MSI has launched a new LGA 2011 socket motherboard, the X79A-GD45 PLUS which comes with an X79 chipset and a very nice feature set. For starters, the board comes with a 9-phase power design for the CPU, eight DDR3 DIMM slots that support up to 128 GB of Quad-Channel DDR3-2400 memory, three PCIe 3.0 x16 slots that supports 3-way CrossFireX / SLI, two PCIe x4 slots (shaped like x16 slots), and a single PCIe 2.0 x1 slot.
The motherboard comes very close to reference specifications and uses very few third party controllers since most of the work is done by the X79 chipset itself. Regarding connectivity, the X79A-GD45 PLUS has all the features we expect from a modern, high-end motherboard such as two SATA3 ports, four SATA2 ports, four USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear I/O, two on front header) and a handful of USB 2.0 ports.
The audio on the motherboard is handled by a Sound Blaster Cinema chip with 7.1 HD audio and features both coaxial and TOSLINK outputs. Also included are Intel Gigabit LAN, PS/2 ports and a clear CMOS button.
At the time of writing there is no word on availability, but expect pricing to be between $200 and $250.
