Introduction

As we reach just about four weeks since the launch of Intel's latest platform, and I pass into my seventh week of testing with Haswell, I have constantly found myself in shock at what the platform offers and how enthusiasts react to it. Many enthusiasts seem happy, but there are still those that don't see much value in the upgrade. One of the biggest benefits of this platform is to me purely based on the features that are packed into all the supporting motherboards, as many of these break traditional molds with their designs, having clear and concise design ideals that cater towards specific users. Gone is the ability to get decent overclocks with high-end boards only because the sub-$200 market is now full of OC-oriented products. Onboard audio has also seen some fantastic attention with quite a few products boasting superb audio capabilities and customization. But what about the normal user who has no need for all the frills and gimmicks? Enter the MSI Z87-G45 GAMING.

I started my Haswell board reviews off with the MSI Z87-GD65 GAMING, a board I affectionately refer to as the Dragon. I had the opportunity to speak to MSI long before the launch of the Z87-GD65, and many of the concerns I raised were addressed with the Z87-GD65 GAMING, which was very nice to see. I wasn't the only one who noticed that MSI really took the time to develop a great product, as the same board won an award from Computex for it's innovation and style. Like it's "bigger" brother, the MSI Z87-G45 GAMING carries a lot of the same features, but the focus on overclocking-specific features is gone while the GAMING style remains. Does the removal of these features make the MSI Z87-G45 GAMING a lesser board? Let's take a look and find out.

Specifications