MSI, the leader in the manufacture of high-end motherboards, graphics cards and laptops, knows that everyday users pass by us are interested in high-end equipment in the smallest box. 5 years ago it was unusable but for a while if possible; for this reason, it has launched its own Barebone gamer: MSI Night Blood E with various serial possibilities. Don't miss our review!
We thank the MSI team for transferring the motherboard for analysis.
The Z97 chipset predicts significant improvements to the Z87
On paper, there are hardly any differences between the Z87 and the Z97 chipset. We have something like the Santa Express block with 10 Gb / s bandwidth (40% faster) than the 6Gb / s of the classic SATA. How is that so much better? This is because they have one or two of the PCI Express lanes, so be careful when it comes to dual configuration or with multiple graphics cards.
One of the most important improvements is the native addition of M.2 connections with NGFF support, thus replacing the well-received MSATA ports. This technology is the future of computing, as it will allow us to integrate high-speed storage devices without occupying space in our cells. This year and 2015 we will see an increase in sales of this contact. Finally, we can see the possibility of maximizing the memory of RAM up to 3300 mh. Well, it reaches the MHz that we can reach with DDR3 memories.
Consider frequently asked questions
My heatsink socket is compatible with 1155 and 1556. Is this socket compatible with 1150? Yes, we have tested different motherboards and they all have the same holes as sockets 1155 and 1156. - Is my power supply compatible with Intel Haswell or Intel Devil Can / Haswell refresh? There is no Hesswell certified power supply. Most manufacturers have already released a list of compatible sources: Antique, Corsair, Enermax, Knox, Aerosol / Tensin and Thermaltech. Giving 98% absolute compatibility.
- Technical features
- Processor
- Processor Family Socket Processor Socket 1150Intel B85 ChipsetB85I supported a number of gaming board processors 1
- Hard drive
- Hard drive interfaces supported Serial ATA IIINumber hard drives supported
- Memory
- Maximum internal memory 16 GB Memory clock speed Supports 1600 MHz memory types Number of DDR3-SDRAM DIMM slots 2
- Audio
- 7.1 Audio Output Channels Realtek ALC1150 Audio System
- Red
- Wifi Atheros Killer E2200 LAN controller Bluetooth 4.0 version
- Ports and interfaces
- Number of USB 2.0 ports 6 Number of microphones, input jack headphone outputs 1 Ethernet LAN (RJ45) ports 1 Number of S / PDIF output Esota ports 2 Number of HDMI ports 2 Number of USB 3.0 ports 6
- Product colour black weight and dimensions
- Width 175.7 mm Depth 345.8 mm Height 277.33 mm Weight 7.6 kg
- Energy control
- 350 W power supply
- Technical details
- Mini Tower Form Element Cooling Type Active Optical Drive Type DVD Super Multi
- Hint
- Power LED LED indicator
- MSI Night Blood
- MSI presents the product in a large cardboard box and is very well protected by flexible plastic.
- In the bundle we get:
MSI Night Blood Z9. Seta wiring Processor heat sink. Scrooge. 2.5 "and 3.5" hard drive adapters or SSDs. Before Wi-Fi. Instruction Manuals. Quick guide. CD with drivers and software.
The box is very small and the quality of its contents is very good. Its dimensions are 13.61 x 10.92 x 6.92 with a capacity of up to 16 litres. It also allows us to install 29 cm long graphics cards.
Note that on the front we have 4 USB 3.0 buttons for connection, output/input, output, OC and power. A little further down we find a thin DVD drive.
To remove any doubts from our readers, when you buy this barebone, you need to install: processor, RAM memory, hard drives and graphics card to make it work. That is to say, we bought a small standard box, Z9 motherboard, a basic cooling system and a pre-assembled power supply.
To remove both sides, we press the redback button and pull out some screws. Here you can see it with the possibility of installing the internal computer and a high-end graphics card.
If we go a little deeper, the buttons in front of us have internal connections: USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, the power button and the audio input/output. We also see an "L" shaped cable from the 600W 80 Plus Gold power supply.
For storage, it gives us a lot of possibilities with SATA and dual MSATA connection (current image) which I really like.
As the main motherboard, we have all the powerful MSI Z97I gaming AC we discussed earlier. We've installed enough i7-4770k processor and 8GB RAM to get our tests done. The board includes special features for the Wi-Fi 802.11ac series, Bluetooth 4.0, Killer E2205 network card and overclocking.
We have a slim red Ning Unit (ODD) which allows us to back up our system, play videos, etc.
I have left to eliminate the most serious problem whose system is ... refrigeration. Although it has filters on both sides, the fans are noisy and small (like the back of the first icon). As standard, it includes a small heat sink with a faulty 7 cm fan. Why? If we want to overclock, we are completely limited ... although it is better than the standard one with Intel processors, it is not up to this bare bone.
Let's not make a kid ourselves. There are games that can average 100 fps. It could be that the game is old enough and doesn't require many graphic resources, that the graphics market is the most powerful, or that we have GPU systems for thousands of euros. But the reality is different, and games like Crisis 3 and Metro 2033 are very demanding and usually do not score high.