Test Setup

	MSI Nightblade	MSI Nightblade MI
Motherboard	MSI Z97I Gaming Nightblade	MSI MS-78551
CPU	Intel Core i5-4570K	Intel Core i5-4460S
Memory	2x8GB DDR3-1600 MHz	2x4GB DDR3-1600 MHz
Graphics Cards	MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G	MSI GTX 960 Tiger Edition
System Drive	2x Plextor PX-128M6M 128GB Seagate Barracuda 2TB	Transcend TS128GSSD370 128GB WD Blue 1TB
PSU	600W 80Plus Gold	FSP 350W 80Plus Bronze
Games and OS	Windows 8.1 x64	Windows 10 x64
Drivers	NVIDIA ForceWare 344.75	NVIDIA ForceWare 355.82
Connectors	2 x e-SATA 2 x HDMI 1 x Display Port 1 x S/PDIF 1 x PS/2 1 x CMOS 1 x WiFi Antenna 6 x Audio jacks	1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo 1 x LAN (RJ45) 4 x USB 2.0 2 x USB 3.0 1 x Optical S/PDIF OUT connector 6 x Audio jacks 1 x HDMI 1 x Display Port
Dimensions	345.8 x 277.3 x 175.7 mm	340.6 x 234.8 x 127.6 mm
Weight	8 Kg	8 Kg
Games	Borderlands - The Pre-Sequel Watch Dogs Tomb Raider Thief Metro Last Light

The MSI Nightblade MI is a mini PC system based on an ITX form-factor motherboard. The rig is easy to carry around and fore example perfectly suitable for LAN parties. At the moment, the MSI Nightblade MI is available in two versions, where one is based on an i7-4790S and the other comes with an i5-4460S. Both systems are also available as a barebone, with only the power supply and motherboard in place, while other components can be chosen by the customer.

The case measures 340.6 x 234.8 x 127.6 mm with a total weight of 8 Kg, and it's made of thick, high quality steel. As you can guess from the size, the MSI Nightblade MI is a very compact without any special openings or windows. The right side panel features a big mesh, so the graphics card can suck in fresh air. Regarding connecotrs, you can find two USB 3.0 ports at the front panel paired with two standard audio jacks. Inside the case there are no additional fans to push fresh air inside the case, in fact we only find the fan on the CPU cooler; here MSI has chosen to use a low profile solution. The cooling system inside the Nightblade MI reminds us of the kind of heatsinks used inside notebooks.

Our reviewing version of the MSI Nightblade MI has been equipped with an MSI B85 motherboard, which comes with all of the most common connectors, including both WiFi and Bluetooth. Sitting on the small MSI motherboard, there is an Intel's Core i5-4460S 2.90 GHz CPU and 2x4GB DDR3 1600MHz memory. Despite the ITX form-factor, MSI equipped this version with a powerful MSI GTX 960 Tiger Edition graphics card and the power comes from an FSP 350W 80Plus Bronze power supply. As for storage, we find one Transcend TS128GSSD370 128GB SSD and a standard WD Blue 1TB HDD. MSI even equipped this small system with a slot-in ODD.

Page 1 - Introduction	Page 10 - WinRAR
Page 2 - Preview	Page 11 - Frybench
Page 3 - Specifications	Page 12 - Games
Page 4 - 3DMark	Page 13 - SSD
Page 5 - UCBench	Page 14 - Power Consumption
Page 6 - XTU	Page 15 - Temperatures / Noise Levels
Page 7 - Cinebench	Page 16 - Conclusion
Page 8 - HWBot Prime
Page 9 - Blackhole