MSI X299 Gaming Pro Carbon Motherboard Review

Sandra is a software collection of synthetic benchmarks that will give us a basic idea as to what a system is capable of. It should be noted that SiSoft numbers change depending on what hardware is being tested.  These were recorded using Sandra Professional Version 24.43.2017.10

One of the most difficult things about doing reviews is finding some kind of common ground to establish a benchmark on so that when we say something is good our readers know it is based on something they can try themselves.  In the case of audio reproduction there are too many factors to consider such as hearing quality, sound equipment (speakers) and room dimensions so we are turning to the RightMark Audio Analyzer to give us a set of audio specs.  We will then use those numbers to determine what kind of audio quality you can expect.

This test was performed using a loopback cable which is basically a jack that connects the analog line-out plug back into the analog line-in.  That way we can remove almost all of the variables and concentrate on what is actually being reproduced and recorded.

Specs
Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB: +0.01, -0.05
Noise level, dB (A):  -106.5
Dynamic range, dB (A): 110.1
THD, %:  0.0024
THD + Noise, dB (A):  -87.6
IMD + Noise, %:  0.0048
Stereo crosstalk, dB:-95.0
IMD at 10 kHz, %: 0.0046
General performance Excellent

Color coding indicates good to bad, Bright green = Excellent - Bright Red = Poor - Black = Good

Synthetic performance never really tells the entire story, but is a good indication of what the system would probably be capable of doing under the right conditions.  For this set of benchmarks I mixed up the performance spectrum a bit to represent the modern HEDT platforms.  X299 is the focus while X99 is what most of you would be upgrading from.  As you can expect the monster Core i9 7900X has power to spare and will naturally pull ahead when it comes to processing performance however, when it comes to memory things tend to settle down a bit.  This is likely due to the aging Corsair memory kit I’m using.  I really need to get something faster to really show how much better X299 is.

The Rightmark audio benchmark is a great tool for exposing audio specs for the various chips and software used and read much like if you were buying an amplifier or sound system for your house. 

I’m going to come out and say “WOW!”   The MSI X299 Gaming Pro Carbon is the second board to test Excellent in the Rightmark benchmark and almost across the board.  I have seen plenty of Very Good but nothing at the max.  Heck, not even dedicated sound cards have gotten that high. 

Measuring audio performance usually comes down drivers and how they are configured for the test.  For the best results the input and output frequencies are matched with audio enhancements disabled, assuming the driver supports doing that.