In the gaming world, MSI vs Gigabyte is a long-standing debate. For years, these two companies have been pitted against each other in a battle for the title of the best motherboard manufacturer.
So, which company makes the best gaming motherboards? That’s a tough question to answer, as both MSI and Gigabyte offer excellent products.
To help you make a decision, I’ve gathered all the information available on both brands and put this massive guide together. So keep reading to find out which brand is the best for your gaming needs.
MSI Brief History
MSI is a Taiwanese multinational information technology corporation founded in 1986 and headquartered in New Taipei City, Taiwan. They produce all types of motherboards, from budget to enthusiast-level, for both Intel and AMD CPUs, but motherboards are not the only type of computer equipment that they produce. They also make graphic cards, prebuilt PCs, notebook computers, servers, multimedia products, consumer electronics, and many other types of electronic equipment. They are well-known among gamers for their high-performance, high-quality gaming motherboards, laptops, and crazy RGB lighting schemes.
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Gigabyte Brief History
Gigabyte was also founded in 1986 and is based in Taiwan as well. They don’t have such a wide range of products as MSI. They mainly focus on motherboards, graphic cards, and laptops. Gigabyte was known for budget-friendly motherboards, but in recent years they have been stepping up their game and releasing some high-end motherboards.
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MSI vs Gigabyte Motherboard Reputation
Now that you know a bit about the history of both brands let’s look at their reputations as motherboard manufacturers.
MSI is probably the most well-known gaming motherboard brand on the market. They have a huge following of dedicated fans, and many gamers swear by their products. MSI motherboards are known for their high-performance, excellent build quality, and flashy RGB lighting schemes. They not only produce great gaming products but also have a great marketing team that does an excellent job of promoting their products and making MSI a household name in the gaming community.
They used to produce higher-end motherboards, but in recent years they’ve also produced some great budget-friendly as well. One thing that makes MSI stand out from the competition is its easy-to-overclock BIOS, which makes overclocking very simple.
But there are not only good things to say about MSI. MSI is also famous for its slow updates and lackluster customer support. Finally, the last Ryzen series motherboards MSI released suffered from overheating issues, which soured the company’s reputation a bit.
Gigabyte, on the other hand, has a more mixed reputation. They don’t have a huge fan base like MSI, but they are still a well-respected brand in the gaming community. The good thing about Gigabyte is that its main product line is motherboards. So they are constantly innovating and releasing new models with the latest technologies. This is why they have gone from producing budget-friendly motherboards to releasing some great high-end options.
The downside of Gigabyte is that their customer support isn’t quite good either. Like MSI, they also have a reputation for slow BIOS updates.
Overall, Gigabyte isn’t as famous as MSI, but they are still a well-established brand continuously improving its products, which is why it is one of the top motherboard brands and keeps improving each year.
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So, which Motherboard brand is better?
It’s hard to say, as both brands have their pros and cons. At the end of the day, it really depends on your needs and preferences. If you want to buy a motherboard and don’t know which brand to choose, you can’t go wrong with either MSI or Gigabyte. But the best thing to do is not to start with a specific brand in mind but first decide on the CPU you are going to buy. After choosing your CPU, you can compare specific motherboard models from different brands and see which one offers the best features and prices.
I think this is the best way to pick a motherboard; certain motherboards will work better with specific CPUs than others. So it’s important to compare different models and not just brands.
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MSI Flagship Models
After looking at the pros and cons of both brands, let’s take a closer look at some of MSI’s flagship models.
MSI MEG Z690 GODLIKE
MSI MEG Z690 is MSI’s top-of-the-line motherboard for Intel’s latest 12th gen CPUs. It is packed with features and is one of the most expensive motherboards on the market.
It comes with a massive 20+2 phase VRM, PCIe 5.0 support, MSI’s patented cooling system, and support for up to two graphics cards.
It also comes with a 5Gb LAN, killer wireless card support, and support for up to 128GB of DDR5 RAM. So if you’re looking for the ultimate gaming motherboard that can handle anything you throw at it, then the MSI MEG Z690 is probably one of the best options out there.
MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE
The X570 GODLIKE is MSI’s flagship model for AMD’s Ryzen 5th gen CPUs.
Just like the Z690 intel option, it comes with a massive 14+4 +1 phase VRM, a great cooling system, and support for up to two graphics cards.
It doesn’t offer support for DDR5 or PCIe 5.0 yet, as those are not available on any 5th gen Ryzen CPUs yet. It has DDR4 support up to 128GB and 3x PCIe 4.0 x16 slots.
If you’re looking for an excellent high-end motherboard for AMD Ryzen processors, the X570 GODLIKE is definitely one of the best options out there right now.
Of course, there are many more motherboard models from MSI that are very good. But these are just some of the best that MSI has to offer. If you want to know the best motherboard for intel i9 12900k, you can read our other blog post.
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Gigabyte Flagship Models
Now that we’ve looked at some of MSI’s top motherboards let’s take a look at Gigabyte’s flagship models.
GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Xtreme
The Aorus Xtreme is Gigabyte’s top-of-the-line motherboard for Intel’s 12th gen CPUs, and it offers features that are very similar to the MSI MEG Z690 GODLIKE.
It has a 20+1+2 phase VRM, capable of providing enough power for even the most demanding 12th gen CPUs, PCIe 5.0 support, DDR5 support up to 128GB, and a ton of connectivity options.
It also comes with a built-in 10Gb LAN card, Wi-Fi 6 support, and a very good audio chip. Who said that Gigabyte boards are not good for gaming?
GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Xtreme
The Aorus X570 AORUS is Gigabyte’s top-of-the-line motherboard for AMD’s 5th gen CPUs. It has great features that are comparable to the MSI MEG X570 GODLIKE.
It has a 16-phase VRM, a high-quality cooling system, 3x PCIe 4.0 x16 slots, and DDR4 RAM support up to 128GB.
It also has a 10Gb LAN card, Wi-Fi 6 support, and an excellent audio chip. This gigabyte motherboard has nothing to be jealous of MSI series, and if you read online reviews, you will see that it is recommended by many computer experts and gamers.
So as you can see, Gigabyte is not to be underestimated when it comes to high-end motherboards for both Intel and AMD processors. They offer excellent quality and high performance with their flagship models, making them a very good choice for gamers and professional users.
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MSI vs Gigabyte FAQ
Is Gigabyte Better Than MSI?
As I already told you, there is no easy answer to this question. It depends on what you are looking for in a motherboard and what your budget is.
Both brands offer excellent quality and performance with their flagship models. So if you’re looking for the best of the best, you can’t go wrong with either MSI or Gigabyte.
Is MSI Better Than Aorus?
This is not a fair comparison because Aorus is Gigabyte’s high-end gaming series while MSI is a brand. But if we compare the two brands, then MSI is more famous and has a better reputation.
However, Gigabyte is catching up fast, and their Aorus series is very popular with gamers. So it’s really a matter of personal preference.
Is Gigabyte A Good Brand For GPU?
While I mainly focused on motherboards in this article, Gigabyte is also a great brand for GPUs. In fact, they are very well known and respected within the gaming community.
They have been making high-quality GPUs for many years, and their products are used by professional gamers and casual gamers alike.
So if you’re looking for a good brand for both your motherboard and GPU, then Gigabyte is definitely a very good option.
Is Gigabyte A Good Motherboard Brand?
Yes, Gigabyte is a good motherboard brand, and its products are used by many gamers and computer enthusiasts.
They offer a wide range of motherboards for different budgets and needs. So if you’re looking for a good quality motherboard, Gigabyte is definitely a brand that you should consider.
Are Aorus And Gigabyte The Same?
Aorus is Gigabyte’s high-end gaming series. Essentially it is Gigabyte’s gaming brand, but it is also mistakenly used as a generic term to refer to any motherboard or GPU made by Gigabyte.
So the answer is no. Aorus and Gigabyte are not the same. But they both belong to the same company.
Which Motherboard Manufacturer Is Best?
I don’t like to play favorites, so I am not going to say that one motherboard manufacturer is better than the other. Every brand has its strengths and weaknesses, and what works for one person might not work for another.
However, there are three brands that I would recommend if you’re looking for a high-quality motherboard: MSI, Gigabyte, and Asus.
These are all well-known and respected brands within the gaming community. So if you’re looking for a good quality motherboard, I would definitely check out these three brands.
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Conclusion
So which is better, MSI or Gigabyte?
It really depends on your needs and budget. Both motherboard manufacturers have excellent quality and a long history of producing high-performance motherboards.
It really comes down to specific models and features, so you should do some research to find the best motherboard for your needs.
Ultimately, MSI vs Gigabyte is not an easy choice because both brands offer high-performance gaming with their flagship models. But if you read online reviews and ask for recommendations from other gamers and computer experts, you should be able to decide which brand is best for you.
Nick Ryley is a computer architect and the owner of The Pc Geekz.
His love for playing games got him interested in computers in the first place. He wanted to be able to build a gaming PC that could run all the latest games at max settings, and this has him pursuing a major in computer architecture!
He started this blog to help people out and answer some of the most common questions about computer building
