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MSI Big Bang XPower II Motherboard Review
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 8:46 am
by XstollieX
I'm sure you're all familiar with the theory of the Big Bang. The whole creation of the universe theory. Anything that uses the Big Bang name sure has a lot to live up to! MSI has released their second revision of the Big Bang XPower. The first XPower was the Intel X58 chipset, the MSI Big Bang XPower II is built around the latest and greatest Intel X79 chipset. Today we are going to take an in-depth look at the MSI Big Bang XPower II and put it through the paces. With any luck the MSI Big Bang XPower II will make a big bang in our tests and not just a little pop!
Article Title: MSI Big Bang XPower II Motherboard Review
Article URL: http://legitreviews.com/article/1857/1/
Re: MSI Big Bang XPower II Motherboard Review
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 12:41 pm
by Major_A
This looks like a PCIe 6-pin power header. What is it really and why have it there?
Re: MSI Big Bang XPower II Motherboard Review
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 12:48 pm
by vbironchef
Maybe with Kepler coming out and if you are running 3 graphic cards your power supply may not have enough room? Or maybe it's just for the hard drives? Or both?
Re: MSI Big Bang XPower II Motherboard Review
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 8:08 pm
by Athlonite
According to the Manual its
JPWR4: ATX 6-pin Power Connector
This connector provides power to the graphics card.
so looks like it's for extra PCIe power
Re: MSI Big Bang XPower II Motherboard Review
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 11:15 pm
by Major_A
Usually extra power connections are closer to the PCIe connections. I figured it was for more power but it seems like an odd place to put it.
Re: MSI Big Bang XPower II Motherboard Review
Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 7:07 am
by XstollieX
Major_A wrote:Usually extra power connections are closer to the PCIe connections. I figured it was for more power but it seems like an odd place to put it.
Wow, how did I skip over that... But you guys are right, that is to supply extra power to the PCIe cards. The advantage to having the plug over here comes mainly for cable management and extreme overclocking. Who wants a 6pin PCIe cable running over the the middle of the board, it's effective but looks awful. On the edge it's much easier to hide the cable. Sorry about that
Re: MSI Big Bang XPower II Motherboard Review
Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 9:49 am
by Major_A
I see that aesthetically it is a better placement but I wasn't sure what the extra power was for. Thanks for clarifying.
Re: MSI Big Bang XPower II Motherboard Review
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 5:54 am
by gardnerphotos
Could you possibly give me the dimensions of the board in mm? Can't seem to find them anywhere! Thanks
Re: MSI Big Bang XPower II Motherboard Review
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 6:07 am
by sgkean
gardnerphotos wrote:Could you possibly give me the dimensions of the board in mm? Can't seem to find them anywhere! Thanks
The first page provides the dimensions in CM, 34.5cm(L) x 26.4cm(W) XL-ATX Form Factor. Which translates to 345mm(L) x 264mm(W), which matches up to the standard XL-ATX motherboard dimensions.