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MSI Z97-Gaming 3 LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

  • Intel Z97
  • Core i7 / i5 / i3 / Pentium / Celeron (LGA1150)
  • DDR3 3300(OC)/3000(OC)
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Learn more about the MSI Z97-Gaming 3

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Customer Reviews of the MSI Z97-Gaming 3

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  • Caleb H.
  • 9/4/2014 4:12:54 PM
  • Tech Level: Somewhat High
  • Ownership: 1 day to 1 week

1 out of 5 eggsDo not buy this motherboard!!!!

Pros: Absolutely nothing.

Cons: I purchased this motherboard for a new build. I bought it and installed everything on the board. I fired it up and everything went smooth for a few hours. I turned it off, came back later and was going to start installing programs and things on it. I turned it on and smoke came from the inside of my case. I quickly pulled the power cord from the power supply. One of the voltage regulator modules for the processor melted and ruined the brand new i5 4690k that I installed on the board. I bought another board, an Asus, and installed the i5 4690k onto it and it would not post. I returned the processor and exchanged it for another one. All is well now. DO NOT BUY THIS MOTHERBOARD!!!!

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,
Based on the symptom you described, many reasons can cause the situation like this. We suggest you try the following steps:
1. Check your other hardware's CPU, power supply etc.
2. If you had the system overclocked, Clear cmos, verify in stock mode.
3. If possible verify a different memory stick, power supply etc.
For additional troubleshooting and warranty services please feel free to contact MSI team directly for assistance at 626.271.1004 from M to F, 6am to 6pm Pacific Time.

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

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

  • Brendan P.
  • 8/16/2014 9:53:27 PM
  • Tech Level: Average
  • Ownership: 1 week to 1 month
  • Verified Owner

5 out of 5 eggsGreat board, bad software.

Pros: It really is the best gaming board for anyone whose doesn't plan to run 2 graphics cards.

Some have offered that they don't like the killer software but without it if I were to watch a YouTube video and play my game I'd see my latency jump, with it it's as If I'm not streaming videos as my latency stays low no is completely unaffected.

Cons: Save for the killer traffic shaping software everything else is either a reskinning of default windows functionality (Realtek software suite) or has the potential to actually do very real harm to your computer (MSI Command Center, MSI Liveupdate)

BEWARE!!! Do not use live update to update your bios!! I am currently awaiting receipt of my 2nd MSI Z97 Gaming 3 motherboard after having used Liveupdate to update my bios.

Their own forum goers regard Liveupdate as the #1 way to brick your motherboard.

Other Thoughts: In conclusion: great board. Top of the line nic, top of the line audio hardware, horrible and potentially dangerous software.

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  • Patrick M.
  • 8/8/2014 9:38:18 PM
  • Tech Level: Average
  • Ownership: less than 1 day
  • Verified Owner

5 out of 5 eggsBest of MSI's gaming series for most users

Pros: -All of the quality and performance of the Gaming 5, 7, and 9, just missing a few features that most of us don't use anyway.
-Fit and finish is excellent, 'feels' like a much more expensive board.
-UEFI interface is not bad, relatively easy to navigate and work through.
-Manual overclocking is quick, easy, and stable.
-Price performance ratio is great.
-Legacy PCI slots, kept me from buying a new wireless card.

Cons: No SLI, which isn't a problem for me.
OC genie remains useless in my experience, but I wouldn't use it even if it did work.
Info panels for each item in UEFI are relatively unhelpful, user's manual isn't any better.

Other Thoughts: This is a "first impressions" review, but so far I am very impressed. I bought this board to replace an EVGA x58 board in a combo with the Pentium G3258 (highly recommend as well) because my i7 970 6-core met its inevitable end after years of loyal service. I knew I was getting a little The difference between x58 and Z97 is shocking, boot times are very fast, temperatures are very cool, everything works efficiently and in absolute harmony, Windows 7 is much more responsive, even though I went from a top of the line i7 to a bottom of the barrel Pentium. I am shocked that this board is not getting more attention, in my opinion it is the MSI board for anyone who doesn't need SLI.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

  • Muhaned H.
  • 7/10/2014 10:58:19 PM
  • Tech Level: Somewhat High
  • Ownership: 1 day to 1 week
  • Verified Owner

1 out of 5 eggsLemon

Pros: Looks cool, lots of utility.

Cons: Didn't work out the box, was trying to determine why i had no video, ended up taking everything besides PSU, CPU, and motherboard off, plugged my monitor the onboard video, and nothing. Deciding if i want to return and get something else or just get a new one sent out.

Other Thoughts: I was honestly warned to never buy MSI motherboards, i should've heeded those warnings.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

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

If you have any questions, please kindly get in touch with our tech support team directly at 626.271.1004 for assistance during regular business hours from M to F, 6am to 6pm Pacific Time, or you can email us at usreview@msi.com.
When contacting us, please kindly include your product info, thank you.

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

0 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

  • Cody S.
  • 6/21/2014 5:24:02 AM
  • Tech Level: Average
  • Ownership: 1 week to 1 month

5 out of 5 eggsGreat simple mobo

Pros: Great board easily installed and can handle any over clocking. Doesn't have to many extra features really a good choice for some one who only wants a gaming rig and doesn't want all of the extra fluff or need it.

Cons: A little cramped under the video card slots but not enough to take an egg off

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  • VIncent D.
  • 6/12/2014 1:41:32 PM
  • Tech Level: High
  • Ownership: 1 week to 1 month
  • Verified Owner

5 out of 5 eggsGreat board

Pros: Had this for a couple weeks now and have nothing bad to say. Works great, boots fast. The UEFI bios is quite nice, with robust overclocking options. A great price. Pretty much the same as the pricier MSI Gaming models

Cons: None so far

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

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