Intel Z270 Motherboard Round-Up: MSI, Gigabyte, And ASUS Offerings For Kaby Lake
MSI Z270 XPOWER Gaming Titanium Motherboard In Detail
The heavy-hitter in this trio is the Z270 XPOWER Gaming Titanium motherboard from MSI. This is their flagship offering in the Z270-chipset and it shows—from the loftier price tag to the heavy-weighted list of features. The Titanium is loaded with virtually everything found on our lower-end Z270 motherboards, and a whole lot more.
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| CPU: | Intel Core i7 processors - LGA1151 |
| Chipset: | Intel Z170 Chipset |
| Multi GPU: | Supports NVIDIA 2-Way GPU SLI Technology Supports AMD 2-Way CrossFireX Technology |
| Memory: | 4 x DIMM, Dual-Channel DDR4 up to 4133MHZ OC |
| Audio: | 8-Channel Audio Boost with Nahimic 2 codec |
| Connectivity: | LAN: Dual Intel GbE LAN |
| Slots: | 4 x PCIe 3.0 (support x16/x0/x0/x4, x8/x0/x8/x4, x8/x4/x4/x4 modes) 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 Slots |
| Storage: | 1 x NVMe U.2, 3 x Turbo M.2 x4 supports both SATA & PCIE mode (bandwidth shared w/ SATA Express) 8 x SATA3 6Gb/s port(s), 2 x SATA Express ports |
| USB 3.1: | 4x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2, 1x USB Gen 2 USB 3.1 Type-C |
| USB 2.0: | 13 x USB 2.0 ports with included USB Xpander |
| Form Factor: | ATX 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm |
| Price: | $299.99 At Amazon |
The board is decked out in a more daring color scheme, befitting its metallic namesake. As for hardware, we get 4x DDR4 DIMM slots supporting up to 64GB, capable of reaching OC speeds of 4133MHz. The board features 4x PCIE 3.0 slots x16 (support x16/x0/x0/x4, x8/x0/x8/x4, x8/x4/x4/x4 modes) and 2x PCIE 3.0 x1 slots. The Titanium also supports 4-Way AMD CrossFire and 2-Way NVIDIA SLI multi-GPU setups.
The Z270 XPOWER Titanium is drenched in storage options. We have 8x SATA 6Gb ports, two of which are controlled by an ASMedia ASM1061 Chipset, while the other six are controlled by the Intel Z270 Chipset. The NVMe options include 1x U.2 port, supports PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe storage and 3x M.2 slots giving it an additional slot over the previous two boards. The board features a total of 4x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 2, 1x USB Gen 2 USB 3.1 Type-C port and 3x USB 2.0 ports.
Around the back panel we have the standard mouse and keyboard inputs, the aforementioned USB devices, dual Intel Gigabit LAN ports, DisplayPort connector, Clear CMOS button, HDMI port, HD audio for the dual 8-Channel audio via Audio Boost 4 Technology connectors including Optical S/PDIF-out.
Like other enthusiast motherboards the Titanium is just loaded with extras. Key among them is the OC Dashboard with nine different functions for quickly Overclocking and troubleshooting your OC settings. The board also comes with the USB Xpander for additional in-chassis USB 2.0 headers (13 in all).
While RGB lighting is less supported here than the previous boards, we do see a single strip of light running up the left side of the board. This can be controlled with the included Mystic Light Sync. It also synchronizes other RGB lighting features with your gaming rig so you can control it all with a single click.
