MSI Z87M Gaming Review

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So, now that we have seen what this board is capable of, is it going to be worth its £105 price tag? Does it offer a superior gaming experience over the other boards available? Can it out-perform those board that command a higher price tag? Well, let’s get to the conclusion then.

Starting with the aesthetics of the board. MSI have really produced an extremely attractive design with the Gaming series and I cannot blame them for carrying that over to the Z87M, the motherboard simply looks gorgeous. The matte black PCB along with the black slots really help to set off the red highlights and really do help them to stand out. The dragon designs on both heatsinks are a brilliant piece of workmanship and design and really do help the MSI Gaming range in general stand out from the other offerings.

Overclocking, and this is where the real surprises occured. I did not expect this motherboard to hit 4.8GHz, I thought 4.5GHz or 4.6GHz would have been the top end of what I would achieve, 4.8 was amazing and I manage to get higher overclocks but wasn’t quite 100% prime stable. That being said, with a little more time put in and some tweaking with the settings, I am fairly certain that I can hit 5GHz, if this does happen I will update the review. With that being said, this is a motherboard aimed more at gaming that overclocking, so that it managed to achieve such overclocks is more proof that this motherboard really is outperforming its pricetag.   The overclocking capability is complimented by the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility and even the OC Genie feature. Personally, I always prefer to overclock in the BIOS, mainly as that I how I have always done it. However, these tools are great for people who have little or no experience overclocking and provide a brilliant start point for them to get a little more out of their systems. , but as always, I tend to overclock in the BIOS as that’s how I prefer it.

A closer look at the features of the Z87M show that it is well ahead of the motherboards around it price range and really would still be a brilliant performer at a more expensive price point. The inclusion of a Killer E2200 NIC LAN port is a brilliant addition to a gaming orientated board as it helps to reduce latency whilst gaming. In multiplayer games, it will automatically optimise your internet connection so that you can get the best connection possible for your gaming needs. The inclusion of Audio Boost, designed by MSI, claims to enhance sound output by up to 30%. Gold flash audio jacks provide stable sound transmission, reduced obstruction, and works in conjunction with the optimized AMP design. Characterised by low noise and low distortion, to greatly enhance headphone performance and faithfully reproduce each acoustic detail, ideal for gamers looking to enjoy the big booms from explosions as well as being able to hear the footsteps of approaching enemies. Also with the inclusion of the latest version of MSI’s OC Genie, gamers with little overclocking knowledge can now achieve a modest overclock from their CPU with the press of a button. This is a great feature for those wanting to get a little more performance from their system with no effort at all.  

Coming in at just over £100, this motherboard really is exceptional value for money. It offers all the performance and features that you would expect to find from a higher end motherboard, or even from the bigger boys in the full size ATX range. 

The MSI GD65 Gaming blends great aesthetics, with a potent gaming package including high-end built-in sound, specialist networking hardware and comes in at a fantastic price point offering exceptional bang for buck. If you’re looking for a Z87 motherboard and have a budget of up to £100, you wouldn’t be disappointed with this board. For me, this is a must have for any gamer and easily deserves the Editor’s Choice award.

I would like to thank MSI for the sample and look forward to seeing more from them in the future.