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The bold gamble has paid off because the MSI Z170A XPower Gaming Titanium Edition is a unique board in many respects and it delivers comprehensively from a performance perspective.
Performance from the board is good. There is nothing to suggest that MSI's offering is any slower or faster than alternative Z170 solutions, and that's what we expect from modern Intel-based motherboards.
Overclocking results were positive, however the process of obtaining them was far from straightforward. I do not like MSI's method of controlling the core voltage levels that one applies and it takes a needless amount of testing in order to find a stable voltage around the level that is actually desired. MSI needs to update the board's voltage control methods so that when a user sets a 1.4V core voltage, the chip receives 1.4V, not up to 1.44V.
MSI's expansion options are extensive and the allocation of chipset-fed storage lanes is smart. Some benchmarkers may be disappointed to see that support for three graphics cards with x8 connections is given up in favour of extra features (USB 3.0, M.2 x4, USB 3.1) from the chipset's PCIe 3.0 lanes.
MSI's Click BIOS 5 UEFI is very good. The implementation is stable and is easier to use than many of the company's previous iterations. The OS-based software package is also strong, with a good variety of software being provided for gaming and general usage scenarios.
While MSI has done many of the more minor things well, such as deploying a BIOS Flashback implementation, bundling the useful OC Dashboard, and clearing the CPU area, there are also some questions to be raised. In some respects, the board seems to be stuck in a middle ground between targeting overclocking users and enthusiasts or gamers.
The board has many overclocking-geared features that will appeal to benchmarking fans, but instead of a third PCIe 3.0 x8 link from the chipset, sizeable chunks of budget are allocated to the audio solution and USB 3.1 ports. Conversely, enthusiasts and gamers will be pleased to see multiple M.2 slots, plenty of USB connectivity, and the dedicated headphone op-amps but will be disappointed by the omitted USB 3.1 Type-C connector.
With that said, an enthusiast gamer who also likes to dabble in overclocking from time-to-time is likely to be pleased by the board's multiple angles towards its feature set. There will be compromise for pure gamers and perhaps some for pure overclockers, but to the vast majority of people who fall somewhere in between, MSI's Z170A XPower Gaming Titanium Edition is going to be a compelling option.
Priced at £229.99 from OverclockersUK, MSI's Z170A XPower Gaming Titanium Edition motherboard sits towards the upper end of Z170 pricing. Strong performance and a healthy feature set make MSI's board a worthy purchase and the unique styling may fit your build in such a way that MSI's Z170A XPower Gaming Titanium Edition becomes the go-to choice of motherboard for you.
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Pros:
- Unique approach to motherboard styling and component selection.
- Diverse set of features.
- Good overclocking tools – OC Dashboard, V-Check points, dual BIOS chips, PCIe disabling switches.
- Strong power delivery system with good overclocking capacity.
- Plenty of storage options.
- In-depth, easy-to-navigate UEFI implementation.
- Excellent OS software suite.
Cons:
- No USB 3.1 Type-C ports.
- Some overclocking settings are not as straightforward as they could be.
- The appearance of an IO port cover may be missed by some people.
KitGuru says: MSI deserves credit for trying something new with the Z170A XPower Gaming Titanium Edition, and the gamble results in a board with strong performance and an extensive feature set.
