Review: msi nightblade - Hardware 2024

MSI, leader in the manufacture of high-end motherboards, graphics cards and laptops, knows that every day that we consumers are interested in high-end equipment in the smallest possible box. 5 years ago it was unfeasible but for a while if possible… For this reason, it has launched its Barebone Gamer: MSI NightBlad e with different serial possibilities. Don't miss our review!

We thank the MSI team for the transfer of the motherboard for analysis:

Main improvements of the Z97 chipset to its predecessor Z87

There are hardly any differences between the Z87 and Z97 chipset on paper. We have few such as the incorporation of the SATA Express block with 10 Gb / s of bandwidth (40% faster) compared to the 6Gb / s of the classic SATA 3. How is there so much improvement? It is because they have taken one or two of the PCI Express lanes, so be careful when doing dual configurations or with multiple graphics cards. One of the most important improvements is the incorporation of the M.2 connection with NGFF support natively, thus replacing the well-received mSATA ports. This technology is the future of computing, since it will allow us to connect large, fast storage devices without occupying places in our box. During this year and 2015 we will see the increase in sales of this connection. Finally, we see the possibility of overclocking RAM memories up to 3300 mh. Well, this reaches the limit of mhz that we can reach with DDR3 memories.

Frequently asked questions to consider

- My heatsink is compatible with socket 1155 and 1556. Is it compatible with socket 1150? Yes, we have tested different motherboards and they all have the same holes as in socket 1155 and 1156. - Is my power supply compatible with Intel Haswell or Intel Devil Canyon / Haswell Refresh ? There are no Haswell certified power supplies. Most of the manufacturers have already released the list of compatible sources: Antec, Corsair, Enermax, Nox, Aerocool / Tacens and Thermaltake. Giving 98% absolute compatibility.

Technical characteristics

Processor
- Processor FamilySocket Processor Socket 1150Intel B85 ChipsetB85I Gaming BoardNumber of Processors Supported 1
HDD
- Hard Drive Interfaces Supported Serial ATA IIINumber of Hard Drives Supported1Hard Drive Sizes Supported 2.5, 3.5 "
Memory
- Maximum internal memory 16 GB Memory clock speeds supported 1600 MHz Memory types supported DDR3-SDRAM Number of DIMM slots 2
Audio
- 7.1 Audio Output Channels Realtek ALC1150 Audio System
Net
- Wifi Atheros Killer E2200 LAN Controller Bluetooth 4.0 Version
Ports and Interfaces
- Number of USB 2.0 ports 6 Microphone, input jack Headphone outputs 1 Ethernet LAN (RJ-45) number of ports 1 S / PDIF output port Number of eSATA ports 2 Number of HDMI ports 2 Number of USB 3.0 ports 6
Product Color Black Weight & Dimensions
- Width 175.7 mm Depth 345.8 mm Height 277.33 mm Weight 7.6 kg
Energy control
- 350 W power supply
Technical details
- Mini-Tower form factor Cooling type Active Optical drive type DVD Super Multi
Indication
- Power LEDs LED Indicators

MSI Nightblade

MSI presents the product in a large cardboard box and very well protected with flexible plastic. In the bundle we find:

MSI Nightblade Z97. SATA wiring. Processor heatsink. Screws. 2.5 "and 3.5" hard drive adapter or SSD. Before Wifi. Instruction manuals. Quick guide. CD with drivers and software.

The box is very small and the quality of its materials is fantastic. It has dimensions of 13.61 x 10.92 x 6.92 with a capacity of up to 16 liters. It also allows us to install graphics cards up to 29 cm long.

Note that on the front we have 4 USB 3.0 connections, the output / input, output, button for OC and the power button. a little further down we find a slim dvd drive.

To remove all possible doubts from our readers, when you buy this barebone you must install: processor, ram memory, hard drives and graphics card so that it can work. That is to say, we bought a small quality box, a z97 motherboard, a basic cooling system and an already assembled power supply.

To remove both sides we must press the red rear buttons and remove a couple of screws. Here you can see its internal computer and with the possibility of installing any high-end graphics card.

If we go a little deeper, we have the internal connections of the front buttons: USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, power button and audio input / output. We also see an "L" shaped cable from the 600W 80 PLUS GOLD power supply.

For storage it gives us a good range of possibilities with SATA and dual mSATA connections (current photo) that I really like.

As the main motherboard we have the all powerful MSI Z97I Gaming AC that we discussed earlier. We have installed an i7-4770k processor and 8 gb of RAM more than enough to carry out our tests. This board incorporates Wifi 802.11 AC series, Bluetooth 4.0, Killer E2205 network card and special features for overclocking.

We have a slim reading unit (ODD) that allows us to make backups of our system, play videos, etc…

I have left for the end the most serious problem that the system has… the refrigeration. Although it has filters on both sides, the fans are noisy and small (like the rear of the first image). As standard it includes a small heatsink with a rather poor 7 cm fan. Why? If we want to overclock we are totally limited… although it is better than the one that comes standard with Intel processors, it is not up to this barebone.

Test equipment and performance tests

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel i7-4770K
Base plate:	MSI Z97I Gaming AC
Memory:	8GB DDR3 2400 Mhz
Heatsink	Heatsink included with the box.
HDD	Samsung EVO 250GB.
Graphic card	Radeon 280X
Power supply	Incorporated in the box.

WE RECOMMEND YOUECS Barebone AIO G11 All in One

All tests without overclock except Cinebench R11.5 that we have been able to leave at 4.2 Ghz. But is that the cooling system I did not like at all…

TESTS

Cinebench R15 (stock)

8.01 points

Cinebench R15 (4.2 Ghz)

9.01 points

And here the tests in games:

FRAMES BY SECONDS
Frames for Seconds. (FPS)	Gameplay
Less than 30 FPS	Limited
30 - 40 FPS	Playable
40 - 60 FPS	Good
Greater than 60 FPS	Fairly Good or Excellent

Let's not fool ourselves; there are games that can have an average of 100 FPS. It may be because the game is quite old and does not require excessive graphic resources or that the graphics is the most powerful on the market, or we have GPU systems for thousands of euros. But the reality is different, and games like Crysis 3 and Metro 2033 are very demanding and do not usually give high scores.

GIGABYTE R9 285 WINDFORCE TESTS
Asasasins Creed IV BF	41 FPS.
Diablo III ROS	155 FPS.
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag	53 FPS
Metro Last Light	61 FPS
Crysis 3	38 FPS.
Battlefield 4	55 FPS

BIOS

BIOS screenshots:

Final words and conclusion.

The MSI NightBlade is the first gaming barebone manufactured by MSI with really compact dimensions: 13.61 x 10.92 x 6.92 and with a first-class design. The materials manufactured on the surface is brushed aluminum while the internal structure is steel. In this first contact, we have had the z97 version with an i7-4770k processor and an MSI 280X Gaming graphics card that MSI Iberica has given us for analysis.

We liked it in general terms both in design, functionality and components used. The only but that we find is in the refrigeration that is too basic and that limits the realization of overclocking.

Currently there are different versions from € 269 to € 389.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ DESIGN	- BASIC AND MUCH NOISE COOLING… COULD IMPROVE WITH A BETTER, MORE EFFICIENT AND LESS NOISY SYSTEM.
+ QUALITY ITX PLATE.
+ SOURCE 80 PLUS GOLD.
+ ALLOWS 29 CM GRAPHICS.
+ OC FUNCTIONS ON THE FRONT.
+ CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS.