MSI Z170-A PRO (MS-7971)

Performance Results

Benchmarks - missing SSD
Gaming
Gaming 44%
Speed boat
Desktop
Desktop 80%
Battleship
Workstation
Workstation 34%
Sail boat
PC StatusOverall this PC is performing above expectations (70th percentile). This means that out of 100 PCs with exactly the same components, 30 performed better. The overall PC percentile is the average of each of its individual components.
ProcessorWith a brilliant single core score, this CPU is the business: It demolishes everyday tasks such as web browsing, office apps and audio/video playback. Additionally this processor can handle very light workstation, and even some very light server workloads. Finally, with a gaming score of 78.6%, this CPU's suitability for 3D gaming is good.
Graphics54.4% is a reasonable 3D score (RTX 2060S = 100%). This GPU can handle the majority of recent games but it will struggle with resolutions greater than 1080p at ultra detail levels. (Note: general computing tasks don't require 3D graphics)
Boot DriveThe boot partition is located on a mechanical or hybrid drive. Moving the system to an SSD will yield far faster boot times, better system responsiveness and faster application load times.
Memory16GB is enough RAM to run any version of Windows and it's more than sufficient for nearly all games. 16GB also allows for very large file and system caches, software development and batch photo editing/processing.
OS VersionAlthough Windows 10 is not the most recent version of Windows, it remains a great option.
High background CPU (21%). High background CPU reduces benchmark accuracy. How to reduce background CPU.
Run History
SystemMSI MS-7971
MotherboardMSI Z170-A PRO (MS-7971)  (all builds)
Memory7.8 GB free of 16 GB @ 2.1 GHz
Display1920 x 1080 - 32 Bit colors
OSWindows 10
BIOS Date20160511
Uptime10.1 Days
Run DateJul 06 '17 at 23:13
Run Duration81 Seconds
Run User USA-User
Background CPU 21%

 PC Performing above expectations (70th percentile)

Actual performance vs. expectations. The graphs show user score (x) vs user score frequency (y).

Processor BenchNormalHeavyServer
Intel Core i5-6500-$67
U3E1, 1 CPU, 4 cores, 4 threads
Base clock 3.2 GHz, turbo 3.3 GHz (avg)
Performing way above expectations (100th percentile)
78.6% Very good
Memory 86.7
1-Core 105
2-Core 209
76% 134 Pts
4-Core 409
8-Core 404
54% 406 Pts
64-Core 410
25% 410 Pts
Poor: 43%
This bench: 78.6%
Great: 73%
Graphics Card Bench3D DX93D DX103D DX11
AMD R9 390-$325
Gigabyte(1458 22BD) ≥ 4GB
CLim: 1025 MHz, MLim: 1500 MHz, Ram: 8GB, Driver: 17.1.1
Performing way above expectations (99th percentile)
54.4% Above average
Lighting 67.1
Reflection 59.8
Parallax 80.2
55% 69.1 fps
MRender 59.6
Gravity 54.3
Splatting 77.8
54% 63.9 fps
Poor: 45%
This bench: 54.4%
Great: 52%
Drive BenchSequentialRandom 4kDeep queue 4k
Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 2TB-$50
1.5TB free (System drive)
Firmware: CC26 Max speed: SATA 3.0 600 MB/s
Performing as expected (55th percentile)
93.8% Outstanding
Read 169
Write 159
Mixed 158
122% 162 MB/s
4K Read 0.4
4K Write 1.16
4K Mixed 0.12
52% 0.56 MB/s
Poor: 51%
This bench: 93.8%
Great: 114%
Memory Kit BenchMulti coreSingle coreLatency
G.SKILL Ripjaws V DDR4 2400 C15 2x8GB-$31
2 of 4 slots used
16GB DIMM DDR4 clocked @ 2133 MHz
Performing below potential (27th percentile) - ensure that a dual+ channel XMP BIOS profile is enabled: How to enable XMP
67.1% Good
MC Read 23.9
MC Write 26.3
MC Mixed 21.1
68% 23.8 GB/s
SC Read 15.1
SC Write 24.6
SC Mixed 19
56% 19.6 GB/s
Latency 70.7
57% 70.7 ns
Poor: 44%
This bench: 67.1%
Great: 88%

 System Memory Latency Ladder

L1/L2/L3 CPU cache and main memory (DIMM) access latencies in nano seconds

Typical Z170-A PRO (MS-7971) Builds (Compare 2,612 builds) See popular component choices, score breakdowns and rankings
Gaming
Gaming 61%
Destroyer
Desktop
Desktop 82%
Aircraft carrier
Workstation
Workstation 48%
Yacht

Motherboard: MSI Z170-A PRO (MS-7971) - $180

EDIT WITH CUSTOM PC BUILDER Value: 96% - Outstanding Total price: $573
The Best.
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-13600K $269Nvidia RTX 4060 $300Crucial MX500 250GB $40
Intel Core i5-12400F $133Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $385Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $80
Intel Core i5-12600K $177Nvidia RTX 4070 $539Samsung 860 Evo 250GB $52
HDDRAMUSB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB (2016) $39Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 C16 2x8GB $40SanDisk Extreme 64GB $72
WD Blue 1TB (2012) $37Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 C15 2x8GB $48SanDisk Extreme 32GB $28
Seagate Barracuda 2TB (2016) $51G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $351SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
If you make a purchase via one of these links, our site may earn a commission
Today's hottest deals
About  •  User Guide  •  FAQs  •  Email  •  Privacy  •  Developer  •  YouTube Feedback