MSI has announced a range of new motherboards that support USB 3.1, which promises to be substantially faster than the current USB 3.0 standard. In addition to this, the new MSI Z97A Gaming 6 will also be one of the first motherboards to deploy the new reversible USB Type-C connector.
Four new motherboards from the Z97 and X99 series will be appearing soon, all with support for USB 3.1. The new standard is twice as fast as USB 3.0, and promises to cut down on the amount of time spent transferring data between devices. MSI has originally shown off the prototypes at CES 2015, and it looks like the company is right on schedule to deliver it to gamers around the world.
Addtionally, the new MSI Z97A Gaming 6 with USB Type-C support will be one of the few devices that allows the new standard. USB Type-C redesigns the connector to allow it to be plugged with from any orientation. It should prevent situations where the USB plug is turned around over and over before working, although the challenge is now finding devices that use USB Type-C connectors.
All of the Z97 series motherboards feature support for the new fifth generation Intel processors that are just about hitting the market. The X99A Gaming 9 ACK and X99A Gaming 7 both also support the the new LGA-2011-3 socket for Intel Core i7 Extreme Editions.
MSI will also be celebrating the sale of 100 million NVIDIA based GPUs by issuing a limited edition run of the GTX 970 and GTX 960 GAMING graphics cards. These will feature MSI’s TWIN FROZR V coolers and come in iconic NVIDIA green with a customised backplate.
All of these components will be on display at the upcoming PAX East gaming convention; which is a very unusual space for MSI to be demoing their products. Still, there is no word on when these products will be available internationally or how much they will cost.
