MSI’s MPower series is their latest effort to compete against the likes of ASUS’ Deluxe and Gigabyte UD7 but to do so, these motherboards have a lot of ground to make up. Over the last few years, MSI has released some great mid-tier boards but ultimately fell behind the development curve for enthusiast-focused products. While the initial XPower lineup was a first tentative step towards building an enthusiast platform from the ground up, the new MPower MAX Z87 is the culmination of MSI’s ultimate design goals while adding in a touch of affordability.

Even though it is technically not their top-of-the-line Z87 model – a slot reserved for the e-ATX form factor XPower II – the MPower MAX is a flagship motherboard in its own right. It features top-tier additions in terms of both quality and the features it has to offer and at $230 it’s priced at a lower point than some competitors.