MSI Z270 Gaming M7 Motherboard Review

Circuit Analysis

The motherboard is much more revealing when you take off the shields and heat sinks.

MSI's VRM on the Z270 Gaming M7 uses an 8+2+1 phase design. The main PWM provides 4 phases to doublers that double them to eight, while the iGPu gets a single phase doubled to two. However, the datasheet for the UPI Semiconductor uP9508 is publicly available (it is a hybrid PWM), and states the PWM is a 3+2 phase PWM.

Looking at the thermals and inductor routing, as well as the doubler count, indicate 4+1 phase configuration, which leads me to believe that perhaps the B version of the PWM offers 1 phase as flexible, that can be used for the CPU or iGPU set of phases. The VRM uses uP1961 doublers which also must act as dual drivers. Each CPU phase gets a single NIKOS PK6328A PowerPAK for the high side and PK616BA for the low-side, each iGPu phase gets an extra low-side MOSFET.

The doublers/dual drivers are located at the rear of the PCB. The memory VRM is a two-phase powered by the same NIKOS MOSFETs, and a digital Primarion PWM controller, the PV3205.