MSI retains the same firmware GUI that we've seen though several motherboard generations, making it familiar to any fan of the brand. The importance of any information on the top bar is inversely proportional to its font size, and settings are found in a tiny box at in the middle.

We like reaching 4.6 GHz and DDR3-2800 with the CPU core at 1.25 V and DRAM at 1.65 V, and we reached those actual voltage levels at set values of 1.24 and 1.63 volts, respectively.
Moreover, we like that MSI puts all of the settings we really want to adjust up front, rather than making us jump through several levels of submenus.

Primary, secondary, and tertiary timings are easily adjusted, but only after changing “DRAM Timing Mode” on the main page from “Auto” to “Manual”.

The Z97 Gaming 5 also provides DRAM training and voltage regulation controls.
- Gaming Raises The Mainstream
- ASRock Z97 Extreme4
- Z97 Extreme4 Software
- Z97 Extreme4 Firmware
- Asus Z97-A
- Z97-A Software
- Z97-A Firmware
- Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 5
- Z97X-Gaming 5 Software
- Z97X-Gaming 5 Firmware
- L337 Gaming Z97-Machine
- Z97-Machine Software
- Z97-Machine Firmware
- MSI Z97 Gaming 5
- Z97 Gaming 5 Software
- Z97 Gaming 5 Firmware
- Test Hardware And Benchmark Configurations
- Results: 3DMark And PCMark
- Results: SiSoftware Sandra
- Results: 3D Games
- Results: Audio And Video Encoding
- Results: Adobe Creative Suite
- Results: Productivity
- Results: File Compression
- Power, Heat, And Efficiency
- Overclocking
- Picking A Value Leader






What I found lacking is the reviewing of those features like software (audio, fan control etc.), VRM quality, "other stuff".
Now what is this "other stuff" really? Which motherboard has the best "other stuff"? I didn't get it from the review.
Apart from the very simple introduction to the software and hardware, I can't really make what's better between Gigabyte and MSI, the one's I'm interested in. MSI has better UEFI, I understood but how is the software? How many VRM phases and their quality? Is MSI's audio suite better than GB's?
These are what make the products apart in the same price range but finding the value leader with good explanations for why was not possible from this article despite it's title.