MSI Z97 GUARD-PRO Motherboard Review

[section_title title=”Conclusion”]Conclusion

So now that we have had a nice look at the Z97 GUARD-PRO and put it through some testing, how does it hold up when paired with the Intel Pentium G3258? Is it a viable gaming motherboard or should it be left for Mining as its sole purpose? Lets have a quick recap.

In terms of performance I was more than happy with the end results. While I don’t have anything to compare it to personally as this is the first motherboard I have used with a G3258 it performed how I would hope for a lower end offering. Remembering this board is actually designed for Mining it’s hard to fault it’s overall performance any, even if it was less than subpar. The GUARD-PRO was able to overclock the G3258 to 4.9GHz which is just over a 50% gain from its original 3.2GHz base clock. This is more than fair for me and means that the GUARD-PRO can actually hold it’s own as an all around decent motherboard.

Taking a look at the aesthetics and they are very basic, which in my opinion is neither good nor bad. Again, the GUARD-PRO is meant to be a work horse and not a showboat and with that being said the overall look of the board is well put together. It’s black and blue colouring are still pleasing to look at even if not as flashy as some of the other boards currently on the market.  It surely won’t be an eyesore if it is to be on display, that much is sure.

The price, which is just short of £80 does the board justice. You are not getting a top of the line board but at the same time it’s not the bottom of the barrel and the price reflects this nicely. When paired with a G3258 this board offers great value for the money and gives you a nice little budget gaming rig when paired with a half decent GPU. Its overclocking ability is what really stuck out to me during testing, it was the easiest time I can recall having while overclocking a CPU and receiving such great results.

At the end of the day if you are looking for a motherboard on the cheaper side of things that features the Z97 chipset then the GUARD-PRO is a solid offering. For mining it can support up to 6 GPUs, 2 on board and 4 via risers. Gaming wise it allows for an impressive overclock especially from the G3258 and aesthetically speaking it could be a lot worse.

I would like to thank MSI for sending the GUARD-PRO in for review and look forward to seeing more from them in the near future.