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With its attractive appearance, strong feature set, and alluring price tag, the MSI Z97 Gaming 5 is a strong prospect for gamers wanting a low-cost route to a feature-heavy system.
As we would expect from an LGA 1150 motherboard, performance of MSI's Z97 Gaming 5 is right up there with competing Z97 parts. Overclocking results are strong too, despite inaccuracies in applied voltage levels set by our early UEFI implementation.
Feature-wise, there's not a lot for gamers to dislike about the Z97 Gaming 5. Killer's E2205 NIC and accompanying software are useful for online gaming. Audio Boost 2 delivered strong performance numbers and features optimisations, such as USB Audio Power, specifically intended for gamers. SLI and CrossFire support and a 6-month XSplit Gamecaster premium license are further positives.
There are some not-so-likeable points too. No optical port makes connecting surround sound speaker systems, such as those typically used alongside a TV, a more difficult task. M.2 connectivity, only, may be considered an issue by some gamers. And the 10Gbps connector's needlessly difficult installation procedure was infuriating.
Thankfully MSI's layout choices are excellent. The angled USB 3.0 header is great for cable management, as is the apt distribution of fan headers, and expansion slot spacing couldn't be better.
The MSI UEFI is simple to use but it still has a number of layout choices which affect its appearance and begin to create a sense of cluttering. Feature-wise the UEFI is very good, especially the method of setting fan speeds and the convenient Board Explorer. A more generous OC Genie overclock would have been welcomed by many.
And then we reach the topic of appearance. There's not much to say in this section; a quick look at the pictures of MSI's Z97 Gaming 5 will implement a respect for just how attractive the board's red and black theme is. Whoever MSI's designers are, they deserve credit for doing an excellent job with the company's recent Gaming series motherboards.
MSI has informed us that the Z97 Gaming 5 will be available for £114.95 including VAT. We think that is an attractive price tag for a board of this calibre, although it does give MSI some very stiff competition in a fiercely contested marketplace. Quite frankly, the sub-£150 gaming motherboard market is a battlefield.
With its strong gaming-orientated feature set and gorgeous styling, MSI's Z97 Gaming 5 definitely has the potential to form the foundation of a cost-effective gaming system.
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Pros:
- Very attractive style.
- Good set of features – Killer NIC, Audio Boost 2, gaming device ports, USB audio power.
- Wise layout decisions.
- XSplit Gamecaster premium 6-month license.
- Debug LED and voltage check points.
Cons:
- Frustrating M.2 installation method.
- No optical port.
- Some competing models offer M.2 and SATA Express support.
KitGuru says: A well-balanced gaming motherboard with a striking appearance and solid feature set.
GOod looking board but MSI do need to work on their bioses, my Z87 was very flaky on some settings too. I ended up getting rid of the board and going for an ASUS Sabretooth Z87 board – bios was much better laid out and some of the settings worked the way they should to.
I dont think this board is as nice looking as some of their Z87 boards. Some good information Luke on the bios and the heatsinks – always come here first for reviews on motherboards as you go into much more detail than other sites I visit.
Couple of questions, but first a type-o, 1156 was before Sandy Bridge.
Really good to know about the voltage accuracy with the control centre, and the discrepancy with the bios settings, this is an issue with my current MSI LGA1156 board. Good work on that!
It looks to me as if the overclocked Bioshock results are exactly the same as the stock speed results. Maybe it’s worth testing a game that would actually see the benefit?
I don’t suppose you had the chance to check whether the surround upmix mode in the creative settings would allow you to cleanly upmix a stereo source to all the channels or whether it has to apply a pseudo surround effect?
Deders,
Thanks for pointing out the mistake – I have updated it. And thanks for the feedback.
You’re right – the Bioshock results do not change when CPU frequency is scaled up. I used Metro: Last Light in our Z87 motherboard reviews, but that game did not scale with increased frequency either.
I am currently looking into a game which is more sensitive to CPU frequencies and which is consistent with its results. Many of the popular games are GPU-limited at 1920×1080 (above a certain CPU performance level). And I don’t want to drop the resolution to emphasise CPU performance because I think that 1920×1080 is FAR too popular to justify that. For now, it’s the performance differences (if any) between each motherboard that are important for the gaming results.
I did not have chance to test the surround upmix mode unfortunately. I do not currently have access to my surround sound speakers, either, but audio performance of the motherboards is something that I would like to look into in more depth in the future. It will take a large amount of planning first though.
Luke
Hi. First of all a very good review. It is very interesting for to read this article. Especially the part with the performance of Plextor M6e SSD. I’ve a similar system. It’s a MSI Z97 Gaming 7 and the Plextor M6e SSD m.2. I’ve never reached an performance like in your article. Have you installed the standard msahci driver (Windows 7) or the Intel iastor (RST) driver? I belive my m.2 connector is the problem. Have you special settings in BIOS. Perhaps you some ideas for me.
Thanks in advanced.
Marcel
Can i install my windows in M.2 drive will it boot from there, i found not post over internet but just one unsuccesssful one.
Guys might i add that the MSI additional power that is fed to the molex adapter IS for the rear audio ports and not the USB ports (which already get power ONLY thru the mobo and get a constant 5v). It might make a difference but who knows. Its made that way so it gets a constant clean power feed thru the psu directly instead of thru the 24pin mobo connector.