MSI Z170A GAMING M3 (MS-7978)

Performance Results

Benchmarks - missing SSD
Gaming
Gaming 44%
Speed boat
Desktop
Desktop 89%
Aircraft carrier
Workstation
Workstation 39%
Jet ski
PC StatusOverall this PC is performing as expected (41st percentile). This means that out of 100 PCs with exactly the same components, 59 performed better. The overall PC percentile is the average of each of its individual components.
ProcessorWith an outstanding single core score, this CPU is the cat's whiskers: It demolishes everyday tasks such as web browsing, office apps and audio/video playback. Additionally this processor can handle moderate workstation, and even light server workloads. Finally, with a gaming score of 87.4%, this CPU's suitability for 3D gaming is very good.
Graphics47.5% 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.
Memory32GB is enough RAM to run any version of Windows and it's far more than any current game requires. 32GB will also allow for large file and system caches, virtual machine hosting, software development, video editing and batch multimedia processing.
OS VersionAlthough Windows 10 is not the most recent version of Windows, it remains a great option.
Sub-optimal background CPU (12%). High background CPU reduces benchmark accuracy. How to reduce background CPU.
SystemMSI MS-7978
MotherboardMSI Z170A GAMING M3 (MS-7978)  (all builds)
Memory26.3 GB free of 32 GB @ 2.8 GHz
Display1920 x 1080 - 32 Bit colors
OSWindows 10
BIOS Date20161017
Uptime0 Days
Run DateOct 16 '21 at 15:58
Run Duration353 Seconds
Run User CAN-User
Background CPU 12%
Watch Gameplay: 1060-6GB + 9600K How to compare your gameplay

 PC Performing as expected (41st percentile)

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

Processor BenchNormalHeavyServer
Intel Core i7-7700K-$241
U3E1, 1 CPU, 4 cores, 8 threads
Base clock 4.2 GHz, turbo 4.5 GHz (avg)
Performing above expectations (72nd percentile)
87.4% Excellent
Memory 93.2
1-Core 141
2-Core 282
95% 172 Pts
4-Core 440
8-Core 684
69% 562 Pts
64-Core 754
47% 754 Pts
Poor: 71%
This bench: 87.4%
Great: 92%
Graphics Card Bench3D DX93D DX103D DX11
Nvidia GTX 1060-6GB-$117
EVGA(3842 5161) ≥ 4GB
CLim: 1911 MHz, MLim: 2002 MHz, Ram: 6GB, Driver: 460.89
Performing below potential (1st percentile) - GPU OC Guide
47.5% Average
Lighting 68
Reflection 72.3
Parallax 65.6
55% 68.6 fps
MRender 65.8
Gravity 68.9
Splatting 0.3
32% 45 fps
Poor: 51%
This bench: 47.5%
Great: 60%
Drives BenchSequentialRandom 4kDeep queue 4k
Hitachi HTS545050B9A300 500GB-$71
244GB free (System drive)
Firmware: PB4OC60F
SusWrite @10s intervals: 18 32 15 15 17 20 MB/s
Performing way below expectations (4th percentile)
8.05% Terrible
Read 8.5
Write 3.8
Mixed 6.7
SusWrite 19.5
7% 9.62 MB/s
4K Read 0
4K Write 0.4
4K Mixed 0.3
41% 0.23 MB/s
Poor: 11%
This bench: 8.05%
Great: 45%
Seagate Barracuda 3TB (2016)-$80
2TB free
Firmware: CC26
SusWrite @10s intervals: 183 180 182 187 186 188 MB/s
Relative performance n/a - benchmarks incomplete
Read 188
Write 136
Mixed 80
SusWrite 184
108% 147 MB/s
4K Write 1.6
89% 1.6 MB/s
Poor: 60% Great: 114%
WD My Book 1230 4TB
106GB free, PID 1230
Operating at USB 3.0 Speed
SusWrite @10s intervals: 139 131 133 140 139 138 MB/s
Performing way above expectations (88th percentile)
56.5% Above average
Read 132
Write 130
Mixed 97
SusWrite 137
168% 124 MB/s
4K Read 0.9
4K Write 2.4
4K Mixed 1
119% 1.43 MB/s
Poor: 14%
This bench: 56.5%
Great: 60%
Memory Kit BenchMulti coreSingle coreLatency
Unknown CMK16GX4M2A2800C16 029E CMK16GX4M2D3000C16 029E CMK16GX4M2D3000C16 029E CMK16GX4M2A2800C16 32GB
2800, 2800, 2800, 2800 MHz
8192, 8192, 8192, 8192 MB
Relative performance n/a - insufficient samples
88.7% Excellent
MC Read 32.2
MC Write 34.7
MC Mixed 27.8
90% 31.6 GB/s
SC Read 20.2
SC Write 34.6
SC Mixed 25
76% 26.6 GB/s
Latency 61.7
65% 61.7 ns
Poor: 89%
This bench: 88.7%
Great: 92%

 System Memory Latency Ladder

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

Typical Z170A GAMING M3 (MS-7978) Builds (Compare 2,311 builds) See popular component choices, score breakdowns and rankings
Gaming
Gaming 51%
Yacht
Desktop
Desktop 87%
Aircraft carrier
Workstation
Workstation 44%
Speed boat

Motherboard: MSI Z170A GAMING M3 (MS-7978) - $150

EDIT WITH CUSTOM PC BUILDER Value: 86% - Excellent Total price: $589
The Best.
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-13600K $273Nvidia RTX 4060 $295Crucial MX500 250GB $40
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Intel Core i5-12600K $179Nvidia 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 $43SanDisk Extreme 32GB $28
Seagate Barracuda 2TB (2016) $51G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $351SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
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