Review: msi z77a

MSI, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards worldwide, has introduced its new motherboards for socket 1155 with Z77 chipset to the market. Compatible with new processors

Ivy Bridge.

Product ceded by:

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

FEATURES MSI Z77A-GD55
CPU	Supports 3rd Gen Intel® Core ™ i7 / Core ™ i5 / Core ™ i3 / Pentium® / Celeron® processors for LGA 1155 socket Please refer to CPU Support for compatible CPU; the above description is for reference only.
Chipset	Intel Z77 Chipset
Memory	DDR3 DIMMs 2667 * (OC) / 2400 * (OC) / 2133 * (OC) / 1866 * (OC) / 1600/1333/1066 DRAM (32GB Max)
Slots	2 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slot - PCI_E7 supports up to PCIe 2.0 x4 speed (when PCI_E3 or PCI_E6 is empty) or PCIe 2.0 x2 speed (when PCI_E3 or PCI_E6 is installed). 4 x PCIe 2.0 x1 slots
On-Board SATA	SATAII controller integrated in Intel® Z77 chipset - Up to 3Gb / s transfer speed. - Supports four SATAII ports (SATA3 ~ 6) by Z77 • SATAIII controller integrated in Intel® Z77 chipset - Up to 6Gb / s transfer speed. - Supports two SATAIII ports (SATA1 ~ 2) by Z77 • RAID - SATA1 ~ 6 support Intel® Rapid Storage Technology enterprise (AHCI / RAID 0/1/5/10) by Intel® Z77
USB 3.0.	• 2 x USB 3.0 rear IO ports by Intel® Z77 • 1 x USB 3.0 onboard connector by Intel® Z77
Audio	• Chipset integrated by Realtek® ALC892 - Flexible 8-channel audio with jack sensing - Compliant with Azalia 1.0 Spec
LAN	• Supports one PCI Express LAN 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet by Intel® 82579V.
Multi-GPU	• Supports ATI® CrossFire ™ Technology • Supports NVIDIA® SLI ™ Technology
Dimensions	30.5cm (L) x 24.5cm (W) ATX Form Factor

Military Class III - Maximum Quality and Stability

MSI motherboards fulfill their commitment to continue creating stable and reliable products by introducing Military Class III components. In addition to using Hi-c CAP, SFC, Solid Capacitors, MSI now incorporates DrMOS II, the new generation of DrMOS that offers integrated Dual Thermal Protection ina to maximize the life of all components. All Military Class III components have passed MIL-STD-810G certification, making Military Class III components synonymous with the highest quality and ultimate stability.

OC Genie II

With OC Genie II you will have OC in a second! Technology first implanted in the P55 / H55 / P67 and Z68 chipsets. After its success MSI has returned to opt for it. It allows us to accelerate the processor up to 4200mhz without the need to change parameters in BIOS.

The first motherboard manufacturer in the world with PCI Express Gen 3

With a 32GB / s file transfer bandwidth, PCI Express Gen 3 offers you twice the transfer speed of the previous generation, giving you amazing possibilities for the next generation of extreme gaming.

Advantage:

- Double bandwidth

- Increased efficiency and compatibility

- Extreme performance for current and next generation PCI Express cards

USB 3.0.

Compared to the 480Mbps that traditional USB 2.0 has, the new USB 3.0's 5Gb / s offers 10 times more bandwidth, so transferring a movie to Blu-ray will take less than a minute. MSI has also implemented a USB 3.0 port on the front panel, making using an external USB 3.0 device much easier.

characteristics

- 10 times faster than USB 2.0

- Up to 5Gb / s bandwidth for data transfer

- First in the world to offer USB 3.0 on the front panel

- Power the data transfer between your PC and external storage devices.

APS (Active Phase Switching)

APS (Active Phase Switching) technology is a smart design that helps save power on motherboards. The concept is to turn off the power supply when it is not needed and automatically turn on the power when necessary. APS will automatically detect the amount of charge on your device and supply it with the required amount of power. This is possible thanks to advanced energy control technology. Unlike other software-based solutions, APS technology is MSI's own research. The integrated IC chip can automatically operate depending on power requirements, reducing total electricity consumption.

The Z77A-GD55 Board is protected in a cardboard box. We see on the cover a large “Military Class III” logo, which refers to its impressive military capacitors.

The box includes:

• MSI Z77A-GD55 Motherboard Back plate SLICable cables for voltage tests Instruction manual Installation CD

Blue and black (corporate) colors predominate in the design of the plate. General view.

Back view.

The GD55 has a pretty good layout, although it only allows us to install three cards in MultiGPU. It has both SLI and CrossFire support.

There is no news in the number of memory slots. We continue with 4, but with compatibility up to 2667 mhz.

Dissipation is one of the most important improvements we see on this motherboard. They are large and robust.

When overclocking we will be sure of its effective dissipation.

South bridge sink.

Another point in its favor is the socket protection cover that prevents bending the pins before installation.

It only includes 6 SATA port. For the usual necessities they exceed, but other models offer greater number of SATA.

The addition of the "Easy Button 3" buttons allows us to test outdoors without the need to bypass the control panel. Just pressing the OC Genie II button allows us to perform a stable 4200mhz OC.

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel 2600k @ 4200MHZ
Base plate:	MSI Z77A-GD55
Memory:	2x4GB Corsair Vengeance 1600mhz
Heatsink:	Prolimatech Megahalems REV C.
Hard drives:	Kingston Hyperx 120gb
Graphics Cards:	GTX580
Source feed:	Antec TPQ 1200w OC
Box:	Benchtable Dimastech Easy V2.5

To check the stability of the processor and motherboard. We have made a 4200mhz OC with Prime 95 Custom and a GTX580 at 780mhz.

The performance has been very good: "25921" points with 3d Mark Vantage. We have also done more tests:

TESTS
3dMark Vantage:	25921 PTS TOTAL.
3dMark11	P5746 PTS.
Heaven Unigine v2.1	44.8 FPS and 1151 PTS.
CineBench	OPENGPL: 62.65 AND CPU: 7.82.

The first contact we have with MSI has left us with a pleasant taste in the mouth. Your MSI Z77A-GD55 board has a nice design and a remarkable layout for multigpu systems.

In our test bench we have carried out our tests with its activated GENE II OC technology. This allows 4200mhz overclocking by activating a simple button on the motherboard. The results with an i7 2600k and a GTX580 have been really good. At no time have we had hangs or drops of FPS in the tests carried out.

We also really liked its new UEFI BIOS, which allows us to move freely with the mouse and manage all the options. And its software for hot overclocking from Windows.

Although we wish the OC GENE II had active power options. Helping to lower temperatures and load the processor.

The MSI Z77A-GD55 board is an ideal board for users looking for great stability, overclocking and a good price. It is already available over 150 ~ 160 €.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ MILITRAY CLASS III CAPACITORS.	- FEW SATA.
+ GOOD LAYOUT.	- NO ENERGY OPTIONS WITH OC GENE II
+ OC GENE II
+ BUTTONS ON PLATE FOR OF / OFF AND RESET
+ MANAGEMENT AND OVERCLOCK SOFTWARE.
+ UEFI BIOS

The Professional Review team awards him the silver medal: