Question 1

I would like to use my Noctua NH-U14S but the cooler basically touches the GPU in slot 1.   since this board has 2 16x slots, could I place my GPU in the second slot without a performance hit?

Accepted Answer

MSI's website does not say, but i've already tried my GPU in the second slot (to make sure it works) and GPU-Z said i was maxed at 8x link speed....however, since i have got this MoBo, it has some quirks and 3 bios updates have come out since it was introduced...i would just get a different cooler, any water setup will fit perfect

Question 2

Would you suggest a case that this motherboard will fit ?

Accepted Answer

This is a Micro ATX board, so it will fit in any ATX form-factor case--depending on what your size constraints are I would recommend any ATX mid-tower made by Antec or Enlight.  They're solid cases.  You may want one that includes a 400W+ power supply.  You'll probably pay less overall for case + PS as opposed to buying them separately.

Question 3

what power suppile would i need to run this board because ?

Accepted Answer

It depends if you're planning on running 2 video cards. I went with a 750W but that's a bit overkill. You should get at least a 500W / 600W. Make sure to get one with a modular design so you can make best use of the space within your case.

Question 4

I have 2 gigabyte gtx 760 4gb gpu's, and looking to also get Asus pce-ac56 802.11ac dual band card. Will this all fit into this motherboard or will I need a bigger MOBO than this?

Accepted Answer

If you use both cards, it will block of the access to the two PCI-E ports (which I'm assuming the wireless networking card is made for) so you'll have to get the ATX version if you wanted to use all three items, otherwise sell both of your cards and go to a single card solution

Question 5

I'm making my first computer and I need to know if the RAM i'm getting is compatable with the RAM I'm getting. The RAM I'm getting is 2GB DDR3 PC3-12800 Unbuffered NON-ECC 1.5V 256Meg x 64?

Accepted Answer

there is a compatibility chart on MSI's web site You can also use Crucial's  Motherboard Compatibility tool

Question 6

What height GPU will allow it to fit in this board? 2 slot, 2.5 slot or give total mm ( im interested in a sli/crossfire setup )

Accepted Answer

Hey Cody,

I currently have a GTX970 which is a 2 slot GPU.  As long as what you are planning on using isn't bigger than that (I'm pretty certain two 2.5 slot cards wouldn't fit), an SLI set up should be fine.  With two cards, it may be a snug fit, so I'd make sure you have adequate cooling.  Since I haven't personally tried an SLI set up, I'd see if you can talk to someone who has, just in case there is something I'm missing.  Hope that helps!

Question 7

so will this fit in the corsair air 240?

Accepted Answer

Yes, this is an mATX board so it should fit since the air 240 is an mATX case. Just check the specs on the cases you like and it'll tell you, mATX will fit in mATX and larger (ATX) cases, it will NOT fit in an mITX case.

Question 8

Hi I'm looking to build a computer for the first time and so I'm wondering will I be able to put a Titan Z as well as a BlackMagic Capture card?

Accepted Answer

Andro, it all depends on the interface of those add-ons, what kind of "slot" they use.

It looks like the Titan Z's are video cards that use PCI-Express 3, and this board has two of those (the long black horizontal slots on the bottom half of the board).  You can actually combine *two* Titan Zs and connect them with an SLI connector (which comes with this board).  Then you can use nVidia's SLI Physix processing for higher-performance gaming and 3D rendering.

I think some of the BlackMagic capture devices are external and plug in via USB, and of course with this board you've got tons of USB ports.  I did see an internal capture card that uses PCI-X 1.0, the little short slots on this board.  You could certainly use that.

My advice is make sure you get quality DDR3 memory (RAM) and make sure you get a processor that fits this socket (LGA 1150).  From what I've seen a Pentium i5 is the best buy, the i7 being overkill unless you want to spend the bucks$$$.

Hope this helps,

--Joe

Question 9

Can I use the CORSAIR Vengeance Pro 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory Model CMY32GX3M4A2400C11R on this motherboard?

Accepted Answer

i can't tell you for certain, but i could tell you to input your parts to pcpartspicker and it will show you any incompatibilities. this site is a life-saver.

Question 10

Will this fit the corsair air 240?

Accepted Answer

yes it will. The Air 240 supports up to MATX sized motherboards.

CPU Socket Type	LGA 1150
CPU Type	Celeron / Core i3 / Core i5 / Core i7 / Intel Core 4th Gen (LGA 1150) / Intel Core 5th Gen (LGA 1150) / Pentium / Xeon (LGA1150)

Number of Memory Slots	4x240pin
Memory Standard	DDR3 3300(OC)/3200(OC)/2800(OC)/2600(OC)/2200(OC)/2133(OC)/1866(OC)/1600/1333/1066
Maximum Memory Supported	32GB
Channel Supported	Dual Channel

PCI Express 3.0 x16	2 x PCI Express 3.0 x16
PCI Express x1	2 x PCI Express x1

Serial ATA (SATA)	6 x SATA 6Gb/s
M.2	1 x M.2

Audio Chipset	Realtek ALC1150
Audio Channels	8 Channels

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MSI Z97M Gaming LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

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Manufacturer Contact Info

HDMI	1 x HDMI
DisplayPort	1 x DisplayPort
USB 3.0	6 x USB 3.0
USB 1.1/2.0	2 x USB 2.0
Audio Ports	6 Ports

Onboard LAN
LAN Chipset	Qualcomm Killer E2205
Max LAN Speed	1Gbps

Physical Spec
Form Factor	Micro ATX
Power Pin	24 Pin

Item#: 9SIAGSCC2D9261