MSI Z97I Gaming AC Mini-ITX Motherboard Preview

As far as Mini-ITX systems go the Z97I Gaming AC comes with a really good layout and exceptionally solid construction.  It may not look it but the matte black PCB is an eight layer design that not only helps properly route signals and power but also provides stability when working on your system.

Flipping a motherboard over can tell you a lot about its construction.  When looking at the traces you can see where major chips are located and even see how many PCI Express lanes are wired to the slots.  Given that this board is packed with features you’ll need to expect some solder congestion.  Aside from the plethora of solder joints the back of the motherboard is devoid of any major components but does have a few surface parts scattered about.

The power design uses the latest military class 4 grade components for longer life, better power efficiency and stability.  You will find a total of 6 DigitALL power phases on the Z97I Gaming AC which is covered by a really cool looking heatsink with red accents.  MSI calls this the “Dragon Claw Heatsink” with the red bits indicating the talons as they grip the side of the VRM cooler.

Dual channel memory comes standard on the Haswell processor and the Z97I Gaming AC supports standard speed DDR3 modules up to 1600Mhz with overclocking support up to 3300Mhz.  A maximum of 16GB is addressable however a 64-bit OS is required to access it all.  24pin ATX power is located near the memory slots above the processor.

A single 8-pin 12v CPU power connector is located next to the onboard VRM near the I/O connector.

A new feature of the 9-series chipset is support for M.2 SATA.  The M.2 module looks like a mini PCI Express card and can support speeds up to 10Gb/s thanks to the direct connection to PCI Express.  MSI claims that all Gaming motherboards come with M.2.  We have yet to find one on a small motherboard like this.  Instead you will find four SATA3 connections at the top of the motherboard with direct connections back to the Z97 Chipset.

The Z97I Gaming AC  I/O panel is quite full and rather unique for a motherboard like this.  You will find a single combined PS/2 keyboard and mouse plug, four USB 3.0 ports (blue), two USB 2.0 ports (black), two USB 2.0 ports (red 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 2x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort.  eSATA is also available and could get some use given the small form factor.