MSI Z97I Gaming AC Mini-ITX Motherboard Review

Network Speeds

Killer e2200 Gigabit Ethernet NIC

The MSI Z97I Gaming AC motherboard includes the Killer e2200 Gigabit Ehernet NIC which will prioritize gaming traffic to enable the best ping possible when gaming. Gaming traffic (or other desired traffic) will get priority over other network traffic. Using the Killer e2200 driver version 8.0.2.42 we jumped onto SpeedTest.net to see how the speed looked. I know from my internet provider, I should be getting a maximum of 100Mb/s dowload and 20Mb/s upload.

Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260

The Intel dual-band (2×2) Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth adapter supports both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz wireless connections. The Bluetooth connection is a dual-model 4.0 allowing connections to the newest low-energy Bluetooth devices such as headsets, keyboards, mice and other items. In addition, the 7260 provides a WiDi connection that when paired with a WiDi adapter and your television, you can stream your display wirelessly. When we imaged the system we grabbed the 17.0.0.34 driver for the wireless connection. Once again we connected to a 2.4Ghz connection and used SpeedTest.Net to gauge the performance.

Previously, I tested the wireless speed with the ACER Switch 11 Pro, and received a slightly lower download speed than I did with the MSI Z97I Gaming AC. Granted, we all know how the internet speeds can vary from one moment to the next, so using the ACER Switch 11 Pro as a baseline, the Z97I Gaming AC with the Intel 7260 performs rather well over a wireless signal, certainly fast enough to game over a wireless connection.