MSI Gaming Build, MSI Z170 Gaming M7 & GTX980 Ti SLI

MSI Gaming Build, MSI Z170 Gaming M7 & GTX980 Ti SLI

| Source: MSI Price: OCUK Author: Mark Campbell

MSI Gaming Build, MSI Z170 Gaming M7 & GTX980 Ti SLI

Sometimes we get sent products that would not be very interesting in a video all by itself, after all what use is showing you all an SLI bridge if we can't show you how to make the most it. We decided that instead of doing a basic RushKit video on MSI's new Gaming SLI bridge that we would build a whole rig where it would act as the centerpiece, showing off how good it looks while also showing how important it is to pair it up with the right hardware.

What we have created for this video is no doubt a thing of great beauty, with our custom made H440 Stealth acting as a great place to showcase this lovely collection of MSI Gaming and other matching hardware. Inside this case we have some of the most beastly gaming hardware on the market, fusing together two MSI GTX 980 Ti Gaming GPUs with MSI's new Skylake Z170 Gaming M7 motherboard.

The Hardware

Inside this system we have combined some of the best looking and highest end hardware on the market, basing this PC on Intel's new LGA1151 Skylake platform and combing the power of two factory overclocked MSI GTX 980Ti Gaming GPUs.

We have already reviewed MSI's GTX 980Ti Gaming GPU and Intel's Skylake i7 6700K CPU, so you can have a look at those if you want to see some performance numbers. We will be writing a full review on MSI's Z170A Gaming M7 motherboard in the future, but we still have some more testing and overclocking to do before then.

Intel Core i7-6700K

MSI Z170A Gaming M7

Corsair LPX 3200

HyperX Predator 480GB M.2

Custom NZXT H440 Stealth

Corsair H100i

MSI GTX 980Ti Gaming SLI

Corsair RM1000i

Windows 10 x64

MSI Z170A Gaming 7

I know what a lot of you may be thinking, another red motherboard, though I must say that this motherboard does red a little bit differently than many of it's peers. This is not just your run-of-the-mill red plastic motherboard, this is a lovely cherry apple, or candy red, which any of you custom painters out there will know looks lush.

MSI's Z170A Gaming M7 makes a statement, looking very different from it's predecessors, despite using the same colour theme. MSI say that this is one of the best motherboards they have made to date, offering many great features at a very affordable price from Audio Boost 3, Killer Gaming LAN, Dual Turbo M.2 ports and even several USB 3.1 ports.

In a world where Red and Black motherboard are all too common we can be wowed by motherboard like this, it's finish is a lovely cherry/candy apple, which looks lovely in this MSI themed build. The cherry apple finish on this motherboard is very difficult to capture in photographs correctly, but believe me that this motherboard simply looks lush.

The MSI SLI Bridge

When most people see brand specific SLI bridges a lot of people think that they are very expensive for what they are, after all standard SLI bridges are provided with most motherboards and they get the job done right? Well, while that kind of thinking is correct these people do not see the point of products like this.

Premium SLI Bridges are designed to look great, replacing the awkward looking ribbon cable that standard SLI bridges use with something that is not just better looking, but provides a nice solid link between both of your GPUs.

We can see that MSI have made these SLI bridges with their current generation of GPUs in mind, with the illuminated MSI logo on the bridge closely matching the illumination of the GPUs and not covering up anything important on our GTX 980Ti GPUs. These products are just a match made in heaven, users of dual MSI Gaming GPUs owe it to themselves to take the aesthetics of their rig to the next level with a custom SLI bridge, especially if they have already spent the money on two ultra high end GPUs like these.

Right now you can purchase an MSI 2 Way SLI Bridge for the price of £26.64 at Scan.

Conclusion

When we build PCs like these we are always filled with sadness and regret, not because we are not happy with what we created but because we will have to take it apart again.

When we first saw each of these parts individually we were very happy with them aesthetically, but together they become not just a powerful PC, but a work of art. From the Cherry red finish on MSI's Z170A M7 Gaming motherboard to the illumination of MSI's Gaming SLI bridge this PC looks great regardless of what angle you look at it.

All the parts here merge together perfectly, everything matches and everything feels like it belongs form a performance perspective too, from Intel's High end i7 6700K CPU to MSI's Dual GTX 980Ti GPUs, this is certainly one of the most beastly systems which can be built today for gaming, which makes it all the more tragic that it's fate is ultimately to be taken apart again.

It is a real shame that we do not have an award for visual excellence, as this system sure is deserving of it. If you own two MSI GTX Gaming (RED) GPUs you owe it to yourself to buy a quality SLI bridge to give your PC the aesthetic bliss that it deserves.

You can join the discussion on MSI's Gaming SLI Bridge and our MSI themed system on the OC3D Forums.

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