MSI Z97 GAMING 7 Review

👤by David Mitchelson Comments 📅11-05-14
Conclusion

MSI's Z97 GAMING 7 is one of three motherboards we're looking at on day one of the Z97 launch, a launch which has been notable for how disparate some of the synthetic results have been whilst still being based on the same chipset. These results should narrow as drivers mature, but until then real-world performance will nonetheless be quite similar.

Priced at £140 / $189, the GAMING 7 is at an almost perfect pricing mid-point with respect to Z97 as a whole, and its positioning is reflected in the gaming-focussed design with a dusting of serious overclocking features. Cooling is more robust, voltage check points are present and catered for, and particular attention has been taken to improving audio clarity thanks to Audio Boost 2. Whilst the GAMING 7 will pale in comparison to specialised overclocking and audio hardware it hits an ideal note for the gamer.

The software and UEFI BIOS in particular is worthy of praise and is as easy to use as any, considerably more so than GIGABYTE Z97X-OC. Gamers are increasingly more confident when it comes to pushing systems to their limit or tailoring them to optimal sound levels, and so it's important that MSI catered to this demand. We should note however that there are more comprehensive software suite's out there, but the GAMING 7 hits just the right note for its target audience.

One interesting point of differentiation is the use of an M.2 slot, but no SATA Express at stock. MSI aren't the only company to do this – ASUS ROG also eschew SATA Express for now – and reflects the current reality that SATA Express isn't quite ready for prime time. No doubt they will make an appearance as and when the interface matures (or more likely is compacted into smaller physical dimensions) but until then the optional adapter seems like a good compromise. Certainly we would not like the reverse situation – SATA Express but no M.2 – to be the norm as things stand.



Aesthetically, and despite having a colour-scheme which has been criticised as being too similar to that of competitors, the MSI has finally started to carve out its own identity. They've taken a step forward in terms of the finish such that the copper traces don't show up brown through the paintwork, and the red is a slightly more distinct shade; subtle, but the differences add up. Furthermore the writing on the board has been kept down to a minimum, giving an far cleaner look overall. This progression from Z87 is significant and worthy of special mention.

As with all Z97 motherboards the GAMING 7 suffers from one major drawback – no accompanying new CPUs. Performance for our Core i7-4770K was topping out at the well established limits for Z87, and although it was notable that the GAMING 7 was capable of reaching these limits at a lower voltage than our Z87 test bed they're in dire need of unlocked Haswell Refresh CPUs – with their improved TIM – to really find their true limitations.

The second component in the Devil's Canyon platform – unlocked Haswell Refresh CPUs – are due out relatively soon and it may well be that you'll be put off from investing in new parts. Until then the MSI Z97 GAMING 7 remains a creditable design which doesn't warrant an upgrade from Z87, but may well tempt users of Sandybridge/Ivybridge-era CPUs who would also appreciate the forwards-compatibility to Intel's 5th Generation Core CPUs.

Gamers and overclockers alike will find a lot of value in the £140 MSI Z97 GAMING 7, especially in the form of attractive finish, bundled features and high quality software design. Its one failing is that the Devil's Canyon platform is not yet complete, and won't be for a little while yet.

Pros
+ Top notch Z97 aesthetics
+ A step up in overclocking results from Z87
+ Easy to overclock
+ Marked improvement in software and UEFI BIOS UI
+ High speed M.2 storage slot

Cons
- Compatibility issues with memory
- Middle of the pack stock results



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