It features Killer wired and wireless Internet

Dec 22, 2014 10:26 GMT  ·  By

Mini PCs with gaming capabilities have been growing in popularity now that technology is being well and truly miniaturized. Micro-Star International is, naturally, completely in on this phenomenon.

You can't have a strong mini PC without a motherboard capable of supporting all the hardware without taking up more space than a small plate.

The new platform from MSI can definitely handle strong hardware. In fact, it has some high-grade hardware of its own.

And no, we aren't talking about just the Intel Z97 Express Chipset. While 4th and 5th Gen Intel Core / Pentium / Celeron processors are all well and good, they are also expected.

What stands out more is the attention given to storage and networking technologies, the latter in particular.

MSI's Z97I Gaming ACK Motherboard

High-end networking performance is ensured both over cables and over Wi-Fi thanks to the double-pronged Killer DoubleShot Pro technology.

It consists of a Killer E2205 Gigabit Ethernet module, as well as Killer 1525 802.11 ac Wi-Fi. The 802.11 ac Wireless technology in the ACK powered by Killer DoubleShot Pro offers 2.9 times faster data rates than Wireless-N, as well as 3.5 times lower latency.

Needless to say, Bluetooth technology is included as well. BT 4.1 to be specific. So you can connect your mobile device quickly if the situation calls for it.

For those who want more numbers, the top Wi-Fi speed here is of 1.867 Gbps. Less if you have multiple gadgets / PCs connected to it, but that still allows for much.

Other than that, the newcomer has one PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot (for high-end graphics cards), six USB 3.0 ports, six USB 2.0 ports, 8-channel Audio Boost, two memory slots and an M.2 SSD slot of 10 Gbps, not just 6 Gbps. Rounding up the storage loadout are four SATA 6.0 Gbps connectors.

Availability and pricing

The MSI Z97I Gaming ACK Motherboard hasn't been given an availability date or price. But we can be reasonably sure that sales will begin shortly, meaning that retailers will expose the price tag sooner rather than later.

To easily identify it, you can look for a somewhat off-position CPU socket. The LGA 1150 socket normally sits in the upper half of the platform, but here it's closer to the middle. You'll have an easier time installing memory and coolers this way.

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MSI Z97I Gaming ACK Motherboard (4 Images)

MSI Z97I Gaming ACK Motherboard
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