Pros: I read a lot of reviews of this board before I bought it. Since I bought it, I have not had a single issue. It runs 24/7. The setup was easy. The color of the board is much better than the picture. I am not a huge over clocker but all the software that comes with it make it easy to do. The board boots incredible fast. The instructions and manuals are easy to read and follow. The board is solid, well constructed, and has all the features you could ask for.

Cons: The RAM placement if you use RAM with heatsinks on it can be an issue depending what kind of cooler you use on the CPU. This is something to mindful of but does not take away from the over performance of the board.

Other Thoughts: Thank you MSI!

Pros: Good board.

Cons: After getting this in the mail I noticed a single bent pin on the socket. I installed the cpu in the exact manner that I was supposed to do so. I then was having issues with the posting, the guy on the phone asked how I installed it then when i explained to him how i installed it he said I "confirmed with him" that it was my fault. I asked how, then he told me the same thing I just told him was how I was supposed to do it. I wont order with these cretins again.

Other Thoughts: Based on the fact they sent me a faulty board then told me I would have to pay for a replacement I would never order this board or any MSI products again. I wasn't angry when i called only after the terrible phone operator felt the need to down talk me like I had no idea what I was talking about did I get angry.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Kelsey,
Based on the symptom you reported since many reasons can cause the situation like this, if you have any question or concern regarding our MSI motherboard you purchased, Please do not hesitate to contact us directly by email at usreview@msi.com or by phone at 626.271.1004 M-F, 9AM to 6PM PST. We will be more than happy to assist you.

Thanks for choosing MSI

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

Pros: The color scheme went went with the TridentZ RAM, the MSI 970, and the overall features that were included on the motherboard were very generous. However these flashy aesthetics do not outweigh the experience that was to be had trying to get this thing to actually function properly.

Cons: First off, the slot for the CPU has some problems. My 6600k would constantly be out of socket upon the slightest bit of tower movement and either cause a BSOD, and subsequent reseating, or it will not post with a 00 (0D as it turns out) error code, requiring me to take the cooling pump off and unplug everything and UGH, all this unnecessary garbage for what should be a firm processor socket.

Now it turns out that only after the first setting of my CPU, I took it out and the pins were already bent to hell and back in the top left and lower middle portion of the socket. This was a first in my many years of computer building and frankly it's a bit disappointing to find out this is a common problem. I've used this cooling system in three builds so far so I can attest to it not being too much pressure on the socket.

I bent the pins back as best as I could, and woe and behold I was able to temporarily get the mobo to post properly, but only on 1 stick of RAM (I'll get to this in a bit). After many more post errors that required me to reseat the processor the pins would, once again, become out of place over and over again.

Now that little LED character code is a nice feature for debugging random problems you may have with this board or the hardware you install, but the 00 error for a bad CPU post turns out to translate into 0D, as the D is an uppercase and does not print as such with the limited LEDs, making research on the problem that much more frustrating and time consuming. I would appreciate clearer instructions from such a higher brand. Especially in concern to a CPU problem which happens to be a very expensive non-refundable piece in the event it does die during the building process.

The RAM would not boot in dual channel, and would under no circumstances boot if a single stick was in slots 1 or 2, and on occasion 3 and 4 if I was feeling unlucky. Both sticks are currently working in another mobo, so it's definitely not a RAM issue. Apparently the XMP settings for this mobo are known for being finicky, but I'm not letting that slide.

Other Thoughts: I had high expectations considering the great reviews I had previously read on this board, and was very excited putting it together hoping to have a dream experience with it. Sadly, this was not the case. The MSI GTX 970 has been a dream so far, but until I find that other MSI boards do not suffer the same massive failures that this one did, I'm sure not purchasing any more MSI products again. A cheap ASRock board outperformed this board on first boot, and that's practically insulting.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Zachary,
Thank you for the feedback. regarding your issue, can you provide BIOS version on your system? Have you update BIOS for best result? Also clear CMOS and test with different rams and CPU to confirm? If you have any questions or concerns regarding the product, please do not hesitate to contact us directly at usreview@msi.com and we will be more than happy to assist you, thank you.

Thanks for choosing MSI

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

Pros: looks really good and fit perfectly in my case

Cons: came with a usb defect

Other Thoughts: I ended up refunding it and getting an m7

Pros: easy to use
solid
looks cool
lots of usb ports

Cons: only 3 system fan headers

Pros: Love the look and the lighting on the board.

Cons: WOW, what a pain to get everything configured on the board. From making a change in the bios and loosing the mouse and keyboard in windows. Once I got everything together I am pretty happy, but for the setup problems I took an egg.

Pros: It posted.

Cons: -Required a USB boot drive to install windows 7. (Thanks for that MSI)

- Realtek drivers will never install. (Had to use windows 7 drivers)

Other Thoughts: I have been purchasing and assembling computers with MSI motherboards for ten years. I have to say that this is the most disappointing motherboard I have purchased from them. The problems never end with this board. Please MSI step up your game. I am a loyal customer and you will be losing me over this board.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,
Thank you fro feedback. Correct for older operating system like Windows 7 MSI provide option for you to install windows using legacy mode through different method, you can find FAQ links on our website here: https://service.msicomputer.com/msi_user/support/TechFAQdetail.aspx?formid=3350
https://service.msicomputer.com/msi_user/support/TechFAQdetail.aspx?formid=3339
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the product, please do not hesitate to contact us directly at usreview@msi.com and we will be more than happy to assist you, thank you.

Thanks for choosing MSI

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

Pros: None ---- never posted properly

Cons: Everything poor documentation and information no support attempted to contact their support a number of different times and could never get through to a real person. Finally gave up as this is the 2nd one and the behavior is identical to the first.... I will NEVER purchase another MSI product as long as I live.

Other Thoughts: I have been building PC's and been a network engineer from the mid 90's this is the very first one to ever give me this much grief. I will do everything in my power to warn people away from MSI products and I own an MSI laptop to boot!

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Scott,
Based on the symptom you reported, we suggest you checking following steps below since many reason can cause the situation like this,
1. Check and make sure that power are connected correctly and firmly (JPWR1 and JPWR2).
2. Clear CMOS with jumper or battery.
3. Check your other major hardware's (memory, video card, CPU and power supply) to ensure that they are not the cause of the issue.
4. If you need further assistant, Please do not hesitate to contact us directly by email at usreview@msi.com or by phone at 626.271.1004 M-F, 6AM to 6PM PST. We will be more than happy to assist you.

Thanks for choosing MSI

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

Pros: - Color scheme is perfect for my build and looks sleek with my 980 TI Strix, and Corsair RAM
- Bios has plenty of settings offering a ton of features.
- High Quality at a great Price.
- Has 2X M.2 Ports
- Plenty of USB 3.1 ports, and some USB 2.0 as well.
- I like knowing I have the debug LED in case something goes wrong. Haven't had to use it at all however.
- Easy BIOS update
- My RAID 0 array is performing great, no issues with installation.

Cons: No issues here and 6+ months of usage.

Other Thoughts: Great quality from MSI as expected.. Have another build planned for my SO, and will be choosing MSI again as always.

Motherboard: MSI Gaming z170 M5
Processor: I7 6700K
RAM: 16 Gb Corsair 2666 2x 8Gb
GPU: Asus 980 TI Strix
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro [However soon to be Thermaltake X5]
Storage: 4x Crucial 256Gb SSD in RAID 0 [This is being replaced by 2x 512 GB Samsung 950 Pro's] & 1x WD Black 1Tb HDD
PSU: EVGA 220-G2-0850-XR 850 W
O.S.: Windows 7
Cooling: 360MM Thermaltake AIO, 1x 200MM Intake fan,1x 120mm Intake fan, 3x 120mm Radiator Fans, 1x 120Mmm Exhaust Fan

Pros: The board handles the load of information really well. I like the smooth gameplay I get from using this.
CPU's and RAMM only go so far when gaming, you also need a fast board. This MSI Z170A delivers in that respect.

Cons: Nothing worth an egg.

Other Thoughts: The only reason this is not worth an egg. The M.2 can hold different types of M.2 cards. The SATA cards, however, use a pair of sata ports, and it changes based on the port the M.2 is put into, so make sure you can go without these.

All things considered, Excellent board. Thank you MSI for Driving my Gaming Hobby!