Msi z170a gaming m5

MSI, one of the best manufacturers of motherboards and graphics cards in the world continues to send us samples of its new Z170 motherboards. This time we have had in our test bench the fantastic MSI Z170A Gaming M 5 with its exclusive design in black and red. Among its features we find its compatibility with Intel Skylake processors and 64GB of DDR4 RAM. Don't miss our review !

We thank MSI Spain for trusting the product for its analysis:

Technical characteristics

FEATURES MSI Z170A GAMING M5
CPU	Supports 6th generation Intel® Core processors and commercial i3 / i5 / i7 processors and Intel® Pentium® and Celeron® for Socket LGA1151 Intel® Z170 Express Chipset Chipset
Chipset	Intel® Z170 Express Chipset
Memory	4 x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 64GB Supports DDR4 3600 (OC) / 3200 (OC) / 3000 (OC) / 2800 (OC) / 2600 (OC) / 2400/2133 MHz Dual channel memory architecture Supports ECC, non-buffer memory Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
Multi-GPU Compatible	3 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots (supports x16, x8 / x8, x8 / x8 / x4 or x8 / x8 / x1 modes) 4 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots Integrated Graphics • 1 HDMI ™ port, supports a maximum resolution of 4096 × 2160 @ 24Hz, 2560 × 1600 @ 60Hz 1 DVI-D port, supports a maximum resolution of 1920 × 1200 @ 60Hz Multi-GPU • Supports 3-Way AMD® CrossFire ™ Technology Supports 2-Way NVIDIA® SLI ™ Technology
Storage	Intel® Z170 Express Chipset 6 x SATA 6Gb / s ports * (4 ports reserved for SATA express) 2 x M.2 slots - Compatible with PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA 6Gb / s, 4.2cm / 6cm / 8cm in length and M.2 SSD cards - Supports PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe Mini-SAS SSD with Turbo U.2 host card 2 x SATAe ports (PCIe 3.0 x2) * Supports Intel® Smart Response technology for Intel Core ™ * M.2, SATA and SATAe processors maximum support 1x M.2_PCIe + 6x Satas or 1x M.2_SATA + 1x M.2_PCIe + 4x Satas. * Host Turbo U.2 Card is not included, sold separately. *** SATAe port is SATA compatible. RAID • Intel® Z170 Express Chipset - Supports RAID 0, RAID1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 for SATA - Supports RAID 0 and RAID1 for M.2 PCIe
USB and ports.	• ASMedia® ASM1142 chipset - 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps) port on the back panel - 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port on the back panel • Intel® Z170 Express Chipset - 6 x USB 3.1 Gen1 (4 ports on the rear panel, 2 ports available through the internal USB connector) (SuperSpeed USB) - 6 x USB 2.0 Hi-Speed USB (2 ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB connectors)
LAN	1 x Killer ™ E2400 Gigabit LAN controller
Rear connections	• 1 x PS / 2 for keyboard / mouse port • 2 x USB 2.0 ports - • 1 x DVI-D port • 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 port • 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port • 4 x USB 3.1 Gen1 ports • 1 x HDMI ™ port • 1 x LAN port (RJ45) • 1 x S optical S / PDIF OUT • 5 x OFC audio jacks
Audio	Realtek® ALC1150 Codec - 7.1-Channel High Definition Audio - Supports S / PDIF out
Format	ATX format; 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm
BIOS	The motherboard BIOS provides "Plug & Play" that detects peripheral devices and expansion cards on the motherboard automatically.
Price	195 euros.

MSI Z170A GAMING M5

MSI makes a class presentation for this excellent motherboard. Corporate colors red and black predominate on the cover. In its foreground we see an image of the plate and large letters marking the model.

Already in the back we have all the most important characteristics and specifications of the product.

Once we open the box we find a bundle consisting of:

MSI Z170A Gaming M5 motherboard Back plate Instruction manual and quick guide CD with drivers SATA cables SLI bridges Sticker

It is an ATX format motherboard with dimensions of 30.5cm x 24.4cm that is 100% compatible with any ATX box on the market. Its design confirms that it is a high-end motherboard: appearance, components and distribution of the components. It incorporates the new Z170 chipset compatible with the Intel Skylake 1151 processor.

We have four DDR4 RAM sockets available that allow us to install up to 64GB with frequencies up to 3600 Mhz and 1.5v with overclocking. Checking in its BIOS we see that it is 100% compatible with the XMP version 1.3 profile.

Military Class V technology is present on this motherboard. It comes equipped with high quality components: Titanium Chokes, Hi-C CAP and Dark CAP that ensures a stable team. For lovers of overclocking, it has 12 power supply phases, which will give us ample room for improvement to unlocked processors.

In the PCI Express connections, it has 3 PCI Express 3.0 ports compatible with 2 Way Nvidia SLI and 3 Way CrossFireX technology that incorporate the new stainless steel shield that reinforces the connectors against heavy graphics cards. It also has four PCI Express x1 connections to connect any expansion card.

On high speed disk connectivity we have two 32 Gb / s M.2 connections that are 5 times faster than the normal SATA III connection. Also, highlight the possibility of using the Turbo U.2 Host Card. What is this technology? It is the one that allows us to increase the speed rate of two equal 2.5 ″ ssd disks up to 32 Gb / s.

With Audio Boost 3 and the work done by Nahimic Sound Technology, they offer the best sound quality thanks to the use of Premium quality components. In this way, you get unprecedented quality sound, crystalline and music through 8-channel HD Audio or high impedance headphones to dominate the game. The network card is also encapsulated, it is the Gaming LAN with Killer chip E2400 incorporates Advanced Stream Detect 2.0, which is designed to maximize network performance for online gaming and high-quality media. It also helps detect and accelerate gaming traffic above other traffic. Any improvement is good!

In the storage section, it offers 6 SATA 6Gb / s connections with RAID support and up to two SATA Express connections at a speed of 16Gb / s.

Finally, I detail the complete rear connections:

1 x PS / 2 keyboard / mouse port 2 x USB 2.0 ports - 1 x DVI-D1 port x USB 3.1 Gen21 port x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C4 port x USB 3.1 Gen11 ports x HDMI ™ port 1 x LAN port (RJ45) 1 x Optical S / PDIF OUT, 5 x Audio OFC jacks

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Test bench and tests

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel i7-6700k.
Base plate:	MSI Z170A Gaming M5
Memory:	4 × 4 16GB DDR4 @ 3000 MHZ Kingston Savage
Heatsink	Corsair H100i GTX.
HDD	Samsung 840 EVO 250GB.
Graphic card	Nvidia GTX 780.
Power supply	EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2

To check the stability of the processor and motherboard, we've overclocked up to 4, 600mhz with Prime 95 Custom and air-cooled. The graphics that we have used is an Nvidia GTX780, without further distractions let's see the results obtained in our tests with a 1920 × 1080 monitor.

BIOS

MSI incorporates a UEFI BIOS which improves on its previous versions. This new format controls your system under two modes: EZ mode, with the most used functions and settings. Advanced mode with the most detailed settings and fine tuning options to increase the performance of your system.

Final words and conclusion

The MSI Z170A Gaming M5 is a high-end motherboard for the Z170 platform. It is ideal for getting the most out of unlocked processors like the i5-6600k and i7-6700k. It supports up to 64GB of DDR4, 2 Way Sli or 3 Way Crossfire RAM and allows us to connect up to 2 storage units with an M.2 interface.

In our tests it has performed very well with a stable overclok of 4, 600 Mhz and memories at 3000 Mhz. Our gaming experience has been fantastic and has nothing to envy the MSI Z170A Xpower Titanium.

We see little that incorporates only 6 SATA connections, when it could perfectly include 8 or 10 as it is a high-end product and close to 200 euros. It is currently available in online store for purchase.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ DESIGN	- ONLY 6 SATA CONNECTIONS.
+ STABLE BIOS
+ OVERCLOCK CAPACITY.
+ USB 3.1 WITH REVERSIBLE TYPE-C FORMAT.
+ DUAL M.2.
+ RED AUDIO BOOST 3 CARD AND RED KILLER CARD.