MSI Z170A Gaming M5 Review

Overclocking and EFI

We've only tested a couple of Z170 boards so far but both have managed 4.8GHz using our Intel Core i7-6700K sample. Unfortunately, the Z170A Gaming M5 couldn't quite stretch this far, even with a vcore of 1.42V applied, with an apparent lack of extensive loadline calibration options in the EFI.

This has proven very useful for overclocking Skylake CPUs elsewhere and it's likely a feature you'll need if you're intent on pushing for a maximum overclock. We managed 4.7GHz initially, but on updating to the latest EFI - version 141, we saw that even this was out of reach at reasonable voltages and in the end we settled with 4.6GHz using a vcore of 1.36V.

The EFI was up to MSI's usual high standards with a clear layout although a simple splash screen has been introduced that gives an overview of the various options rather than throwing you into the detailed bit of the EFI like normal.

In all honestly, this a bit unecessary as MSI's EFIs already sport a kind of overview screen but as the splash screen offers a favourites section where you can dump your most used tweaking settings such as vcore and multiplier, it's probably a useful feature to have for your average overclocker.

If you prefer the more advanced section then this hasn't changed much and is still clear and concise with all the usual overclocking settings in one place. MSI's hardware monitor is second only to that included with most high-end Asus boards and allows you to control all the fan headers with customisable fan curves and also switch certain fans off.