Intel's Z370 platform is right around the corner and during the upcoming weeks vendors might launch quite a few new products. Thanks to Videocardz, we can already have a glance at MSI's Z370 series of motherboards. So far the lineup includes nine models but we believe that we will see more motherboards, such as a mini-ITX board a Titanium version.


At the moment there are only a few details known but as it always is before launches, we expect the full list of specifications as well as detailed pictures to surface rather sooner than later. So far MSI's Z370 lineup appears to include nine models and they should cover the enthusiast as well as the mainstream market. For example the Z370 Godlike Gaming, the Z370 Gaming M5 and the Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon should belong to the high-end series, while the Z370 Krait Gaming and the Z370 Tomahawk should be a member of mid-range/mainstream series. In addition, MSI will introduce cheaper solution for entry level gaming PCs.

Comparing to the Z270 series, MSI is keeping the same color scheme in the case of their Z370 models. Apparently all the boards come with an armada of features, such as up to three M.2 slots for example. Apart from that the RGB lighting has been improved and now we find several RGB strips all over the motherboard. The list published on Videocardz includes several models that we have already spotted in the last few days, like the Z370 Godlike Gaming, the Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon and the Z370 Krait Gaming.

A closer look reveals that the Z370 Gaming M5, the SLI Plus and the Tomahawk feature a black color scheme with four DIMM slots. There are three PCIe Gen 3.0 slots with steel reinforcements and RGB lighting. On the storage side we see two M.2 slots and six SATA ports. Since the Gaming M5 is part of the high-end offerings, we find more features like a dedicated audio chip, bigger heatsinks and a plastic I/O cover. Overall these three models share the same PCB and basic specifications.

In addition there is the Z370M Gaming Pro AC which is the first micro-ATX Z370 model that we see so far. Like the other models we find the same black PCB with several RGB LEDs. Overall there are less plastic covers and connectors. On the storage side we see two M.2 slots and four SATA ports. In the case of the audio it appears that MSI is using an ALC1220 chip instead of some dedicated or improved audio system.

Thanks to a leak on NCIX we also know the prices of these motherboards. According to the site, the Z370 Godlike Gaming should costs $533 US, the Z370 Gaming M5 hits $216 US and the Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon should hit $205 US. Speaking about the mid-range board, we have the Z370 Krait Gaming, SLI Plus and Tomahawk listed to $150 US, while the cheapest model should is supposed to cost $130 US.



Source: Videocardz