MSI Z370 GAMING PLUS - User Manual

5 Quick Start 1 1 2 2 3 3 Installing DDR4 memory http://youtu.be/T03aDrJPyQs DIMMB2 DIMMB2 DIMMB1 DIMMA2 DIMMA2 DIMMA2 DIMMA1

6 Quick 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...

8 Quick Start Installing SATA Drives http://youtu.be/RZsMpqxythc 1 2 3 4 5

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

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

13 Contents Contents Unpacking .............................................................................................................. 1Safety Information ................................................................................................. 2Quick Start ..............................

15 Contents Using Intel ® Rapid Storage Technology Option ROM ........................................... 95 Degraded RAID Array ........................................................................................... 98 Intel ® Optane™ Memory Configuration ..........................................

16 Specifications Specifications CPU y Supports 8th Gen Intel ® Core ™ processors, and Intel ® Pentium ® and Celeron ® processors for Socket LGA1151 Chipset Intel ® Z370 Chipset Memory y 4x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 64GB y Supports 4000+(OC)/ 3866(OC)/ 3733(OC)/ 3600(OC)/ 3466(OC)/ 3400(OC)/ 3...

18 Specifications Continued from previous page Internal Connectors y 1x 24-pin ATX main power connector y 1x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector y 6x SATA 6Gb/s connectors y 2x USB 3.1 Gen1 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 3.1 Gen1 ports) y 2x USB 2.0 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 2.0 ports) y...

19 Specifications Continued from previous page Software y Drivers y APP MANAGER y SUPER CHARGER y COMMAND CENTER y LIVE UPDATE 6 y SMART TOOL y RAMDISK y DPC Latency Tuner y FAST BOOT y X-BOOST y DRAGON EYE y GAMING APP y MYSTIC LIGHT y GAMING LAN MANAGER y Open Broadcaster Software y Tridef ® VR &am...

20 Specifications Continued from previous page Special Features y Audio ƒ Audio Boost y Network ƒ GAMING LAN with Gaming LAN Manager y Storage ƒ Turbo M.2 y Fan ƒ Pump Fan ƒ Smart Fan Control y LED ƒ Mystic Light ƒ Mystic Light Extension (RGB) ƒ Mystic light SYNC ƒ EZ DEBUG LED y Protection ƒ PCI-E S...

21 Block Diagram Block Diagram LPC Bus 2 Channel DDR4 Memory 8 x USB 3.1 Gen1 1 x M.2 6 x USB 2.0 PCI Express Bus P/S2 Mouse / Keyboard Audio Jacks DMI 3.0 Z370 CPU NV6795 Super I/O Realtek ALC892 x1 x1 x1 PCI Express Bus VGA DisplayPort DVI-D x1 PCIe x1 slot PCIe x1 slot PCIe x1 slot PCIe x1 slot 6...

22 Rear I/O Panel Rear I/O Panel PS/2 Port LAN Audio Ports DVI-D DisplayPort USB 3.1 Gen1 USB 3.1 Gen1 USB 2.0 VGA Link/ Activity LED Status Description Off No link Yellow Linked Blinking Data activity Speed LED Status Description Off 10 Mbps connection Green 100 Mbps connection Orange 1 Gbps connec...

23 Rear I/O Panel Realtek HD Audio Manager After installing the Realtek HD Audio driver, the Realtek HD Audio Manager icon will appear in the system tray. Double click on the icon to launch. y Device Selection - allows you to select a audio output source to change the related options. The check sign...

25 Overview of Components Overview of Components BAT1 PCI_E1 PCI_E2 JCOM1 SYS_FAN3 PCI_E3 PCI_E4 PCI_E5 JTPM1 PCI_E6 CPU Socket CPU_PWR1 ATX_PWR1 JUSB3 SYS_FAN1 JUSB1 JBAT1 JUSB4 SATA ▼ 1 ▲ 2 SATA6 SATA5 SATA ▼ 3 ▲ 4 M2_1 DIMMA1 DIMMA2 DIMMB1 DIMMB2 SYS_FAN4 SYS_FAN2 EZ Debug LED JCI1 JFP1 JFP2 CPU_...

26 Overview of Components Component Contents Port Name Port Type Page CPU_FAN1,SYS_FAN1~4, PUMP_ FAN1 Fan Connectors 34 CPU_PWR1, ATX_PWR1 Power Connectors 32 CPU Socket LGA1151 CPU Socket 27 DIMMA1/ A2/ B1/ B2 DIMM Slots 28 JAUD1 Front Audio Connector 35 JBAT1 Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS) Jumper 37 JCI1...

27 Overview of Components CPU Socket Introduction to the LGA 1151 CPU The surface of the LGA 1151 CPU has two notches and a golden triangle to assist in correctly lining up the CPU for motherboard placement. The golden triangle is the Pin 1 indicator. Important y Always unplug the power cord from th...

28 Overview of Components DIMM Slots DIMMA1 DIMMB1 Channel A Channel B DIMMA2 DIMMB2 Memory module installation recommendation DIMMB2 DIMMB2 DIMMB1 DIMMA2 DIMMA2 DIMMA2 DIMMA1 Important y Always insert memory modules in the DIMMA2 slot first. y Due to chipset resource usage, the available capacity o...

29 Overview of Components BAT1 PCI_E1~6: PCIe Expansion Slots PCI_E1 : PCIe 3.0 x16 (CPU lanes) PCI_E2 : PCIe 3.0 x1 (PCH lanes) PCI_E3 : PCIe 3.0 x1 (PCH anes) PCI_E4 : PCIe 3.0 x4 (PCH lanes) PCI_E5 : PCIe 3.0 x1 (PCH lanes) PCI_E6 : PCIe 3.0 x1 (PCH lanes) Multiple graphics cards installation rec...

30 Overview of Components Important Intel ® Optane TM Memory Ready. Video Demonstration Watch the video to learn how to Install M.2 module.http://youtu.be/JCTFABytrYA M2_1: M.2 Slot (Key M) Installing M.2 module 1 2 3 30 ° 3. Tighten the base screw into the hole of the distance to the M.2 slot as th...

32 Overview of Components 24 13 1 12 ATX_PWR1 1 +3.3V 13 +3.3V 2 +3.3V 14 -12V 3 Ground 15 Ground 4 +5V 16 PS-ON# 5 Ground 17 Ground 6 +5V 18 Ground 7 Ground 19 Ground 8 PWR OK 20 Res 9 5VSB 21 +5V 10 +12V 22 +5V 11 +12V 23 +5V 12 +3.3V 24 Ground 5 4 1 8 CPU_PWR1 1 Ground 5 +12V 2 Ground 6 +12V 3 Gr...

34 Overview of Components CPU_FAN1,SYS_FAN1~4, PUMP_FAN1: Fan Connectors Fan connectors can be classified as PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) Mode or DC Mode. PWM Mode fan connectors provide constant 12V output and adjust fan speed with speed control signal. DC Mode fan connectors control fan speed by c...

35 Overview of Components JAUD1: Front Audio Connector This connector allows you to connect audio jacks on the front panel. 1 2 10 9 1 MIC L 2 Ground 3 MIC R 4 NC 5 Head Phone R 6 MIC Detection 7 SENSE_SEND 8 No Pin 9 Head Phone L 10 Head Phone Detection JCI1: Chassis Intrusion Connector This connec...

36 Overview of Components 1 2 14 13 1 LPC Clock 2 3V Standby power 3 LPC Reset 4 3.3V Power 5 LPC address & data pin0 6 Serial IRQ 7 LPC address & data pin1 8 5V Power 9 LPC address & data pin2 10 No Pin 11 LPC address & data pin3 12 Ground 13 LPC Frame 14 Ground JTPM1: TPM Module Co...

37 Overview of Components JBAT1: Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS) Jumper There is CMOS memory onboard that is external powered from a battery located on the motherboard to save system configuration data. If you want to clear the system configuration, set the jumper to clear the CMOS memory. Keep Data(default...

38 Overview of Components JRGB1: RGB LED connector This connector allows you to connect the 5050 RGB LED strips. Important y This connector supports 5050 RGB multi-color LED strips (12V/G/R/B) with the maximum power rating of 3A (12V). Please keeping the LED strip shorter than 2 meters to prevent di...

39 BIOS Setup BIOS Setup The default settings offer the optimal performance for system stability in normal conditions. You should always keep the default settings to avoid possible system damage or failure booting unless you are familiar with BIOS. Important y BIOS items are continuously update for ...

40 BIOS Setup Resetting BIOS You might need to restore the default BIOS setting to solve certain problems. There are several ways to reset BIOS: y Go to BIOS and press F6 to load optimized defaults. y Short the Clear CMOS jumper on the motherboard. Important Be sure the computer is off before cleari...

41 BIOS Setup EZ Mode At EZ mode, it provides the basic system information and allows you to configure the basic setting. To configure the advanced BIOS settings, please enter the Advanced Mode by pressing the Setup Mode switch or F7 function key. Information display XMP switch System information Bo...

43 BIOS Setup Advanced Mode Press Setup Mode switch or F7 function key can switch between EZ Mode and Advanced Mode in BIOS setup. GAME BOOST switch XMP switch System information Boot device priority bar BIOS menu selection Language Search Screenshot Setup Mode switch Menu display BIOS menu selectio...

44 BIOS Setup SETTINGS System Status f System Date Sets the system date. Use tab key to switch between date elements.The format is <day> <month> <date> <year>.<day> Day of the week, from Sun to Sat, determined by BIOS. Read-only. <month> The month from Jan. throug...

46 BIOS Setup f Ipv6 PXE Support [Enabled] When Enabled , the system UEFI network stack will support Ipv6 protocol. This item will appear when Network Stack is enabled. [Enabled] Enables the Ipv6 PXE boot support. [Disabled] Disables the Ipv6 PXE boot support. f SATA Mode [AHCI Mode] Sets the operat...

47 BIOS Setup f USB Configuration Sets the onboard USB controller and device function. Press Enter to enter the sub- menu. f USB Controller [Enabled] Enables or disables all USB controller. f XHCI Hand-off [Diasbled] Enables or disables XHCI hand-off support for the operating system without XHCI hand...

50 BIOS Setup f Resume By Onboard Intel LAN [Disabled] Enables or disables the system wake up by Onboard Intel LAN. [Enabled] Enables the system to be awakened from the power saving modes when activity or input signal of Intel LAN device is detected. [Disabled] Disables this function. f Resume by US...

51 BIOS Setup f Bootup NumLock State [On] Select the keyboard NumLock state upon bootup. f Info Block effect [Unlock] Sets the state of Help information block.[Unlock] Sliding effect. [Lock] Fix the Help information block on the screen. f AUTO CLR_CMOS [Disabled] Enables or disables the CMOS data to...

53 BIOS Setup OC Important y Overclocking your PC manually is only recommended for advanced users. y Overclocking is not guaranteed, and if done improperly, it could void your warranty or severely damage your hardware. y If you are unfamiliar with overclocking, we advise you to use GAME BOOST functi...

54 BIOS Setup f CPU Ratio Offset When Running AVX [Auto] Sets a offset value to lower the CPU core ratio. It could be helpful for heat dissipation when running AVX instruction set. If set to Auto, BIOS will configure this setting automatically. This item appears when the installed CPU supports this ...

55 BIOS Setup f CPU Base Clock Apply Mode [Auto]* Sets the applying mode for adjusted CPU base clock.[Auto] This setting will be configured automatically by BIOS. [Next Boot] CPU will run the adjusted CPU base clock at next boot.[Immediate] CPU runs the adjusted CPU base clock immediately.[During Bo...

61 BIOS Setup M-FLASH M-FLASH provides the way to update BIOS with a USB flash drive. Please down-load the latest BIOS file that matches your motherboard model from MSI website, save the BIOS file into your USB flash drive. And then follow the steps below to update BIOS. 1. Insert the USB flash driv...

62 BIOS Setup OC PROFILE f Overclocking Profile 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 6 Overclocking Profile 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 6 management. Press <Enter> to enter the sub- menu. f Set Name for Overclocking Profile 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 6 Name the current overclocking profile. f Save Overclocking Profile 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 6 Save t...

64 Software Description Software Description Please download and update the latest utilities and drivers at www.msi.com Installing Windows ® 10 1. Power on the computer. 2. Insert the Windows ® 10 disc into your optical drive. 3. Press the Restart button on the computer case. 4. Press F11 key during...

65 Software Description APP MANAGER APP MANAGER is a handy management application for integration of MSI applications and software interface. Providing easy shortcut entrance and real-time update information of all the MSI software and applications. APP list Total Install/ UpdateMotherboard Informat...

66 Software Description LIVE UPDATE 6 LIVE UPDATE 6 is an application for the MSI ® system to scan and download the latest drivers, BIOS and utilities. With LIVE UPDATE 6, you don ’ t need to search the drivers on websites, and don ’ t need to know the models of motherboard and graphics cards. LIVE ...

67 Software Description 1. Select the Live Update tab. 2. Choose Automatic scan , system will automatically scan all the items and search for the latest update files. Or you can choose Manual scan and select the items you wish to scan. 3. Click the Scan button at the bottom. It may take several mome...

68 Software Description COMMAND CENTER COMMAND CENTER is an user-friendly software and exclusively developed by MSI, helping users to adjust system settings and monitor status under OS. With the help of COMMAND CENTER, making it possible to achieve easier and efficient monitoring process and adjustm...

69 Software Description CPU Fan CPU Fan control panel provides Smart mode and Manual Mode . You can switch the control mode by clicking the Smart Mode and Manual Mode buttons on the top of the CPU Fan control panel. y Manual Mode - allows you to manually control the CPU fan speed by percentage. y Sm...

70 Software Description Option Buttons - Advanced When click the Advanced button, The Voltage , Fan and DRAM icons will appear. y Voltage - allows you to adjust advanced voltage values of CPU and chipset. y Fan - allows you to control the system fans speed. y DRAM - shows the current Advanced DRAM p...

71 Software Description y Warning - contains fields of voltage, fan speed and temperature for you to set the threshold values. When system detects the status over your settings, a warning message will pop-up. y Mobile Control - is only available for the motherboard with the built-in WiFi module. It ...

72 Software Description GAMING APP GAMING APP is an application designed to quickly control your system for improving gaming performance. Information Button Setting Button Control Mode Buttons Gaming Function Buttons CPU Frequency GPU Frequency Cooler Boost Peripheral Device Function Buttons Remote ...

73 Software Description OSD Setting Panel Use the OSD setting panel to specify information within on-screen display (OSD). y Apply Button - applies above settings to OSD. Eye Rest Eye Rest allows you to optimize the display on your monitor. y EyeRest - reduces blue-light of your LED backlit screen, ...

74 Software Description VR Ready It will optimize the performance of your system to ensure everything is VR Ready. Applications VR ON/ OFF y VR ON/ OFF -enables or disables VR settings. y Applications - appears when you turn on the VR support. It allows you to close some applications to optimize the...

75 Software Description Gaming Hotkey Gaming Hotkey provides instant control of the system through user defined hotkeys. Categories Toggle Hotkey Manager Current Hotkeys Gaming Hotkey ON/OFF y Gaming Hotkey ON/OFF - allows you to turn ON/OFF the Gaming Hotkey function. y Categories Toggle - allows y...

76 Software Description Mouse Master Mouse Master provides mouse macro function. You can also use it to change DPI of your mouse. Delay Time Macro Hot Key DPI Hot Key Test Area Clear Button Mouse Action DPI SettingDefault Button Action List Edit ButtonsLoad ButtonSave Button y Delay Time - allows yo...

77 Software Description y Performance information - displays the system performance diagram of enabled mode. y Setting - enables or disables Run X-BOOST when windows starts . X-BOOST The MSI X-BOOST allows you to select the system performance mode to meet your current system environment or support f...

78 Software Description Advance In Advance page, you can enable the USB SPEED UP, the STORAGE BOOST and VR BOOST . Setting Device information y Device information - displays the information and current transfer rates/ access speeds of USB/ storage devices. y Setting - enables or disables Run X-BOOST...

79 Software Description MYSTICLIGHT MYSTICLIGHT is an application allows you to control LED lights of MSI products. Main Screen The Main screen is used to configure what devices need to be synchronized and LED light effect options. Light Effect Options ON/ OFF All LED Sync Profile Device Setting Syn...

80 Software Description Motherboard Screen The motherboard screen is used to configure the LED light effect of the motherboard. Light Effect Options Motherboard Name Profile Return Button LED Area Sync All Live Preview Apply Button Save Button y Return Button - returns to the main screen. y ON/OFF A...

81 Software Description MSI SMART TOOL MSI SMART TOOL is a convenient tool that can help you to create your Windows installation USB flash drive with USB 3.0 drivers, and it can also create a software RAID. Main menu After installing and activating MSI SMART TOOL, it will display a main menu for you...

82 Software Description SOFTWARE RAID This utility allows you to create a software RAID in Windows system. To create a software RAID: 1. Use checkboxs to select the disks you want included in your RAID. 2. Choose Speed Up or Backup for RAID type. y Speed Up = RAID0 y Backup = RAID1 3. Click Start . ...

83 Software Description RAMDISK RAMDISK creates a virtual RAM drive using the available memory in your computer, the performance of the RAMDISK is faster than an SSD and hard drive. RAMDISK allows you to store any temporary information on it. Furthermore, using the RAMDISK will extend your SSD ’ s l...

84 Software Description GAMING LAN MANAGER GAMING LAN MANAGER is an utility for traffic shaping for the Windows 10. It can keep your internet fast during heavy upload/ download and improve your ping for online games. If your motherboard has a Wi-Fi module, GAMING LAN MANAGER provides virtual access ...

85 Software Description Speed Testing The speed testing is used to optimize bandwidth usage. To test the Upload and Down- load speed, please follow the steps below: 1 1. Click the Network Test block in GAMING LAN MANAGER. 2 3 4 2. Click Test Network Speed button. The test takes several minutes to te...

86 Software Description DRAGON EYE DRAGON EYE allows you to watch game guides, tutorials, live match or tournament stream while gaming. In game, you can use hotkeys to control/adjust the settings of DRAGON EYE. Help Size SettingsPosition Settings Transparency Settings Hotkeys Information On / Off Sw...

87 Software Description SteelSeries Engine 3 SteelSeries Engine 3 is a unified platform built to support all of SteelSeries products. It can deploy your saved device settings automatically when switching between your favorite games or applications.After installation the SteelSeries Engine background...

88 Software Description Configuring Your Devices You can custom configurations for SteelSeries devices in their Configuration Windows. The top left displays the name of the configuration you are viewing, the body features widgets for customizing various functions of the device, and at the bottom are...

91 Software Description TriDef VR With TriDef VR you can play your favorite PC games on a huge 3D screen inside your virtual reality headset. It is compatible with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.After installation, please ensure that your VR headset is set up and working correctly, then double-click T...

92 Software Description Games Tab The first tab you ’ ll see on the main window is the Games tab. As mentioned, apps or games launched from the desktop will appear in 2D on the virtual screen. However, if you launch a supported game from the Games tab, it will be displayed on the virtual screen in s...

93 Software Description Settings Popup Look at the Settings item for 1 second to display the Settings popup. This popup window appears in front of the virtual screen. Use your mouse to adjust the slider values. y Screen Settings - adjust the virtual screen ’ s size, distance and curvature. y Game Se...

94 Software Description TriDef SmartCam Use TriDef SmartCam to replace or SmartBlur your background in video chat applications or to remove your background in XSplit.Just select TriDef SmartCam wherever you see a list of cameras or choose your webcam application. The following description uses XSpli...

95 RAID Configuration RAID Configuration Below are the different types of a RAID. RAID 0 breaks the data into blocks which are written to separate hard drives. Spreading the hard drive I/O load across independent channels greatly improves I/O performance. RAID 1 provides data redundancy by mirroring ...

96 RAID Configuration Creating s RAID Volume 1. Select option Create RAID Volume and press Enter key. The following screen appears. [ ] CREATE VOLUME MENU [ ] HELP Name : RAID 1 : Mirrors data (redundancy) . [ ↑↓] - Change [TAB] - Next [ESC] - Previous Menu [ENTER] - Select RAID Level : Disks : Strip...

97 RAID Configuration Removing a RAID Volume Here you can delete the RAID volume, but please be noted that all data on RAID drives will be lost. Important If your system currently boots to RAID and you delete the RAID volume in the IRST Option ROM, your system will become unbootable.Select option Del...

98 RAID Configuration Important y You will lose all data on the RAID drives and any internal RAID structures when you perform this operation. y Possible reasons to Reset Disks to Non-RAID could include issues such as incompatible RAID configurations or a failed volume or failed disk. Recovery Volume ...

99 RAID Configuration 2. Reconnect the hard drive. 3. Reboot to Windows ® ; the rebuild will occur automatically. Failed Hard Drive Member 1. Power off. 2. Replace the failed hard drive with a new one that is of equal or greater capacity. 3. Reboot the system to IRST Option ROM by press Ctrl + I keys...

100 Intel® Optane™ Memory Configuration Intel ® Optane™ Memory Configuration Intel ® Optane™ memory can accelerate the Windows 10 64bit operating system. This section describes how to install and remove the Intel ® Optane™ memory. System Requirements y Intel ® Optane™ memory ready MSI ® motherboards ...

101 Intel® Optane™ Memory Configuration 5. Enable Intel ® Optane™ Memory. ˜ Enable Intel ® Optane™ Memory via the Intel ® Optane™ memory application (auto-launches upon reboot). ˜ Click Yes in the dialog. ˜ Reboot System. WARNING Once you enable Intel ® Optane™ memory, in order to prevent seriously d...

103 Intel® Optane™ Memory Configuration Troubleshooting When you installed the operating system in AHCI mode, the system will be changed to RAID/ Optane mode after enabling Intel ® Optane™ Memory. If you want to disable Intel Optane Memory and switch BIOS setting from RAID/ Optane mode back to AHCI m...

104 Troubleshooting Troubleshooting Before sending the motherboard for RMA repair, try to go over troubleshooting guide first to see if your got similar symptoms as mentioned below. The power is not on. y Connect the AC power cord to an electrical outlet securely. y Check if all ATX power connectors...

105 Regulatory Notices FCC Compliance Statement Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential instal...

106 Regulatory Notices WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Statement ENGLISH To protect the global environment and as an environmentalist, MSI must remind you that... Under the European Union (“EU”) Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Directive 2002/96/ EC, which tak...

107 Regulatory Notices TÜRKÇE Çevreci özelliğiyle bilinen MSI dünyada çevreyi korumak için hatırlatır: Avrupa Birliği (AB) Kararnamesi Elektrik ve Elektronik Malzeme Atığı, 2002/96/EC Kararnamesi altında 13 Ağustos 2005 tarihinden itibaren geçerli olmak üzere, elektrikli ve elektronik malzemeler diğ...

108 Regulatory Notices Copyright Micro-Star Int ’ l Co.,Ltd. Copyright © 2017 All rights reserved. The material in this document is the intellectual property of Micro-Star Int ’ l Co.,Ltd. We take every care in the preparation of this document, but no guarantee is given as to the correctness of its ...