MSI Z270 GAMING M7 User manual

1
Unpacking
Unpacking
Thank you for buying the MSI®Z270 GAMING M7 motherboard. Check to make sure
your motherboard box contains the following items. If something is missing, contact
your dealer as soon as possible.
Drivers & Utilities
Disc Motherboard User
Guide
I/O Shield
Motherboard
SLI Bridge
Connector
SATA Cable Labels
1 to 2 RGB LED Extension
Y Cable 80cm x1
SATA Cable x4
M-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
DIMMA2 DIMMA2
DIMMA1
DIMMB2 DIMMB2 DIMMB2
DIMMB1

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
BAT1
Installing the Motherboard
1
2

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

9
Quick Start
1
Installing a Graphics Card
http://youtu.be/mG0GZpr9w_A
2
3
4
5
6

10 Quick Start
Connecting Peripheral Devices

11
Quick Start
Connecting the Power Connectors
http://youtu.be/gkDYyR_83I4
ATX_PWR1 CPU_PWR1
CPU_PWR2

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....................................................................................................... 16
Block Diagram .................................................................................................... 21
Rear I/O Panel ..................................................................................................... 22
LAN Port LED Status Table................................................................................... 22
Audio Ports Configuration.................................................................................... 22
Realtek HD Audio Manager .................................................................................. 23
Overview of Components .................................................................................... 25
CPU Socket ........................................................................................................... 27
DIMM Slots............................................................................................................ 28
PCI_E1~6: PCIe Expansion Slots.......................................................................... 29
U2_1: U.2 Connector............................................................................................. 31
M2_1~3: M.2 Slots (Key M) ................................................................................... 32
SATA1~6: SATA 6Gb/s Connectors ....................................................................... 33
CPU_PWR1~2, ATX_PWR1: Power Connectors ................................................... 35
JUSB4~5: USB 2.0 Connectors............................................................................. 36
JUSB1, JUSB3: USB 3.1 Gen1 Connectors........................................................... 36
JUSB2: USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C Connector............................................................. 37
JFP1, JFP2: Front Panel Connectors ................................................................... 38
JAUD1: Front Audio Connector ............................................................................ 38
CPU_FAN1, PUMP_FAN1, SYS_FAN1~4: Fan Connectors................................... 39
JCI1: Chassis Intrusion Connector....................................................................... 40
JLED1: RGB LED connector ................................................................................. 41

14 Contents
FLASHB1: BIOS FLASHBACK+ Button................................................................. 41
POWER1, RESET1: Power Button, Reset Button ................................................. 42
JBAT1: Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS) Jumper........................................................... 42
OC1: GAME BOOST Knob ..................................................................................... 43
OC_RT1: OC Retry Jumper................................................................................... 44
OC_FS1: OC Force Enter BIOS Jumper............................................................... 44
JSLOW_1: Slow Mode Booting Jumper................................................................ 45
JLN1: Low Temperature Booting Jumper............................................................ 45
JDISCH1: Discharge Jumper................................................................................ 45
Onboard LEDs ...................................................................................................... 46
EZ Debug LEDs..................................................................................................... 46
DIMM LEDs ........................................................................................................... 46
XMP LED ............................................................................................................... 46
Fan LEDs............................................................................................................... 47
BIOS FLASHBACK+ LED....................................................................................... 47
GAME BOOST LEDs .............................................................................................. 47
PCIe x16 slot LEDs................................................................................................ 48
Debug Code LED................................................................................................... 48
Debug Code LED Table ......................................................................................... 49
ACPI States Codes ................................................................................................ 51
CPU Temperature ................................................................................................. 51
BIOS Setup ........................................................................................................... 52
Entering BIOS Setup............................................................................................. 52
Resetting BIOS...................................................................................................... 53
Updating BIOS....................................................................................................... 53
EZ Mode ................................................................................................................ 55
Advanced Mode .................................................................................................... 57
SETTINGS.............................................................................................................. 58
Advanced............................................................................................................... 58
Boot....................................................................................................................... 64
Security................................................................................................................. 65
Save & Exit............................................................................................................ 66
OC.......................................................................................................................... 67
M-FLASH .............................................................................................................. 76
OC PROFILE.......................................................................................................... 77
HARDWARE MONITOR.......................................................................................... 78
Software Description........................................................................................... 79
Installing Windows®7/ 8.1/ 10.............................................................................. 79

15
Contents
Installing Drivers .................................................................................................. 79
Installing Utilities ................................................................................................. 79
COMMAND CENTER ............................................................................................. 80
LIVE UPDATE 6...................................................................................................... 84
MSI SMART TOOL ................................................................................................. 86
GAMING APP......................................................................................................... 89
X-BOOST ............................................................................................................... 94
RAMDISK............................................................................................................... 96
Killer Control Center ............................................................................................ 97
Nahimic 2.............................................................................................................. 98
XSplit Gamecaster V2 ......................................................................................... 102
SteelSeries Engine 3 .......................................................................................... 106
Intel®Extreme Tuning Utility.............................................................................. 108
CPU-Z.................................................................................................................. 109
RAID Configuration............................................................................................ 110
Using Intel®Rapid Storage Technology Option ROM ......................................... 110
Degraded RAID Array ......................................................................................... 113
M.2 PCIe SSD RAID............................................................................................. 115
Troubleshooting ................................................................................................ 117
Regulatory Notices............................................................................................ 118

16 Specifications
Specifications
CPU
ySupports 7th/6th Gen Intel®Core™i3/i5/i7 processors,
and Intel®Pentium®and Celeron®processors for Socket
LGA1151
Chipset Intel® Z270 Chipset
Memory
y4x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 64GB
7th Gen processors support DDR4 4000(OC)/ 3800(OC)/
3600(OC)/ 3200(OC)/ 3000(OC)/ 2800(OC)/ 2600(OC)/ 2400/
2133 MHz*
6th Gen processors support DDR4 3600(OC)/ 3200(OC)/
3000(OC)/ 2800(OC)/ 2600(OC)/ 2400(OC)/ 2133 MHz*
yDual channel memory architecture
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/x0, x8/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4
modes)
y3x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots
Onboard Graphics
y1x HDMI™port, supports a maximum resolution of
4096x2160@30Hz(7th Gen CPU), 4096x2160@24Hz(6th Gen
CPU), 2560x1600@60Hz
y1x DisplayPort, supports a maximum resolution of
4096x2304@24Hz, 2560x1600@60Hz, 3840x2160@60Hz,
1920x1200@60Hz
Storage
Intel®Z270 Chipset
y6x SATA 6Gb/s ports*/ **
y1x U.2 port **
Supports up to PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe U.2 SSD
y3x M.2 slots (Key M)*
M2_1 slot supports up to PCIe 3.0x4 and SATA 6Gb/s
standards, 2242/ 2260 /2280/ 22110 storage devices
M2_2 slot supports up to PCIe 3.0x4 standard, 2242/ 2260
/2280 storage devices
M2_3 slot supports up to PCIe 3.0x4 and SATA 6Gb/s **
standards, 2242/ 2260 /2280 storage devices
Intel®Optane™ Memory Ready for all M.2 slots***
ySupports Intel®Smart Response Technology for Intel Core™
processors
* M.2 and SATA ports maximum support 2x M.2 PCIe SSDs + 6x SATA HDDs. Please
refer to page 33 for Recommendation of M.2, SATA & U.2 combination.
**The M2_3, U2_1 and SATA5~6 share the same bandwidth. Please refer to page
33 for Recommendation of M.2, SATA & U.2 combination.
***Intel®Optane™ Technology is only supported when using 7th Gen processors.
Before using Intel®Optane™ memory modules, please ensure that you have
updated the drivers and BIOS to the latest version from MSI website.
Continued on next page

17
Specifications
Continued from previous page
RAID
Intel®Z270 Chipset
ySupports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 for SATA
storage devices
ySupports RAID mode for M.2 PCIe storage devices*
* M.2 PCIe RAID volume can be created with M.2 GENIE. Please refer to page
56 for details about M.2 GENIE.
USB
yASMedia®ASM2142 Chipset
2x USB 3.1 Gen2 (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps) Type-C ports
(1 port on the back panel, 1 port available through the
internal USB connector)
1x USB 3.1 Gen2 (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps) Type-A port
on the back panel
yIntel®Z270 Chipset
6x USB 3.1 Gen1 (SuperSpeed USB) ports (2 Type-A ports
on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal
USB connectors)
7x USB 2.0 (High-speed USB) ports (3 Type-A ports on the
back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB
connectors)
Multi-GPU ySupports 2-Way NVIDIA®SLI™Technology
ySupports 3-Way AMD®CrossFire™Technology
Audio yDual Realtek®ALC1220 Codec
y7.1-Channel High Definition Audio
LAN 1x KillerTM E2500 Gigabit LAN controller
Back Panel
Connectors
y1x PS/2 mouse & keyboard combo port
y3x USB 2.0 Type-A ports
y1x Clear CMOS button
y1x DisplayPort
y1x HDMI™port
y1x LAN (RJ45) port
y2x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports
y1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A port
y1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port
y1x Optical S/PDIF OUT connector
y5x OFC audio jacks
Continued on next page

18 Specifications
Continued from previous page
Internal Connectors
y1x 24-pin ATX main power connector
y1x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
y1x 4-pin ATX 12V power connector
y6x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
y1x U.2 port
y3x M.2 slots
y1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C connector
y2x USB 3.1 Gen1 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 3.1
Gen1 ports)
y2x USB 2.0 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 2.0 ports)
y1x 4-pin CPU fan connector
y1x 4-pin water pump fan connector
y4x 4-pin system fan connectors
y1x Front panel audio connector
y2x Front panel connectors
y1x RGB LED connector
y1x Chassis Intrusion connector
y1x Clear CMOS jumper
y1x Low Temperature Booting Jumper
y1x 2-pin Slow mode jumper
y1x 2-pin OC retry jumper
y1x 2-pin OC Force enter BIOS jumper
y1x 2-pin Discharge jumper
y1x 2-Digit Debug Code LED
Internal Buttons
y1x Power button
y1x Reset button
y1x GAME BOOST button
y1x BIOS FLASHBACK+ button
I/O Controller NUVOTON NCT6795 Controller Chip
Hardware Monitor
yCPU/System temperature detection
yCPU/System fan speed detection
yCPU/System fan speed control
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19
Specifications
Continued from previous page
From Factor yATX Form Factor
y12.0 in. x 9.6 in. (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)
BIOS Features
y1x 128 Mb flash
yUEFI AMI BIOS
yACPI 5.0, PnP 1.0a, SM BIOS 2.8
yMulti-language
Software
yDrivers
ySUPER CHARGER
yFAST BOOT
yCOMMAND CENTER
yLIVE UPDATE 6
yMSI SMART TOOL
yDRAGON EYE
yGAMING APP
yX-BOOST
yRAMDISK
yKiller Control Center
yNahimic Audio
yXSplit Gamecaster V2
ySteelSeries Engine 3
yCPU-Z MSI GAMING
yIntel®Extreme Tuning Utility
yNorton™Internet Security Solution
yGoogle Chrome™, Google Toolbar, Google Drive
Continued on next page

20 Specifications
Continued from previous page
Special Features
yAudio Boost 4 PRO
yNahimic 2
yGAMING LAN with Killer
yWTFast*
yTurbo U.2
yIntel OptaneTM Memory Ready
yTriple Turbo M.2
yM.2 Genie
yPump Fan
ySmart Fan Control
yMystic Light
yMystic Light Extension (RGB)
yMystic light SYNC
yDDR4 Shield
yM.2 Shield
yPCI-E Steel Armor
yU.2 Steel Armor
yM.2 Steel Armor
yGolden Plated USB with type A+C
yVR Cover
yMuitl GPU - SLI Technology
yMuitl GPU - CrossFire Technology
yDDR4 Boost
yGAME Boost
yOC Essentials
yOC Engine
yLightning
yX-Boost
yMilitary Class 5
y7000+ Quality Test
yVR Boost
yVR Ready
yDragon eye
yXsplit
yRAMDisk
yGAMING HOTKEY
yClick BIOS 5
yBIOS FLASHBACK+
* This offer is valid for a limited period only, for more information please visit
www.msi.com