MSI X99S-MPower (Intel X99) Motherboard Review

Temperature and Power Consumption

System power usage is measured at the AC/DC PSU (the AX1200i) which I have connected to another system to measure the test system and as a backup I have a wall meter to verify. The CPU power is measured through the 8-pin connect which is hooked up to a hall effect IC which measures current and puts out a voltage in proportion to the current. That voltage is logged by a National Instruments ADC which logs the DC voltage level, which I then convert into current.

Note on Thermal Images: In the temperature section we use our Seek thermal imaging camera to capture the surface temperatures of major components on the board; I look at the VRM and then all other things that light up the screen. If there is something to worry about then I will state it, otherwise I will just show the hotter running parts of the board for fun. Unless some component is over 80-90C then there really isn't anything to worry about.

All systems will act differently, so I will look for commonalities, such as how far from the VRM the heat spreads through the PCB and the difference in temperature between the PCB and the chokes. Keep in mind that the majority of the heat from the VRM goes into the PCB as it is a giant soldered on copper heat sink.

These were taken at stock speeds, on the left while idle and on the right while loaded.

On the left are two chokes that lit up, when the system is totally at idle the PWM only turns on two phases. The right is the backside of the PCB with no load, and a small amount of heat can be seen on the opposite side of the back where those two phases are.

These images were taken at stock speed, but at full load. On the left are the chokes and on the right is the back of the VRM. The VRM is doing its job and the heat sink seems to be doing its job as well, heat is evenly spread and a bit stronger towards the center where it goes to the CPU. There is a little light up near the right side on the back; that is because the PWM chip is working and gets a little warm (totally normal).

These pictures were taken at 4.5GHz full load. 50C/52C are pretty good temperatures for such a big VRM at load.

I thought you guys might want to see how hot the memory VRM gets. As you can see, it doesn't get too hot, but it's cool to see the difference load makes on the MOSFETs.