We spent a considerable bit of time with the MSI Z68A-GD65 (G3), and during that time, it really grew on us. The new BIOS is very nice and easy to use, matches the board perfectly, and the overclocking features are pretty darn good too. Considering that boards in the same price range don't offer the same overclocking features, nor the software, we've got to give a bit of respect to MSI for delivering on basically every angle possible. It's unfortunate to see the color scheme broken with the SATA ports and a couple of fan headers, but such minor details hardly detract from the functionality of the board at all.
Hearing that all production boards will ship with a BIOS that fixes the issues we had is pretty good too, as we've encountered a few teething issues before with other products that went unaddressed until long after release, if at all. We deducted for the failed color scheme at the SATA ports, and a bit for the BIOS's numerous pages filled with just one or two options; problems that are mostly aesthetic, and not performance-related. At the same time, the MSI Z68A-GD65 (G3) also carries a 5-year warranty, something seen on very few products in the market, and one thing that really speaks about the quality offered by the MSI Z68-GD65 (G3). For a first look at MSI, we're left pretty impressed, and at the same time, disappointed that we hadn't met the Z68A-GD65 (G3) sooner.