A few weeks ago I took a look at the Intel Core i7-6700K Skylake, the new fully unlocked K-series flagship CPU geared towards gamers and mainstream enthusiasts. Just like any new architecture, Skylake CPUs require a new socket and chipset. For that review, I paired the Core i7-6700K with the MSI Z170A Gaming M7 which was one of first motherboards on the market equipped with the LGA 1151 socket and the new Z170 chipset. As the name suggests, the board is part of the MSI Gaming products lineup, which also includes notebooks, all-in-one PCs, and graphics cards.

I used quite a few MSI products over the years to build systems for myself, family and friends, and of course for the purpose of conducting reviews. In doing so I had the chance to experience the evolution of the MSI Gaming brand since its introduction. MSI is working hard to provide gamers with great performing, high-quality products that come in attractive packaging with a decent hardware and software bundle, all while keeping the cost competitive.

Today I will be taking a closer look at the MSI Z170A Gaming M7 motherboard itself. The M7 board looks terrific and comes packed with an impressive feature set including: DDR4 Boost, USB 3.1 Gen2, Twin Turbo M.2, Audio Boost 3, Game Boost, Military Class 5, Steel Armor PCI-E slots, Click BIOS 5, and much more. The board is built around the LGA Socket 1151 and Intel Z170 PCH. This combination brings some pretty cool features to the mainstream segment such as DDR4 RAM and USB 3.1 support. Next we go through the eye candy part of the review before firing up the board.