X470 GAMING PRO CARBON
A great foundation for your new powerhouse, this ATX motherboard works flawlessly with AMD's desktop processors for Socket AM4 and supports high-end components like dual M.2 NVMe SSDs and multi-GPU setup. It has onboard RGB LEDs for gorgeous lighting and comes with multiple JRGB-strip headers for connecting other RGB strips and peripherals. You can use Mystic Light App for easy RGB customization and synchronization. A plethora of advanced MSI technologies will take overall experience up a notch, including Core Boost for stable power delivery, Audio Boost 4 for amazing sound and DDR4 Boost for optimal memory performance.
Double 8-pin connectors delivering adequate power supply for multi-core CPU, unleash the ultimate performance with the most reliable motherboard for best gaming experience and extreme overclocking.
Core Boost technology combines MSI's premium layout and full digital power design which allows for faster and undistorted current delivery to the CPU at pin-point precision. Not only supporting multi-core CPU, also creating the perfect conditions for your CPU overclocking.
Pros: I have been building my own computers since the 386sx/16. I have typically gone with Gigabyte and MSI motherboards. I usually go with the bottom tier boards as the higher models just offer useless upgrades. I decided to go for this model because it had the upgraded Realtek sound chip AND upgraded sound components. What a difference this has made, it is literally like night and day sound quality. My old MSI board had the lowest tier Realtek chip and I noticed a huge difference in the sound. Setup wise, this board was very easy to install and get going. I experienced no problems whatsoever, there was no fiddling with the bios to get something to work. Literally just plugged everything in and it worked first boot. This has never been the case for me in the past, there has always been a fight with some component, like the RAM not running at the proper speed, or a HD that won't be recognized, etc. Components I used: - Ryzen7 2700x - G-Skill Ripjaws 3200 (2 x 8GB) - MSI 1070 Ti Titanium - Corsair H75 Water - Various SSD's and 1 Sata HD
Cons: None whatsoever. The only board I have used where everything worked on the first boot.
Overall Review: Tips: - You DO NOT NEED a power supply with 2 8-pin plugs. This motherboard has 2 8-pin plugins but you ONLY need to plug 1 in to the board. (Most of you, like me, will have a PSU that only has 1 8-pin, unless you just upgraded). To be clear, you only need to plug in the 24 pin and 1 8-pin. - This should go without saying, but ALWAYS go to the MSI website and download the latest Bios and drivers right from the site, never use the disk in the box. - I recommend HWiNFO64 (open source monitor) over the Command center from MSI. It is far more robust and accurate. (Command center will report your CPU temperature higher than what it actually is)