MSI B85M Gaming Motherboard Review

Internal SATA connections number six and follow the new SATA6 connection standard.  All six ports come directly from the B65 chipset and are located near the bottom edge of the motherboard

The B85M Gaming I/O panel is about what you would expect from a low-end motherboard.  You will find a single combined PS/2 keyboard and mouse plug, two USB 3.0 ports (blue), four USB 2.0 ports (black), a single Killer 2200 Ethernet connection with a special red socket, and 8 channel analog audio with digital connections over optical.  Onboard video is handled by 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort.

The audio module found on the B85M Gaming is based on a Realtek ALC 1150 codec and occupies a section of the motherboard that is electrically separated from the rest of the main PCB.  You can see this separation in the PCB layers where the board is devoid of color.  

To further illustrate that the layers are completely separate on the reverse side of the motherboard you'll find a series of white LEDs that light up and actually shine thru the PCB layers when the system is powered on.

MSI has also included an Audio Boost module that is a built-in headphone amplifier that allows you to get better quality sound from studio grade headgear that is normally reserved for specialized sound cards.

One of the benefits to upgrading to a specialized motherboard is that not only do you get more features onboard but also in-box.  You will get everything you see here including a very detailed user manual, MSI Gaming casebadge, I/O shield and SATA cables.  It may not seem like much but its all you really need to get up and running.

Maybe one of the coolest included items is the “do not disturb” door hanger telling your visitors that you’re either busy gaming or out doing other stuff.