MSI ZH77A-G43 LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Pros: I have had this motherboard for about 4 months now, and in that time, it has proved to be a stable motherboard with good expandability. No major problems, I am very happy with it.

Cons: No true overclocking ability. You can adjust the clock multiplier, but not the voltages. I knew this when I bought it, but I'll say it anyway.

I am using a CM Hyper 212 EVO (probably overkill for my CPU/MOBO combination, but I digress) and the proximity of RAM slots to CPU socket makes installing a larger CPU cooler a little cramped. Once installed, however, they don't interfere with each other. I have pretty big hands, so it may not be a problem for others.

Occasionally, Windows fails to start. I do not know whether or not it is the motherboards fault. A simple restart always fixes it, and it has never caused any data corruption or loss.

Other Thoughts: I feel like calling it a ZH77 is rather misleading, but it is still a good board. If you are building a computer for the first time, or building on a lower budget, I would recommend this.

Pros: Nice looking board! pretty solid. Functions really well and the BIOS is really easy and straight forward. This being my first build I am glad i went with this one since it does make it pretty simple. good buy and i highly recommend

Cons: I had to spend a lot of time updating drivers and re downloading things to get it all ironed out. I don't really know if it was my fault or common as this was my first real computer build but once i down loaded and updated it all works awesome!

Other Thoughts: would buy again

Pros: It fits my needs... or should.

Cons: There is an intermittent problem on the board with the USB. I would rather deal with a DOA than an intermittent problem. I talked to MSI tech support and got a person who seemed to know what he was talking about, and he gave me a lot of suggestions on how to check and see if the board was bad or if there was something else causing the problem (short, USB device issue, etc.).

Unfortunately, the problem was so intermittent that by the time I was able to confirm the motherboard was the problem, it was two days after I could exchange it with Newegg.

All I can say is that I hope that MSI doesn't try foisting a refurb board on me and doesn't give me a runaround on getting it replaced.

Other Thoughts: First impressions count. I used to stick with another brand until I ran into several boards (different chipsets, etc.) that all had the same issue that caused intermittent unreliability. I had heard good things about MSI, and I wanted to give them a shot. I'm really not happy that I am going to have to pay to send them a board that was bad from the beginning.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

We apologize for the issues that you are having with this product.

Please kindly visit the URL below to set up a RMA with the following information.
http://service.msicomputer.com/msi_user/rma_form_new.aspx

1. Full name (first, and last)
2. Telephone #
3. Physical address
4. Email address
5. Serial number (located on the box, or underneath the motherboard, eg 601-xxxx-xxxBxxxxxxxxxx)
6. Symptoms you are having onto the Special Remark section (as detailed as possible)

Once your information and warranty coverage are verified then we can proceed with this RMA for you.
Our turn-around time is typically two weeks and our system will notify you automatically at every stage of your RMA process.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the product, received the unit back from RMA but are still having issues, please do not hesitate to contact us directly at usreview@msi.com and we will be more than happy to assist you, thank you.

Best Regards,
MSI Review Team | usreview@msi.com

Pros: Booted first try. Solid caps and construction. Paid 79.99 with free shipping and 10 rebate. Boot time is very low. First time using MSI and will consider them in future.

Cons: Needs more internal usb headers.

Other Thoughts: Budget build
Intel g2020
G skill 1333 cas 7
Coolermaster 212 plus
Samsung 830 ssd

These boards do not overclock repeat do Not overclock. I think if you have an unlocked ivy you can overclock up to its turbo speed and thats all. With the minimal voltage settings in bios its not even worth trying.

Pros: Everything works

User friendly BIOS

Cons: Upon updating the BIOS you need to re-setup the boot devices

Other Thoughts: Great motherboard for the price; I would recommend this motherboard.

Pros: Working great!

Cons: none

Pros: Inexpensive, Simple to setup, scalable

Cons: None so far

Other Thoughts: This was my first intel build since pentium IVs. All of my 64bit builds prior to this were AMD. The pins on the board instead of processor idea is nice, but the new pins are lots easier to bend, and a hell of a lot smaller to see. Luckily a pair of 4x reading glasses and a straight pen got the pin back fairly quickly.

Pros: -Stable
-Looks Great
-Good I/O selection
-SATA III 6.0GBps
-Good Onboard Audio
-Click Bios is easy to use

Cons: -No 90 degree sata ports
-Overclocking is limited
-Had to update bios to 1.7 to detect my Samsung 840 SSD

Other Thoughts: It's a great board with just a few very minor flaws. I would definitely buy this product again. THX sound software is very intuitive.
Specs:
MSI ZH77A-G43
G. Skill Ripjaws 8GB 7-7-7-21
Intel Core i5 3570k
Samsung 840 120GB
Western Digital Blue 320GB
Seasonic 620w Modular
Asus GTX 660

Pros: I liked the feel of the board. The PCB seemed sturdy during my build. The location of the front panel connection is in a good location. I enjoyed the CLICK BIOS as it is easy to use. I certainly would not complain about the small price tag.

Cons: To date.... Nothing

Other Thoughts: My build for my 78 year old Mother in Law
MSI ZH77A- G43
Intel i3 3225 CPU
16gb DDR3 1600 Corsair Vengeance
WD Velociraptor 500GB
LG Blu Ray Burner
Corsair Vengeance Series C70

Notice that I did not buy a Graphic card as the CPU has the HD 4000 series graphics.
As the the mobo, if you want to run multiple GPU's I do not think this is the board for you. If you want to run one GPU then this might be a great option if you do not intend to overclock the CPU. If so, get a Z77 board.
For a simple build like mine, it really is nice and I have always used ASUS on my personal builds I thought I would try an MSI board and I am quite happy.

Pros: Looks nice
Convenient placement
All the ports you could ever need
BIOS is AMAZING!

The Bios is like it's own program. It has a mouse interfaces and has overclocking abilities built in. Very easy and very helpful

Cons: Mine came broken the first time, but that's all water under the bridge now.

Other Thoughts: I made this review to counter my previous, 2 egg, review (I couldn't figure out how to edit an existing one). I'm definitely impressed with the working one I received this time.