MSI Z68A-G45 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Pros: Motherboard has so far given me no issues, it was easy to install and has a lot of features (many I still haven't used). It's nice having USB3 for when devices which utilize it become more available. I didn't find too many problems with the UEFI bios setup - I had heard complaints about the interface but didn't find it bad (but going from a old BIOS to this was a nice change too). Has a lot of features for the price.

Cons: There is supposed to be a rebate for this board, which I submitted, only to find out that it was denied due to "item does not apply to offer..." even though all the paperwork I kept indicates that it should. Called MSI rebates and was told the only rebate for that UPC was in the middle of January. I was then told that it must be a typo on Newegg's behalf, which isn't true since I still can find that PDF for the offer code on other sites.

Other Thoughts: Newegg, as usual, was awesome on their delivery times. The board itself is a very good "affordable" board - yes there are better ones out there but it's very good for the price.

I'm torn though if I'll buy MSI products again after the rebate issue - I sure won't count on a rebate if I do!

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued MSI Customer,
“Please contact MSI customer service representative Tom at tomh@msi.com, or call Tom at 626-913-0828 ext 216 with your case details so we can check the rebate status. Thank you.”
Best Regards,
Customer Service Team
Rebate account

Pros: It functions, although it sometimes refuses to POST with four sticks of G.Skill running at stock clockspeed. The Z68 chipset allows Virtu to accelerate some types of video-transcoding work when teamed with a Sandy Bridge that has the onboard GPU option. SLI is working well with two GTX460s.

Cons: MSI refuses to honor my rebate, falsely claiming that my motherboard isn't included in the rebate even though their own rebate form lists it. No response back from MSI, after I pointed this out on our third email exchange.

Bottom line: if you buy an MSI, be warned that your rebate claim may not be honored.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued MSI Customer,
“Please contact MSI customer service representative Tom at tomh@msi.com, or call Tom at 626-913-0828 ext 216 with your case details so we can check the rebate status. Thank you.”
Best Regards,
Customer Service Team
Rebate account

Pros: good feature set - bought as part of black friday new comp build. haven't tried overclocking yet, but no problems in the month since i've had it.

Cons: doesn't come with USB 3.0 front panel or built in esata port.

Other Thoughts: great value, but i'm giving it 1 egg for MSI incorrectly rejecting my rebate claim, for what they claimed was an incorrect UPC code. some quick googling showed the one they wanted wasn't even for this board, and the one I did submit was for this board. and then they have the nerve to ask me to resubmit my documentation, when they should know i was required to submit original documentation for the first claim, not that it matters since the error was on their end I shouldn't have to lift another finger to fix this.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued MSI Customer,
“Please contact MSI customer service representative Tom at tomh@msi.com, or call Tom at 626-913-0828 ext 216 with your case details so we can check the rebate status. Thank you.”
Best Regards,
Customer Service Team
Rebate account

Pros: This is my second build using an MSI Z68 board. Both were easy to work with and presented no issues. For an Z68 board, this seems to be both a high quality and the best featured board for the money. It is missing some of the frills of the higher priced boards (My other MSI build used a Z68A-GD65... a nice board, also). I challenge you to find another Z68 board with 3.0 USB, 6.0 Gb/s SATA, 8 channel audio, 2 video card slots in x8, 2 nice heat sinks and higher grade components with a good warranty for this low of a price. If you can, I suggest that you buy it. If not, consider this board.

Cons: As others have mentioned, the on board SATA connections are not in the normal 90 degree orientation. However, this will only cause a problem if you install a second large-sized video card (The second card may compromise access to some of the SATA connections).

There are no on board power and reset buttons.

The above mentioned items really are not cons (I knew about them before I purchased the board). These are just some of the minor ways that the cost of the board was reduced to create a very nice, but 'value-priced' board. I just mentioned them in the interest of complete disclosure.

Other Thoughts: Some people may look at the lower price point of this board and the fact that there are a couple of bad reviews and, as a result, have some hesitancy in purchasing this product. If the features meet your needs, so far, I see no reason why you shouldn't consider this board as part of a build. Save some money and get a nice board, too.

Pros: Z68 Chipset
Made with Great Parts
Runs Perfect
Great Software

Cons: The Core Voltage is limited at 1.35 Volts

Other Thoughts: Love it.

Pros: This is a great value. I have not had any real issues with this motherboard. Everything works great, Windows 7 Professional installed flawlessly, very pleased. This is the only motherboard I have every bought that I could boot into linux through the BIOS.

Cons: Not the motherboard's fault, but I really dislike the mounting method for the CPU heatsinks for the 1155 socket.

Other Thoughts: I have built a lot of computers, and tend to build on the budget-minded side.
I splurged and bought XMP enabled DDR3-2133 RAM, but although it ran fine for several hours, everytime I rebooted it errored and defaulted the RAM back to slower speeds. Not sure whether it is the RAM, CPU, or MoBo limitation, but was satisfied with the performance running at DDR3-1600 speeds.
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000
MSI Z68A-G45 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory
LG CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS70 OEM - OEM
LG Black Super Multi SATA WH12LS30 LightScribe Support - OEM
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3R HE103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
Logitech Z623 200 w 2.1 Speaker System, THX-Certified

Pros: Inexpensive for the features that are included.

Cons: Every other MB that I've purchased always includes multiple cables (SATA, power conversion, etc.) as well as motherboard mounting standoffs, screws, etc. This MB included one sata cable, and one molex to sata power converter. Did not even include the internal USB3 to front panel cable. Otherwise would have given 5 stars.

Other Thoughts: Seems to work ok so far, just disappointed in the lack of included accessories.

Pros: The board was easy to get up and running.

Cons: The pins in the booklet description were backwards.

Pros: This is a great board for the money, and has an excellent layout. I'm above and beyond most people in my I.T. skillls as I'm sometimes running things through decompilers and other times building systems. The person who says his computer caught fire couldn't help strike me as a total idiot who blames the product rather than his own stupidity. I felt like MSI was owed credit after being bashed for someone's own negligence.

If you don't plan on going SLI and doing major overclocking (I wouldn't expect this board to O.C. as high as expensive MSI boards), and want Z68 and can live without firewire, I recommend this board.

Cons: None. Don't listen to stupid non-professionals who create hazards for themselves and their families then blame someone else for their own actions.

Pros: It looked like a motherboard.

Cons: It didn't work.