MSI Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon Review - PAGE 3

Programs & Utilities:

The MSI software bundle has evolved tremendously over the years since the introduction of the Gaming series product line. The main utility included with the Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon motherboard is the MSI Command Center, featuring a plethora of configuration settings that range from OC fine tuning to voltage control, and Game Boost functionality.

The buttons at the bottom provide access to more advanced settings including fan profile customization, a real-time onboard temp sensor control, and a wide range of in-depth voltage control options. MSI even included a Command Center Remote Server functionality that allows a user to remotely control power settings, and adjust CPU and RAM settings from their Android smartphone via a downloadable app.

Next we have the MSI Gaming App with a few different system-setting modes where users can enable in-game overlays, and create and manage keyboard and mouse macros. Its inside the MSI Gaming App where you will find the Mystic Lighting LED settings tab. Here you can control the illumination options for the red onboard LEDs and RGB Mystic Light LEDs. You can customize both the red LEDs and the motherboard backlight RGB Mystic Light LEDs by applying styles, music syncing, and colors (except for the red LEDs). You can also turn off all LEDs or just the red-only function LEDs.

MSI Live Update 6 is a very handy tool that can streamline the BIOS, drivers, and utilities update process. MSI Fast Boot and the GO2BIOS button give users a direct and fast way to access the BIOS from within the OS, just a quick reboot and it automatically opens the BIOS settings. The MSI RAMDISK tool is a recent addition, it allows users with spare system memory to use it as addition storage instead.

Testing Setup:

For this review, I will test the MSI Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon and the comparison board's performance using Neoseeker's suite of benchmarks that includes both synthetic benchmarks and real-world applications. A new build was mandated by the fact that the MSI Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon is designed to work exclusively with Intel Skylake CPUs and DDR4 RAM.

As usual, I will be putting the review sample to the test through a suite of synthetic benchmarks, real-world applications, and games. Each comparison system will receive a fully updated, fresh install of Windows 10 Professional 64-bit edition, and the latest chipset drivers for each motherboard and GeForce drivers for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card. Two series of tests will be performed; first at stock settings, then again with the maximum stable overclock speed I can squeeze out of the processor.

Testing Setup: Intel Socket 1151

• Processors: Intel 6th Generation Core i7 6700K
• CPU Cooling: Corsair Hydro Series H100
• Motherboard: MSI Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon
• Memory: G.Skill RipJaws V 16GB 3200MHz
• Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 1080
• Power Supply: Thermaltake Smart 750W
• Hard Drive: Corsair Force GT 240GB SATA 3
• Optical Drive: Lite-On Blu-Ray
• Case: Corsair Obsidian 650D
• OS: Windows 10 Professional 64-bit

Comparison Setup: Intel Socket 1150

• Processors: Intel 6th Generation Core i7 6700K
• CPU Cooling: Corsair Hydro Series H100
• Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Impact, Gigabyte Z170XP-SLI
• Memory: G.Skill RipJaws V 16GB 3200MHz
• Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 1080
• Power Supply: Thermaltake Smart 750W
• Hard Drive: Corsair Force GT 240GB SATA 3
• Optical Drive: Lite-On Blu-Ray
• Case: Corsair Obsidian 650D
• OS: Windows 10 Professional 64-bit

BIOS:

The MSI Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon sports the all new Click BIOS 5 which brings to the table a revised interface and a set of new functionalities. The EZ Mode and ADVANCED interface are still present and allows users to either make quick changes using an easy to navigate GUI, or delve into the impressive customization options available in the advanced section. Switching between the two modes is possible using the F7 keyboard button.

Overclocking:

- Intel Core i7 6700K 4760 MHz 100 x 46 @ 1.383v

When it comes to overclocking, I feel like I never get enough time to experiment and fine tune before an official release. Finding the sweet spot of a specific chip requires a lot of time and patience, however the end result is worth it when you can squeeze that last drop of performance, all while managing to run a stable system at acceptable thermal levels.

Overclocking on the new platform was a real pleasure, and the MSI Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon motherboard simply made the process even smoother. While the Game Boost functionality makes it possible to hit 5GHz on the CPU on paper at least, I found that my chip was not stable for gaming at speeds north of 4.7GHz. Instead, I opted for a manual overclock via the easy-to-navigate UEFI BIOS, and after a bit of trial and error, I settled for a very respectable and fully stable 4.762 GHz clock. Looking at the fine tuning options made available in the new platform for overclocking, I'm pretty sure I could've achieved even higher numbers if I had a couple more weeks to dedicate fully to this section of the review. In the meanwhile, an overclock of 760MHz over stock while keeping the voltage and heat levels under check is nothing to sneeze at.

Maximum Core Clock Speed:

The speeds listed below are fully stable and I used them as a daily driver while collecting the overclock performance data that will be used in the charts seen over the next few pages.