MSI Z97 MPower Max AC Review: Overclocking for $260

MSI Z97 MPower Max AC In The Box

So far in our two previous Z97 reviews we have had boxes containing very few items at $200 or an overload of everything for $400. Because the MPower Max AC is currently on sale for $260, this puts it in the middle of the two, and because logic, one should expect a select number of goodies. In the past MSI has been positive on the box contents part, typically including posters, case badges and sufficient amounts of cables, especially in their segmented ranges such as the Gaming line.

In the MSI Z97 MPower Max AC we get:

• Driver Disk
• WiFi Driver Disk
• Black Colored Rear IO Shield
• MSI OC Case Badge
• MSI OC Door Hanger
• MSI OC Poster
• Cable Labels
• Motherboard Manual
• OC Manual
• Software Manual
• Intel 2T2R AC7260 802.11ac Module
• Two Antennas
• Flexi-SLI Bridge
• Six SATA Cables
• M-Connectors
• V-Point Connectors
• eSATA Rear Panel

Aside from all the manuals and non-technical extras (case badge, door hanger), this package had a lot more in it than I expected. The rear IO shield is coated to match the color scheme of the motherboard, and is also slightly padded to reduce vibrations. The M-Connectors help when connecting in the front panel headers, however they are of little use if a large device is in the final PCIe slot. The eSATA rear panel was a bit of a surprise, allowing users to connect two internal SATA ports into external ports. I am not sure of the prevalence of eSATA compared to other formats, however I would wonder what the uptake is for an overclocking motherboard at least.

MSI Z97 MPower Max AC Overclocking

Experience with MSI Z97 MPower Max AC

MSI has been a big advocate of the one-button overclock. The big OC Genie button, present over several generations, is testament to this fact. However the automatic overclock options stop there when they should not have to. On our system, the OC Genie implemented a meager 4.0 GHz (+100 MHz) overclock. Even though the system has an OC_Switch to move between a simple and more stringent overclock, on our system this had no effect. Most motherboard manufacturers have got into the idea that users like a lot of automatic overclock options so they can push the system without having to worry about specific settings. MSI can retain the one button overclock, but they need to review their other auto-overclock options.

For manual overclocking, the part in the BIOS section where I mentioned the lack of a need to use the Favorites menu due to the reordering of the OC options came true, and I was able to use the OC menu very easily indeed. The OC performance of our rather average i7-4770K sample is usually limited by temperature more than the motherboard itself, and the MSI is no different – 4.6 GHz was easy enough to achieve albeit a little toasty at 99ºC peak temperature.

Methodology:

Our standard overclocking methodology is as follows. We select the automatic overclock options and test for stability with PovRay and OCCT to simulate high-end workloads. These stability tests aim to catch any immediate causes for memory or CPU errors.

For manual overclocks, based on the information gathered from previous testing, starts off at a nominal voltage and CPU multiplier, and the multiplier is increased until the stability tests are failed. The CPU voltage is increased gradually until the stability tests are passed, and the process repeated until the motherboard reduces the multiplier automatically (due to safety protocol) or the CPU temperature reaches a stupidly high level (100ºC+). Our test bed is not in a case, which should push overclocks higher with fresher (cooler) air.

Overclock: