MSI Z270 Gaming Pro Carbon Review

Performance Analysis

For the most part, it seems like it will be tit-for-tat again with Z270 as it was for Z170, although there are a few exceptions even though we've included just two boards in the results (the Asus Strix Z270F Gaming review will be published imminently). For starters, MSI does seem to have a small lead in M.2 performance thanks to its M.2 Shield. The SSD was cooler and offered slightly higher read and write speeds with the heatsink installed, and while Asus does have some additional M.2 cooling on some of its ROG boards, MSI has seen fit to include this even on the comparatively more affordable Z270 Gaming Pro Carbon here.


Asus definitely has the edge when it comes to overclocking, though, although much will probably change as we start testing with new EFIs. As a result, though, while both boards hit 5GHz easily, it was Asus that required the lowest voltage and had the lowest power consumption. The difference was so large that it made a big impact on temperatures too, although that will only likely come into play if you have a very modest air cooler and are gunning for 5GHz.

Other than this, performance is largely the same. Audio performance has improved across all the boards we've tested so far, with the Realtek ALC1220 audio codec offering between 5-10 percent boosts to the dynamic range and noise levels compared to the best-performing Realtek-based Z170 board, which was the Asus Maximus VIII Impact, although it still lags behind a bit again on total harmonic distortion.

Conclusion

So, what to make of all this. If you're sceptical about Z270, then it's easy to dismiss it as offering nothing over and above Z170, but there are some definite performance advantages. There's better audio and overclocking potential plus support for Intel's Optane technology, which all Z270 boards support. Specifically with the MSI Z270 Gaming Pro Carbon, it's a good overclocker, has an excellent EFI and solid software pack, and decent lighting that's not overdone too. The M.2 Shield should keep your M.2 SSD cool as well and may even provide a little boost in speed if you're frequently pushing it to the max.

Given that software takes a very low priority according to you in our recent blog on the issue, we won't be making too much of a sing and dance about this, as it's simply not what many of you look for, even from a premium board. However, while MSI hasn't improved many of its offerings here, they remain slick and easy to use, as does its EFI. All in all, this is a great board for the money, although you may want to hang on a few days to read some of our other Z270 board reviews before making your mind up if you're already itching for a new Z270 build.