MSI's Z270 GAMING PRO CARBON is just one of those boards on the market right now to tickle my fancy in ways I had always hoped for while still remaining affordable and reliable. As a board for a gaming-focused build, there can be no doubt that MSI went to their users, asked what they wanted, and delivered it. Every bit of gaming usage any user might require is included here and none is missed. The race track around the socket only adds to what should be obvious: this is a board meant for all those gamers who want the utmost of what their PC can offer performance-wise.

Connectivity options here on the MSI Z270 GAMING PRO CARBON are exact; dual M.2 ports capable of RAID (even with other U.2 or PCIe SSDs you might add via a slot-in card), reinforced memory and GPU slots ready to keep your gear safe when traveling with your PC to LAN parties or whatever else, a software suite tailored around gaming use, and a flashy aesthetic that's really only flashy if you want it to be. Add in some decent overclocking options and the use of Intel LAN and there are few things any enthusiast can complain about here - least of all the price. Getting all of this for US$175 seems like a steal!

MSI is - for me - the one company with a pure gaming focus that is done right. They aren't setting records on benchmark tables with products meant for gaming; why bother? If you want to build a PC for gaming, you simply look for that to be written on the box, and you should be good to go, right? Unfortunately, that's not always the case, but with MSI, it does tend to be. Maybe it's because they give their hardware to many pro gamers for R&D help. That's a big sign of their commitment to meeting the needs of gamers, and to me, it has paid off in spades here with the MSI Z270 GAMING PRO CARBON. The lack of cache voltage options is a bit disappointing, but none of those are really required for those looking for modest overclocking. If you want cache overclocking, it seems you need to spend more money.