MSI Z170A SLI User manual

1
Unpacking
Unpacking
Thank you for buying the MSI®Z170A SLI motherboard. Check to make sure your
motherboard box contains the following items. If something is missing, contact your
dealer as soon as possible.
SATA Cable x4
Drivers & Utilities
Disc
Motherboard User
Guide
I/O Shield
Motherboard
SLI Bridge
Connector

2Safety Information
Safety Information
yThe components included in this package are prone to damage from electrostatic
discharge (ESD). Please adhere to the following instructions to ensure successful
computer assembly.
yEnsure that all components are securely connected. Loose connections may cause
the computer to not recognize a component or fail to start.
yHold the motherboard by the edges to avoid touching sensitive components.
yIt is recommended to wear an electrostatic discharge (ESD) wrist strap when
handling the motherboard to prevent electrostatic damage. If an ESD wrist strap
is not available, discharge yourself of static electricity by touching another metal
object before handling the motherboard.
yStore the motherboard in an electrostatic shielding container or on an anti-static
pad whenever the motherboard is not installed.
yBefore turning on the computer, ensure that there are no loose screws or metal
components on the motherboard or anywhere within the computer case.
yDo not boot the computer before installation is completed. This could cause
permanent damage to the components as well as injury to the user.
yIf you need help during any installation step, please consult a certified computer
technician.
yAlways turn off the power supply and unplug the power cord from the power outlet
before installing or removing any computer component.
yKeep this user guide for future reference.
yKeep this motherboard away from humidity.
yMake sure that your electrical outlet provides the same voltage as is indicated on
the PSU, before connecting the PSU to the electrical outlet.
yPlace the power cord such a way that people can not step on it. Do not place
anything over the power cord.
yAll cautions and warnings on the motherboard should be noted.
yIf any of the following situations arises, get the motherboard checked by service
personnel:
Liquid has penetrated into the computer.
The motherboard has been exposed to moisture.
The motherboard does not work well or you can not get it work according to user
guide.
The motherboard has been dropped and damaged.
The motherboard has obvious sign of breakage.
yDo not leave this motherboard in an environment above 60°C (140°F), it may damage
the motherboard.

3
Quick Start
Intel®LGA 1151 CPU
DDR4 Memory
Graphics Card
SATA Hard Disk Drive
SATA DVD Drive
A Package of Screws
Phillips Screwdriver
Chassis
Power Supply Unit
CPU Fan Thermal Paste
Quick Start
Preparing Tools and Components

4Quick Start
http://youtu.be/bf5La099urI
Installing a Processor
1
2
3
6
45
7
8
9

5
Quick Start
1
1
2
2
3
3
Installing DDR4 memory
http://youtu.be/T03aDrJPyQs

6Quick Start
Connecting the Front Panel Header
http://youtu.be/DPELIdVNZUI
1
2 10
9
JFP1
1 HDD LED + 2 Power LED +
3 HDD LED - 4 Power LED -
5 Reset Switch 6 Power Switch
7 Reset Switch 8 Power Switch
9 Reserved 10 No Pin
RESET SW
POWER SW
POWER LED+
POWER LED-
HDD LED
HDD LED
RESET SW
JFP1
HDD LED HDD LED -
HDD LED +
POWER LED -
POWER LED +
POWER LED

7
Quick Start
Installing the Motherboard
1
2

8Quick Start
Installing SATA Drives
http://youtu.be/RZsMpqxythc
1
23
4
5

9
Quick Start
1
4
5
Installing a Graphics Card
http://youtu.be/mG0GZpr9w_A
2
3

10 Quick Start
Connecting Peripheral Devices

11
Quick Start
Connecting the Power Connectors
JPWR1 JPWR2
http://youtu.be/gkDYyR_83I4

12 Quick Start
Power On
1
4
2
3

13
Contents
Contents
Unpacking .............................................................................................................. 1
Safety Information................................................................................................. 2
Quick Start ............................................................................................................. 3
Preparing Tools and Components.......................................................................... 3
Installing a Processor............................................................................................. 4
Installing DDR4 memory ........................................................................................ 5
Connecting the Front Panel Header....................................................................... 6
Installing the Motherboard..................................................................................... 7
Installing SATA Drives............................................................................................. 8
Installing a Graphics Card...................................................................................... 9
Connecting Peripheral Devices ............................................................................ 10
Connecting the Power Connectors....................................................................... 11
Power On............................................................................................................... 12
Specifications....................................................................................................... 15
Block Diagram .................................................................................................... 19
Rear I/O Panel ..................................................................................................... 20
LAN Port LED Status Table................................................................................... 20
Audio Ports Configuration.................................................................................... 20
Realtek HD Audio Manager .................................................................................. 21
Overview of Components .................................................................................... 23
CPU Socket ........................................................................................................... 25
DIMM Slots............................................................................................................ 26
PCI_E1~6: PCIe Expansion Slots.......................................................................... 27
JAUD1: Front Audio Connector ............................................................................ 28
SATA1~6: SATA 6Gb/s Connectors ....................................................................... 28
M2_1: M.2 Slots .................................................................................................... 29
JPWR1~2: Power Connectors............................................................................... 30
JUSB1~2: USB 2.0 Connectors............................................................................. 31
JUSB3~4: USB 3.1 Gen1 Connectors ................................................................... 31
JFP1, JFP2: Front Panel Connectors................................................................... 32
JTPM1: TPM Module Connector........................................................................... 32
JCI1: Chassis Intrusion Connector....................................................................... 33
JLPT1: Parallel Port Connector ........................................................................... 34
JCOM1: Serial Port Connector ............................................................................. 34
CPUFAN1~2, SYSFAN1~3: Fan Connectors.......................................................... 35
JBAT1: Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS) Jumper........................................................... 36

14 Contents
EZ Debug LED: Debug LED indicators ................................................................ 36
BIOS Setup ........................................................................................................... 37
Entering BIOS Setup............................................................................................. 37
Resetting BIOS...................................................................................................... 38
Updating BIOS....................................................................................................... 38
EZ Mode ................................................................................................................ 39
Advanced Mode .................................................................................................... 41
SETTINGS.............................................................................................................. 42
Advanced............................................................................................................... 42
Boot....................................................................................................................... 48
Security................................................................................................................. 49
Save & Exit............................................................................................................ 50
OC.......................................................................................................................... 51
M-FLASH .............................................................................................................. 58
OC PROFILE.......................................................................................................... 59
HARDWARE MONITOR.......................................................................................... 60
Software Description........................................................................................... 61
Installing Windows®7/ 8.1/ 10.............................................................................. 61
Installing Drivers .................................................................................................. 61
Installing Utilities ................................................................................................. 61
COMMAND CENTER ............................................................................................. 62
LIVE UPDATE 6...................................................................................................... 66
M-CLOUD .............................................................................................................. 68
RAMDISK............................................................................................................... 71
Intel®Extreme Tuning Utility................................................................................ 72
RAID Configuration.............................................................................................. 73
Using Intel®Rapid Storage Technology Option ROM ........................................... 73
Degraded RAID Array ........................................................................................... 76
Troubleshooting .................................................................................................. 78
Regulatory Notices.............................................................................................. 79

15
Specifications
Specifications
CPU Supports 6th Gen Intel®Core™i3/i5/i7 processors, and Intel®
Pentium®and Celeron®processors for Socket LGA1151
Chipset Intel® Z170 Chipset
Memory
y4x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 64GB
Supports DDR4 3600(OC)/ 3200(OC)/ 3000(OC)/ 2800(OC)/
2600(OC)/ 2400/ 2133 MHz*
yDual channel memory architecture
ySupports ECC, un-buffered memory
ECC UDIMM memory (non-ECC mode)
ySupports Intel®Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
* Please refer to www.msi.com for more information on compatible memory.
Expansion Slots y3x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots (support x16/x0/x4, x8/x8/x4 modes)
y3x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots
Multi-GPU ySupports 3-Way AMD®CrossFire™Technology
ySupports 2-Way NVIDIA®SLI™Technology
Storage
Intel®Z170 Chipset
y6x SATA 6Gb/s ports
Supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 for SATA
storage devices
y1x M.2 slot
Supports PCIe 3.0 x4 standard, 4.2cm/ 6cm/ 8cm length
M.2 SSD cards
Supports PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe Mini-SAS SSD with Turbo U.2
Host Card*
ySupports Intel®Smart Response Technology for Intel
Core™ processors
* The Turbo U.2 Host Card is not included, please purchase separately.
USB
yASMedia®ASM1142 Chipset
1x USB 3.1 Gen2 (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps) Type-C port
on the back panel
yIntel®Z170 Chipset
6x USB 3.1 Gen1 (SuperSpeed USB) ports (2 ports on the
back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB
connector)
6x USB 2.0 (High-speed USB) ports (2 ports on the
back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB
connector)
Continued on next page

16 Specifications
Continued from previous page
Audio yRealtek®ALC1150 Codec
y7.1-Channel High Definition Audio
LAN 1x Intel®I219-V Gigabit LAN controller
Back Panel
Connectors
y1x PS/2 mouse port
y1x PS/2 keyboard port
y1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port
y2x USB 3.1 Gen1 ports
y1x LAN (RJ45) port
y2x USB 2.0 ports
y6x audio jacks
Internal Connectors
y1x 24-pin ATX main power connector
y1x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
y6x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
y2x USB 2.0 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 2.0
ports)
y2x USB 3.1 Gen1 connectors (supports additional 4 USB
3.1 Gen1 ports)
y2x 4-pin CPU fan connectors
y3x 4-pin system fan connectors
y1x Front panel audio connector
y2x Front panel connectors
y1x TPM module connector
y1x Chassis Intrusion connector
y1x Serial port connector
y1x Parallel port connector
y1x Clear CMOS jumper
I/O Controller NUVOTON NCT6793 Controller Chip
Hardware Monitor
yCPU/System temperature detection
yCPU/System fan speed detection
yCPU/System fan speed control
Form Factor yATX Form Factor
y12 in. x 9.6 in. (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)
Continued on next page

17
Specifications
Continued from previous page
BIOS Features
y1x 128 Mb flash
yUEFI AMI BIOS
yACPI 5.0, PnP 1.0a, SM BIOS 2.8
yMulti-language
Software
yDrivers
yCOMMAND CENTER
yLIVE UPDATE 6
yFAST BOOT
ySUPER CHARGER
yM-CLOUD
yRAMDISK
yIntel®Extreme Tuning Utility
yNorton™ Security
yGoogle Chrome™, Google Toolbar, Google Drive
yCPU-Z
MSI Exclusive
Features
yCLICK BIOS 5
EZ Mode & Advanced Mode Switching
Board Explorer
Hardware Monitor
yMILITARY CLASS 4
Military Class Component
Military Class Stability and Reliability
ESD Protection
EMI Protection
Humidity Protection
Circuit Protection
High Temperature Protection
VGA Armor Slot
yCOMMAND CENTER
System Monitor
Smart Fan Control
yRAM DISK
yLIVE UPDATE 6
yM-CLOUD
yCPU-Z
Continued on next page

18 Specifications
Continued from previous page
Specification
Highlights
yDDR4 Boost Support
Dual-Channel DDR4 Memory Support
Isolated DDR4 Circuit Design
DDR4 XMP Ready
yPCI Express 3.0 Support
2-Way Nvidia SLITM Support
3-Way AMD CrossFireTM Support
yUSB 3.1 Gen2 Ready
USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C Ready
yNVMe / AHCI Driver Support
yU.2 Support (Optional)

19
Block Diagram
Block Diagram
LPC Bus
Dual Channel DDR4 Memory
6 x USB 3.1 Gen1
(5 Gbps)
6 x SATA 6Gb/s
PCI Express Bus
PCI Express Bus
PS/2 Mouse / Keyboard
Audio Jacks
Z170
CPU
Realtek
ALC1150
x1
PCI Express Bus
PCIe x1
6 x USB 2.0
x16 or x8
PCIe x1
x1
NUVOTON 6793
Super I/O
x4
PCIe x1
x1
1 x USB 3.1
Gen2 Type-C
(10 Gbps)
PCI Express Bus
ASMEDIA
ASM1142
x2
Intel
i219-V
DMI 3.0
1 x M.2 PCIe Bus
x4

20 Rear I/O Panel
Rear I/O Panel
PS/2 Mouse LAN
Audio Ports
Link/ Activity LED
Status Description
Off No link
Yellow Linked
Blinking Data activity
Speed LED
Status Description
Off 10 Mbps connection
Green 100 Mbps connection
Orange 1 Gbps connection
LAN Port LED Status Table
Audio Ports Configuration
USB 3.1 Gen 1
USB 2.0
Audio Ports Channel
2468
Line In
Line-Out/ Front Speak Out ●●●●
Mic In
Rear Speaker Out ●●●
Center/ Subwoofer Out ● ●
Side Speaker Out ●
(●: connected, Blank: empty)
USB 3.1
Gen 2
Type-C
PS/2 Keyboard