I
Quick Start
Quick Start
Thank you for purchasing the MSI
®
Z270 SLI PLUS/ Z270 SLI
motherboard. This Quick Start section provides demonstration
diagrams about how to install your computer. Some of the
installations also provide video demonstrations. Please link to the
URL to watch it with the web browser on your phone or tablet. You
may have even link to the URL by scanning the QR code.

󲫞MSI
®
Z270 SLI PLUS/ Z270 SLI 󷽡󰵴
󷯈󽴸PC󶅉
󵰨󳜰󴎁󱰴󳎔󸋺󶅉󵰨
󳅜󹌬󰺱󲕌󴜵󳏀󰿙
󵱮󳦤󳦥󳥆󷪹󸋺URL
󷧯 QR URL󱋔󱛬󴮒󹌦

󼔄 󻝳󼖏󼞇
MSI
®
Z270 SLI PLUS/ Z270 SLI 󺼣󻱇󻇃󺦫󺹋 󻗯󼖬󼩃󻷋󻘣󻗫 󺃟󻕻󼨸󺞗󺞳.
󻱃 󻉏󻉓󻪟󻗫󺝣 󼏃󼦷󼗿󺹋 󻗳󼌧󼨧󺝣 󻃸󻅤󻪟 󺟏󼨫 󺠿󺽷 󺞳󻱃󻪃󺋇󺱷󺇋 󻱋󻉏
󺠿󺽷 󺢨󻫐󻖐󻰓 󻳫󺇄󼨧󺆯 󻱗󻞄󺞗󺞳. 󼰃󺟏󻳓󼬣 󺫟󺝣 󼖫󻋣󺺎󻰧 󻯈 󻋛󺱋󻭿󻳏󺹋
󼚄󼨧󻪻 URL󻪟 󺺐󼔻󼨫 󼮓 󻗳󼌧 󺢨󻫐󻖐󻰓 󺃟󻖐󼨧󻞫󺋿 󻃣󺱜󺞗󺞳. 󺫟󺝣 QR
󼐣󺦫󺹋 󻝳󼍣󼨧󻪻 URL󻪟 󺺐󼔻󼨯 󻛧󺢓 󻱗󻞄󺞗󺞳.
󲴱󸔡󳉹󲮹
󲼯󷳓󲹢󷿒󷽡 MSI
®
Z270 SLI PLUS/ Z270 SLI 󰶻󳼦󳨣󽴸󳦦󲴱󸔡󳉹󲮹󵱏󵸐
󳏀󰿙󲹢󲔟󷡥󹄷󶤢󵒹󵤛󵸖󱱭󷩒󽴺󰹡󳏀󰿙󸛉󱐖󶅊󰻞󵒹󲔟󷡥󵤛󵸖󲱨󴵛󼶋󷰟󲹢󰻄
󳡱󲾶󱴘󳅜󳼦󳃵󲪃󳨣󵒹󴣴󷨓󱬽󸔯󰵴 URL 󶈫󱲨󸕏󷝥󷨛󵖐󲹡󰷳󱜴󰻅󳍀󳎿 QR
code 󵒹󳜱󲮮󲴰󸔠󸔮󳍺󶩜󶈪󱲨󽴸
󲴰󸔠󱌇󸽷
󲼮󷹨󲹡󸀞󰸉 MSI
®
Z270 SLI PLUS/ Z270 SLI 󰶻󳨤󳦦󲴰󸔠󱌇󸽷󸛉󱐕󳏀󰿙
󰸬󳥤󱌣󲁶󰽧󲔞󷠴󷷧󵶿󳦽󴜶󵤚󱱄󳪥󰹉󷸄󳜷󸑯󳏀󰿙󰸬󷨡󹏹󴜶󵤚󷸽󰾫󵈾󲹡
󵒹󳅜󳦽󳃵󲪃󳨤󵉐󶡱󰵴󵒹󶓹󹏝󴐺󷨣󱬽󸹇󳍺󶩜󶓹󱲨󷨝󵖐󲹡󰷳󱜴󰻅󸔒󸑃󳆋󳎾
QR󵜧󸹇󳍺󱑍URL
II
Quick Start
http://youtu.be/bf5La099urI
Installing a Processor/ CPU󱜋󰺱/ 󼧓󺴫󻘇󻗫 󻗳󼌧󼨧󺋿/
󲔟󷡥󷐗󵀛󱬽/ 󲔞󷠴󱾆󵀛󱬽
Youtube
󰼐󸟐
http://v.youku.com/v_show/
id_XNDkyOTY1NjQ0.html
1
2
3
6
4
5
7
8
9
III
Quick Start
Installing DDR4 memory/ DDR4󱜋󰺱/
DDR4 󺼣󺽷󺹻 󻗳󼌧󼨧󺋿/ 󲔟󷡥 DDR4 󷪺󳁋󹠔/ 󲔞󷠴 DDR4 󱌼󲒹
http://youtu.be/T03aDrJPyQs
Youtube
󰼐󸟐
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNzUyMTI5ODI4.html
1
2
2
3
DIMMB2 DIMMB2
DIMMB1
DIMMA2 DIMMA2 DIMMA2
DIMMA1
3
1
IV
Quick Start
Connecting the Front Panel Header/
 󳍹 󶇳 / 󻳓󺽃 󼟷󺗟 󼎳󺗴󼗿 󻪿󺅿󼨧󺋿/
󸔮󳍺󱑺󶔩󹈘󳨣󸢛󶥂/ 󸑷󳍺󱑹󶔩󹈘󳨤󳍺󱿣
http://youtu.be/DPELIdVNZUI
1
2 10
9
JFP1
1 HDD LED + 2 Power LED +
3 HDD LED - 4 Power LED -
5 Reset Switch 6 Power Switch
7 Reset Switch 8 Power Switch
9 Reserved 10 No Pin
RESET SW
POWER SW
POWER LED+
POWER LED-
HDD LED
HDD LED
RESET SW
JFP1
HDD LED
HDD LED -
HDD LED +
POWER LED -
POWER LED +
POWER LED
Youtube
󰼐󸟐
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjcyMTczMzM2.html
V
Quick Start
Installing the Motherboard/ 󱜋󰺱/
󺼣󻱇󻇃󺦫 󻗳󼌧󼨧󺋿/ 󲔟󷡥󰶻󳼦󳨣/ 󲔞󷠴󰶻󳨤
1
2
VI
Quick Start
Installing SATA Drives/ SATA󱜋󰺱/
SATA 󺦫󺱋󻱃󻋛 󻗳󼌧󼨧󺋿/ 󲔟󷡥 SATA 󵡃󵠉󳼦/ 󲔞󷠴 SATA 󷸄󱾋
http://youtu.be/RZsMpqxythc
http://v.youku.com/v_show/
id_XNDkzODU5MTky.html
Youtube
󰼐󸟐
1
2
3
4
5
VII
Quick Start
Installing a Graphics Card/ 󱜋󰺱/
󺋇󺱧󼨌 󼍃󺦫 󻗳󼌧󼨧󺋿 / 󲔟󷡥󹏐󵤛󱙔/ 󲔞󷠴󳠒󱙔
http://youtu.be/mG0GZpr9w_A
http://v.youku.com/v_show/
id_XNDkyOTc3MzQ4.html
Youtube
󰼐󸟐
1
2
3
4
5
6
VIII
Quick Start
Connecting Peripheral Devices/ 󱟰󸐠󳼤󱬼󳍹󶇳/
󻷋󻆏 󻱴󼌧 󻪿󺅿󼨧󺋿/ 󸔯󳍻󱟱󸘺󷫥󱆕/ 󸑷󳍺󱾫󱰶󷸄󱾋
IX
Quick Start
Connecting the Power Connectors/ 󹄶󴙂󳍹󶇳/ 󻳓󻮟
󼎳󺗴󼗿 󻪿󺅿󼨧󺋿/ 󳏅󰵴󹄷󴙃󳍻󹍨/ 󸑷󳍺󵉐󴙃󳍺󱿣
http://youtu.be/gkDYyR_83I4 http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDkzODU0MDQw.html
ATX_PWR1
CPU_PWR1
Youtube
󰼐󸟐
X
Quick Start
Power On/ 󸔑󹄶/ 󻳓󻮟 󼏫󺋿/ 󱥭󱕜󹄷󴙃/ 󲮔󳦽
1
4
2
3
1
Contents
Contents
Safety Information ................................................................................................. 2
Specifications ......................................................................................................... 3
Rear I/O Panel ....................................................................................................... 8
LAN Port LED Status Table..................................................................................... 8
Audio Ports Configuration ...................................................................................... 8
Realtek HD Audio Manager .................................................................................... 9
Overview of Components .................................................................................... 11
CPU Socket ........................................................................................................... 12
DIMM Slots ............................................................................................................ 13
PCI_E1~6: PCIe Expansion Slots .......................................................................... 14
M2_1~2: M.2 Slots (Key M) ................................................................................... 15
SATA1~6: SATA 6Gb/s Connectors ....................................................................... 16
JFP1, JFP2: Front Panel Connectors ................................................................... 17
CPU_PWR1, ATX_PWR1: Power Connectors ....................................................... 18
JCOM1: Serial Port Connector ............................................................................. 18
JUSB1~2: USB 2.0 Connectors ............................................................................. 19
JUSB3~4: USB 3.1 Gen1 Connectors ................................................................... 19
CPU_FAN1,SYS_FAN1~4, PUMP_FAN1: Fan Connectors .................................... 20
JAUD1: Front Audio Connector ............................................................................ 21
JCI1: Chassis Intrusion Connector ....................................................................... 21
JTPM1: TPM Module Connector ........................................................................... 22
JBAT1: Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS) Jumper ........................................................... 22
JLED1: RGB LED connector ................................................................................. 23
JLPT1: Parallel Port Connector ........................................................................... 23
EZ Debug LEDs ..................................................................................................... 24
BIOS Setup ........................................................................................................... 25
Entering BIOS Setup ............................................................................................. 25
Resetting BIOS ...................................................................................................... 26
Updating BIOS ....................................................................................................... 26
EZ Mode ................................................................................................................ 27
Advanced Mode .................................................................................................... 29
OC Menu................................................................................................................ 30
Software Description ........................................................................................... 36
Installing Windows
®
7/ 8.1/ 10.............................................................................. 36
Installing Drivers .................................................................................................. 36
Installing Utilities ................................................................................................. 36
2
Safety Information
Safety Information
y The components included in this package are prone to damage from electrostatic
discharge (ESD). Please adhere to the following instructions to ensure successful
computer assembly.
y Ensure that all components are securely connected. Loose connections may cause
the computer to not recognize a component or fail to start.
y Hold the motherboard by the edges to avoid touching sensitive components.
y It is recommended to wear an electrostatic discharge (ESD) wrist strap when
handling the motherboard to prevent electrostatic damage. If an ESD wrist strap
is not available, discharge yourself of static electricity by touching another metal
object before handling the motherboard.
y Store the motherboard in an electrostatic shielding container or on an anti-static
pad whenever the motherboard is not installed.
y Before turning on the computer, ensure that there are no loose screws or metal
components on the motherboard or anywhere within the computer case.
y Do not boot the computer before installation is completed. This could cause
permanent damage to the components as well as injury to the user.
y If you need help during any installation step, please consult a certified computer
technician.
y Always turn off the power supply and unplug the power cord from the power outlet
before installing or removing any computer component.
y Keep this user guide for future reference.
y Keep this motherboard away from humidity.
y Make sure that your electrical outlet provides the same voltage as is indicated on
the PSU, before connecting the PSU to the electrical outlet.
y Place the power cord such a way that people can not step on it. Do not place
anything over the power cord.
y All cautions and warnings on the motherboard should be noted.
y If any of the following situations arises, get the motherboard checked by service
personnel:
Liquid has penetrated into the computer.
The motherboard has been exposed to moisture.
The motherboard does not work well or you can not get it work according to user
guide.
The motherboard has been dropped and damaged.
The motherboard has obvious sign of breakage.
y Do not leave this motherboard in an environment above 60C (140F), it may damage
the motherboard.
3
Specifications
Specifications
CPU
y Supports 7th/6th Gen Intel
®
Core
i3/i5/i7 processors,
and Intel
®
Pentium
®
and Celeron
®
processors for Socket
LGA1151
Chipset Intel
®
Z270 Chipset
Memory
y 4x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 64GB
7th Gen processors support DDR4 3800(OC)/ 3600(OC)/
3200(OC)/ 3000(OC)/ 2800(OC)/ 2600(OC)/ 2400/ 2133
MHz*
6th Gen processors support DDR4 3600(OC)/ 3200(OC)/
3000(OC)/ 2800(OC)/ 2600(OC)/ 2400(OC)/ 2133 MHz*
y Dual channel memory architecture
y Supports non-ECC, un-buffered memory
y Supports Intel
®
Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
*Please refer to www.msi.com for more information on compatible memory.
Expansion Slots
y 3x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots (support x16/x0/x4, x8/x8/x4 modes)
y 3x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots
Onboard Graphics
y 1x HDMI™ port, supports a maximum resolution of
4096x2160@30Hz(7th Gen CPU), 4096x2160@24Hz(6th Gen
CPU), 2560x1600@60Hz
y 1x DVI-D port, supports a maximum resolution of
1920x1200@60Hz
Multi-GPU
y Supports 2-Way NVIDIA
®
SLI
Technology
y Supports 3-Way AMD
®
CrossFire
Technology
Storage
Intel
®
Z270 Chipset
y 6x SATA 6Gb/s ports*
y 2x M.2 slots (Key M)
Support up to PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA 6Gb/s
Support PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe U.2 SSD with Turbo U.2 Host
Card**
M2_1 slot supports 2242/ 2260 /2280/ 22110 storage
devices
M2_2 slot supports 2242/ 2260 /2280 storage devices
Intel
®
Optane™ Memory Ready for all M.2 slots***
y Supports Intel
®
Smart Response Technology for Intel
Core
processors
* The SATA1, SATA5 and SATA6 ports will become unavailable with some
conditions of M.2 devices. Please refer to page 16 for M.2 & SATA
combination table.
** The Turbo U.2 Host Card is not included, please purchase separately.
***
Intel
®
Optane™ Technology is only supported when using 7th Gen processors.
Before using Intel
®
Optane™ memory modules, please ensure that you have
updated the drivers and BIOS to the latest version from MSI website.
Continued on next page
4
Specifications
Continued from previous page
RAID
Intel
®
Z270 Chipset
y Supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 for SATA
storage devices
y Supports RAID 0 and RAID 1 for M.2 storage devices*
* M.2 PCIe RAID volume can be created with M.2 GENIE. Please refer to page
28 for details about M.2 GENIE.
USB
y ASMedia
®
ASM2142 Chipset
1x USB 3.1 Gen2 (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps) Type-C port
on the back panel
1x USB 3.1 Gen2 (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps) Type-A port
on the back panel
y Intel
®
Z270 Chipset
8x USB 3.1 Gen1 (SuperSpeed USB) ports (4 Type-A
ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the
internal USB connectors)
6x USB 2.0 (High-speed USB) ports (2 Type-A ports on
the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal
USB connectors)
Audio
y Realtek
®
ALC1220 Codec
y 7.1-Channel High Definition Audio
LAN 1x Intel I219-V Gigabit LAN controller
Back Panel
Connectors
y 1x PS/2 mouse & keyboard combo port
y 2x USB 2.0 ports
y 1x DVI-D port
y 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A port
y 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port
y 4x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports
y 1x HDMI
port
y 1x LAN (RJ45) port
y 6x audio jacks
Internal Connectors
y 1x 24-pin ATX main power connector
y 1x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
y 6x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
y 2x USB 3.1 Gen1 connectors (supports additional 4 USB
3.1 Gen1 ports)
y 2x USB 2.0 connectors (supports additional 4 USB 2.0
ports)
y 1x 4-pin CPU fan connector
y 1x 4-pin water pump fan connector
y 4x 4-pin system fan connectors
Continued on next page
5
Specifications
Continued from previous page
Internal Connectors
y 1x Front panel audio connector
y 2x Front panel connectors
y 1x RGB LED connector (Z270 SLI PLUS)
y 1x TPM module connector
y 1x Chassis Intrusion connector
y 1x Serial port connector
y 1x Parallel port connector
y 1x Clear CMOS jumper
I/O Controller NUVOTON NCT6795 Controller Chip
Hardware Monitor
y CPU/System temperature detection
y CPU/System fan speed detection
y CPU/System fan speed control
From Factor
y ATX Form Factor
y 12.0 in. x 9.6 in. (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)
BIOS Features
y 1x 128 Mb flash
y UEFI AMI BIOS
y ACPI 5.0, PnP 1.0a, SM BIOS 2.8
y Multi-language
Software
y Drivers
y COMMAND CENTER
y LIVE UPDATE 6
y FAST BOOT
y SUPER CHARGER
y MYSTIC LIGHT
y RAMDISK
y X-BOOST
y MSI SMART TOOL
y CPU-Z MSI GAMING
y NETWORK MANAGER
y Intel
®
Extreme Tuning Utility
y Norton
Internet Security Solution
y Google Chrome
, Google Toolbar, Google Drive
Continued on next page
6
Specifications
Continued from previous page
MSI Exclusive
Features
y CLICK BIOS 5
EZ Mode & Advanced Mode Switching
Board Explorer
Hardware Monitor
y MILITARY CLASS 5
Military Class Component
Military Class Stability and Reliability
ESD Protection
EMI Protection
Humidity Protection
Circuit Protection
High Temperature Protection
VGA Armor Slot
y MSI Steel Armor
PCI-E Steel Armor
DDR4 Steel Shielding
y COMMAND CENTER
System Monitor
Smart Fan Control
y MYSTIC LIGHT EXTENSION (Z270 SLI PLUS)
Dedicated HEADER for 4-pin RGB-strip
LIGHT CONTROL
y RAMDISK
y LIVE UPDATE 6
y VR BOOST
y X-BOOST
System Performance Enhancement
User Scenario Profile
Continued on next page
7
Specifications
Continued from previous page
Specification
Highlights
y DDR4 Boost Support
Dual-Channel DDR4 Memory Support
Isolated DDR4 Circuit Design
DDR4 XMP Ready
y PCI Express 3.0 Support
2-Way Nvidia SLI
TM
Support
3-Way AMD CrossFire
TM
Support
y USB 3.1 Gen2 Ready
USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A Ready
USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C Ready
y Twin Turbo M.2 Ready
Dual M.2 RAID Support
PCIe 3.0 x4 (32 Gb/s) Support
PCIe / SATA Dual Mode Support
Intel
®
Optane™ Memory Ready
y NVMe / AHCI Driver Support
y U.2 Support (Optional)
8
Rear I/O Panel
Rear I/O Panel
PS/2 Port
LAN
USB 2.0
Audio Ports
DVI-D
USB 3.1 Gen1
USB 3.1 Gen2
USB 3.1 Gen1USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C
Link/ Activity LED
Status Description
Off No link
Yellow Linked
Blinking Data activity
Speed LED
Status Description
Off 10 Mbps connection
Green 100 Mbps connection
Orange 1 Gbps connection
LAN Port LED Status Table
Audio Ports Configuration
Audio Ports
Channel
2 4 6 8
Rear Speaker Out
Center/ Subwoofer Out
Side Speaker Out
Mic In
Line-Out/ Front Speaker Out
Line-In
(: connected, Blank: empty)
9
Rear I/O Panel
Realtek HD Audio Manager
After installing the Realtek HD Audio driver, the Realtek HD Audio Manager icon will
appear in the system tray. Double click on the icon to launch.
Jack Status
Device
Selection
Connector
Strings
Profiles
Main Volume
Application
Enhancement
Advanced
Settings
y Device Selection - allows you to select a audio output source to change the related
options. The check sign indicates the devices as default.
y Application Enhancement - the array of options will provide you a complete
guidance of anticipated sound effect for both output and input device.
y Main Volume - controls the volume or balance the right/left side of the speakers
that you plugged in front or rear panel by adjust the bar.
y Profiles - toggles between profiles.
y Advanced Settings - provides the mechanism to deal with 2 independent audio
streams.
y Jack Status - depicts all render and capture devices currently connected with your
computer.
y Connector Settings - configures the connection settings.
Auto popup dialog
When you plug into a device at an audio jack, a dialogue window will pop up asking you
which device is current connected.
Each jack corresponds to its default setting as shown on the next page.
10
Rear I/O Panel
AUDIO INPUT
Rear
Front
Side
Center/
Subwoofer
Audio jacks to headphone and microphone diagram
Audio jacks to stereo speakers diagram
Audio jacks to 7.1-channel speakers diagram
AUDIO INPUT
/