Intel’s Skylake based CPUs might be nowhere to be found in the Philippine Archipelago, but there’s no stopping MSI from letting us take a peek before the said family of CPUs starts to flood the market this coming September. Media persons, modders, and gamers a like were invited to witness the very first Z710 motherboards from MSI – with key participation from Intel focusing on the Skylake’s future roadmap and other details about the slated launch of the Skylake processors in the country.
There were many MSI Z170 motherboards on display with gaming features in mind, but the one that caught our attention the most is the MSI Z170 XPOWER Gaming Titanium Edition which is aimed for the enthusiasts. Cladded in silver (definitely not white), the Z170 XPOWER follows sways away from the traditional bumble bee yellow design of the former XPOWER boards but stays within the parameters of a proper overclocking motherboard with a dash of gaming genes taken from its brethren. One noteworthy feature is the inclusion of an OC Dashboard module – which is a separate PCB that could be used to power, & reset the PC as well as with additional overclocking buttons. This module should enable input functionally even if the board’s “other” onboard buttons freezes due to extreme cooling.
The MSI Krait returns with the Z170A KRAIT Gaming motherboard featuring a black & white theme – should that combination entice the inner modder in you. It features the necessary gaming oriented features found on other MSI gaming boards and is just amazingly good looking and is a fresh breathe of air from the usual black and red themed gaming boards.
The MSI Z170 motherboards are not yet available due to the lack of Skylake’s local stocks so pricing is also left in the dark. We expected it to be the same with the Z97 motherboards though but Z170 might command a smaller price premium for the sheer number of native features and extras included on most models. Now here’s a tank.
