Review: msi big bang z77 mpower

In the world of overclocking, MSI Big Bangs are the cream of the cream. This time from Professional Review and MSI Ibérica we bring you an analysis of the flagship of the Z77 chipset, it is the MSI Big Bang Z77 Mpower. Quickly looking at its most interesting features are the 16 Power Phases, Super Ferrites (SFC) shocks, DRMOS technology, PCI Express 6.0 Ports and a very aggressive design.

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These new boards are characterized by having the new Intel Z77 chipset. They are compatible with all "Sandy Bridge" Core I3, Core i5 and Core i7 and all "Ivy Bridge". The new chipset offers few features that differ from the Z68 Chipset, such as;

• Ivy Bridge LGA1155 processors. Native USB 3.0 ports (4). OC capacity. Maximum 4 DIMM modules DDR3. PCI Express 3.0. Digital phases. Intel RST technology. Intel Smart Response Technology (Z77 & H77). Dual UEFI BIOS. (Depends on model and manufacturer) Wi-Fi + Bluetooth (Depends on model and manufacturer).

Here is a table to see the differences between the current chipsets of socket 1155:

In fact we must remind our readers that 90% of P67 and Z68 boards are "Ivy Bridge" compatible with a BIOS update.

We also don't want to bore you with a lot of information, but we find it necessary to highlight the new advantages of the Ivy Bridge processor:

• New manufacturing system at 22 nm. Increasing the Overclock capacity and decreasing the temperature. New random number generator that was left outside of "Sandy Bridge". Increases the maximum multiplier from 57 to 63. Increases the memory bandwidth from 2133 to 2800mhz (In step of 200 mhz).Your GPU includes DX11 instructions increasing ~ 55% performance.

Now we include a table with the new models of Ivy Bridge 22nm processors:

Model	Cores / Threads	Speed ​​/ Turbo Boost	L3 Cache	Graphics Processor	TDP
I7-3770	4/8	3.3 / 3.9	8MB	HD4000	77W
I7-3770	4/8	3.3 / 3.9	8MB	HD4000	77W
I7-3770S	4/8	3.1 / 3.9	8MB	HD4000	65W
I7-3770T	4/8	2.5 / 3.7	8MB	HD4000	45W
I5-3570	4/4	3.3 / 3.7	6MB	HD4000	77W
I5-3570K	4/4	3.3 / 3.7	6MB	HD4000	77W
I5-3570S	4/4	3.1 / 3.8	6MB	HD2500	65W
I5-3570T	4/4	2.3 / 3.3	6MB	HD2500	45W
I5-3550S	4/4	3.0 / 3.7	6MB	HD2500	65W
I5-3475S	4/4	2.9 / 3.6	6MB	HD4000	65W
I5-3470S	4/4	2.9 / 3.6	3MB	HD2500	65W
I5-3470T	2/4	2.9 / 3.6	3MB	HD2500	35W
I5-3450	4/4	2.9 / 3.6	3MB	HD2500	77W
I5-3450S	4/4	2.8 / 3.5	6MB	HD2500	65W
I5-3300	4/4	3 / 3.2º	6MB	HD2500	77W
I5-3300S	4/4	2.7 / 3.2	6MB	HD2500	65W

GIGABYTE Z77X-UP5 TH FEATURES
Processor	Support for Intel ® Core ™ i7 / Intel ® Core ™ i5 / Intel ® Core ™ i3 processors / Intel ® Pentium ® / Intel ® Celeron ® on LGA1155 L3 cache varies by CPU
Chipset	Intel® Z77 Express Chipset
Memory	Dual Channel 4 Slots Memory supported: 1066/1333/1600/1866 * / 2000 * / 2133 * (OC), 2200 * / 2400 * / 2600 * / 2667 * / 2800 * / 3000 * (OC, 22nm CPU required)
Expansion slots	• 3 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots • 4 x PCIe 2.0 x1 slots
SATA	SATAIII controller integrated in Intel® Z77 chipset - Up to 6Gb / s transfer speed. - Supports two SATA ports (SATA1 ~ 2) by Z77 • SATAII controller integrated in Intel® Z77 chipset - Up to 3Gb / s transfer speed. - Supports four SATA ports (SATA3 ~ 6) • RAID - SATA1 ~ 6 ports support Intel Rapid Storage Technology enterprise (AHCI / RAID 0/1/5/10) by Intel Z77
USB 3.0.	• 6 USB 3.0 rear I / O ports (2 ports by Intel® Z77, 4 ports by Renesas® uDP72020) • 1 USB 3.0 onboard connector by Intel® Z77
Audio	• Chipset integrated by Realtek® ALC898 - Flexible 8-channel audio with jack sensing - Compliant with Azalia 1.0 Spec
LAN / Wifi / BT	LAN • Supports one PCI Express LAN 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet by Realtek® 8111E Wifi • Supports Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n Bluetooth • Supports Bluetooth 3.0 + HS
MultiGPU	• Supports ATI® CrossFire ™ Technology • Supports NVIDIA® SLI ™ Technology • Supports Lucid® Virtu Universal MVP
Internal I / O Connectors	- 3 x USB 2.0 connectors - 1 x USB 3.0 connector - 1 x Multi BIOS Switch - 1 x TPM Module connector - 1 x Front Panel connector - 1 x Front Panel Audio connector - 1 x Chassis Intrusion connector - 1 x Voice Genie connector (optional) - 1 x MultiConnect Panel connector (optional) - 1x Debug LED panel - 1 x V-Check Points Set - 1 x Power button - 1 x OC Genie button - 1 x Reset button - 1 x Clear CMOS jumper - 1 x GO2BIOS button - CPU x 1 / System x 4 FAN connectors - ATX 24-pin Power Connector - ATX 8-pin Power Connector - ATX 6-pin Power Connector
Rear Panel	- 1 x PS / 2 keyboard / mouse port - 1 x Clear CMOS button - 1 x Optical S / PDIF-out port - 2 x USB 2.0 ports - 6 x USB 3.0 ports - 1 x RJ45 LAN jack - 1 x 6 in 1 audio jack - 1 x HDMI® port with max. resolution up to 1920 × 1200 @ 60Hz - 1 x DisplayPort port with max. resolution up to 2560 × 1600 @ 60Hz
BIOS	The mainboard BIOS provides “Plug & Play” BIOS which detects the peripheral devices and expansion cards of the board automatically. • The mainboard provides a Desktop Management Interface (DMI) function which records your mainboard specifications.
Dimensions	ATX, 305mm x 245mm

The base plate is protected in a robust cardboard box to avoid any impact during transport.

On the back we have all the most interesting features and specifications of the motherboard.

The bundle includes:

• MSI Big Bang Z77 Mpower Motherboard. Back plate. Cables and connectors. Voltmeter connections. Manuals, Guide and installation CD with drivers / software.

The board includes a wireless card with 802.11 b / g / n antenna.

The colors that predominate this time in the Big Bang are yellow and black. Reminding us of the new Lightning line especially for overclockers.

For the most curious, the rear view of the motherboard.

The board allows us to install up to a 3 Way SLI / CrossFireX. In addition to incorporating up to 4 PCI-Express 1x ports.

Dissipation is one of its strengths. The heatsinks are robust and withstand high heat loads.

The south shield-shaped bridge is also dissipated. This chipset is not very hot and this heatsink exceeds its dissipation.

Good overclockers must be achieved based on good cooling, good bios and, above all, good feeding phases. Here comes MSI Military Class III technology. With its 16 SFC phases and z77 chipset.

The small details are what make the difference. The buttons for OC, off and reset are a detail for reviewers and overclockers.

The board includes only 6 SATA ports but they are 6.0. We think they could have included up to 8…

The APS system indicates the status of the phases with 12 blue LEDs. This system is very interesting for overclocks with liquid nitrogen or dry ice.

With the V-Check Points we can monitor the vdroops of various elements on the motherboard. It also includes an auxiliary 6-pin connection for extra power.

MSI has sent us an AVEXIR AVD3U24001004G-2CM memory kit that works at 2400mhz and consists of a total of 8GB. The most interesting thing is that it follows the line of the plate: black-yellow.

And here how they look together.

I leave you a little tour of the Standard Mode view which is where the most options are active and modifiable.

I'm going to interrupt you for a moment. I love these options, because the first option allows you to make a backup of the hard disk. The second update the BIOS from the Internet and the last flash the BIOS by the traditional method.

And here is a view of the OC Genie II mode activated. This complete configuration cannot be modified, since it is a factory OC at 4200mhz.

The MSI Control Center software allows us to make many options from the windows system. The one that I liked the most is the "in situ" overclocking. We have reached 5000mhz quickly.

OC Genie we must activate it from the motherboard itself (button).

Green Power allows us to control the CPU fans and the 4 system fans. Depending on the ºC of each component, we can revolutionize the fans at a higher or lower speed. We have checked with the fantastic Nidec GT 1850 RPM and they are adjustable. We don't need you rehobus anymore?

Voltage monitoring and fans.

With our iphone / android terminal we can control all the characteristics of this board. These "pijadas" are what make the differences?

Sound card software.

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel i5 3570k
Base plate:	MSI Big Bang MpowerZ77
Memory:	Kingston Hyperx Predator
Heatsink	Corsair H60
HDD	Kingston Hyperx 120gb
Graphic card	NVIDIA GTX680
Power supply	Thermaltake TouchPower 1350W

We have started with our particular battery of synthetic tests and games. We wanted to use this equipment with the best material we have in the laboratory. Without further delay I leave you the tests with a high Overclock, not extreme, of 4624.22mhz :

TESTS
3dMark Vantage:	40671 TOTAL.
3dMark11	P9122 PTS.
Heaven Unigine v2.1	120.0 FPS and 3045 PTS.
Battlefield 3	62 FPS
Lost Planet 2	118.5 FPS
Evil Resident 5	266.9 FPS

The MSI Big Bang Z77 Mpower is an ATX format motherboard with the latest technology available: Z77 chipset, compatibility with Ivy Bridge processors, MultiGPU ATI and NVIDIA system, 16 power phases and support of up to 32GB DDR3 at 2400mhz with OC.

The Big Bang incorporates innovative and unique features: OC Certification is an extra guarantee for overclock lovers, validating any damage caused by overclocking done on the motherboard. The “Total Fan Control” technology allows us to regulate any fan connected to the motherboard in% (50%, 75%, 100%) without the need for a rehobus. Watch out for regulating 3-pin fans like the Scythe GT 1850 RPM;).

In our test bench we have punctured an i5 3570k with overclocking at 4600mhz, a GTX680 graphics card and 8GB DDR3 at 2400mhz as expected we have obtained very good scores: P9122PTS in 3DMARK and 62 FPS on average in Battlefield III. We wanted to go a little further and we have reached 5GHZ:).

Another of its strengths is its software. As we have seen during the review we can regulate fans, hot overclock from windows (without the need to enter BIOS) and activate the MOBILE function to control the equipment from the mobile.

We would have liked this motherboard to have 4 PCI-Express ports with a PLX controller to connect 4 graphics at 16x. Although the board is designed for the most enthusiastic gamers and looking for an extreme overclock.

The recommended price of the motherboard is € 200. That is, the best motherboard in quality / price on the market. MSI always does its homework with its Big Bang plates and in this analysis it has been shown. Being at the height of any higher priced plate.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ COMPONENTS.	- COULD HAVE MORE SATA PORTS.
+ MILITRAY CLASS III.	- 4 WAY SLI.
+ OVERCLOCKERS SPECIAL.
+ SOFTWARE.
+ OC GENE.
+ UNBEATABLE PRICE

The Professional team awards you the quality / price badge and platinum medal: