The new Intel 8th Generation Coffee Lake processors are some great chips. There are lots of improvements this year and we have covered it in our past article. The major one is due to the core count increase. Intel has been sticking with 14nm fabrication since few year and they have delayed the 10nm further. Even though the Lithography and Socket is same since two years the Coffee Lake processors don’t support older chipset motherboards. They need new 300 series which includes Z370, H370, B360, H310 AND Q370. MSI has all major chipset boards and we have listed few that we thing are the best.
Actually all the processors run on any of the motherboard with any 300 series chipset. But the best result is obtained only when it is paired right. There are many things to take care while choosing a motherboard. First one obviously is price, then comes processor compatibility and finally required features. We have been using MSI motherboards since seven years and we trust their quality.
There are lots of MSI 300 series motherboards and they are for all purpose and all types of budget. As we said earlier always set your correct processor with correct board. For example Core i7 8700K works with H310 board but it is recommended to use Z370 board. It is because no board except Z370 can overclock it and get get higher frequency RAM support as well.
But you can choose higher end board if you want. People can set a low end Pentium CPU in H370 board even though it may not make sense economically. Some people might need higher SATA ports or PCI Slots so it is choice of users. Anyway whatever the reasons are here are few of the best motherboards we like from MSI. This list includes best one from each chipset family considering price and features.
Also Read: 8th Gen MSI Gaming Laptops and Improvements
1) MSI H310M Gaming Plus
Many company tag their products as”Gaming” these days. Well in most cases they are somewhat better than normal series but these also attract gamers. This product is not for serious gamers but this is great choice for budget gamers. This board has great color accent, M.2 support and armored PCI-E slot. Users can pair this with a Core i3 8100 and a good GPU like GTX 1060 3 GB or GTX 1050 Ti 4 GB and start on 1080p gaming adventure. For people who want basic computer with Pentium processors boards like H310M-Pro VD are great option.
2) B360M Bazooka Plus
The B360 motherboards are for mid-range PC. This is great option for a processor like Intel Core i5 8400. Pairing this set with a GTX 1060 6 GB or GTX 1070 will give your system great power to play games at 1080p max and even 1440p. The MSI Bazooka Plus is a Micro ATX board which has 4 RAM Slots, good design, two PCI-E slots and M.2 support. If users want ATX size board than MSI B360 Gaming Plus, B360 A Pro and B360 Gaming Pro Carbon are great choices.
3) H370 Gaming Pro Carbon
This 300 series board is in a very awkward position because of price. It is above B360 and below Z370. Even MSI has very less H370 boards in the market. This board has M.2 thermal shield, Mystic light, Carbon themed design and lots of peripheral support. It is for people who want a bit premium board than B360 series but don’t want Z series.
4) Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
The Z370 boards are the pinnacle for Coffee Lake processor. Normal users don’t buy these motherboards because these are meant for overclockers and unlcoked CPU like Core i7 8700k, Core i5 8600k and new Core i7 8086k. Pairing this kind of board with a GXT 1080 or GT 1080 Ti can provide a good 4K Gaming system. The Z370 Gaming Pro carbon all the features that can be expected in high end motherboard. It has 3 PCI-E slots, Gaming LAN, High frequency RAM support, Audio Boost, two M.2 slots and lot more. MSI has the Z370 Godlike Gaming board which is the most expensive and premium board in market priced at $500.
So these are some of our best picks from MSI inventory for building a new 8th Gen build. Our suggestion is always to invest on thing you need and may need in future for expansion. Don’t buy things you don’t need and always pair your components right and efficiently. If you have any suggestions or experience with above mentioned products than share with us.
