The Z270 Gaming Pro Carbon from MSI is a mid-range motherboard that comes with a few interesting features. Compared to the previous model, which goes by the name Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon, we see a similar color scheme - as the name suggests - but a reworked layout and a new design for all the heatsinks.


Like the same model from the previous generation the Z270 Gaming Pro Carbon is based on an ATX form factor, yet this time MSI is using all the area available on the PCB. The old model featured a backlight bar on the right hand side going from top to bottom, which was a nice idea but made the board look weird. Nevertheless the Gaming Pro Carbon also comes with RGB backlight underneath PCH cooler and there are steel reinforcements on PCIe slots. In general the layout is quite similar to the previous model and therefore it has also been equipped with three full-sized PCIe slots.

There are still six SATA ports but only four of them have been angled. Apart from that you get two M.2 slots allowing the installation of differently sized SSDs. The first M.2 slot is placed in the middle of motherboard and is compatible with 22110 units, while the second one is in the bottom area and it supports 2280 SSDs. The latter one also feature the M.2 Shield which should improve temperatures.

Like with the more expensive Gaming M5 there is also a plastic I/O cover, which received some carbon-like looking stickers and RGB backlight. Although this particular board is placed somewhere between entry-level and mid-range in the case of Z270, we think it could be an interesting choice, since the price is most certainly going to be very competitive.