Z97 OverclockingMotherboards

2014 will be a great year for overclocking! Not only will Intel focus more at the Enthusiast segment by introducing a special Pentium K SKU but also they will also improve the Haswell Refresh K CPU for overclocking performance.

A new era of REAL overclocking

Our 2013 Z87 Overclocking motherboards did what they needed to do: break world records!

OC Records

The yellow color-scheme of MSI’s OC-Series was a great inspiration for many power-users.

Cool Casemods

And on top of that we got many awards and positive comments from the media worldwide.

Awards

Despite their success, our Z77 MPOWER was a Z77A-GD65 on steroids and the Z87 MPOWER had too much of MSI’s Gaming NDA. However, we believe MPOWER is capable of much more.

With the feedback of overclockers at MOA 2013 we managed to make real enthusiasts’ motherboards; our Z97 OC motherboards.

Changing the game of overclocking

Z77 MPOWER

Z87 MPOWER MAX Z87 XPOWER

NEWA fresh lookThe new Z97 overclocking motherboards comewith an awesome “M“ and “X” signature on the heatsinks and have a black finish completed with yellow highlights.

OC Power

NEW

The new OC motherboards come with a high quality built in PWM water cooling solution which is copper based to maximize performance.

Water Cooling

Water CoolingZ97 XPOWER AC YesZ97 MPOWER MAX AC

Yes

Z97 MPOWER -

NEW

The new and improved MSI heatsinks create 1.5cm extra space. The open corners allow for bigger size coolers compared to the MSI Z87 OC motherboards.

Bigger keep out zone

A perfect square rectangle CPU area and small form factor Hi-C Caps allow LN2 Overclockers to easily insulate the motherboard, greatly reducing LN2 setup time.

Easy Insulation

DigitALL Power provides digital control andfeedback to the PWM, allowing VoltageOffset Control to improve the stability andlower power consumption.

DigitAll POWER

Quality

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

Military Class 4

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.

DrMOS 4This 3-in-1 MOSTFET is not only very power efficient but also powerful.

NEW

Providing essential protection against hardwarefailure.

Guard-Pro

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.

NEW

USB 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.

USB3 Redrivers

NEW

Each I/O Port on MSI's OC motherboards are protected by Dual ESD protective ICs. This prevents any possible ESD damage from plugging/unplugging.

Double ESD Protection

The MSI overclocking motherboards are OC certified which means that they are submitted to a 24 hour Prime95 burn-in test with a highly overclocked CPU. This enables us to deliver the most stable overclocking motherboards on the market.

OC Certified

NEW

If the motherboard detects a failure from hardwaresuch as the CPU it will shut down and prevent booting.

• Unique overcurrent protection prevents damage to other hardware from short circuiting whenever a failure occurs

• A red LED near the 24 power connector let’s you know that overcurrent protection is active

• Easier troubleshooting

CPU Overcurrent Protection

NEW

Overclocking Haswell is limited by Intel because all the internal clocks are linked and cannotbe changed separately.

Our new OC Engine supportsmore flexible BCLK adjustmentswith large stepping (100 /125 / 167 MHz) giving it a higher range.

Additionally the OC engineprevents VGA crashes whileoverclocking a goodCPU core.

OC Engine

NEW

Slow 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.

Slow Mode

*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.

NEW

After removing your IHS the MSI Delid Die Guardprotects your CPU perfectly. This ensures the best fitting and highest mounting pressure whether it’s for 24/7 use or breaking world records.

Delid Die Guard

NEWOC Fan StandWith the OC Fan Stand you can easily guide the airflow to the components which need the most cooling. Never worry about knocking this OC Fan Stand over.

Fan optional

When you benchmark in dual, triple or quad setup use this setup for maximal bandwidth provided by the Gen3 PLX 8747 switch chip.

4-Way CrossFire / SLI

Single

2-Way 3-Way 4-Way

PCI_E1

- X16 X16 X16

PCI_E2

x16 - - -

PCI_E3

- - - X8

PCI_E5

- X16 X8 X8

PCI_E7

- - X8 X8

Easy disable VGA cards when benchmarkingwith CeaseFire without having to remove the card itself.

Z97 XPOWER AC comes with an easy switch while the Z97 MPOWER (MAX AC) has a BIOS option.

CeaseFire

Model CeaseFireZ97 XPOWER AC SwitchZ97 MPOWER MAX AC BIOSZ97 MPOWER BIOS NEW

The 2nd PCI-E x16 slot gives the best performance when benchmarking with only ONE graphics card. This PCI-E slot is directly connected to the CPU and has no latency lag because the traffic skips the PLX chip.

Dedicated PCI Express x16

Full real-time control

The MSI OC motherboards allow for even better control with both multiplier and BCLK Ratio.

Direct OC

1 MHz Adj.

0.1 MHz Adj.

BCLK Ratio Up BCLK Ratio Down

Multiplier Up Multiplier Down

Under LN2 normal CLR CMOS buttons don’t work, this is why many overclockers remove the battery to give it a complete reset. No need anymore, the MSI Complete Discharge button gives your Z97 board a true factory reset.

Complete Discharge

Mode Performance

No OC Genie 100%

Gear 1 4.0 GHz

Gear 2 4.3 GHz – 4.5GHz*Switch to Gear 2

NEW

OC Genie 4 will be more aggressive on HaswellRefresh CPUs. And with Gear 2 you will give even more performance depending on how many cores your application is using.

OC Genie 4

* Haswell Refresh

OC EssentialsThese small tools give everybody the edge when pushing your system to the limits.

Easy button 3 V-Checkpoints 2

GO2BIOS

Debug LED

Multi BIOS 2

Clear CMOS

After MOA feedback we enhanced the V-Check Points with 2 extra ground connectors. This way overclockers can use 3 multi-meters at the same time.

V-Check Points 2

All the extras

The MSI OC motherboards come with Intel Gigabit LAN to help reduce CPU overhead and ensure a stable and fast responding internet and network connection.

Intel® Gigabit LAN

The ultimate audio solution which actslike a dedicated sound card.

• Isolated Audio PCB• EMI shielding• Dual AMPs• Japanese Audio Capacitors• Golden Audio Connectors

Audio Boost

The MSI Z97 MPOWER ACand Z97 XPOWER AC comeboth with Intel 802.11ACwireless and Bluetooth 4.0 with support for Intel WiDi.

AC Wireless & Bluetooth

NEW

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 MSI Overclocking 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

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

X

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!)• Control via Command Center• Control via Click BIOS 4• Fan speed logging• Voltage logging• Temperature logging

Total Fan Control

M-Shield

Back side of I/O panel

Force Absorbing Layer

EMI Shielding

Steel Shielding

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

BIOS & Software

Z97 Motherboards can boot in 2 seconds. Stop punishing your keyboard and just press the GO2BIOS button.

GO2BIOS

For overclockers, a finely tuned BIOS is the key for success. This is why we’ve doubled our resources of BIOS development on our Z97 OC series to deliver a new standard of BIOS overclocking.

BIOS: Click BIOS 4

NEW

No longer struggle trying to overclock your memory.Our engineers, together with top overclockers, have included smart memory OC detection. Simply set CAS latency and memory frequency and let us do the rest.

BIOS: Memory Try It!

NEW

Save time looking for that stable RAM overclock. With our new memory presets you can easily select the optimized memory profile for your high speed memory to get maximum performance.

BIOS: Memory Presets

NEW

With Extreme OC Config (LN2 Normal/Extreme) you prepare the motherboard for sub zero overclocking in just one click. It disables functions (Audio, USB, etc.) and temperature/voltage protections (CPU, VRM and more). It optimizes switching frequencies and LLC at the same time.

BIOS: Extreme OC Setup

NEW

The list with settings for LN2 Extreme and LN2 Normal.BIOS: Extreme OC Setup

>PCI Subsystem Settings Default LN2 Extreme

LN2 Normal >DigitALL Power Default LN2

ExtremeLN2

NormalPEG0 - Gen X Auto A VR 12VIN OCP Expander Auto MaxPEG1 - Gen X Auto A CPU Phase Control Auto DPEG2 - Gen X Auto A CPU Vdroop Offset Control Auto Max>Integrated Peripherals CPU Over Voltage Protection Auto MaxOnboard LAN Controller Enabled D CPU Under Voltage Protection Auto MaxLAN Option ROM Disabled D CPU Over Current Protection Auto DNetwork stack Disabled D CPU Switching Frequency Auto 1100KHz Auto

SATA Mode AHCI AHCI CPU VRM Over Temperature Protection Auto Max

External SATA 6GB/s Controller AHCI D CPU Power Duty Control Thermal Balance CurrentHD Audio Controller Enabled D DRAM Phase Control Auto DHPET Enabled DRAM Switching Frequency Auto Max>USB Configuration >CPU Features USB Controller Enabled E Execute Disable Bit Enabled D EXHCI Hand-off Enabled E Intel Virtualization Tech Enabled DEHCI Hand-off Enabled E CPU AES Instructions Enabled DLegacy USB Support Enabled E Intel Adaptive Thermal Monitor Enabled DOnboard USB 3.0 Controller Enabled D Intel C-State Enabled D E>Overclocking C1E Support Disabled D ECPU Ratio Mode Dynamic Fixed Package C State Limit Auto DEIST Enabled D Long Duration Power Limit(W) Auto MaxIntel Turbo Boost Enabled D E Long Duration Maintained(s) Auto MaxEnhanced Turbo Auto D Short Duration Power Limit(W) Auto MaxSVID Communication Auto D CPU Current Limit(A) Auto MaxInternal VR OVP OCP Protection Auto D >Boot Internal VR Efficiency Management Auto D Full Screen Logo Display Enabled DCPU Memory Changed Detect Enabled E GO2BIOS Disabled D>Smart connect Configuration Intel (R) Smart connect Technology Enabled D

NEW

With easy access to XMP through a single buttonin Click BIOS 4 you can make sure the right timings are set for stability and performance.

BIOS: Quick XMP Button

NEW

Want quick access to important settings?My favorite gives easy access to your favorite settings through a “most used items” overview for your convenience. Save up to 5 groups!

BIOS: My Favorites

Left click any item in MSI Click BIOS then select one of Favorite #. Then you can build your own BIOS favorite group.

NEW

Forgot what settings you changed? Click BIOSnow supports Change Settings Info. You can check what values you have adjusted in a simple overview before exiting the BIOS.

BIOS: Change Settings Info

NEW

With Load Last Known Best Setting the system reverts to a successful boot state, while showing you a failure analysis so you can easily spot the setting causing unwanted behavior.

BIOS: Last Known Good Config

NEW

Use Simple mode to view only the important settings for quick optimization. Use Advanced mode when you want to get back to breaking world records.

BIOS: Simple/Advanced mode

Simple mode Advanced mode

NEWBIOS: OC Profile Preview 2

Blue: Settings in stored profile

Orange: Current settings

Quickly preview, save and load your saved overclocking profiles from BIOS, SSD, HDD or USB by simply pressing F8/F9. In the blink of an eye, you can see the differences between your current system settings and any of the stored profiles.

NEW

Through a tab on the right you can now preview the most important voltages real-time in one overview.

BIOS: Quick Preview System Status

NEW

Hardware monitor II take control of your system and checks your primary system in an easy graphical interface. You can set temperature targets up to 4 points for CPU/MB, the fans will automatically adjust accordingly.

BIOS: Hardware Monitor II

CPU & System temperature

Connected fans and fan speeds

Minimum & Maximum fan speeds

Voltage readout Voltage Histogram

CPU CoreCPU I/OSystem (3.3V)System (5V)System (12V)GPU DRAM

Smart Fan Target temperature

Graphical fan curve

Many overclockers don’t prefer to install bloatedsoftware which slows down their system while setting world records. This new version includes an unique hotkey function which makes it the perfect solution for die-hard overclockers.

Software: Command Center Lite NEW

NEW

Remove all the hassle of keeping your system up-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

ECO Power helps users to manage their power usage. The software disables chips completely by cutting of their power. This helps to prevent short circuiting with LN2 overclocking.

Software: ECO Power

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

The definitive overclocking tool from MSI and Intel. Besides every OC setting thinkable, it also has a built-in benchmark and submits results directly to the worlds largest OC competition website: HWBOT.org.

Software: Intel XTU

MSI’s Command Center is THE tool to configure your system 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.

Software: Command Center

Software: Command Center vs. XTUCommand Center offers the most functions to tweak your PC. Command Center XTU Command Center XTU Command Center XTUSystem Information OC CPU OC IGP CPU V V Clock V V Ratio V VIGP V V Core Ratio V V Voltage V VMemory V V CPU Voltage Offset V V Voltage Offset V VMotherboard V V Core Voltage V V OC Memory BIOS V V SVID Voltage V V Channel AB V -OS V V Ring Voltage V V Command Rate V -Audio V - Ring Ratio V V tCL V VLAN V - PCH 1.05 V - tRCD V VUtility Info V V PCH1.5 V - tRP V VFan Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology - V tRAS V VCPU Fan V - Intel Turbo Boost Technology - V tRFC V VSystem Fan V - Intel Turbo Boost Short Power Max - V tWR V VSmart Fan V - Intel Turbo Boost Power Max - V tWTR V VFan Tune V - Intel Turbo Boost Power Time Windows - V tRRD V VMonitoring MAX Non Turbo Boost Ratio - V tRTP V VCPU Utilization V V Processor Current Limit - V tFAW V VCPU Frequency V V History Record tWCL V -Ring Frequency - V VCore V - tCKE V -IGP Frequency V V 3.3V V - tRC - VActive Core Count V V 5V V - tREFI - VCPU TDP V V 12V V - tRDRD V -VCore V V CPU Temperature V - tRDRDDR V -Clock V V SystemTemperature V - tWRWR V -3.3V V - CPU Fan V - tWRWRDR V -5V V - System Fan V - tWRWRDD V -12V V - Warning tWRRD V -GT Voltage V - VCore V - twRRDDR V -DRAM Voltage V - 3.3V V - twRRDDD V -IGP Voltage V - 5V V - tRDWR V -CPU SA Voltage V - 12V V - tRDWRDR V -SVID Voltage V - CPU Temperature V - tRDWRDD V -CPU Ring Voltage V - SystemTemperature V - Clock V VPCH 1.05 Voltage V - CPU Fan V - Memory Mutiplier - VCPU Temperature V V System Fan V - Memory Clock Mutiplier - VSystem Temperature V - Alert Sound V - Voltage V VCPU Fan V - Other Save & Load System Fan V - Stress Test - V Local V VMemory Utilization - V Benchmarking - V Cloud V -IACore TDP - V App- Profile Pairing - V Default V VIGP TDP - V OC Genie V -IGP Temperature - V RAMDisk V -CPU Throttling - V Sid Bar V -Power Limit Throttling - V Mobile Control V -

Easily configure a RAMDisk to give an enormous speedboost to your system by storing your most used files in it. With the mountable image files benchmarking will never be the same.

Software: Command Center RAMdisk

Conclusion

MSI OC SKU overviewZ97 XPOWER AC Z97 MPOWER MAX AC Z97 MPOWER

OC Certified Y Y Y

Military Class 4 & Guard Pro Y + DrMOS 4 Y Y

PCB size 8 layer E-ATX 8 layer ATX 6 layer ATX

PWM Phases 16 12 12

OC Engine Y Y Y

OC Essentials Y Y Y

Direct OC buttons 4 2 2

Complete discharge button Y Y

Slow Mode y Y Y

GO2BIOS Y Y Y

Water Cooling Y YOC Genie 4 Y Y Y

PCI Express x16 Gen3 slots 5 3 3

SLI / CrossFire Support 4-way (PLX) 2 / 3-way 2 / 3-way

PCI-E Ceasefire Hardware switch BIOS BIOS

SATA 6 10 8 8

M.2 Y Y Y

USB 3.0 with redrivers 12 12 8

Intel Gb LAN Y Y Y

Audio Boost Y Y Y

WIFI AC & Bluetooth Y YDelid Die Guard YOC Fan stand Y

Box content overview

XPOWER ONLY

NEW

NEW

Records…Go break them