scalable font is used to make CLICK BIOS 5 easy to read. The clean design layout, together with this font makes CLICK BIOS 5 a true next gen UEFI BIOS.

Quick Gaming Tweaks

When you just want to get back to your game, EZ-mode presents you with basic BIOS settings and functions for some quick adjustments. If you feel like spending more time fine-tuning options to boost your system's performance, the Advanced mode is the way to go.

Easy Search & Favourites

Can't find a specific BIOS setting? Don't worry, a permanent search option in the top right corner can be used to find what you need. Want quick access to important settings? My Favourites gives easy access to selected Favourite settings, supporting up to five groups of favourites.

Hardware Monitor with Fan Control

Hardware Monitor lets you take control of your system and cheque your primary system vitals in a simplified graphical interface. You can also set up to four temperature targets for the CPU and motherboard, which will adjust the fan speeds automatically.

Make Your SSD Fast with Secure Erase+#####

When using an SSD, its performance will slowly decrease over time as more and more data is written onto it. This will slow down read/write speeds and increase access times of your SSD, making your system feel sluggish. Using an optimised formatting algorithm, Secure Erase+ lets you enjoy your SSD at faster speeds, making your system feel brand new.

Boot Up Recovery

Run into trouble when updating your BIOS or somehow corrupted it? SYSTEM SAVER offers 3 easy to use options to successfully boot your system again.

Clear CMOS The ClearCMOS button helps to restore the BIOS default settings which helps in 99% of the cases to successfully boot again. ClearCMOS will not restore the original BIOS code (will not revert back to the original BIOS version).

BIOS Flashback+ Run into trouble when updating your BIOS? Simply flash the old BIOS version back and continue gaming within minutes with BIOS Flashback+. BIOS Flashback+ even works without a CPU, memory, or graphics card installed.

Dual BIOS Still aren't able to successfully boot? Having 2 physical BIOS chips allows to have a plan B. Simply move the onboard switch to select the secondary stock BIOS and try booting from there. The second BIOS chip contains the factory default BIOS.

Optimise & Boost Performance

CLICK BIOS 5 provides easy access to XMP memory profiles to optimise your internal memory timings and speeds for greater stability and performance in-game. Safely overclock your CPU with a single button for more performance using MSI Game Boost.

Specifications

CPU	- Supports Intel Core X-Series processors for the LGA 2066 socket
Chipset	- Intel X299
Memory	- 8 x DDR4 memory slots, supports up to 128 GB - Quad-channel memory architecture with the CPU that supports up to four channels of DDR4 - X-series processors support DDR4 4133+ (OC), 4000 (OC), 3866 (OC), 3800 (OC), 3733 (OC), 3600 (OC), 3466 (OC), 3400 (OC), 333 (OC), 3200 (OC), 3000 (OC), 2933 (OC), 2800 (OC), 2667, 2400, and 2133 MHz - Dual-channel memory architecture with CPUs that support up to two channels of DDR4 - X-series processors 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 - Supports Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
Slots	- 4 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots - Supports x16/x4/x16/x8 mode with 44-lane CPUs - Supports x16/x4/x8/x4 modes with 28-lane CPUs - Supports x8/x4/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4/x4 modes with 16-lane CPUs - 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots - The PCI_E3 lanes are supported by PCH
Multi-GPU Support	- Supports 3-Way AMD CrossFire Technology - Supports 3-Way NVIDIA SLI Technology
Storage	- 8 x SATA III 6 Gb/s ports - 2 x M.2 slots (Key M) - Supports up to PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA III 6 Gb/s - M2_1 slot supports 2242/2260/2280 storage devices - M2_2 slot supports 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices - Intel Optane Memory Ready - 1 x U.2 port - Supports PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe storage - Supports Intel Smart Response Technology - PCI_E3 slot, M.2 slots, U.2 port, and SATA ports share the same bandwidth
RAID	- Supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 for SATA storage devices - Supports RAID 0 and RAID 1 for PCIe M.2 storage devices
USB	- 2 x USB 3.1 Type-C ports (one on the back panel, one internal) - 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A port on the back panel - 8 x USB 3.0 ports (4 Type-A ports on the back panel, 4 internal) - 7 x USB 2.0 ports (3 Type-A ports on the back panel, 4 internal)
Audio	- Realtek ALC1120 Codec - 7.1-Channel High Definition Audio - Supports S/PDIF output
LAN	1 x Intel I219-V Gigabit LAN controller
Internal I/O Connectors	- 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector - 1 x 8-pin ATX 12 V power connector - 1 x 4-pin ATX 12 V power connector - 1 x M.2 slot (Key E) - 1 x 4-pin CPU fan connector - 1 x 4-pin Water Pump connector - 4 x 4-pin system fan connectors - 1 x Front panel audio connector - 2 x Front panel connectors - 1 x TPM module connector - 1 x Chassis Intrusion connector - 1 x Clear CMOS jumper - 1 x Power button - 1 x Reset button - 1 x Multi-BIOS switch - 1 x RGB LED connector - 1 x Virtual RAID on CPU connector - 1 x Thunderbolt Add-on Card Connector
Back Panel I/O Ports	- 1 x Clear CMOS button - 1 x BIOS FLASHBACK+ button - 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port - 5 x OFC audio jacks
Mounting	Nine mounting holes
Dimensions	12.0 x 9.6" / 30.5 x 24.4 cm ATX form factor
Weight	Not specified by manufacturer