MSI Z170A SLI Plus Motherboard Review

1. Introduction2. MSI Z170A SLI Plus: Packaging and Bundle3. MSI Z170A SLI Plus: Board Layout and Features4. MSI Z170 UEFI5. MSI Z170 Software6. Testing Methodology7. Tests: System-related8. Tests: Gaming-related9. Overclocking: Frequencies10. Overclocking: Performance11. Tests: Motherboard-related12. Closing Thoughts13. View All Pages

3DMark

We used 3DMark‘s ‘Fire Strike Ultra’ benchmark which is designed to be used on high-resolution gaming PCs.

Grand Theft Auto V

We apply very near maximum settings in Grand Theft Auto V and a 1920×1080 resolution to push today’s hardware. Our data was recorded using the built-in benchmark.

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor

We used a 1920×1080 resolution and the Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor built-in benchmark set to ‘Ultra’ quality.

A solid score is displayed by the Z170A SLI Plus in 3DMark's Fire Strike Ultra test. The same can be said for GTA V performance, with MSI's offering nearing the highest FPS results we have recorded, albeit whilst utilising an updated Nvidia driver for the GTX 980 Ti.

That last point regarding the updated driver is to thank for the board's observed performance lead in Shadow of Mordor. Realistically, the trio of GPU-heavy tasks show that MSI's cost-effective Z170A SLI Plus motherboard is no slouch when it comes to gaming performance.

Become a Patron!