Black and white styling for the masses. The striking similarity of Z97 motherboard performance between all vendors means that products must be differentiated in other ways in order to carve out an advantage in the marketplace. This performance trend among Intel motherboards, which was consolidated with the release of Ivy Bridge, has led to motherboard vendors fighting with features, rather than performance.

One of the features that plays a big role in the buying decision is aesthetics. Motherboard vendors have numerous product lines to cater to different target audiences but also buyers who prefer certain colour schemes. MSI has been at the forefront in that regard with its yellow Lightning Series boards, its red Gaming Series boards and its blue Classic Series boards.