When it comes to top-end gaming systems, the search for the necessary products in the computer components market is greatly narrowed. In fact, the choice comes from 2-3 offers from the seller, because many representatives of the High-End segment are not able to satisfy all the requirements of a potential buyer. This article is dedicated to the elite MSI 970 GAMING motherboard - a high-tech device designed to provide full set features for fans of the world's most powerful games. Review, description, characteristics and reviews from owners will help the reader get to know this product better.
Confusion with MSI 970 GAMING markings
On the market computer equipment the buyer may discover that under the same label are hidden two completely different products from the manufacturer MSI, which are positioned in the top segment. In addition to the motherboard in question, there is an MSI video card under the same name GeForce GTX 970 GAMING 4G. After inquiring about this strange coincidence from a company representative, the reader learns that these products are designed to work in pairs. In fact, it's common marketing ploy, when one product promotes another, positioning it as the best solution for building a platform.
Many users in their reviews note that they built their gaming systems this way, since the seller convinced them before purchasing that compatibility would be 100 percent guaranteed. Here it’s up to the reader to decide whether to make a double purchase or not, but in this article there is room to talk about the gaming video card.
First acquaintance with the base board
Maternal MSI board The 970 GAMING comes in a huge black cardboard box with bright red trim. Her appearance prompts the buyer that what is inside is clearly not the company's corporate logo in the form of a dragon occupies the entire front part of the display. On the back of the box brief description all technologies that are involved in the production of the motherboard.
Judging by the reviews of the owners, it would be better to see an image of the motherboard itself on the box, since the presence of the necessary connectors is much more interesting than obscure functionality. In general, the description of the characteristics is quite strange - the phrases “Killer”, “Military”, “Multi”, “Boost” do not carry any semantic load. Catchy names should be changed to detailed description the characteristics themselves.
Device contents
Here the manufacturer tried his best to please the buyer. The MSI 970 GAMING package is very rich and interesting. In addition to the motherboard itself, the kit contains: two plugs for the rear panel of the case, disks with software, operating and installation instructions, an SLI bridge and a small sealed plastic bag. It is the contents of this package that delight all owners of this motherboard:
- stickers for signing SATA cables;
- MSI Gaming Series branded sticker for placement on the PC case;
- a huge sign on the doorknob with the inscription: “Excuse me, I’m playing”;
- a folded advertising booklet with an image of a dragon and a recommendation for purchasing an MSI GeForce GTX 970 GAMING 4G video card to improve gaming performance (by carefully cutting off the dragon with scissors, many users placed its image on the wall, near the computer - it looks very beautiful).
Build quality and placement of elements
Not only technologists, but also designers clearly had a hand in the creation. As device owners note in their reviews, motherboard MSI 970 GAMING is made according to Feng Shui. All elements printed circuit board arranged by sectors. If we are talking about power elements, they are placed in one block and covered with a radiator. Contacts for connecting USB devices and power management are located in a row, under the south bridge. The SATA connectors are also placed in one block, and not scattered across the printed circuit board, like in budget devices.
There are only complaints about the PCI connectors. Once again, the MSI manufacturer fails to provide the owner with access to all ports at the same time. For example, two high-performance video cards (the same MSI GTX 970 GAMING 4G) in SLI mode will simply cover the PCI interfaces with their cooling system, so you can forget about connecting a TV tuner or RAID controller. The only pleasing thing was the PCIx1 connector, which has recently begun to be used for connecting high-speed SSD drives - the manufacturer placed it above the PCIex16 bus.
Installation of basic components
Users will like the platform for installing a cooling system on the processor - it is completely devoid of power elements. Any cooler existing in the world can be mounted in this system. Overlockers will especially appreciate this in the MSI 970 GAMING motherboard. Turning the PCB over, owners will find a copper passive cooling core for the processor socket. Quite an interesting solution for owners of expensive cases, where there is a corresponding recess on the mounting base for the motherboard to accommodate an additional cooler.
Connectors for installing memory modules are located at the processor level. On the one hand, this placement creates ease of installation (the connectors are not blocked by the video card cooling system), on the other hand, in a small case (miniATX), they will not allow installing a DVD drive. Although, as practice shows, such motherboards are purchased by owners who have ATX-Tower cases.
Overlocker tool
The basic input/output system (BIOS) of the MSI 970 GAMING deserves special attention. The motherboard is equipped with a UEFI graphical shell, which is designed in the manufacturer's style. As the owners note in their reviews, the controls are very simple, you can configure any element of the system, but before you start making settings, you should open the operating instructions and take the time to read it. First of all, it is recommended to save the current BIOS settings on a Flash drive, since the first steps with configuration rarely lead to positive results. And loading working settings is always easier than resetting the BIOS using a jumper on the motherboard.
Those who are encountering such a device for the first time need to know one truth: the overclocking potential of the MSI 970 GAMING is not limited by the capabilities of the components. For example, the motherboard can freely overclock the processor to 5 GHz, but it is not a fact that the crystal itself supports this frequency. That is, you need to focus on the capabilities of the devices, and the motherboard is just a tool.
Control panel
That the motherboard is designed to be installed gaming video card MSI GAMING, as evidenced by the software supplied in the kit. Before entering the utility, the user is asked to select the device that will be configured: motherboard or video adapter. Quite an interesting combination solution from the manufacturer. As the owners note, the utility controls all top-end GeForce-based video cards.
During use software the user will find that a large set of its functions are intended for testing and monitoring, but things are bad with overclocking. If the video adapter (for example, GAMING 4G) can be overclocked graphics core, memory or shaders, then with increasing frequency central processor blocked (from BIOS only). There is no need to despair; there are enough programs that can solve this problem.
Building a gaming system
Representative High-end class, MSI GeForce GTX 970 GAMING video card, is built on the basis of a powerful GM204 chip. The device has 1664 CUDA cores, 104 texture units, and uses a 256-bit GDDR5 memory bus. Obviously everything listed characteristics hint at the gaming properties of the video adapter.
Not everyone potential buyers the company's policy regarding the MSI 970 GAMING motherboard, which is intended for AMD platforms. Logically, a Radeon video adapter from the same manufacturer should be recommended by the manufacturer. But within the walls of MSI, apparently, they thought differently. What will come of this, the user will find out after purchasing both devices, however, there is no negativity in the media regarding the incompatibility of the motherboard with the MSI GTX 970 GAMING video card.
In conclusion
The new motherboard from the famous manufacturer MSI, labeled 970 GAMING, is definitely the best solution for all overclocking enthusiasts. This is evidenced by the great functionality and corresponding technologies. All installed elements can be overclocked without exception (though only in the BIOS menu). There are many overheating protection systems, and the chipset cooling system itself is implemented at the highest level. The company’s policy on promoting the GTX 970 GAMING 4G gaming adapter for this motherboard is not entirely clear, because for an AMD-based device it would be worth offering a solution from Radeon. In any case, it is up to the user to decide which graphics accelerator to install, because the motherboard works with any video card.
Key Features:
Supports AMD FX / Phenom II / Athlon II / Sempron processors for AM3+ socket
- Supports DDR3-2133(OC) Memory
- USB 3.0 + SATA 6Gb/s
- Audio Boost 2: Reward Your Ears with True Quality
- Killer Ethernet: Kill Your Lag
- OC Genie 4: Overclock in 1 Second
- Click BIOS 4: Easily Fine-tune Your System
- AMD CrossFire Support
- Sound Blaster Cinema 2: Realistic Surround Sound Experience
- Gaming Device Port: Optimized with Triple Gold-plating for High Polling Rate Gaming Devices
Changes:
Correct SATA port definition.
- Improved memory compatibility.
- Updated AGESA code.
WARNING:
DON"T FLASH WHEN YOUR SYSTEM IS RUNNING FINE
- DON"T FLASH IF YOU DON"T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING
Flash AMI UEFI BIOS by MFLASH:
- Extract the BIOS-zip file that you have downloaded and paste it to your USB storage device.
- Press “delete” key to BIOS, select “M-Flash”
- Click “Select one file to update BIOS and ME”
- Select USB storage that comes with the downloaded BIOS.
- Select BIOS which you want to update and press “Enter”.
- A warning message comes out “Don`t remove USB drive or shutdown system” and then System will be reset to update BIOS after 5 seconds.
- If your motherboard is equipped with multi BIOS then system will pop up
- “Please set the multi BIOS switch to the target BIOS ROM then press any key to continue.” Otherwise it`ll proceed with next process.
- The system will start to update BIOS & ME
- After BIOS&ME update is finished, please press del key to enter BIOS setting menu to make sure that BIOS have been updated successfully.
Flash AMI UEFI BIOS by USB Disk Under DOS Mode
Download the BIOS that match your motherboard and version number to your USB device.
- Extract the BIOS-zip file that you have downloaded and paste it to your USB storage device (Note: Make sure that your USB is bootable).
- Boot your system from a USB storage device
- When you get the DOS prompt, execute the following sequence:
- Reboot your system when prompted
- After bios update is done, C: prompt will appear on your screen.
- After system restart, Press del key to enter BIOS setting menu to make sure that BIOS have been updated successfully.
About OS Independent BIOS:
Although installing a newer BIOS version might add new features, update various components, or improve the device’s usability, this process is very risky, so the upgrade is recommended to be performed only when it is really needed.
In addition to that, this task should be performed by someone who has the knowledge to successfully complete the installation; regular users may fulfill it at their own risk.
When it comes to applying a new version without taking into account the computer’s operating system, the most commonly used method to flash the BIOS is by creating a bootable usb or CD containing the update file, and running it from DOS.
Still, regardless of the method used or whether the upgrade is performed by a regular or power user, it’s recommended that the new BIOS be applied in a steady power environment such as the one ensured by a UPS unit.
The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) is a very important software that loads the currently installed OS, and tests all of the system’s hardware components - so make sure you flash it correctly.
Bear in mind that failing to perform a successful installation could seriously damage your device, and the faulty BIOS resulted from the process might even render it unusable.
So, if this release includes useful changes, hit the download button, get the package, and update your BIOS version. Otherwise, check with our website as often as possible, so that you don’t miss the release that you need.
It is highly recommended to always use the most recent driver version available.
Try to set a system restore point before installing a device driver. This will help if you installed an incorrect or mismatched driver. Problems can arise when your hardware device is too old or not supported any longer.
It's no secret that Intel occupies a dominant position in the x86 processor segment. She feels especially confident in the category of high-performance solutions that are often used by amateurs computer games to build your desktop systems. Therefore, it is not surprising that the first motherboards MSI series GAMING were developed specifically on the basis of Intel chipsets. In the spring of 2014, the first models of the MSI GAMING series appeared for the Socket FM2+ platform. And only at the beginning of the summer of 2014, the first solution of this line was presented for the Socket AM3+ platform.
As you can easily guess from its name, it is based on the AMD 970 north bridge chip, which is complemented by the traditional AMD SB950 south bridge and is designed to work in tandem with processor families AMD Phenom II, AMD Athlon II, AMD Sempron and AMD FX. At the time of writing this review, the new product is already available for purchase, but so far exclusively abroad, where its cost is about $100. Of course, in our market it will be sold a little more expensive, but for such good equipment the price of a little over 100 US dollars looks simply excellent. Since MSI 970 GAMING belongs to the gaming line, it is equipped with a high-quality network controller and a flagship sound subsystem. However, we will not rush to conclusions, but will traditionally move on to studying the specification of the model being tested.
MSI 970 GAMING motherboard specification:
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Manufacturer |
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970 GAMING (rev 1.0) |
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North and south bridge chips |
AMD 970 + AMD SB950 |
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CPU socket |
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Supported processors |
AMD Phenom II / AMD Athlon II / AMD Sempron (Socket AM3) AMD FX (Socket AM3+) |
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Frequency of used memory |
2133* / 1866 / 1600 / 1333 / 1066 MHz |
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Memory support |
4 x DDR3 DIMM slots supporting up to 32 GB memory |
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Expansion slots |
2 x PCI Express 2.0x16 |
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2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 |
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Disk subsystem |
AMD SB950 supports: 6 x SATA 6 Gb/s RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10 |
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1 x Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2205 (10/100/1000 Mb/s) |
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Sound subsystem |
Codec Realtek ALC1150 7.1 channel audio |
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24-pin ATX power connector 8-pin ATX12V power connector |
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Fans |
1 x CPU fan header (4-pin) 4 x system fan connectors (2 x 4-pin and 2 x 3-pin) |
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Cooling |
Aluminum northbridge heatsink Aluminum south bridge radiator Aluminum heatsink on elements of the processor power subsystem |
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External I/O ports |
1 x Optical S/PDIF out 6 x audio ports 1 x PS/2 (for connecting a mouse or keyboard) |
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Internal I/O ports |
1 x USB 3.0 supporting dual USB 3.0 (19-pin) 3 x USB 2.0, each supporting two USB 2.0 connections 6 x SATA 6 Gb/s 1 x COM connector 1 x TPM connector 1 x front panel audio output connector 1 x front panel connector block 1 x CMOS reset jumper 1 x Slow mode switch |
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64 MB Flash ROM UEFI AMI BIOS ACPI 5.0, SM BIOS 2.7, PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.0 |
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Equipment |
user manual warranty brochure disk with drivers and utilities 2 x SATA cables 1 x NVIDIA SLI bridge 1 x door hanger 1 x MSI GAMING sticker 1 x interface panel blank |
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Form factor, |
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Manufacturer's website |
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The MSI 970 GAMING motherboard traditionally comes in a box made of thick cardboard, which is decorated with high-quality and stylish printing in the same style as other solutions in the MSI GAMING series. Most of the front side is devoted to the series logo, which is a stylized image of a dragon.
From useful information On the front side of the box you can pay attention to the name of the board and the manufacturing company, as well as the presence of a Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2205 network controller and an audio subsystem with an Audio Boost 2 design.
On the back of the box, in addition to a schematic representation of the interface panel and brief technical characteristics, there is a description key features and supported technologies:
- Audio Boost 2 - The audio subsystem of the new product, in addition to the flagship Realtek ALC1150 codec, includes special audio capacitors from Nichicon, two amplifiers that support studio headphones with an impedance of up to 600 Ohms, as well as gold-plated audio outputs on the interface panel and a casing to protect against electromagnetic interference. We also note a pleasant bonus in the form of a shielding strip with LED backlighting, separating the part of the printed circuit board with the sound subsystem from the remaining components.
- Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2205- a network controller that has the ability to automatically detect game traffic and increase its priority over low-level system traffic, guaranteeing low latency when transmitting game data.
- OC Genie 4- automatic acceleration function, which is activated by pressing one button in the bundled software.
- Multi-GPU - The motherboard supports AMD CrossFireX and NVIDIA SLI technologies to combine the computing capabilities of two video cards.
- Sound Blaster Cinema 2 - thanks to this technology, the sound quality in gaming applications and when playing multimedia content is significantly improved.
- Military Class 4- the design of the new product uses only high-quality components, such as Dark CAP solid-state capacitors with a service life increased to 10 years and SFC chokes with ferrite cores.
- Gaming Device Port- USB 2.0 and PS/2 ports have tripled the volume of gold plating, so they are more reliable and wear-resistant. They are also optimized for keypads with high polling rates (500 to 1000 Hz), which reduces response time from 8 to 1 millisecond.
The delivery package for the MSI 970 GAMING motherboard, in addition to standard documentation and a disk with drivers and utilities, includes two SATA cables, an NVIDIA SLI bridge, an interface panel cover, and a sticker on system unit with the MSI GAMING series logo, as well as a cardboard hanger with the series logo and the inscriptions: “Sorry, busy playing” and “I’m not here.”
Board design and features
Traditionally for motherboards of the MSI GAMING series, the new product is made on a black printed circuit board with a matte finish, which goes well with small red splashes on the radiators of the cooling system. Separately, we note the metal logos of the series on the ends of the radiators themselves. Overall the design is sober and stylish, indicating a high-end product.
As for the layout of the onboard elements, the only thing we can note is the non-standard location of the block for connecting the remote panel with USB ports 3.0 at the bottom of the board. Otherwise, the assembly of the system based on the MSI 970 GAMING did not bring any surprises: the arrangement of all elements is thoughtful and very successful.
On the reverse side of the PCB there is only the support plate for the processor socket. Also note that all three radiators are securely fastened with screws.
The following connectors are located at the bottom of the board: front panel audio connectors, S/PDIF Out, TPM and COM ports, one of four connectors for connecting system fans, as well as two front panel connectors.
Separately, we note four connectors for implementation USB interfaces: three USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0. In total, the new product uses the AMD SB950 south bridge to support fourteen USB 2.0 ports: six internal and eight on the interface panel. As for USB 3.0, all four interfaces (two internal and two external) operate thanks to two VIA VL806 controllers.
The possibilities for organizing the disk subsystem are represented by six SATA 6 Gb/s ports, for which there is support RAID arrays 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10. All interfaces are implemented using the AMD SB950 south bridge. Since they are all located parallel to the surface of the printed circuit board, even the longest expansion cards will not make it difficult to connect drives.
The MSI 970 GAMING motherboard is equipped with four DIMM slots for installing modules RAM DDR3 standard, which are equipped with latches on only one side. RAM can operate in dual-channel mode, for the implementation of which modules must be installed either in the first and third, or in the second and fourth slots. Memory strips operating at frequencies up to 1866 MHz in nominal mode and up to 2133 MHz in overclocking mode are supported. The maximum memory capacity can be 32 GB, which should be more than enough in most cases.
The cooling system of the board in question consists of three aluminum radiators: the first covers the elements of the processor power subsystem, the second helps cool the AMD 970 north bridge, while the third cools the AMD SB950 south bridge. As we already mentioned, all radiators are secured with screws. During testing, the following temperature indicators were recorded:
- AMD SB950 south bridge cooling radiator - 36.5°C;
- Northbridge cooling radiator AMD 970 - 40.1°C;
- radiator for cooling elements of the processor power subsystem - 34.9°C.
The results obtained confirm the effectiveness of the cooling system and allow us to hope for good overclocking potential of this model.
The processor is powered using an enhanced 8-phase circuit for computing cores and additional nodes. The converter itself is based on the uP1601P PWM controller. The element base of the new product is assembled using high-quality components that are certified according to the military standard MIL-STD-810G in accordance with the proprietary Military Class 4 design. It includes solid-state capacitors Dark CAP and ferrite chokes SFC. To supply the required supply voltage, the main 24-pin and additional 8-pin connectors are provided.
The MSI 970 GAMING model offers six slots to expand its functionality:
- PCI Express 2.0 x1;
- PCI Express 2.0 x16 (in x16 mode);
- PCI Express 2.0 x1;
- PCI Express 2.0 x16 (in x8 mode);
Here MSI has prepared a very pleasant surprise for all fans of combinations of two graphics adapters. The fact is that AMD has endowed north bridge supporting a maximum of sixteen PCI Express 2.0 lanes, which it traditionally cannot use in x8+x8 mode. Typically, in motherboards based on it, only four lanes are available to the second connector, so the final configuration is x16+x4, which does not allow the potential of the AMD CrossFireX combination to be revealed.
What are we seeing in the MSI 970 GAMING? For the second PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot, support for a maximum of eight lanes is declared, thereby ensuring the functionality of the x8+x8 mode for AMD CrossFireX and NVIDIA SLI technologies. That is, the new product implements the functionality of traditionally more expensive solutions based on AMD 990X and AMD 990FX chipsets.
We also note the ability to connect expansion cards with PCI Express 2.0 x1 and PCI interfaces.
Multi I/O capabilities are provided by the Fintek F71878AD chip, which controls the operation of system fans, COM and PS/2 ports, and also monitors.
The operation of four USB 3.0 ports is implemented using two VIA VL806 controllers.
To support network connections, a Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2205 gigabit LAN controller is used, which has a number of hardware and software advantages for prioritizing gaming and multimedia traffic.
The sound subsystem of the MSI 970 GAMING is a rather interesting design called Audio Boost 2. It is based on the flagship 7.1-channel HDA codec Realtek ALC1150, which supports audio systems in 2/4/5.1/7.1 formats. It is paired with two amplifiers that can support headphones with impedances up to 600 Ohms. It also uses high-quality Nichicon audio capacitors, gold-plated audio connectors, and EMI shielding technology. The software adjusts the sound quality to the required level Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 2.
The following ports are located on the interface panel of the MSI 970 GAMING model:
- 1 x PS/2 port for keyboard or mouse;
- 1 x LAN (RJ45);
- 2 x USB 3.0;
- 8 x USB 2.0;
- 1 x Optical S/PDIF out;
- 6 x audio ports.
The new interface panel provides the user with good opportunities for connecting a wide variety of peripherals. Judge for yourself: there are not only a large number of USB ports, but also the ability to back panel housing COM port, convenient connection of multi-channel acoustics, as well as support for Gaming Device Port technology, which we mentioned at the beginning of the review.
The MSI 970 GAMING motherboard is equipped with five fan connectors: one is used to power the processor cooling system (4-pin), and the other four are designed to connect system fans (2 x 4-pin and 2 x 3-pin).
The MSI 970 GAMING model uses the proprietary ClickBIOS 4 preloader, based on the UEFI interface. It features an attractive graphical interface and an easy process for making changes to settings.
The options required for fine-tuning the system are grouped in the “OC” section.
If necessary, this section provides access to adjusting the voltages on various components.
As you can see, saving custom BIOS settings in six different profiles, and there is also the ability to load the required profile from a USB drive.
The RAM frequency can be changed from 800 to 1600 MHz.
And if necessary, you can access memory delay adjustments.
The settings required to optimize the system are summarized in the table:
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Parameter |
Menu name |
Range |
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System bus frequency |
Adjust CPU FSB Frequency |
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CPU multiplier |
Adjust CPU Ratio |
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Adjust CPU-NB Ratio |
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RAM frequency |
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RAM timings |
Timing Configuration |
tCL, tRCD, tRP, tRAS, tRFC, tREFI, tWR, tWTR, tRRD, tRTP, tFAW, tWCL, tCKE |
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Adjust PCI-E Frequency(MHz) |
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CPU voltage |
0,320000 - +0,630000 |
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0,320000 - +0,630000 |
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RAM voltage |
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Northbridge voltage |
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Southbridge voltage |
The “Hardware Monitor” section provides access to monitoring the system temperature, processor temperature and rotation speed of installed fans. Here you can manually set the required rotation speed of the turntable blades. Additionally, you can monitor the voltage on the processor core, memory modules and on the +12V, +5V and +3.3V power lines. Separately, it is worth noting the ability to take “screenshots” in the BIOS and support for the Russian language. Overclocking options Using the automatic overclocking function of OC Genie 4, we obtained the operating frequency of our test AMD processor Phenom II X3 720 equal to 3150 MHz at a voltage of 1.328 V.
Manual overclocking capabilities were tested by increasing the clock generator frequency, which ultimately amounted to 339.95 MHz, which is a very good result. Testing The following equipment was used to test the capabilities of the MSI 970 GAMING motherboard:
Test results
During testing, the motherboard demonstrated similar performance to competing models, which confirms high quality execution of a new product, selection of an effective element base and good optimization BIOS settings. Testing the audio path based on the Realtek ALC1150 codec Test report in RightMark Audio Analyzer 16-bit, 44.1 kHz
Operating mode 24-bit, 192 kHz
By tradition, we note the excellent audio quality provided by the proprietary Audio Boost 2 audio subsystem with the flagship Realtek ALC1150 audio codec. For connoisseurs of uncompromising sound, it is possible to install a discrete audio card with PCI interface Express or more affordable PCI solutions. Conclusions Summing up our acquaintance with motherboard It is worth noting that it has established itself as an exceptionally successful model, which has a very good set of characteristics that are perfectly combined with an affordable price and a complete absence of any shortcomings. Among the main advantages of the MSI 970 GAMING are high-quality components assembled in accordance with the Military Class 4 concept (solid-state capacitors Dark CAP and ferrite chokes SFC), a reinforced 8-phase power subsystem, a good layout of the interface panel, a nice design, and support for ports SATA 6 Gb/s and USB 3.0. Separately, we note the excellent Audio Boost 2 sound subsystem and the Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2205 gigabit LAN gaming controller, which has a number of hardware and software advantages for prioritizing gaming and multimedia traffic. And, of course, let us remind you of the possibility of using PCI Express 2.0 x16 connectors to build AMD CrossFireX or NVIDIA SLI connections in x8+x8 mode. As a result, the MSI 970 GAMING motherboard will be excellent and very bargain purchase for assembling a gaming PC based on processors from the AMD Phenom II, AMD Athlon II and AMD FX families with one or two high-performance video cards. Advantages:
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Every gamer at least once in his life must build his own PC. And here a number of difficult choices arise at once, and sometimes you cannot do without reliable advice. After all, in gaming computer everything must be thought out, since it must work, in most cases, at full capacity. Even such a small thing as an incorrectly chosen or placed cooler- can lead to equipment failure or simply an uncomfortable game.
The hardest part, according to most, is choosing what everything is focused on and what makes everything work (besides the power supply) - motherboard. There are many of them, but thanks to various criteria you can choose one.
This article covers all possible options they won't, just MSI 970 Gaming.
So, as many could already understand, a PC with this motherboard will have a base AMD. CPU socket, that is socket, built-in type A.M.3/ A.M.3+ and compatible with processors Athlon II, Sempron, Phenom II, as well as a more interesting and tempting option for choosing a processor - AMD FX. Chipset AMD 970 with south bridge S.B.950 .
The maximum allowed RAM is 32 G.B.. The frequency varies depending on the modules themselves, up to 1866 , but since the fee gaming, frequency can be increased to 2133 , which will slightly increase the performance of the assembled system. Obviously, this model supports the operation of modules in dual-channel mode.
SupportPCI- Express3.0 missing, as on all MPs with a socket under AMD. There are many reasons for this, but we won’t talk about them now. Video cards work great withPCI- E 2.0 , and therefore there is no point in being upset - a minor loss. Unfortunately for fans Nvidia, MSI didn't put the mode hereSLI , means install two GTX not possible. Good, There is CrossFire .
Some gaming privileges endowed with this motherboard. For example: two specializedUSBexit for connecting such devices. This also includes upgraded network adapterKiller 2200 , which automatically prioritizes Internet connection speed during online games.
Choice
