I have been so impressed with MSI's Z97I GAMING motherboard that it now sits inside my BitFenix Prodigy, ready to head to a friend's house for a gaming session, or one of the many local LAN events that happen throughout the summer. The connectivity, features, and performance all meet my own personal needs as a gamer pretty well, and I happen to think it looks good too.

I spent a fair bit of time in the past eight months or so playing with mITX products for various platforms, and I actually missed out on MSI's Z87 mITX offering because it was just too popular for me to procure a sample. That says something in and of itself. Once I got my hands on this board, I could clearly understand why the Z87 board was so popular.

The attention to detail provided here is unmistakable, and although I am on the very first BIOS for this board, I did not run into anything unexpected or problematic, and I cannot say the same about some of the other boards I have tested, and those have gone through several BIOS releases. The only downside to this product is the limited cooling compatibility, but such things cannot be avoided with boards so small. I did deduct a bit for its price since I really wish we could get such a product for $200 or less, while I see several retailers with the board priced just above $200. Yet the quality of everything offered makes me feel as though the price is justified; I simply do not think many users will want to broach that $200 mark with the boards they buy. I am using this board myself now and hope you will give this one some careful consideration should you be in the market for a board today. You might miss out on a nearly perfect computing experience if you do not!