Bummer for you, dude. I'm just let down by the new X99 Classy. REALLY let down. 4 frigging USB 3.0 ports?!!! And only one of each USB hubs on the board?!!! I've been waiting since X58. It's a shame but I can't wait anymore. I ordered an Asus Deluxe a few hours ago. I was shocked at EVGA's offering. All that real estate with it being an E-ATX board but only one of each USB hub?? Look at all the goodies that come with the Asus offering guys.Provision for two M.2 drives. Two of each USB hub and 10, yep, 10 USB 3.0 ports on the back. And loads of software to tweak the board. You guys kinda dropped the ball on this roll out. I REALLY wanted to stick with you guys and your great customer service but I just can't justify it when you put the two boards side by side for the same bucks. Was a very gut wrenching choice but...... You guys can't rest on customer service when your warranties are identical. Maybe you can catch up with a "Dark" board......

seta8967
the whole "only 4 USB 3.0!?!?" thing I don't understand because simply, I don't use 10 USB 3.0 items. I am not really sure what to use 10 USB 3.0 for. I am actually really curious why you need more than 4 USB 3.0.  

Not sure I need 10...BUT:
 
Iphone
Ipad
WD My Book (stationary back up)
WD Passport (portable back up)
2 X for flash drives (need to copy stick to stick)
 
That's 6 that I currently use now just off the top of my head.  All use 3.0 transfer speeds.

mdzcpa

seta8967
the whole "only 4 USB 3.0!?!?" thing I don't understand because simply, I don't use 10 USB 3.0 items. I am not really sure what to use 10 USB 3.0 for. I am actually really curious why you need more than 4 USB 3.0.  

Not sure I need 10...BUT:
 
Iphone
Ipad
WD My Book (stationary back up)
WD Passport (portable back up)
2 X for flash drives (need to copy stick to stick)
 
That's 6 that I currently use now just off the top of my head.  All use 3.0 transfer speeds.

 
I guess that makes sense, I use a NAS for backups, My wife takes soo many pictures she filled up 1 TB within 1 year of my childs birth, and my Galaxy s2, and my tegra k1 when it comes have a charging station and sync to my NAS. I guess we went different routes for the same effect.

Well I just ordered one from Amazon and it was pretty scary.  I love my RIVE but the bios is (Word deleted for foul language) confusing.  The fact that EVGA posts very simple templates etc is just awesome.  And out of all the products in my PC, the mobo is the one where we could all use really good phone support.  Asus stinks at that.

gutcheck
And now I notice my ship date is Oct.  Argh.
 

 
out of curiosity which one did you go with?

Classified or the MSI Gaming 9?

KLEYBA
Classified or the MSI Gaming 9?

Classified has 10 phase, msi has 8 phase. MSI has more features like streaming. EVGA seems to focus on more OC'ing and essentials. 
MSI supports 64GB of ram, EVGA supports 128.
MSI has 8 Sata6, EVGA has 10 Sata6. Though MSI has 2 Sata-express.  Both have M.2 spots, though MSI has 1 just for wifi spot and is difficult to use for other items.
MSI uses Qualcomm gig ports, and EVGA uses Intel gig ports. I have been told that intel is better, and that is all I have ever used.
MSI uses Azalia Realtek ALC1150, EVGA uses Core3D. Now I prefer Core3D my friend wife swears her Realtek ALC892 is better.
MSI has 4 more USB 3.0 and 4 less USB 2.0 on the rear IO. MSI has 2 more USB 3.0 and 2 more USB 2.0 on board.
 
So if you are going for OC'ing/mass ram EVGA is the go to part.
Sata6/M.2 are a tie, depending on your needs/wants. MSI seems better.
NICs, Intel are said to be better, so its a tie leaning toward EVGA
On-board sounds is moot, as its personal preference. Core3D is better ;)
MSI has by far more USB options, MSI wins.
 
Overall 2.0* points for EVGA and 2.0 for MSI. With on board sound being the personal preference. *the nic is personal choice but many reviewers said intel has better nic giving a edge to EVGA.
 
quick summary of the boards. hopefully this helps.
 

 
I left them for about 10 seconds, then realized I had to come back. Realized my mistake. Phew! I will never leave again.              

seta8967

XrayMan
 
I left them for about 10 seconds, then realized I had to come back. Realized my mistake. Phew! I will never leave again.              

Left newegg? or amazon? or ??

That didn't come out right. LOL. I mean't to say, (Left Evga for 10 seconds, but came back). Sorry for the confusion.        
 
 
 
         

ty_ger07

seta8967

KLEYBA
Classified or the MSI Gaming 9?

Classified has 10 phase, msi has 8 phase. MSI has more features like streaming. EVGA seems to focus on more OC'ing and essentials. 
MSI supports 64GB of ram, EVGA supports 128.
MSI has 8 Sata6, EVGA has 10 Sata6. Though MSI has 2 Sata-express.  Both have M.2 spots, though MSI has 1 just for wifi spot and is difficult to use for other items.
MSI uses Qualcomm gig ports, and EVGA uses Intel gig ports. I have been told that intel is better, and that is all I have ever used.
MSI uses Azalia Realtek ALC1150, EVGA uses Core3D. Now I prefer Core3D my friend wife swears her Realtek ALC892 is better.
MSI has 4 more USB 3.0 and 4 less USB 2.0 on the rear IO. MSI has 2 more USB 3.0 and 2 more USB 2.0 on board.
 
So if you are going for OC'ing/mass ram EVGA is the go to part.
Sata6/M.2 are a tie, depending on your needs/wants. MSI seems better.
NICs, Intel are said to be better, so its a tie leaning toward EVGA
On-board sounds is moot, as its personal preference. Core3D is better ;)
MSI has by far more USB options, MSI wins.
 
Overall 2.0* points for EVGA and 2.0 for MSI. With on board sound being the personal preference. *the nic is personal choice but many reviewers said intel has better nic giving a edge to EVGA.
 
quick summary of the boards. hopefully this helps.
 

And then the MSI X99 XPOWER comes out for cheaper than the Classified and with better components and better specifications than the classified. I don't understand why the Classified is in its current segment. The Classified used to be a really high-end model; but now it doesn't seem to know where its market is. I was going to ask why you were comparing the Gaming 9 to the Classified but then realized that no one knows the Classified's place any more.

It is the same price as the classified both at 400 bucks. The classified has 2 m.2 one for wireless/bluetooth, one for ssd. the MPower only has wifi/bluetooth. Mpower has 12 phase vrm compared to 10 phase vrm. Each has their pro's and cons, but they are the same price. For one I'm willing to not get a bunch of frills and get another m2 spot and better audio.

look at it this way, the Rampage V is on backorder, but you can get the classified on NE right now. People speak with their wallets. I liked my Dark, but my RIV BE is insanely stabile. 

ty_ger07

seta8967

ty_ger07

seta8967

KLEYBA
Classified or the MSI Gaming 9?

Classified has 10 phase, msi has 8 phase. MSI has more features like streaming. EVGA seems to focus on more OC'ing and essentials. 
MSI supports 64GB of ram, EVGA supports 128.
MSI has 8 Sata6, EVGA has 10 Sata6. Though MSI has 2 Sata-express.  Both have M.2 spots, though MSI has 1 just for wifi spot and is difficult to use for other items.
MSI uses Qualcomm gig ports, and EVGA uses Intel gig ports. I have been told that intel is better, and that is all I have ever used.
MSI uses Azalia Realtek ALC1150, EVGA uses Core3D. Now I prefer Core3D my friend wife swears her Realtek ALC892 is better.
MSI has 4 more USB 3.0 and 4 less USB 2.0 on the rear IO. MSI has 2 more USB 3.0 and 2 more USB 2.0 on board.

So if you are going for OC'ing/mass ram EVGA is the go to part.
Sata6/M.2 are a tie, depending on your needs/wants. MSI seems better.
NICs, Intel are said to be better, so its a tie leaning toward EVGA
On-board sounds is moot, as its personal preference. Core3D is better ;)
MSI has by far more USB options, MSI wins.

Overall 2.0* points for EVGA and 2.0 for MSI. With on board sound being the personal preference. *the nic is personal choice but many reviewers said intel has better nic giving a edge to EVGA.

quick summary of the boards. hopefully this helps.

And then the MSI X99 XPOWER comes out for cheaper than the Classified and with better components and better specifications than the classified. I don't understand why the Classified is in its current segment. The Classified used to be a really high-end model; but now it doesn't seem to know where its market is. I was going to ask why you were comparing the Gaming 9 to the Classified but then realized that no one knows the Classified's place any more.

It is the same price as the classified both at 400 bucks. The classified has 2 m.2 one for wireless/bluetooth, one for ssd. the MPower only has wifi/bluetooth. Mpower has 12 phase vrm compared to 10 phase vrm. Each has their pro's and cons, but they are the same price. For one I'm willing to not get a bunch of frills and get another m2 spot and better audio.

You are confused. You say Gaming 9 has too many frills and Classified is the serious OC board. But then you say that you want better audio and two M.2 slots. It's clear that the Classified is now the board for people who don't know if they are gamers or overclockers; it wasn't always this way. The MSI XPOWER is clearly the serious OC board and the classified is somewhere in between.

If your benchmarking a m.2 SSD will get better scores than a SSD on Sata-E or Sata6.  The audio as i said multiple times is personal preference, I prefer Core3D. The built in M.2 on the MSI for their Wifi are going to take PCIE lanes unless you remove the factory installed wifi card, lowering sli benchmark scores. Maybe someone wants a board between the XPOWER and the Gaming9, I agree though the XPOWER seems to be the more serious OC'er.
 
You clearly are making a case for only MSI and revoking any benefits of the Classifieds and therefore it is futile to have a fair discussion with you. I listed both positive and cons of both boards, the XPower was never mentioned by KLEYBA and I didn't do a pro and con on it. You then took and twisted two seperate pro and con and twisted them with information, the classified is the more serious OC'er than the Gaming9. As for the XPOWER and the Classified, it is clear the XPOWER is the better OC'er. As for having better components we will have to wait and see actual benchmarks from OC'ers from the public and not the private/cherry picked section.

seta8967

ty_ger07

seta8967

ty_ger07

seta8967

KLEYBA
Classified or the MSI Gaming 9?

Classified has 10 phase, msi has 8 phase. MSI has more features like streaming. EVGA seems to focus on more OC'ing and essentials. 
MSI supports 64GB of ram, EVGA supports 128.
MSI has 8 Sata6, EVGA has 10 Sata6. Though MSI has 2 Sata-express.  Both have M.2 spots, though MSI has 1 just for wifi spot and is difficult to use for other items.
MSI uses Qualcomm gig ports, and EVGA uses Intel gig ports. I have been told that intel is better, and that is all I have ever used.
MSI uses Azalia Realtek ALC1150, EVGA uses Core3D. Now I prefer Core3D my friend wife swears her Realtek ALC892 is better.
MSI has 4 more USB 3.0 and 4 less USB 2.0 on the rear IO. MSI has 2 more USB 3.0 and 2 more USB 2.0 on board.

So if you are going for OC'ing/mass ram EVGA is the go to part.
Sata6/M.2 are a tie, depending on your needs/wants. MSI seems better.
NICs, Intel are said to be better, so its a tie leaning toward EVGA
On-board sounds is moot, as its personal preference. Core3D is better ;)
MSI has by far more USB options, MSI wins.

Overall 2.0* points for EVGA and 2.0 for MSI. With on board sound being the personal preference. *the nic is personal choice but many reviewers said intel has better nic giving a edge to EVGA.

quick summary of the boards. hopefully this helps.

And then the MSI X99 XPOWER comes out for cheaper than the Classified and with better components and better specifications than the classified. I don't understand why the Classified is in its current segment. The Classified used to be a really high-end model; but now it doesn't seem to know where its market is. I was going to ask why you were comparing the Gaming 9 to the Classified but then realized that no one knows the Classified's place any more.

It is the same price as the classified both at 400 bucks. The classified has 2 m.2 one for wireless/bluetooth, one for ssd. the MPower only has wifi/bluetooth. Mpower has 12 phase vrm compared to 10 phase vrm. Each has their pro's and cons, but they are the same price. For one I'm willing to not get a bunch of frills and get another m2 spot and better audio.

You are confused. You say Gaming 9 has too many frills and Classified is the serious OC board. But then you say that you want better audio and two M.2 slots. It's clear that the Classified is now the board for people who don't know if they are gamers or overclockers; it wasn't always this way. The MSI XPOWER is clearly the serious OC board and the classified is somewhere in between.

If your benchmarking a m.2 SSD will get better scores than a SSD on Sata-E or Sata6.  The audio as i said multiple times is personal preference, I prefer Core3D. The built in M.2 on the MSI for their Wifi are going to take PCIE lanes unless you remove the factory installed wifi card, lowering sli benchmark scores. Maybe someone wants a board between the XPOWER and the Gaming9, I agree though the XPOWER seems to be the more serious OC'er.
 
You clearly are making a case for only MSI and revoking any benefits of the Classifieds and therefore it is futile to have a fair discussion with you. I listed both positive and cons of both boards, the XPower was never mentioned by KLEYBA and I didn't do a pro and con on it. You then took and twisted two seperate pro and con and twisted them with information, the classified is the more serious OC'er than the Gaming9. As for the XPOWER and the Classified, it is clear the XPOWER is the better OC'er. As for having better components we will have to wait and see actual benchmarks from OC'ers from the public and not the private/cherry picked section.

That's fair. I would like to see your pros and cons for the xpower vs classified. On the subject of m.2, I don't see a seri9us OCer needing more than one m.2 drive. The wifi feature of the xpower honestly does puzzle me since it doesn't seem like a necessary feature for an ocer.

The xpower certainly does have better components where it matters. More phases, more pcb layers, better voltage regulation, better clock control, etc. Whether on paper translates to real-world is something we will have to wait and see.

I had a few EVGA boards but had some issues with them. Then when EVGA's mobo team broke up and more problems were rumored, I made the switch and haven't yet seen a reason not to. So, yes, I am biased. But also, I haven't upgraded in a while and don't plan to due to lack of need and other priorities; so I am an armchair expert at this point. :)

ty_ger07

seta8967

ty_ger07

seta8967

ty_ger07

seta8967

KLEYBA
Classified or the MSI Gaming 9?

Classified has 10 phase, msi has 8 phase. MSI has more features like streaming. EVGA seems to focus on more OC'ing and essentials. 
MSI supports 64GB of ram, EVGA supports 128.
MSI has 8 Sata6, EVGA has 10 Sata6. Though MSI has 2 Sata-express.  Both have M.2 spots, though MSI has 1 just for wifi spot and is difficult to use for other items.
MSI uses Qualcomm gig ports, and EVGA uses Intel gig ports. I have been told that intel is better, and that is all I have ever used.
MSI uses Azalia Realtek ALC1150, EVGA uses Core3D. Now I prefer Core3D my friend wife swears her Realtek ALC892 is better.
MSI has 4 more USB 3.0 and 4 less USB 2.0 on the rear IO. MSI has 2 more USB 3.0 and 2 more USB 2.0 on board.

So if you are going for OC'ing/mass ram EVGA is the go to part.
Sata6/M.2 are a tie, depending on your needs/wants. MSI seems better.
NICs, Intel are said to be better, so its a tie leaning toward EVGA
On-board sounds is moot, as its personal preference. Core3D is better ;)
MSI has by far more USB options, MSI wins.

Overall 2.0* points for EVGA and 2.0 for MSI. With on board sound being the personal preference. *the nic is personal choice but many reviewers said intel has better nic giving a edge to EVGA.

quick summary of the boards. hopefully this helps.

And then the MSI X99 XPOWER comes out for cheaper than the Classified and with better components and better specifications than the classified. I don't understand why the Classified is in its current segment. The Classified used to be a really high-end model; but now it doesn't seem to know where its market is. I was going to ask why you were comparing the Gaming 9 to the Classified but then realized that no one knows the Classified's place any more.

It is the same price as the classified both at 400 bucks. The classified has 2 m.2 one for wireless/bluetooth, one for ssd. the MPower only has wifi/bluetooth. Mpower has 12 phase vrm compared to 10 phase vrm. Each has their pro's and cons, but they are the same price. For one I'm willing to not get a bunch of frills and get another m2 spot and better audio.

You are confused. You say Gaming 9 has too many frills and Classified is the serious OC board. But then you say that you want better audio and two M.2 slots. It's clear that the Classified is now the board for people who don't know if they are gamers or overclockers; it wasn't always this way. The MSI XPOWER is clearly the serious OC board and the classified is somewhere in between.

If your benchmarking a m.2 SSD will get better scores than a SSD on Sata-E or Sata6.  The audio as i said multiple times is personal preference, I prefer Core3D. The built in M.2 on the MSI for their Wifi are going to take PCIE lanes unless you remove the factory installed wifi card, lowering sli benchmark scores. Maybe someone wants a board between the XPOWER and the Gaming9, I agree though the XPOWER seems to be the more serious OC'er.
 
You clearly are making a case for only MSI and revoking any benefits of the Classifieds and therefore it is futile to have a fair discussion with you. I listed both positive and cons of both boards, the XPower was never mentioned by KLEYBA and I didn't do a pro and con on it. You then took and twisted two seperate pro and con and twisted them with information, the classified is the more serious OC'er than the Gaming9. As for the XPOWER and the Classified, it is clear the XPOWER is the better OC'er. As for having better components we will have to wait and see actual benchmarks from OC'ers from the public and not the private/cherry picked section.

That's fair. I would like to see your pros and cons for the xpower vs classified. On the subject of m.2, I don't see a seri9us OCer needing more than one m.2 drive. The wifi feature of the xpower honestly does puzzle me since it doesn't seem like a necessary feature for an ocer.

The xpower certainly does have better components where it matters. More phases, more pcb layers, better voltage regulation, better clock control, etc. Whether on paper translates to real-world is something we will have to wait and see.

I had a few EVGA boards but had some issues with them. Then when EVGA's mobo team broke up and more problems were rumored, I made the switch and haven't yet seen a reason not to. So, yes, I am biased. But also, I haven't upgraded in a while and don't plan to due to lack of need and other priorities; so I am an armchair expert at this point. :)

My comparison will be really quick, I am no expert at OC'ing and only dabbled with it. This is why I didn't go with such a raw board like the Xpower. It's also like 1 am here.
 
EVGA uses Dual 8-pin, MSI uses dual 8-pin, Tied
EVGA supports 128 GB RAM, MSI supports 128 GB RAM
EVGA uses 10 phase VRM, MSI uses 12 phase VRM. Point to MSI
EVGA has 8 layer PCB, MSI Xpower uses 8 layer PCB. Tied
EVGA says RAM OC's to 3000+, MSI states 3000, 3110, 3333. Tied though hat tip to MSI for specifics.
EVGA has 2 M.2 (1 for wifi, 1 for SSD, none installed), Xpower has 1 for wifi (pre-installed, if SLI OC'ing remove before). Point to EVGA
EVGA has 10 Sata6, MSI has 2 Sata-E and 4 Sata6. Point for MSI
EVGA uses their bios, which have had some problems. MSI comes with a slew of options from LN2 OC'ing to direct cpu (delidding) and proven bios. Point for MSI.
 
EVGA gained 1.0 points for just simply allowing a M.2 SSD to be installed, to MSI's 3.0 points for more phases, having SATA-E, and having better options/proven bios. MSI Xpower is definitely the better OC'ing mobo. It sacrifices this by giving up on lower end items such as on-board audio and NIC's, but those are personal preference. Overall the MSI Xpower is very much ahead of the classified, giving the choice why even go with the Gaming 9 from MSI? The XPOWER is same price as the Classified at 400 dollars, both of which are cheaper than the Gaming 9 at 450 dollars. If you need those "gaming" extra's than go with the Gaming 9. If you don't need all those "gaming" software, and want a decent OC'ing board go Classified and save 50 dollars. If you are going into aggressive or extreme OC'ing then go MSI Xpower for 50 less than gaming9.

I will say that, personally, there's no chance I go with EVGA this time around.  I've had too many problems with both the x79 classified and dark.  
 
Sorry, but fool me once, shame on you.  Twice?  Shame on me.  There will not be a third time.
 
And while their customer support is top notch, the problem is that you'll have a better than average chance of actually having to contact them if you get one of their boards.  Just my opinion based on previous experience.