Product Comparison: MSI Z270 Gaming M3 vs MSI Z270 Gaming M5

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MSI Z270 Gaming M3 DDR4 VR Ready HDMI USB 3 ATX Motherboard

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MSI Z270 Gaming M5 DDR4 VR Ready HDMI USB 3 ATX Motherboard

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General Specifications

Brand

MSI

Model

Z270 GAMING M3

Z270 GAMING M5

Origin

China

About the Product

MSI's Z270 GAMING M3 is an incredibly versatile and complete foundation for a gaming system. Features such as Audio Boost 4 PRO and Nahimic 2 provide gamers two sets of audio modules with isolated circuits for a pure sound experience to deliver the competitive edge on the battlefield. Beyond its technical features, the design is influenced by a powerful imagination with a futuristic armored starship theme. Erupting from the core, the entire color spectrum flows through illuminated lines. Multilayer plating, wings and armaments emphasize an ultramodern style.

MSI's Z270 Gaming M5 is undoubtedly one of the more feature rich Motherboard. Built for gaming first and foremost, it's packing just about everything you're going to need for a premium experience while using Intel's Core 7000 series CPUs, or the previous generation Skylake chips.

Key Specs

Form Factor

ATX

Socket

LGA1151

Chipset

Intel® Z270

Supported Processors

7th/6th Generation Core™ i7, 7th/6th Generation Core™ i5, 7th/6th Generation Core™ i3, 7th/6th Generation Core™ Pentium, 7th/6th Generation Core™ Celeron

Memory Slot Type

288 pin

What customers say about "Key Specs"

MSI Z270 Gaming M3 DDR4 VR Ready HDMI USB 3 ATX Motherboard

Really appreciate the reenforced GPU slot.
Bought it so that i could upgrade my motherboard cause the one that i had was ancient!But also you culd call its my my new build now ,because i upgraded a lot of components !works perfect with my other components! Iove msi they are designed for gaming and for a budget gaming perfect motherboard!
Great motherboard with a lot of customizations with the ability of overclocking any parts of your pc like cpu ram slots etc
This is a great little motherboard for first time enthusiast gamer's. The price cant be beat for all of its features. You got your DDR4, your PCIe 3.0 X16, your Intel Core cpu and room for a Nvidia 1070 card. And lots of USB 3.1. Budget gaming all the way. Super easy auto overclocking as well.
So far, this is an amazing motherboard. This motherboard is a Z170A chipset for the 1151 Processor, or Skylake.

MSI Z270 Gaming M5 DDR4 VR Ready HDMI USB 3 ATX Motherboard

So far, this is an amazing motherboard. This motherboard is a Z170A chipset for the 1151 Processor, or Skylake.
First of all, I haven't purchased this Mobo, but I just have to say, damn this thing is gorgeous (other than the gaudy MSI dragon on the chipset heatsink) but hey its MSI.
Fits perfectly fine in my corsair 450D case
Once the build was complete and I started to configure the system, I realized that MSI builds a great product, more for the customer, not just for profit.
Bent pins are common with MSI motherboards. I recommend to closely look for any bent pins with a magnifying glass and flash light before placing the intel CPU in the socket. Many times you can correct the bent pins with a small tool instead of returning the motherboard.

Size & Weight

Height

12 in.

Width

9.6 in.

Depth

2.6 in.

1 in.

Weight

3.5 lbs.

3.8 lbs.

MSI Z270 Gaming M3

MSI Z270 Gaming M5

MSI Z270 Gaming M3

MSI Z270 Gaming M5

MSI Z270 Gaming M3

MSI Z270 Gaming M5

MSI Z270 Gaming M3

MSI Z270 Gaming M5

Memory

Memory Type

DDR4

Maximum Speed

3800 MHz

3866 MHz

Number Of Memory Slots

Max. Memory Supported

64 GB

MSI Z270 Gaming M3

MSI Z270 Gaming M5

MSI Z270 Gaming M3

MSI Z270 Gaming M5

MSI Z270 Gaming M3

MSI Z270 Gaming M5

What customers say about "Memory"

MSI Z270 Gaming M3 DDR4 VR Ready HDMI USB 3 ATX Motherboard

I have this board paired with an Intel i7 7700K, 32gb Corsair Dominator Platinum SE 3200mhz Memory, EVGA GTX 1080 FTW Hybrid, Corsair H115i, Intel 600p 512gb NVMe Drive. Packaging of the motherboard was superb and included everything needed for the build.
No problems on oc memory or cpu. works grate and comes with lots of software for oc cpu and memory and fan speeds. I didn't have to spend $300 for a good mobo this one does everything I need.
The recommended memory had no issues. This is something that I have fought with before, memory seems to be the biggest problem components.
Great Memory support, running GSkill tridents at 3733.
For some reason it was a pain trying to get the i7 6700k with the memory set up that I have to run smoothly on the board. Maybe cause I used a preexisting SSD to reinstall windows, but what ever the case, I had a lot shut downs, crashes and blue screen.

MSI Z270 Gaming M5 DDR4 VR Ready HDMI USB 3 ATX Motherboard

Great Memory support, running GSkill tridents at 3733
I have this board paired with an Intel i7 7700K, 32gb Corsair Dominator Platinum SE 3200mhz Memory, EVGA GTX 1080 FTW Hybrid, Corsair H115i, Intel 600p 512gb NVMe Drive. Packaging of the motherboard was superb and included everything needed for the build.
This was my first MSI motherboard and I have no regrets so far. Memory started at lower Mhz by default but I only needed to turn on XMP to correct. Included utilities are very helpful for system monitoring.
I can't get XMP to work, G.skill TridentZ 3000Mhz. I manually got it to 15-16-16-35 2800Mhz. If I manually set it to 3000Mhz the board doesn't post.
I'm not sure if what I did solved the issues, but I reduced my speeds down to 4.8 ghz and 3000 mhz for memory and that seemed to do the trick. I suspect, i may need a clean copy of windows 10 on a new SSD

Connectivity

PCI-E

2 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots (supports x16/x4 mode), 4 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots

3 x PCI-E 3.0 x16 slots

HDMI

USB

2 x USB 2.0 Type-A ports, 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A port, 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port, 4 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports (optional)

2 x USB 3.1 Gen2 (Type A+C), 6 x USB 3.1 Gen1, 7 x USB 2.0

SATA

Other Interfaces

1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector, 2 x USB 3.1 Gen1 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 3.1 Gen1 ports), 2 x USB 2.0 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 2.0 ports), 1 x 4-pin CPU fan connector, 1 x 4-pin water pump fan connector, 4 x 4-pin system fan connectors, 1 x Front panel audio connector, 2 x Front panel connectors, 1 x LED connector, 1 x TPM module connector, 1 x Chassis Intrusion connector, 1 x Serial connector, 1 x Clear CMOS jumper, 1 x PS/2 mouse & keyboard combo port, 1 x DVI-D port, 1 x LAN (RJ45) port, 5 x OFC audio jacks, 1 x Optical S/PDIF OUT connector

2 x M.2 slots, 1 x U.2 port, SATA RAID: 0,1,5,10, Killer™ E2500 Gigabit LAN port, 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector, 1 x 4-pin CPU fan connector, 1 x 4-pin water pump fan connector, 4 x 4-pin system fan connectors, 1 x Front panel audio connector, 2 x Front panel connectors, 1 x Serial port connector, 1 x RGB LED connector, 1 x TPM module connector, 1 x Chassis Intrusion connector, 1 x Clear CMOS jumper, 1 x BIOS FLASHBACK+ button, 1 x 2-Digit Debug Code LED, 1 x PS/2 mouse & keyboard combo port, 5 x OFC audio jacks, 1 x Optical S/PDIF OUT connector

What customers say about "Connectivity"

MSI Z270 Gaming M3 DDR4 VR Ready HDMI USB 3 ATX Motherboard

Has All interfaces including two M2 Easy to setup and work stably.
USB-C slots and plenty of USB 3 slots as well as an M2 slot
The nice layout with all the fan headers, M.2 slots, SATA ports, etc. made the build that much easier and pleasant. Driver and software installs were seamless and so far everything plays nice together.
Only 2 down points are no thunderbolt offer on this range of board, and more heat sensors will be welcome.
I don't really like the first M.2 slot right next to the video card. NVMe boards already run hot and this is place right next to a hot video card. Hmm. I just used the second slot as it is more out in the open.
The usb 3.0 holder was poorly molded and broke when I plugged in my usb header.

MSI Z270 Gaming M5 DDR4 VR Ready HDMI USB 3 ATX Motherboard

Motherboard offers a reading of every slot so you can essentially trouble shoot what ever issues you're having
The PCI slots will hold the heaviest GPU you can find for some like myself, we need it. I had my last Motherboard fail on me because of this very same issue.
I love the reinforced PCI-E slots. I don't know why this isn't a norm on all boards especially with cards being a foot long.
Some graphics cards are VERY heavy and can put a lot of stress on the slot, but the MSI M5's reinforced slots had no problem accommodating the huge Radeon card.
The board offers three 4-pin fan connectors, as well as two 4-pin CPU fan connectors.

Features

Native Audio

Realtek® ALC1220 Codec

Additional Accessories Included

Drivers & Utilities Disc, User's manual, I/O Shield, SATA Cable x4, SLI Bridge Connector, M-Connector, 1 to 2 RGB LED Extension Y Cable 80cm x1, SATA Cable Labels

Drivers & Utilities Disc, User's manual, SATA Cable x4, I/O Shield, SLI Bridge Connector, SATA Cable Labels, RGB LED Extension Cable 80cm x1

Extras

VR Ready and VR Boost, GAMING LAN with LAN Protect, powered by Killer, Military Class 5, Guard-Pro: Latest evolution in high quality components for best protection and efficiency, MULTI-GPU: With Steel Armor PCI-E slot. Supports AMD Crossfire, In-Game Weapons: Game Boost, GAMING Hotkey, X-Boost, Xsplit Gamecaster, EZ Debug LED: Easiest way to troubleshoot, Click BIOS 5: Award-winning BIOS with high resolution scalable font, favorites and search function, GAMING CERTIFIED: 24-hour on- and offline game and motherboard testing by eSports players

VR Ready and VR Boost, Mystic Light RGB and Mystic Light Sync, Military Class 5, Guard-Pro: Latest evolution in high quality components for best protection and efficiency, In-Game Weapons: Game Boost, GAMING Hotkey, X-Boost, Xsplit Gamecaster, EZ Debug LED: Easiest way to troubleshoot, GAMING CERTIFIED: 24-hour on- and offline game and motherboard testing by eSports players

What customers say about "Features"

MSI Z270 Gaming M3 DDR4 VR Ready HDMI USB 3 ATX Motherboard

Few red LED you can adjust on the MoBo, 2x M.2 slots, UBS C , easy OC mode you can hit 4,5Ghz by pressing a button, quite nice if you're being lazy.
Its very good at all, and the sound from the motherboard is good as creative sound cards :)
Nice features. Easy bios being that it was my first compy build. Also... sturdy packaging, to my horror the box bounced down my stairs... I soiled myself as I watched it in slow motion while it hit every step on the way down.
Includes mystic RGB led control header on board to power and sync RGB light strips
Not easy Bios configuration software (interface) & very difficult to setup M2 PCIe drive Every time I chose AHCI & restart it auto select to RAID and M2 is not detected or mapped Not up to expectation support from MSI
Slight confusion with manual and motherboard PW switch and PW Led pins labeling but nothing that could be adjusted.

MSI Z270 Gaming M5 DDR4 VR Ready HDMI USB 3 ATX Motherboard

MSI Utility Software works wonders.
You can do a diagantostic type of OVERCLOCKING. Basically the mtoher baord will find the best OC setting for youre setting
Installation and setup was an absolute breeze. Currently running M.2 950 pros in raid 0. Boot time 14 seconds.
Onboard audio is pretty good. Used my ATH-M50X for a little bit and the sound were good (to my ears). I ended up using my usb DAC instead because why waste a DAC when you have one already.
"RGB" Lighting is very limited. Only a set number of colors are available.
Audio Boost 3 is not as good as the competition at this price point, I.e Asrock, Gigabyte offer 115 dB SNR
Not much for "RGB" Lighting.. but I didn't buy it for that so no real biggie

Power

Power Connectors

1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector

What customers say about "Power"

MSI Z270 Gaming M3 DDR4 VR Ready HDMI USB 3 ATX Motherboard

Is it stable-Yes. I haven't updated anything for bios. don't care to either. I can OC any portion of the motherboard from the BIOS to pump out powered to anything I have hooked up.
It has 5 cpu fan slots, wish it had more but I made do with what I had. the 2 fans I have on the front of the case are connected straight to the power supply.
Just saying if you upgrade part mobo/cpu only along the way, pay close attention to the power supply you use...
It's a really nice looking motherboard, this motherboard was the first motherboard with power switch and restart button on it, I was so surprised to see that, I would highly recommend this motherboard to anyone
This board has all the high end features an enthusiast gaming mother board would expect. Its also well built and have great power delivery for overclocking.

MSI Z270 Gaming M5 DDR4 VR Ready HDMI USB 3 ATX Motherboard

It has 5 cpu fan slots, wish it had more but I made do with what I had. the 2 fans I have on the front of the case are connected straight to the power supply.
Thought i could use an older power 900W power supply, but seems the specs for the power supply for the newer chips changed and had to purchase a new power supply.
This board has all the high end features an enthusiast gaming mother board would expect. Its also well built and have great power delivery for overclocking.
One lesson I learned though, don't skip the ATX 6 pin power connector above the graphics card. It isn't optional, as USB devices wouldn't work on startup sometimes if it wasn't plugged in. I don't know what the 6 pin is for, but since I plugged in the extra power no issues.
I don't like that this mobo has no LED light to tell you that the power-supply is properly connected and powering the mobo. The mobo's LED only turns on when you completely power on the PC, instead of when it's receiving power from the PSU.
The biggest issue I had was right when I first installed the mobo and everything else in my case -- there was a red LED present near the 24pin power connector on the mobo, and nothing would power on!

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

1 year(s)

Certifications

FCC, CE