MSI X370 SLI Plus Review

Packaging & Accessories: 2 out of 5

The included accessories are a on the sparse side. Even by value orientated standards we expect at the very least a SLI bridge cable. This really is a case of removing meat while trimming away the fat so to speak. It is not a deal breaker but it is disappointing.

Layout & Aesthetics: 14 out of 15

Unlike the X370 Krait the X370 SLI Plus is one fine looking motherboard. A motherboard that will be equally at home in a PC Gaming enthusiast build as it will be in a more work orientated build.

Build Quality & Warranty: 16 out of 20

A three year warranty is certainly nothing to write home about – even if it is industry standard. Thankfully the build quality is good for its price range. The only issues we have here is the power delivery subsystem is a touch underwhelming, and the choice of discrete controller chips MSI has opted for.

BIOS & Software: 17 out of 20

The MSI BIOS and software solution is good and is user-friendly. They both may have a few small quirks but overall are very good in that they work and do their best to not get in your way.

Special Features: 16 out 20

With everything from Steel Armor PCIe slots to the excellent PCIe slot layout to even the next generation USB 3.1 Gen 2 controller MSI really did pack in a lot of value added features into a rather modest asking price board. Now if they had only used a more modern sound controller and we would be even more contented.

Value: 17 out 20

While it may not be perfect MSI obviously did go out of there way to spend their budget wisely. The end result is an inexpensive motherboard that is not a ‘cheap’ motherboard.

Final Score: 82 out of 100

Closing Statement

To our way of thinking AMD’s Ryzen R7 series of CPUs is all about offering enthusiast grade performance without the enthusiast price tag. Why spend a thousand dollars for an 8 core, 16 thread CPU when you need only spend 330-500 to get the basically the same level of performance? This underlying theme of the AMD Ryzen series is actually a great way of summarizing the MSI X370 SLI Plus.

Yes some of the features it offers are more value orientated than we would like. Yes there is obvious differences between this board and say the ASUS Crosshair VI Hero, or the MSI X370 XPOWER Titanium. Yes for some buyers this difference will be noticeable and they are best served by opting for the more expensive motherboards. For example, if you need two NVMe M.2 ports, or a U.2 port the MSI X370 SLI Plus is not going to be an optimal solution. Considering U.2 SSD owners are rare… and dual M.2 users are even more rare this difference is not all the concerning.

The same holds true of the ‘lack’ of a second 8-pin power connector, and less than optimal power delivery subsystem. Right now you would need to own a downright golden R7 in order to ever get higher overclocks than what a single 8-pin can provide. Yes the power sub-system is less robust than it could be, but it is still more than capable of handling what most overclocked R7’s require. So much so we achieved the same level of overclocking on this motherboard as we did on the Crosshair VI Hero. That does put this issue into its proper perspective for us.

The only major disappointment is MSI opting for the older Realtek ALC892 audio controller instead of a newer ALC11x0 or ALC12x0 series. Most will not notice the difference as the ALC892 is a decent controller more than capable of handling most audio tasks… and only audiophiles will be disappointed. Though to be fair few audiophiles would be happy with the new 12-series Realtek controller either.

To us it all comes down to value, asking price, and what you intend for your new system to. If money is no object there are better ways to spend your money. If on the other hand you are on a tight budget but don’t want to step down a Ryzen 7 CPU model just to afford a more fancy motherboard… the MSI X370 SLI Plus does deserver a long hard look. After all, this motherboard is only $150 and that is a full hundred less than a ASUS Crosshair VI Hero. That really is the difference between AMD Ryzen 7 1800X and a 1700X.

That to us makes the SLI Plus a bargain. A bargain that is not only ready for the lower tiered Ryzen processors but is also ready for the upcoming Ryzen APUs. In other words the MSI X370 SLI Plus maybe inexpensive but it is not a cheap motherboard. Just understand what MSI has changed to hit the lower price point and make sure those differences will not matter to your build. If you are comfortable with that then the MSI X370 SLI Plus will indeed be a good choice.