Introduction

With Intel's Z370 chipset and CoffeeLake CPUs now widely available around the globe, it's time to take a look at yet another Z370-based motherboard, and this go around we've got one from MSI. In this instance, however, I'm not doing my standard review. Yes, this is a motherboard review just like all my past ones, but I'm not using an unlocked top-tier CPU. This time, I am employing the 6-core i5-8400. With the full 9 MB of cache available on this chip and Hyper-Threading absent, this modestly priced CPU is something that should have caught your attention, especially for gaming, so to me, it is only natural that I take my sample i5-8400 to see just what boards offer when not mixed with the almighty "K" CPUs.

The MSI Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON is a well-equipped board. Ready for exactly such a build as I've got here in this review, MSI really built this board to be the base of any high-end gaming rig; all the bells and whistles you really do need are here, including superb audio, bundled Wi-Fi connectivity (from Intel, of course), high RAM compatibility, a good VRM design, and, of course, RGB LEDs. Yet all you RGB haters can relax... the MSI Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC does the whole RGB thing just right and isn't going to burn holes deep into your retinae. MSI has done well at evolving their gaming products through the generations, and the MSI Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC is nigh on the perfect board for a gaming build, no matter your overall budget.

With nearly matched prices of $200 between the i5-8400 and MSI's Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC, these two bits of hardware seem like a perfect match for one another. Add in some $200 RAM kit, preferably spec'd at 3200 MHz or higher, and you potentially have a killer rig for all your gaming needs, but before I can just go and put a stamp of approval on these parts, they naturally need to be put to use first. In that exact context, built up as a gaming rig (this time with multiple videocards and a beefy PSU to ensure we can push the limits of what all this hardware has to offer), I've spent considerable time with this specific configuration, taking an in-depth look at what might be the best value-oriented mainstream configuration for 4K gaming. Of course, in doing so, it needed to be gamed on, and I've been doing that for the past couple of weeks on a daily basis (Destiny 2 is stealing my soul!). That all said and done, it's now time to talk about that rather uneventful yet wildly satisfying experience.

Specifications

Packaging and Contents

The front of the box the MSI Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC comes in means business. Although it might not be immediately obvious, what you see here is what you will get. The rear of the box has all that important information regarding its specifications and looks good, but I would like to see the board pictured in the middle rather than offset.


The box opens to reveal the board clad in a high-quality anti-static bag. It's these little things that stand out for me when it comes to product packaging.


You get the standard accessories you'd expect; several SATA cables, wiring for LED strips to connect to the board, and the Wi-Fi card stuff. Here's all I found:

• Quick installation guide, manual, support DVD, and other papers
• 1x Rear I/O cover
• 2x SATA 6Gb/s cables
• 1x SLI HB bridge
• 4x RGB LED wires
• 2x Wi-Fi antenna

The bundled Wi-Fi card is a custom MSI unit called the HERALD AC, which uses a PCIe x1 slot and USB to connect to the system. The antennas are widely spaced apart, which isolates each from the other. The actual Wi-Fi controller attaches to the HERALD AC card via a mini-M.2 port and has an Intel-branded M.2 card in place.

Board Layout

MSI has really tightened up the "carbon" look of this series of boards with carbon-fiber-looking bits all over. The board is mostly devoid of any color at all otherwise. There are many screws protruding from the back of the board; the heatsinks for the MSI Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC are also ready for removal if you want to go full water-cooling.


The socket area of this motherboard is fairly cramped, with capacitors and such very close to the socket in all directions, but even so, there is plenty of clearance for pretty much any cooler you might want to use. The DIMM slots are clad in metal to aid in EMI elimination while adding some strength to the slots for long-term deployments in tough thermal environments.


You get two M.2 ports on the MSI Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC, with the upper slot carrying MSI's own M.2 shield to help deal with those hotter PCIe drives, while the bottom slot has no cooler and is also a bit shorter in length.


The PCIe expansion slots offered by the MSI Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC consist of three PCIe x16 slots and three PCIe x1 slots. The x16 slots are very standard in their connectivity, with the bottom slot connected to the chipset and always capable of a x4 electrical link.


The board's bottom edge has your standard USB and audio headers, along with RGB LED connections and a couple of SATA ports.


Rear I/O duties are cared for with a total of eight USB ports of varying flavors, as well as DisplayPort, HDMI, audio plugs, a LAN port, and a PS/2 port to round it all out. This board could use a couple more USB ports on its rear, but eight is most definitely sufficient. The LAN port is powered via the Intel controller pictured above.