Review: msi z97 gaming 7

MSI launched two generations ago with its Gaming series and has been a hit with all consumers and equipment assemblers. This time I bring you the analysis of the mid-range / high-end motherboard MSI Z97 Gaming 7 that brings more than interesting features with M.2 connection, Killer E2205 network card, Audio Boost 2 sound card and a very nice design to the view. In this analysis you will see what it is capable of.

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

FEATURES MSI Z97 GAMING 7
CPU	Supports 4th and 5th generation Intel ® Core ™ and Intel ® Pentium ® and Celeron ® processors for LGA1150 Socket Please check CPU support for compatible CPU; the above description is for reference only.
Chipset	Intel ® Z97 Express Chipset
Memory	Supports four DDR3 1066/1333/1600/1866 * / 2000 * / 2133 * / 2200 * / 2400 * / 2600 * / 2666 * / 2800 * / 3000 * / 3100 * / 3200 * / 3300 * (* OC) MHz DRAM, 32GB Max dual channel memory architecture Supports Intel ® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) Supports non-ECC, un-buffered memory
Multi-GPU Compatible	Intel Z97 Express Chipset 6x SATA 6Gb / s ports (SATA1 ~ 6) 1x M.2 port * M.2 port supports M.2 SATA 6Gb / s module M.2 port supports PCIe M.2 module at up to 10Gb / s speed M.2 port supports 4.2cm / 6cm / 8cm module length Supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 * Supports Intel ® Smart Response Technology, Rapid Start ® Intel Technology and Intel ® Smart Connect Technology **** ASMedia ASM1061 Chipset 2 x SATA 6Gb / s ports (SATA7 ~ 8) Supports 3-Way AMD CrossFire ™ technology * Supports 2-Way NVIDIA ® SLI ™ Technology
Storage	6 x SATA 6.0 Gb / s (Intel Z97 1 x SATA Express port (uses 2 x SATA ports 6.0 Gb / s via Intel Z97) 4 x SATA 6.0 Gb / s (Marvell 88SE9172)
USB and ports.	10 x USB 3.0 6 x USB 2.0
Net	Controller • 1x Killer E2205 Gigabit LAN
Bluetooth	Do not.
Audio	8 channel HD, Audio Boost 2 with Creative SBC 2
WiFi connection	Do not.
Format.	ATX format: 30.5cm x 24.4cm
BIOS	The motherboard BIOS provides "Plug & Play" that detects peripheral devices and expansion cards on the motherboard.

MSI Z97 Gaming 7

MSI presents us in a cardboard box with standard size to the Z97 Gaming 7 where we see on the cover a dragon on the left and the model screen-printed on the right. Already inside we find:

MSI Z97 Gaming motherboard 7.4 x SATA III cables.Hook for the rear panel.SLI bridge.Wires to measure the voltages.Adapters.CD with drivers and software.Decal and connectors for the control panel.

As we are used to, the MSI Gaming series dresses up in matt black on the PCB and heatsinks in red. The format is ATX so we will not have a problem when installing it in any box.

The motherboard is compatible with Haswell's new 5th generation batch processors and incorporates the well-known Z97 chipset. As standard, it has 4 DDR3 RAM sockets that allow us to install up to 32GB at 3300 mhz with OC

It has 12 power phases and a very efficient cooling system with two heatsinks in the VRM area and another one in the motherboard chipset. As extra power it has a 12 EPS connection and a main one of the classic 24-pin ATX.

The distribution of the PCI Express ports is quite good, since it has 3 PCI Express x16 3.0 and 4 PCI Express x1 ports. It is compatible with both Nvidia's SLI technology and AMD's CrossFireX. The layout is as follows:

1 GPU: x16.2 GPU: x8 - x8.3 GPU: x8 - x4 - x4.

It incorporates 8 SATA III 6 Gbp / s connections and an internal USB 3.0 header. Where is the SATA Express connection? As an extra storage it also has a normal M.2 slot that allows you to use its excellent bandwidth of 10 Gbp / s. In that section we cannot complain.

Already in the lower area we have the connections for USB 2.0, control panel, a switch to choose between the two BIOSes and the heads for 4-pin fans (PWM).

The sound card integrates the Audio Boost 2 technology with Realtek chip, accompanied by an EMI shield with LEDs, 7.1 analog output, Creative Sound Blaster Cine software, USB DAC, double amplifier with an impedance of up to 600 ohms. In short, one of the best integrated sound cards on the market. As well as special USB connections to avoid noise from the microphone or our headphones.

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Already in the rear connections we have a wide range of possibilities:

1 x PS2.2 x USB 2.0.1 x Clear CMOS. 8 x USB 3.0.1 x HDMI. 1 x DP. 1 x LAN. 1 x Sound 7.1.

UEFI BIOS

MSI offers us one of the best and simplest BIOS on the market. If we are looking to overclock with just 4 steps, MSI gives it to you. If you are looking for the control of the fans, it also offers it to you. Monitoring of all connected components, it also offers it to us. It is one of my favorite BIOS. Good job MSI!

Test bench and tests

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel i7 4770k
Base plate:	MSI Z97 Gaming 9 AC
Memory:	G.Skills Trident X 2400mhz.
Heatsink	Noctua NH-U14S
HDD	Samsumg 840 250GB
Graphic card	GTX780
Power supply	Antec HCP 850

To check the stability of the processor and the motherboard, we have made an extreme OC of up to 4800 mhz with Prime 95 Custom by liquid cooling. The graphics we have used is a Gigabyte GTX780 Rev 2.0. We go to the results:

TESTS
3dMark Vantage:	P41035
3dMark11	P15721 PTS
Crysis 3	45 FPS
CineBench 11.5	10.2 fps.
Resident EVIL 6 Lost Planet Tomb Raider Metro	1435 PTS. 128 FPS. 72 FPS 66 FPS

Final words and conclusion

The MSI Z97 Gaming 7 is an ATX format motherboard made for expert gamers. Incorporating the Z97 chipset allows us to install both Haswell, Haswell Refresh and Devil's Canyon processors without the need to update the BIOS. It allows us to install up to 32GB of DDR3 RAM with a speed of up to 3300 Mhz with OC. The board has a black color design (PCB) and red details that allow us to have a very aggressive line and that we like so much the players.

As we have commented during the analysis, this motherboard is located between the intermediate point of a mid-range and high-end range. Incorporating components such as Audio Boost 2 that improves the sound noticeably, its good functions for overclocking and its Killer E2205 network card makes it a tough rival. And that makes us think if we really need a higher-ranking motherboard for a higher price of + € 50.

In our tests we have been able to overclock our i7-4770k processor up to 4600 mhz with a voltage somewhat higher than the rest of the analyzed models, having a slight vdroop. We have installed a GTX 780 graphics card and 16GB of DDR4 RAM with really good results. In cinebench we have reached 10.2 points and in Crysis 3 45 FPS.

The only thing we have missed is a SATA Express connection, which as we saw in other MSI models has completely forgotten about this connection.

It is currently in an online store for a price of € 177. That is not bad…

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ AESTHETICS AND DESIGN.	- DOES NOT INCLUDE SATA EXPRESS.
+ M.2 CONNECTION.
+ SLI AND CROSSFIREX.
+ STABLE BIOS.
+ AUDIO BOOST SOUND CARD.
+ GOOD OVERCLOCK.