Z97 GAMINGMotherboards

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MSI GAMING successIn 2013, our GAMING series won a record breaking 200+ awards and numerous Product of the Year 2013 awards. With this, MSI’s motherboard market share skyrocketed.

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“MSI have upped the ante with Z87-

GD65 Gaming – other vendors ought

to be worried”Vortez.net – June 2013

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InspirationWith the red color-scheme and MSI GAMING logo, we inspired many casemodders.

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Complete assortmentIn 2014 we completed our GAMING line-up coveringnot only Intel & AMD but also ATX, mATX and ITX segments.

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Momentum continues…

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Our 3rd generation of custom built GAMINGmotherboards come with a new product name.

Z97-GD65 GAMING

Z97-G45 GAMING

Z97-G43 GAMING

2nd Gen GAMING

Z87-GD65 GAMING

Z87-G45 GAMING

Z87-G43 GAMING

Z87M GAMING

Z87I GAMING AC

H87-G43 GAMING

3rd Gen GAMING

H97 GAMING 3

Z97M GAMING

Z97I GAMING AC

Z97 GAMING 7

Z97 GAMING 5

Z97 GAMING 3

Same features, heatsink, and packing as Z87.

Dragon Claw heatsink

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The heatsinks on the 3rd Gen MSI GAMING motherboards are inspired by the Dragon Claw.

Available in all sizes

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We have Z97 and H97 3rd gen GAMING motherboards available in ATX, micro ATX and mini-ITX.

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Sound

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High Fidelity SoundGamers know that sound makes the difference between winning or losing. Online gamers mostly use a headset to communicate. With the help professional eSports team Fnatic, we pushed the audio on MSI GAMING motherboards to new limits

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USB Audio Power NEW

Perfect solution for USB headsets & audio DACs:• Unstable USB voltage output results in distorted audio• MSI USB Audio Power delivers stable 5V for perfect

audio quality on USB headsets and audio DACs

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Audio Boost 2 NEW

The ultimate audio solution for gamers, powered by Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 2.

• Isolated Audio PCB• Direct Audio Power• Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 2• EMI Shielding• Dual AMPs• Nichicon Audio Capacitors• Golden Audio Connectors

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Isolated Audio PCB

NEW

With traditional onboard audio the signal is distorted by electro magnetic signals from the rest of the PCB.

Audio Boost 2 acts like a dedicated soundcard by physically isolating the audio circuitry which is separated by a red LED path. Less interference gives a more clear audio signal.

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NEW

A dedicated power input to Audio Boost 2 allows for a more powerful and stable power delivery, resulting in a more explosive and pure sound experience.

Direct Audio Power

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NEW

Thanks to Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 2, you're getting amazing surround sound with just stereo headphones or speakers.

Sound Blaster Cinema 2

Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 2 enables you to clearly hear specific sounds in gaming environments. Hear your enemies perfectly, make your ears a decisive tool to finish on top.

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To shield the audio core fromEMI distortion caused by other add-in cards the audio chip is protected by a special designedEMI cover for isolation.

This way gamers experience crystal clear sound with Audio Boost 2.

EMI Shielding

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NEW

Prepare for an eargasm withthe built-in front & rear dual OPA1652 headphone amplifiers. Reward your high-end headphone with the most amazing studio level sound quality. Featuring:

Dual Amplifiers

• Completely independent circuitry for lowest crosstalk and freedom from interactions between channels.

• Low 4.5 nV/√Hz noise density with an ultralow distortion of 0.00005% at 1 kHz.

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NEW

Nichicon Japanese high quality audio capacitors are specially designed for audio purposes;• Providing the highest

possible audio signal filtering.

• Delivering high fidelity crystal clear sound with exceptional acoustics and realism.

Audio Capacitors

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NEW

With the golden audio jacksyou get the best possible signal output with less chance of distortion. • Superb signal conductivity and

will not wear over time.• Dedicated amplified output

(red) optimized for studio-grade headgear

• Up to 600Ω crystal clear sound with exceptional acoustics.

Golden Connectors

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Speed

NEW

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M.2 is superfast storage based on a PCI-E Gen2 x2 interface and with speeds up to 10 Gb/s, much faster than SATA 3.0 (6 Gb/s). M.2 SSDs are widely available and all 3rd Gen MSI GAMING motherboards come with M.2 interface.

Superfast storage: M.2

NEW

SATA-Express is PCI-E Gen2 x2 storage with similar speeds (10Gb/s) like M.2. Because the SATA-Express ECO system is not ready MSI offers flexible M.2 to SATA-Express cards.

– SATA-E SSDs sampling in Q2, for sales in Q3, affordable in Q2 2015

– No Intel support for SATA-Express– 3rd party host solutions delayed

Superfast storage: SATA-Express

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Gaming Port DeviceOptimized for high-rate gaming keyboards and mice, MSI Gaming Device Port is built to last thousands of plug inserts and ejects at gaming events while offering maximum performance each and every time.

• Triple gold plating for extreme lifetime• 1000 Hz USB polling Support• PS/2 supports N-Key rollover Gaming keyboards

Multi GPU optimizedNVIDIA® SLI™ certified and &AMD CrossFire compliant and optimized PCI Express 3.0 configuration ensures plenty of airflow to your graphics cards to keep your gaming rig at the highest level of performance.

• NVIDIA® SLI™ certified• AMD® CrossFire™ compliant• Fit for MSI® GAMING cards

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Gaming APP NEW

Overclocking made easy:• Control both MSI Graphics Cards and Motherboard• Easy Overclocking mode• Easy “low power” mode• Tune your GAMING experience without worrying

about overclocking knowledge

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Traditional LAN solutions fall short…

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Killer Game NetworkingAll MSI GAMING motherboards feature Killer Game Networking for the best online gaming experience:• Killer automatically detects and

accelerates game traffic ahead of other network traffic

• Experience smoother, stutter-free in-game performance and the competitive edge

• Game with the lowest latency, most stable connection on the most controllable network hardware available

• You are in control, set your priority!

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Faster in gaming and streamingGamers play games and stream them at the same time, this is where Killer Game Networking excels compared to traditional network solutions.

IntelLAN

UDP Throughput (Mbps) Performance over Packet Size

KillerE2205

Up to 50% faster small packet (gaming) performance

Up to 300% faster large packet (video streaming) performance

Gaming Streaming

Intel

Late

ncy

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Killer latency testing by Qualcomm

Killer

(low

er is

bet

ter)

Killer Game Networking has an extreme low latency compared to traditional networking solutions.• Up to 30% lower latency than Intel• Dramatically reduces Jitter for a more stutter-free game

experience

30% lower latency!

True competitive gamingKiller Game Networking can send very small packagesof data while other solutions first need to buffer.

Game PC

t0 t1 t2 t3 t4 t5 t6 t7 t8

Killer™ E2205

= Bullet Packet Game Server

t0 t1 t2 t3 t4 t5 t6 t7 t8

Other ethernet solutionsLAG LAG

= Keyboard/mouse Input

Input processing

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Media testing confirmsKiller Game Networking has lower latency and fasterdata transfers by independent media testing.

“The performance gains from Killer will come alive in the game, through more FPS, compared to Intel & Realtek” –Hermitage Akihabara

• Up to 50% lower latency than Realtek• Up to 35% faster data transfer than Intel

Bandwidth (higher is better)

http://www.gdm.or.jp/review/2013/0426/27747/8

Latency (lower is better)

Sandra 2013 network test JPerf 2.0.2

Lower latency!

Higher speed!

OC Genie 4With a simple push on the OC Genie button you will overclock your PC automatically. This extra performance will translate into higher FPS and more eye candy.

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*CPU lowest ratio vary on different CPU model

Enable Slow Mode

8x

70x

CPU Loading

CPU Ratio

CPU vCore 0.8

2.0

Enable Slow Mode to pass through high loading of Windows booting sequence.

Disable Slow Mode to restore CPU overclocking setting after booting.

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Slow ModeSlow Mode decreases CPU ratio to 8x*. When usingCPU vCore Adaptive Mode, Slow Mode will also drastically decrease vCore to 0.8~0.9v. This single option helps to skip Windows loading bottleneck making subzero overclocking a bit easier.

OC EssentialsFancy getting the most FPS out of your games?OC Essentials helps the overclocker in you.

Clear CMOSfor quick resets

Multi-BIOS IIfor more stability

Debug LEDfor easy troubleshooting

V-Check points IIfor accurate information

Easy Button 3for easy usage

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Stability

NEW

Providing essential protection against hardwarefailure.

Guard-Pro

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CIRCUIT PROTECTION

ECOPOWER

HYMIDITYPROTECTION

HIGHTEMPERATUREPROTECTION

ESD PROTECTION

EMIPROTECTION

Carefully selected materials used in our motherboards together with shielding prevent short circuiting.

ECO Power lets you disable unused chips and functions used on your motherboard. By cutting off the power your motherboard will run more efficient.

10% Reduction in moisture absorption helps prevent "Conductive Anodic Filament". Untreated PCB's can have 10x higher failure rate.

All MSI motherboards comply with stringent American FCC regulations and reduce the impact of Electromagnetic Interference.

Each and every I/O port is protected against the hazards of Electro Static Discharge.

All key components used in MSI motherboards have all passed military testing ensuring stable operation in the harshest environments.

Military Class 4

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These high quality components ensure extreme reliabilityand 100% stable performance.

Hi-c CapSelf-healing low profile Tantalum capacitors which offer 10x higher lifetime.

SFC60 Amp Supper Ferrite Chokes which give 20-50% more current.

Dark CAPPerfect stable under extreme (up to 260°C) conditions.

NEW

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Focus on QualityWe put extra efforts on increasing customer satisfaction. Our RMA rate has drastically decreased in the last few years. The MSI GAMING motherboards are developed by the most senior engineers on advanced production lines.

NEW

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USB RedriversUSB 3.0 signal integrity suffers with longer cable length. These special USB 3.0 Redrivers on your Internal USB 3.0 ports enable to use longer USB 3.0 cables, especially in larger chassis.

NEW

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Double ESD ProtectionEach I/O Port on MSI's GAMING 7 and GAMING 9 motherboards are protected by a Dual ESD protective ICs. This prevents any possible ESD damage from plugging/unplugging.

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Streaming

NEW

XSplit Gamecaster lets you easily record, stream and share your gaming sessions with fellow gamers. It’s simple, can be activated quickly and kickstarts your career as game streamer.

You will get a 6 month full license!

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NEW

Add a webcam and show your game

face

Webcam & Chroma key Share your broadcast

Share your broadcast and

conquer the world

Share anywhere and broadcast your streams to every social media platform and share your webcam with chroma key to insert your face into an in-game overlay.

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NEW

Draw attention whilst casting with

in-game annotations

Real-time notes Record & Upload

Organize and upload your

greatest gaming moments

Educate your fans and friends with in-game annotations and highlights and record and store your videos to create your own on-line gaming video archive.

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BIOS & Software

New UEFI BIOS Features

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Simple / AdvancedHide all difficult settings

Memory Try It!Optimized CAS and Frequency

Bread CrumbleClear navigation

Structure

New UEFI BIOS Features

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XMP ButtonOne click enable XMP

Change Setting InfoTrack your latest changes

Hardware Monitor 2With 4 point fan control

My FavoritesEasy access to most used

options

Remove all the hassle of keeping your systemup-to-date. Live Update 6 scans your PC and downloads the latest Drivers, BIOS and Firmware files straight to your system.

Software: Live Update 6 NEW

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NEW

ECO Power helps users to manage their power usage.The software disables chips completely by cutting off their power. You can save up to 29% power consumption.

Software: ECO Power

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Device ON(W) OFF(W) Save (W)

USB HOST 28.8 27.3 1.5USB HUB 28.8 25.5 3.3SATA 28.8 27.7 1.1PCIE HUB 28.8 27.3 1.5PCIE CLK_GEN Enable 28.8 28.4 0.4WIFI 30.5 28.8 1.7CPUFAN* 28.8 28.1 0.7SYSFAN1* 29.5 28.8 0.7SYSFAN2* 29.5 28.8 0.7SYSFAN3* 29.5 28.8 0.7

Total 28.8 20.4 8.4

Save upto 29%

*Tested on MPOWER MAX

Software: Command CenterMSI’s Command Center is THE tool to configure yoursystem on-the-fly. Whether you’re a Pro or a N00b, the intuitive interface with simple slider control or precise keyboard value entry makes it easy to change everything.

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Software: RAMDiskThe fastest way to load games is FREE.

• 20x faster than SATA 6 Gb/s SSDs• Image files make your RAMDisk persistent• Start your games faster than everyone else• Speed up browsing/everyday computer use

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Others

Total control over all fans with 4-pin PWM connectors.• Layout optimized and approved by enthusiasts• Set your own fan profiles• Use the automatic fan wizard• Real-time Fan control (no reboots!)• Fan speed logging• Voltage logging• Temperature logging• Control via Command Center• Control via Click BIOS 4

Total Fan control

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The best USB Charger is inside your PC, it even workswhen your computer is switched off. MSI Super Charger charges ANY USB powered device from the latest tablets to portable gaming consoles.

Super Charger

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X

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SteamOS gaming NEW

MSI is committed to PC Gaming and that is whyMSI GAMING motherboards support SteamOS by default. We also co-work closely with numerous tier #1 system integrators to put SteamBOX PCs on the market.

M-Shield

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NEW

Our new I/O shield not only comes with many improvements but also in black to match your gaming chassis.

Back side of I/O panel

Force Absorbing Layer

EMI Shielding

Steel Shielding

Box content

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What's in the box? Besides a plethora of necessarycables and connectors you also get:• A slick gaming case badge• Do-not-disturb door-hanger• Easy labels to sort your storage cable

NEW

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But there’s more…

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NEWNew look & feelProtected by its unique Dragon Armor, making sure it doesn’t only sound good, but also looks awesome!

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NEW

High Fidelity Gaming Audio

Xtreme Audio DACExperience sensational sound quality with Xtreme Audio DAC.

This high-end dedicated onboard sound cardpowered by the C-Media CM6631 High-definition Audio Processor. It delivers 32bit, 125dB Signal-to-Noise-Ratio of purest audio quality for studio-grade Hi-Fi solutions.

A dedicated high end headphone amplifierdelivers a stunning sound experience, thatresults in more immersive gameplay,for professional headphones up to 600Ω.

NEW

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• C-Media CM6631 High-Definition Audio Processor

• Up to 192KHz 32bit signal processsing

• Studio-grade acoustic components• 125dB SNR studio level output• 600Ω dedicated headphone

amplifier up to 120dB SNR• Nichicon Japanese high quality

audio capacitors• WIMA capacitors deliver true

balanced realistic sound• 1Mbit dedicated audio memory

61High Fidelity USB Audio

High Fidelity D/A Converter

High FidelityA/D Converter

High Fidelity Audio Amplifiers

High Quality Audio CAPs

Anti-Popcorn-Noise Relay

NEW

The MSI Z97 GAMING 9with Xtreme Audio DACbrings the sound quality ofaudio on motherboards to a complete new level.

Prepare to be impressed…

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Z97 GAMING 9 AC comes with Intel 802.11AC wireless and Bluetooth 4.0 with support for Intel WiDi.

Intel WIFI AC & Bluetooth

Z97 GAMING 9 AC will come in a luxurious color boxwith all its GAMING accessories.

Packing

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Z97GAMING 9 AC

Z97 GAMING 7

Z97GAMING 5

Z97/H97 GAMING 3

Z97M GAMING

Z97I GAMING AC

Form Factor ATX ATX ATX ATX microATX Mini-ITX

Xtreme Audio DAC Y

Dragon Armor & I/O cover Y

Intel AC Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Y Y

Cooling SuperPipe & LED Superpipe & LED Heatsink Heatsink Heatpipe Heatpipe

Audio Boost 2 Y Y Y Y Y Y

USB Audio Power Y Y Y Y Y Y

Killer LAN Y Y Y Y Y Y

XSplit Gamecaster Y Y Y Y Y Y

Military Class 4 & Guard Pro Y Y Y Y Y Y

OC Genie 4 Y Y Y Y Y Y

PCI Express x16 Gen3 slots 2 2 2 1 2 1

SLI / CrossFire support Y / 3-way Y / 3-way Y / 3-way - / Y Y / Y

Debug LED Y Y Y

Gaming Device Port Y Y Y Y Y Y

Output DP/HDMI DP/HDMI/HDMI VGA/HDMI/DVI VGA/HDMI/DVI/DP DP/HDMI DP/HDMI/HDMI

Easy Button 3 Y Y Y

M.2 Y Y Y Y Y

SATA 6 slots 8 8 6 6 6 4

USB 3.0 10 8 6 6 6 6

OC Essentials Y Y Y Y Y Y

Gaming APP Y Y Y Y Y Y

M-Shield Y Y Y Y Y Y

MSI GAMING SKU overview

Get Ready For MSI GAMING