MSI Z170A Gaming M7 ATX Motherboard

Description

The MSI Z170A Gaming M7 ATX Motherboard supports Intel's 6th-generation of processors by offering an LGA 1151 socket. It comes with four DIMM slots that hold up to 64GB of DDR4 memory. MSI has designed this motherboard with overclocking capabilities for your components. It has Click BIOS 5, OC Engine 2, and three buttons to adjust the settings for your processor, RAM, and graphics cards. You can also overclock with the MSI Gaming app. When an adjustment doesn't work, you can reset the BIOS with a clear CMOS button on the rear panel. For easily updating the BIOS, this motherboard has a Flashback button and a dedicated USB port for your flash drive with the BIOS file.

This motherboard allows you to build a PC system with high-performance components. It offers two PCIe x4 M.2 slots as well as USB 3.1 Type-C and Type-A ports. These interfaces provide faster transfer rates so you can quickly move files and boot up the system faster. Aside from these fast connections, this motherboard provides six SATA III and two SATA Express connectors. Furthermore, the Intel Z170 Express chipset offers various RAID modes for SATA based storage drives and RAID 0 or RAID 1 for M.2 SSDs.

Designed with gaming in mind, this motherboard features three PCIe 3.0 x16 slots and can link your dedicated graphics cards with SLI or CrossFire technologies. To complete the multimedia experience, it comes outfitted with Audio Boost 3 powered with Nahimic Sound technology to deliver clear sound and music through 8-channel HD audio jacks. The Killer Gigabit LAN controller has been enhanced with Advanced Stream Detect 2.0, which maximises networking performance for online games. MSI also includes software for your mouse and keyboard to enhance them with macro combinations, which let you run multiple commands with a single click.

MSI has designed this motherboard with three USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports as well as a PS/2 combo port. For visuals, it comes with two HDMI ports along with a DisplayPort. It also provides four PCIe 3.0 x1 slots for expansion cards.

Features

DDR4 Technology

MSI introduces DDR4 Boost technology with optimised traces and fully isolated memory circuitry. This design ensures the memory signals stay pure for optimal performance and stability. Moreover, an added XMP LED highlights the active Extreme Memory profile.

Gaming Design

MSI has equipped this motherboard with heatsinks that evenly distribute the heat away from critical components.

Killer Ethernet E2400

The Killer E2400 Intelligent Networking platform features Stream Detect 2.0, which is built for maximising networking performance for online games and high-quality streaming media. The Killer LAN automatically detects and accelerates game traffic ahead of other network traffic for smoother, stutter-free in-game performance. The MSI Gaming LAN manager lets you change the application's traffic priority and customise the bandwidth for each application. Featuring 15K V anti-surge protection, LAN Protect is a LAN connector designed to shield your network from lightning strikes and static electricity. It's highlighted with a red LED inside the RJ45 jack to show its functionality.

Audio Boost 3

With premium audio components and Nahimic Sound technology, this motherboard offers studio grade sound by delivering clear sound and music through 8-channel HD audio or high impendence headphones. This motherboard comes with golden audio jacks, Chemi-Con audio capacitors, and dual headphone amplifiers as well as an isolated audio PCB, EMI-shielded HD audio processor, and a front dedicated headphone out connector.

Game Boost

Game Boost provides a one-second overclocking option that can increase the system's performance up to 5 GHz.

Gaming Hotkey

MSI offers you a Gaming Hotkey utility programme that enables more functionality using your own keyboard. Simply assign functions or macros to any key and turn your PC on/off, launch your favourite games, load overclocking profiles, or enable real-time overclocking with the push of a single button. It provides MSI Smart keys so you can log in with one key press.

USB 3.1

Faster than SATA III, USB 3.1 allows for speeds up to 10 Gb/s, doubling the speed compared to USB 3.0 and up to 20x faster than legacy USB 2.0. Furthermore, one of these USB 3.1 ports features a Type-C connector that allows for effortless connecting of USB Type-C devices.* Up to 2x faster than USB 3.0

• Up to 20x faster than USB 2.0
• Up to 10 Gb/s data transfer bandwidth
• Boost the transfer rate between your PC and external storage devices

USB 3.0 Connectivity

MSI has designed the USB port on this motherboard to deliver more power than regular USB chargers. You can charge a smartphone, tablet, or portable console when you're not gaming. This motherboard comes with two USB 3.0 headers so you can connect your case's front USB 3.0 ports. These ports allow you to enjoy USB speeds without having to use the rear USB ports. The USB 3.0 headers come built with protective ICs that prevent damage caused by Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) from plugging or unplugging USB devices. They also feature Redrivers that enable you to use longer USB 3.0 cables inside the case.

Storage Expansion

SATA Express offers a bandwidth of up to 10 Gb/s utilising PCI Express. For faster data transfers, the two Turbo M.2 slots deliver speeds up to 32 Gb/s, which is five times faster than a SATA III connection. With PCI x4 M.2 SSDs, the system will boot up nearly instantaneously and your applications will run faster. MSI has an optional U.2 host card adapter for the M.2 slot, so the motherboard can support 2.5" SSDs using the U.2 connector.

OC Engine 2

The OC Engine 2 is an external clock generator that gives you more overclocking options for your setup. It also offers lower jitter and power consumption to provide better stability under extreme conditions.

OC Essentials

OC Essentials is a set of tools that help provide the best performance out of your motherboard. These features increase stability, assist in trouble shooting, and allow you to keep your complete system in cheque as well as simple management.* Easy Button 3 - allows fast and easy reset and power up/power down of your system while overclocking. The buttons light up so you can easily find them in a dark environment

• V-Cheque Points 2 Lite - accurately monitors your voltages while overclocking and supports legacy and modern multimeters
• Debug LED - features a 2-digit LED for easy diagnostics and CPU temperatures
• Clear CMOS Button - is located on the rear panel so you can reset the BIOS without opening the case
• Slow Mode - helps defeat booting issues when overclocking at extremely high CPU frequencies. A switch temporary decreases the CPU ratio below stock settings, letting you boot to Windows

Military Class 5 Components

This motherboard uses high quality components such as a Titanium Choke and a DrMOS mosfet along with Hi-c CAPs and Dark CAPs.* Titanium Choke - uses a Titanium core that has a better ability in thermal as well as higher temperature tolerances. This allows it to run at 428°F / 220°C, have a 40% higher current capacity, a 30% improvement in power efficiency, and better overclocking power stability

• Dark Caps - feature an aluminium core design as well as provide lower Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR) and over a 10-year lifespan

Guard Pro

MSI has provided circuit protection for this motherboard by outfitting it with high quality materials, multiple PCB layers, and shielding. For key components, they have passed military testing to ensure stable operation in a harsh environment. MSI has protected all the I/O ports against Electro Static Discharge. In addition, the motherboard meets FCC regulations and produces less Electromagnetic Interference than other motherboards.

SLI/CrossFire Support

Multiple PCIe x16 slots are available to support a SLI or CrossFire setup. These slots are optimally placed on the motherboard to allow better fitting and airflow. Furthermore, the connection between these slots and the PCB has more reinforced solder points to provide strength and protect the signals against electromagnetic interference.

Click BIOS 5

MSI Click BIOS 5 is optimised for Windows 10. You can control your system in two modes: EZ mode provides frequently used settings and functions, while Advanced mode offers detailed settings and fine-tuning options to boost your system's performance. It's also easy-to-use and has high-resolution multi language scalable fonts as well as advanced overclocking options.

Easy BIOS Recovery

This motherboard lets you upgrade the BIOS using a USB flash drive and a Flashback button or hotkey. You can even use BIOS Flashback+ without inserting the processor, memory, or graphics card.

Gaming Port Features

The PS/2 and USB gaming device ports feature three times more gold than regular connectors and offer ten times longer lifespan when plugging and unplugging devices. They are also better equipped to prevent oxidation.

Software Bundle

MSI Mouse Master software lets you customise your mouse's DPI to change the accuracy and programme macro combinations. The MSI Gaming app allows simultaneous control of both your motherboard and graphics card's overclocking. It features a transparent overlay over your application to provide on-screen speeds and temperatures. You can monitor in real time the GPU core, DRAM frequency, GPU & CPU temperatures, and more. Another included app which is similar is CPU-Z, but offers greater details about your system. MSI also gives you RAMDisk so you can create a virtual drive from your system memory. This drive offers speeds up to twenty-five times faster than SSDs. It can also prolong the life of your SSD by reducing unnecessary read and write operations.

Specifications