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Conclusion

Overall the MSI Z68A-GD65 G3 is an excellent product with a number of high end features. Performance was solid throughout testing, and the Virtu GPU support performed well despite adding on another chip to the GPU performance. Support for multiple expansion devices, power conservation features, and enthusiast level overclocking garners a solid win for team MSI!

Issues with overspeed protection not disabling on BIOS 23.1, as well as some issues with mouse support in the UEFI BIOS can be resolved with BIOS updates. The first mouse issue occurred using a wireless desktop suite that includes a laptop like trackpad built into the keyboard. Switching to a plug in keyboard allowed the MS wireless mouse to function great. Attaching a Logitech MX510 USB mouse also worked, although if left in when flashing the BIOS the X/Y axis would get borked again. Re-flashing the BIOS without the USB mouse plugged in is necessary to restore functionality. Unplug your USB mouse when flashing the BIOS to avoid repeating these steps.

Definitely a detraction, although subjectively not very important to this reviewer. Despite having mouse support in BIOS for the last 8 months on motherboards, keyboard is still king. Mouse support is slower since one needs to move their hands from the keyboard to the mouse to use it. However it is a nice feature and when only perusing the BIOS it is faster than Keyboarding.

Performance with the Virtu GPU is slightly lower than running a discrete GPU, but there was no noticeable feel of this reduction. Strict performance nuts will probably bypass the Virtu driver altogether, relying on the power saving features built into their GPUs instead of the IGP. 3D workstations should avoid the Intel IGP altogether, and even video editing services may want to stick to using a discrete GPU instead of taking advatnage of the AVX features built into the Sandybridge chips. Adding applications to the Virtu control panel will be necessary, and not all applications will function properly regardless if added or not. (SpecViewPerf and PT7 for example). Lucid needs to introduce profiles that can be downloaded separately from the driver much like AMD does with their GPUs.

Lucid Virtu is a nice product, but it is a performance drain except for accessing the the AVX encoding features which is useful if you use Adobe Premier or MediaEspresso software (possibly more software at a later date, however no freeware apps exist for it yet, so tack that on to initial cost). While power tests were unable to be run due to lack of proper testing equipment, reviews from around the web show that Z68 setups running the Virtu driver tend to use more power than P67 boards with no access to the IGP. The reason could be that the discrete GPU is running constantly, whether it is being used or not, as it would be if not using the IGP. Adding a software layer between the drivers and the operating system also may cause other issues. Catalyst control center for instance will not load with Virtu enabled, nor will GPUz report any results.

With that being said, purchasing a Z68 board without the Lucid Virtu built in, seems silly. It can be disabled, but the option exists to use it when necessary, especially if using AVX capable software very often. When transcoding video especially to high definition resolutions the AVX features are a real time saver.

Build quality is excellent all around from the heatsinks and mounting mechanisms to the quality of the electrical components. Even the power and reset buttons located on board did not “loosen up” with repeated use. Price is also very important, and the G3 is currently available at Newegg for $199. This is a lower price point than the B3 sold at, and is positioned excellently to generate a ton of sales. Full features in a $200 or less price range is a smart move by MSI.

The real focus is the PCI Express 3rd generation slots and the Ivy Bridge compatibility it offers. Future Proofing is a phrase that gets bandied about a bit, and technically is impossible. Future compatibility however is realistic and MSI backs up that compatibility with a 5 year warranty. 3 years is expected on a feature rich enthusiast level board, a 5 year warranty is taking it above and beyond.

In summation a good price, excellent feature set, perfect slot layout combined with a great warranty are all positive features. This product achieves the TechREACTION Gold award and is an excellent first MSI motherboard tested at TechREACTION.

Thanks to Rajiv and the guys at MSI for their help with sorting out issues.

For more information on the MSI Z68A-GD65 G3 and other MSI products, please visit their website.

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