MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review

MSI's Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium motherboard is the next Intel Z270 board up on the chopping blocks, and it doesn't disappoint.

Published
Updated
Manufacturer: MSI
12 minutes & 3 seconds read time
TweakTown's Rating: 92%
TweakTown award

The Bottom Line

Loaded with more overclocking features than you can imagine and premium features and stunning aesthetics, MSI's Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium is the perfect motherboard for any level of overclocker.

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 01

The Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium is MSI's top dog overclocking centric motherboard, aimed at both hardcore overclockers and casual ones who want to take their hardware to the limits. I did have a chance to look at MSI's Z170 overclocking motherboard, and their features are expansive and very cool. The Z270 XPower (I am not typing Gaming Titanium fifty times), offers the same caliber of overclocking features such as external overclocking panel, switches, and buttons as its predecessor with a few extra features.

On top of the hardware features, MSI has paid close attention to BIOS tuning, and at launch, they even had a guide ready to go with instructions on how to tune the motherboard. Many users will also consider the Z270 XPower for its white/silver color theme, and I have to say it is as beautiful in person as it is in pictures.

Let's see what the Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium has to offer.

Specifications

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 02

The Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium offers dual Intel NICs, USB 3.1 type-A and type-C, three M.2 slots, a U.2 port, and eight SATA6Gb/s ports.

Pricing

The Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium costs $329.99.

Packaging and Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Overview

Packaging and Overview

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 03MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 04

MSI's box is just as silver as the motherboard itself; the color is very close to that of the PCB and heat sinks. Packaging is top notch, as it should be with such an expensive motherboard.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 05

If you love accessories, you will love the Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium. The package includes six SATA 6Gb/s cables, six v-check cables, SLI connector, IO shield, driver DVD, manuals, 1-to-2 RGB LED Y cable, OC Dashboard, OC dashboard cable, modular screw package, USB Xpander, USB Xpander cable, and SATA cable labels.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 06MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 07

The USB Xpander daughterboard takes in a single USB 2.0 header and a MOLEX power connector and outputs four USB 2.0 internal headers. It uses two GL850G USB 2.0 hubs. MSI's OC Dashboard has buttons and switches of all types to change the BCLK and multipler on-the-fly, enable slow-mode, enable fast boot, discharge CMOS power, as well as turn the system on and off and reset. You can mount the OC Dashboard on the motherboard directly, or use the included cable to move it away from the motherboard.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 08MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 09

The motherboard has six DC/PWM fan headers circled in blue. All headers are auto-sensing, so they will detect the type of fan and mode to use. You can manually change the mode in the UEFI as well as set fan curves and profiles.

The motherboard's heat sinks, shields, and PCB match quite well. An issue with matching silver/white is that there are many different shades of silver/white. MSI has done a nice job of ensuring they have the right shades. The aesthetic appeal of this motherboard might be enough to justify its price, of course, you can match any color to white, so you don't have to go with an all-white themed build.

The PCI-E x16 slots, the memory DIMMs, and even the U.2 and M.2 ports all have some metal shielding. There is also an M.2 shield, which is supposed to help cool down M.2 SSDs. Many people will only see the back of their motherboard once when they install their heat sink mounting hardware. However, if you have a thing for the back of motherboards, like I do, then you will really like the tattooed PCB silkscreen that resembles electrical trace routing.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 10

The rear IO panel features PS/2, three USB 2.0 ports (the single port angled 90 degrees is for BIOS recovery), four USB 3.0 ports (MSI uses USB-IF's vernacular, aka. USB 3.1 Gen 1), USB 3.1 type-C (USB 3.1 Gen 2), USB 3.1 type-A, two Gbit LAN ports, Clear CMOS button, DisplayPort, HDMI, gold plated audio ports, and S/PDIF digital.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 11MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 12

The motherboard features four PCI-E x16 slots, all of them are reinforced with metal shrouds. The first three slots are wired to the CPU and can operate at x16/x0/x0, x8/x0/x8, or x8/x4/x4. The last x16 slot operates at x4 and is wired to the PCH. All PCI-E bandwidth is PCI-E gen 3. The motherboard features six SATA6Gb/s ports angled 90 degrees, a USB 3.0 internal header angled 90 degrees, and a U.2 port.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 13MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 14

The motherboard has three M.2 slots, and yes, you can use them all at the same time. The center M.2 slot has MSI's M.2 shield, which looks quite nice since most M.2 vendors put their stickers on upside down and it can ruin the aesthetics of the build. There is a lot of bandwidth sharing between the M.2 and SATA ports, and you will need to look at page 39 in the manual to figure out what ports to use. MSI has a nifty case by case picture based diagram for the different possible combinations. At the top right corner of the motherboard is the header for the OC Dashboard, as well as voltage read points, and a USB BIOS Flashback button.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 15MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 16

Two SATA6Gb/s ports are angled straight up and reside below the 24-pin power connector. The motherboard does offer a second USB 3.0 internal header at the bottom row of headers near two USB 2.0 headers.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 17MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 18

MSI has a Game Boost knob/switch that allows you to select a pre-determined OC level for the system. There are multiple levels, and you can use the switch, or identical BIOS presets for automatic overclocking. Power and reset buttons are also included. Near the two USB 2.0 internal headers are the POST Code display, PCI-E slot disable switches, and an RGB LED header.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 19MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 20

MSI has put a little hole into the underside of the CPU socket so extreme overclockers can insert a thermocouple to read the CPU temperature in extreme environments. All the heat sinks and shield are held down by screws. The VRM and PCH heat sink are designed more for function over fashion.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Circuit Analysis

Circuit Analysis

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 21

The Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium hides a lot of interesting hardware under those heat sinks and shield.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 22MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 23

The motherboard's VRM is in a 10+4 phase configuration for the CPU+iGPU. An International Rectifier IR35201 digital PWM is being used in 6+2 phase mode, and outputting 5+2 phases to doublers and then to IR3555A integrated power stages. The IR3555A are International Rectifier's second generation PowIRstages, and they are the top-dog rated at 60A. MSI is using the "Ti" branded high-current inductors, and many tantalum capacitors for the output filter. The VRM on the Z270 XPower is one of the most powerful I have seen on any Z270 motherboard.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 24MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 25

The International Rectifier IR3599 is a phase doubler or quadroupler, and it's used as a phase doubler on this motherboard. The memory VRM uses a Primarion PV3205 digital PWM and some Nikos MOSFETs for a two-phase VRM, which is more than enough to power DDR4 DIMMs.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Circuit Analysis Continued

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 26

Like other major motherboard vendors, MSI is using the new Realtek ALC1220 codec. They have added a Texas Instruments OP1652 amplifier and some Nichicon audio capacitors as well as a PCB divide.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 27MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 28

The Intel NICs in use are the i211AT and i219 PHY that works with the MAC integrated into the PCH. An ASMedia ASM2142 USB 3.1 controller and ASMedia 1543 type-C switch and CC logic controller are used to provide USB 3.1 ports on the rear IO.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 29MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 30

To add two extra USB 3.0 ports through an internal header, MSI added in an ASMedia ASM1042AE. To add two more SATA6Gb/s ports, MSI added an ASMedia ASM1061.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 31MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 32

I am a big fan of MSI's use of re-drivers and repeaters to improve signaling of USB and PCI-E busses throughout the motherboard. I found multiple ASM1464s scattered around the motherboard to improve signal quality. MSI also has two BIOS ROMs onboard, at 128Mbit each (16MB), they each hold a 16MB UEFI.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 33MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 34

A nuvoTon NCT6795D is the main SuperIO, but there are other nuvoTon ICs around the motherboard to help expand embedded controller performance. The RGB header also uses a Texas Instruments eFuse.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 35MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 36

A nuvoTon NCT5605 is one of a few secondary EC's that control everything from fans to overclocking features. An IDT 6V41606 clock buffer improved BCLK overclocking margins.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 37MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 38

An NXP level shifters provide HDMI from the digital video output of the iGPU. Multiple ASMedia ASM1480 quick switches move around PCI-E 3.0 bandwidth between slots.

BIOS and Software

BIOS

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 39

MSI's UEFI for the Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium is polished and well equipped just like the rest of MSI's motherboards. MSI actually has one of my favorite UEFIs because of their layout, and how they make things very simple.

When it comes to overclocking, you can even choose if you want the motherboard to allow the CPU frequency to go up and down with load or stay fixed, and all the right voltage modes and settings are readily available. Fan control is also top notch, and MSI's GUI is easy to use.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 40MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 41
MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 42MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 43
MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 44MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 45
MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 46MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 47
MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 48MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 49
MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 50MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 51
MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 52MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 53
MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 54MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 55
MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 56MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 57
MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 58MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 59
MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 60MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 61
MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 62MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 63
MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 64MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 65
MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 66MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 67
MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 68MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 69

Software

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 70MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 71

MSI's motherboard comes with Live Update 6, Gaming LAN Manager, X-Boost, Super Charger, Nahimic, Gaming APP, Command Center, and SteelSeries Engine 3 to name a few.

Test System Setup

Steven's Motherboard Test System Specifications

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 72

The Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium has a really nice white/silver PCB, and MSI has done an excellent job of matching the PCB and the heat sinks/shields.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 73MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 74

The motherboard matches perfectly with Corsair's Dominator Platinums. The M.2 Shield actually looks quite good; I wish they had included three of them (one per slot) instead of just one.

Overclocking

Overclocking Results

CPU Overclocking

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 75

The CPU could reach a 5GHz overclock with 1.3v with XMP enabled. I used the highest level of LLC and set the frequency mode to fixed. The motherboard was very easy to overclock, and it's meant to overclock. If you want to do extreme overclocking and need a place to start, MSI has an extreme overclocking guide just for this motherboard.

Compatible Memory Overclocking Kits

In this section, I overclock four memory kits only using XMP, if the kit works then the results are below. I welcome memory vendors to send in their kits to be tested on each motherboard.

Corsair Dominator Platinum 3200MHz C16 8GBx2

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 76MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 77

G.Skill TridentZ 3866MHz C18 8GBx2

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 78MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 79

GEIL EVO X RGB 3200MHz C16 8GBx2

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 80MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 81

GEIL EVO FORZA 3200MHz C16 8GBx2

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 82MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 83

The Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium overclocked all of my memory kits with ease, something not all motherboards can do.

CPU, Memory, and System Benchmarks

CINEBENCH 11.5

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 84

wPrime

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 85

AIDA64 AES and HASH

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 86

AIDA64 FPU

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 87

AIDA64 Memory

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 88

ScienceMark

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 89

HandBrake

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 90

3DMark: Fire Strike

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 91

3DMark: Cloud Gate

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 92

ResidentEvil 6

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 93

MSI's multi-core enhancement was disabled by default in the BIOS version I used, so at stock, performance results are a bit lower since MSI is abiding by Intel specifications. When I even out the settings and load my standardized overclocked profile we see the scores even out. Since the motherboard doesn't use much switching at all, performance numbers are quite strong all around.

Some motherboard reviews put a lot of weight into motherboard CPU, memory, and GPU benchmarks, but for me, CPU, memory, and GPU benchmarks on motherboards should be more about finding anomalies, and I do that at standard settings (4.8G in graphs).

System IO Benchmarks

CrystalDiskMark SATA6G:

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 94

CrystalDiskMark M.2:

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 95

CrystalDiskMark M.2:

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 96

ixChariot Network Throughput:

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 97

The Z270 Gaming-ITX/ac's storage performance is top notch as is network performance. While it's Intel Wireless-AC solution isn't the fastest around, it's fast enough.

Audio RMAA 5.5:

I disable all audio features, set the correct bitrates, and then test the audio with a loopback test.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 98

Sound Judgment by Ear: Excellent. MSI's ALC1220 is better than expected. I thought that the small area and low PCB division might result in more noise, but I was pleasantly surprised by its performance. There are five ratings for audio: 1. Problems, 2. Okay, 3. Acceptable, 4. Very good, 5. Excellent

Thermal Imaging and Power Consumption

System power is measured at the wall with an AC power meter.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 99

Note on Thermal Images: In the temperature section, we use our Seek thermal imaging camera to capture the surface temperatures of major components on the board. I look at the VRM and then all other things that light up the screen. If there is something to worry about, then I will state it. Otherwise, I will just show the hotter running parts of the board for fun. Unless some component is over 80-90C, then there isn't anything to worry about.

All systems will act differently, so I will look for commonalities, such as how far from the VRM the heat spreads through the PCB and the difference in temperature between the front side and backside of the PCB. Keep in mind, the majority of the heat from the VRM goes into the PCB as it is a giant soldered on copper heat sink. A larger difference in temperature between the back and front of the PCB points towards a more effective heat sink.

Thermal Testing at Stock Speeds:

The image on the left is always at idle, and the image on the right is at load. During ALL TESTS, fans above the VRM that cool the CPU cooler's (Corsair H110i GT) radiator are turned on to high (12v).

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 100MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 101

Full frontal.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 102MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 103

Up-close of the front of the VRM.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 104MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 105

Up-close of the back of the VRM.

Thermal Testing at 4.5GHz Overclocked Speeds:

The image on the left is always at idle, and the image on the right is at load. During ALL TESTS, fans above the VRM that cool the CPU cooler's (Corsair H110i GT) radiator are turned on to high (12v).

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 106MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 107

Full frontal.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 108MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 109

Up-close of the front of the VRM.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 110MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 111

Up-close of the back of the VRM.

The Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium has a very powerful VRM, one of the strongest on any motherboard I have reviewed thus far, and it uses a lot of phases. It also doubles these phases correctly. The phase doubling helps increase output, but since the VRM is high performance we can't expect low idle temperatures. Overall, VRM performance is excellent.

Anything under 60C is great, 60-80C is acceptable, and anything above 80C is a bit worrisome (if at stock).

What's Hot, What's Not & Final Thoughts

Here are key points about the MSI Z270 Gaming-ITX/ac.

What's Hot

Filled with Overclocking Features: Even though many people will never use a lot of the overclocking features in their daily activities, they have them for when they might need them. The OC Dashboard is really awesome, and its ability to be used as an off-board remote is quite handy. The Z270 XPower is loaded with overclocking features we would have died for years ago.

Excellent VRM Quality: The motherboard uses some of the best digital PWM components and matches it with some of the highest rated integrated power stages to produce a VRM you will never be able to overpower.

Plenty of Non-OC Features: Three M.2 slots, U.2, two USB 3.0 internal headers (one right angled), dual Intel NICs, and USB 3.1 are just some of the many non-overclocking premium features you get with the Z270 XPower.

Unique Aesthetics: The silver/white PCB looks better in person than in pictures, and MSI has done a great job with matching the heat sink/shield white areas with that of the PCB. I also am a huge fan of the silk screen on the back of the PCB, which is designed to look like trace routing.

Re-Drivers: I always like to see manufacturers improve on their signaling quality. MSI has done that on the Z270 XPower with multiple re-drivers that will ensure solid signal quality.

What's Not

Pricey: The Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium is very pricey for a motherboard with a PLX chip. At over $300, it is a very premium motherboard, and you need to weigh if you need both the premium non-overclocking features and premium overclocking features.

Final Thoughts

The Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium is MSI's top dog overclocking motherboard, poised to be the pinnacle of high-end with features ranging from the consumer to the professional overclocker. The aesthetics, storage connectivity, and even the upgraded audio don't offer much to overclockers, but if you want to use the motherboard as a daily driver capable of sustaining your overclock for years, then a motherboard like this is warranted.

MSI Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium Motherboard Review 112

That being said, the price of the motherboard might be prohibitive to some buyers, especially if you aren't ever going to use many of the motherboard's overclocking features. However, many want to first dabble in overclocking and then move forward as they become more comfortable with it, and they might not want to buy another motherboard.

The Z270 XPower Titanium Gaming is perfect for those people and is definitely an excellent overclocking motherboard for professionals.

TweakTown award
Performance (including Overclocking) 96%
Quality including Design and Build 93%
General Features 93%
Bundle and Packaging 90%
Value for Money 88%
Overall 92%

The Bottom Line: Loaded with more overclocking features than you can imagine and premium features and stunning aesthetics, MSI's Z270 XPower Gaming Titanium is the perfect motherboard for any level of overclocker.

PRICING: You can find products similar to this one for sale below.

USUnited States: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.com

UKUnited Kingdom: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.co.uk

AUAustralia: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.com.au

CACanada: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.ca

DEDeutschland: Finde andere Technik- und Computerprodukte wie dieses auf Amazon.de

Steven went from a fledgling forum reader in 2003 to one of the internet's brightest tech stars by 2010. Armed with an information systems degree, a deep understanding of circuitry, and a passion for tech, Steven (handle Sin0822) enjoys sharing his deep knowledge with others. Steven details products down to the component level to highlight seldom explained, and often misunderstood architectures. Steven is also a highly decorated overclocker with several world records.

Newsletter Subscription
We openly invite the companies who provide us with review samples / who are mentioned or discussed to express their opinion. If any company representative wishes to respond, we will publish the response here. Please contact us if you wish to respond.