Analyzing Z370 for Intel's 8th Generation Coffee Lake: A Quick Look at 50+ Motherboards
by Ian Cutress, Anton Shilov, Joe Shields & Gavin Bonshor on October 20, 2017 2:00 PM ESTMSI Z370 SLI Plus
The MSI Z370 SLI Plus sits as the next installment on a very successful SLI Plus line from MSI. On some chipsets, the SLI Plus sits as one of the cheapest boards that still boasts extra features, with the key one being SLI but also going full-bore with the MSI software stack. Compared to some of the other Z370 'Pro' series boards, this board has multiple PCIe slots using reinforcement, shrouding on the back panel IO, a higher phase count power delivery, and uses the latest Realtek ALC1220 audio codec.
The SLI Plus’ appearance isn’t much different than some of the other mid-level boards MSI is releasing for Z370. It is a black on black theme, with on-PCB stencil design elements around the chipset, chipset heatsink, and power delivery. There are two heatsinks to keep the power delivery cool, although they are not heatpiped together. RGB LEDs are found under the chipset heatsink, as well as on the back of the board and in the audio separation line. There is one RGB header on the board for adding another RGB LED strip.
The four memory slots are not strengthened on the SLI Plus, but use single sided clips to allow for easy installation when other large GPUs are present. The board supports up to 64GB of memory, with speeds up to DDR4-4000+. The top two full-length PCIe slots are powered by the CPU in an x16 or x8/x8 configuration, and use MSI's structural reinforcement. The third full-length PCIe slot is from the chipset and does not have reinforcement.
Like almost every board in the roundup so far, the SLI Plus has six SATA ports supporting RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10. Additionally, there are two M.2 slots, with one found above the top PCIe slot and a second between the last two full-length slots. The top M.2 location can fit up to 110mm drives while the bottom supports up to 80mm.
A total of six 4-pin hybrid controlled (PWM/voltage) fan headers can also be found, with four around the socket and two towards the bottom of the board. The Realtek ALC1220 codec is used for audio, featuring an EMI shield and PCB separation. Networking duties are handled by the Intel I219-V controller.
The rear panel has two USB 3.1 (10 Gbps) ports, one Type-A and Type-C, handled by the ASMedia ASM3142 controller. Users will get four USB 3.1 (5 Gbps) ports and two USB 2.0 ports on the rear panel also, with two headers from each for front panel connectors. The rest of the rear panel contains a combination PS/2 port, DVI-D and HDMI for video outputs, the Intel network port, and audio jacks with SDPIF.
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EricZBA - Friday, October 20, 2017 - link
The Asus Strix Z370-G mATX may be up on Amazon's website, but it has been Out of Stock ever since the page went up with no shipping date in sight. NewEgg Canada has it out of stock and NewEgg's US website doesn't even have a page for it. To call it available is inaccurate.Rubinhood - Friday, October 20, 2017 - link
Coffee Lake & related hardware is the new Duke Nukem Forever :)xchaotic - Monday, October 23, 2017 - link
Well, I am typing this on Asus Strix Z370 I + i5 8400 PC so not entirely vaporware. People may be whining but it seems that Intel can't keep up with the demand...piiman - Thursday, October 26, 2017 - link
got an 8600k today at Newegg. They still have stock after 4 hours so it looks like they may be starting to get large shipments. I7 is still out of stock thoughimaheadcase - Saturday, October 21, 2017 - link
Amazon is different than newegg, if it says Out of Stock, if you order it it will ship when it comes in stock. Sometimes it will be same day even or next day. Amazon will only show "This item is not available" if completely out of stock for foreseeable future. They do this because it stops items from completely selling out right away so supply can be steady.Morawka - Saturday, October 21, 2017 - link
I have found that Asus treats USA customers like a red headed step child. They will send units to the UK, australia, and all of Europe before they will send 1 single board to the USA.Some advice: Start looking at Overclockers.UK and have it imported to the USA.. The $30 DHL International shipping is faster than USPS Priority Mail or UPS International Express Saver. No VAT tax either.
This is what i had to do to get a Rampage VI Extreme. Newegg hasn't gotten a R6E in stock for 2 months after the initial release batch.
SpartanJet - Sunday, October 22, 2017 - link
Does Asus USA cover warranty issues then since you bought it from UK?Xeres14 - Monday, October 23, 2017 - link
Yeah I've been waiting on the Asus z370-g. I can't find an i7-8700k right now either so it's all right. Hopefully I'll be able to get both before Christmas (along with the rest of the upgrade).stuffwhy - Friday, October 20, 2017 - link
This is so great. I find it increasingly difficult to find the right mainboard and this type of posting consolidates a lot of research time.SanX - Sunday, October 22, 2017 - link
There are no "right" mobo here. Right future proof and super fast mobo has to be a dual-processor at least. Dual-SLI for example offers benefits for speed but in many cases the dual-chip is doing the same in simulations.