On the current Haswell-ready chipset MSI releases a few new boards too. MSI is really targeting gamers of all budgets here. How about a mITX B85 chipset based Gaming board? Sporting a heatpipe heatsink, Killer NIC, Audio Boost technology,...
Of course most will want to know, where is Intel's upcoming chipset for the new 20and 14nm processors. MSI is stepping away from the G45/65,... naming, keeping it more simple with the name Gaming 3, 5, 7 and 9 models. We just saw some mockups of how the final board's PCB could look like. However as usual back panel, heatsinks and co are even further from being from finalized. The red and black theme will be kept, yet the I/O backplate will be black from now and the bundled software will be merged into one user friendly software kit.
All these boards will feature Intel's latest Zxx chipset. Also included on all 3rd Gen boards is the brand new PCI-e Gen2 M.2 storage, delivering speeds up to up to 10Gb/,. about 67% faster then the current SATA3 6Gb/s.
Updated also is the sound experience, now featuring Audio Boost 2 and Creative Sound Cinema 2 technology. Dual AMPs are installed on the 3rd gen board for a richer and warmer sounds, one for the back and the other one will serve for the front header. Japanese audio capacitors will warrant together with the isolated PCB and EMI shielded audio chip for a maximum audio experience. The gold plated audio connectors are optimized for 600Ω headphones.
Those which utilize an USB headset powered DAC will enjoy a more stable USB voltage to ensure perfect audio quality, no matter how many USB devices are connected. The BIOS receives an overhaul too, with a focus on the possible fan settings and the addition of an XMP button.