Test System

Initial Setup

Getting the MSI Z97 GAMING set-up and installed was pretty easy, although its Audio Boost cable added a little twist. With a single VGA installed, it is easy to access the Audio Boost switch and the POST display/temperature display. The layout is pretty basic for such a motherboard, with the PCIe x1 slot up top ensuring that even the most monstrous air cooler will fit.


Getting the system up and idling, I took a CPU-Z screenshot with the pertinent tabs open for you to see. Naturally, I have to make a disclaimer or two at this point. Most of my past test system suffered an untimely death, casualties of a dying PSU during an OCing session. At this point, I do not exactly have the same hardware I did then, so performance reported in this review is not 100% comparable to other products I have reviewed. I thought about running a bunch of older boards again to get new results, but I really do not have the time to since certain companies out there launched the board early. Be that as it may, when it comes to the parts to build your system, there are a lot of choices out there. So these are the results you will get if you pick these parts, and they might differ if you pick a different CPU, or different memory, like I have been forced to do. This does not prevent the platform from showing what it is capable of and provides me with the opportunity to show something a bit different. In the coming weeks, I will add more Z97 results to my graphs while also removing some Z87 results, and by the end of June, when I have actually had a decent amount of time to play with this platform, I should have a concrete set of results you can base your purchasing choices on. Good things take time, and with such a rushed launch, that time simply is not present.

Power Consumption

We measure CPU power consumption since one of our first tasks is to truly verify system stability. I isolate the power coming through the 8-pin ATX connector using an in-line meter that provides voltage and current readings, and total wattage passed through. While this may not prove to isolate the CPU power draw in all instances, it does serve as a good indicator of board efficiency and effective VRM design. Total system power consumption is no longer reported as this figure can change depending on what VGA is installed. The sole board-only power measurements possible without physically modifying a motherboard are those taken via the 8-pin CPU connector, making it the only figure of value worth reporting. I use wPrime with eight threads selected in the options since it provides a consistently high workload throughout the full length of the test and runs long enough for the VRM and CPU to produce a fair bit of heat. Most average workloads will draw far less than that, although distributed computing applications are quite similar. This is not supposed to test stability since I use several other applications to do so, but merely to provide repeatable power draw numbers anyone can replicate. The meter used is an off-the-shelf Zalman unit that has been on the market for some time. It provides similar results in my test environment when compared with a FLUKE 337 clamp meter.


The MSI Z97 GAMING 5 produced very good power consumption results that are right in line with my results for the Intel Z87 platform. You might note that overclocked voltage is quite a bit higher with the MSI Z97 GAMING 5 if you compare it to the results in my Intel Z87 reviews. Look at some of the other reviews that have been posted on other sites, although with other boards, and you will find similar reports when a 4770K CPU is used, but you will also find that overall power consumption has changed a bit for the better. These are actually great numbers for such a value-oriented product. Just keep in mind that this board is the equivalent of the old MSI Z87-G45. Voltage is one thing, power used is another.