MSI Z370 SLI Plus LGA 1151 ATX Motherboard

Description

The MSI Z370 SLI Plus ATX Motherboard lets you build a system outfitted with an 8th-generation Intel Core processor by providing an LGA 1151 socket and an Intel Z370 chipset. The Z370 SLI Plus comes equipped with three PCIe 3.0 slots for linking graphics cards with NVIDIA SLI or AMD Crossfire technology, plus it has three PCIe 3.0 x1 slots, which allow you to instal expansion cards that grant additional ports. Other notable slots include four DDR4 DIMM and two M.2 slots, so you can instal up to 64GB of RAM and SSDs utilising PCIe technology. For accommodating 2.5", 3.5", and optical drives, six SATA connectors are available. There's also onboard LED lighting, which illuminates the insides of your case with 16.8 million colours and 17 light effects.

The MSI Z370 SLI plus motherboard can access external storage drives, printers, and other useful peripherals via two USB 2.0, two USB 3.1, and four USB 3.0 ports. The two USB 3.1 ports transmit data at 10 Gb/s speeds, and one of the USB 3.1 ports features a convenient USB Type-C design. Aside from USB connectivity, a Realtek ALC1220 processor delivers 7.1-channel sound through the motherboard's six audio jacks. Additionally, MSI has armed this motherboard with Gigabit Ethernet and PS/2 ports along with DVI-D and HDMI outputs, which utilise Intel's integrated graphics chipset to produce detailed visuals.

Features

Mystic Light
MSI's Mystic Light feature provides built-in lighting that can produce 16.8 million colours to match the style of your system. In addition to colour selection, it provides 17 LED effects. You can turn off the onboard lighting or connect optional RGB strips to the motherboard. A Mystic Light app is available for controlling all of the LEDs. Moreover, the lighting system can sync to Mystic Light compatible products.

Cooling
The motherboard's six fan headers can automatically detect fans running in DC or PWM mode for optimal tuning of speeds and quietness. Hysteresis also makes your fans spin up fluently to help ensure your system stays silent. With the Total Fan Control app, you can take control of your fans and cheque the primary system's characteristics in a simplified graphical interface. Additionally, you can set up four temperature targets for the processor and motherboard to automatically adjust the fan's speed. For AIO or custom liquid-cooling solutions, there's a dedicated water header that supports up to 2A of power, giving you full control of the pump's speed.

Software Features

• X-Boost optimises SSDs and USB ports
• M.2 Genie helps you set up a RAID array using M.2 and U.2 SSDs
• One Click to VR sets all your key components to their highest performance and makes sure other software applications won't impact the virtual-reality experience
• Network Manager for easy bandwidth optimising
• DDR4 Boost for enhancing speeds of memory modules
• MSI Command Centre allows you to tune settings to increase system stability, maximise performance, and optimise cooling
• MSI Live Update automatically downloads and instals the latest drivers, BIOS, and software
• RAMDisk creates a virtual drive from RAM
• UEFI provides a "Fast Boot" option for faster boot times
• Go2BIOS lets you boot into the BIOS setup screen on the next restart without pressing the DEL or F2 key
• CPU-Z gathers key information of the CPU speed, memory speed and timings, motherboard BIOS version, and more
• CLICK BIOS 5 offers EZ and Advanced modes as well as search and favourites features to help you configure the system's components
• MSI 300 series motherboards support Legacy (MBR) and UEFI (GPT) boot options for compatibility with older and newer operating systems
• Secure Erase+ uses an optimised formatting algorithm, so SSDs can operate at maximum speeds
• Supports XMP memory profiles

Additional Features

• DVI-D port to support legacy monitors
• Intel Optane Memory ready
• M.2 slots deliver speeds of up to 32 Gb/s to accommodate NVMe drives
• Audio Boost 4 technology enhances the sound quality coming from the EMI-shielded Realtek ALC1220 processor
• Separated layers in the PCB help ensure clear sound quality for both left and right audio channels
• De-pop protection eliminates popping noise when turning your PC on or off as well as plugging or unplugging devices
• Built-in dedicated headphone amplifier supports headphones with up to 600Ω impedance
• Intel LAN reduces CPU overhead and offers high TCP and UDP throughputs
• LAN Protect shields the motherboard from power surges
• Optimised traces and isolated memory circuitry help ensure stability and performance
• XMP LED light on the motherboard notifies you when an XMP memory profile is active
• Load-line calibration helps ensure CPU voltage levels remain stable under various loads
• A digital power design allows for faster and undistorted current delivery to the CPU
• Onboard LEDs indicate the source of the problem during system failures
• Overvoltage protection prevents potential short-circuit damage to the CPU and other critical components
• MSI Super Charger USB ports deliver more power than standard ports to charge mobile devices quickly
• USB 3.1 re-driver chips strengthen the USB signal, enabling you to use longer USB cables without impacting performance
• Double ESD protection with double layer grounding around the motherboard mounting holes prevent Electrostatic discharge (ESD) surges from damaging the motherboard
• PCI Express Steel Armour slots are armed with more solder points to prevent electromagnetic interference and damage from heavy graphics cards