MSI B360M PRO-VD

Inexpensive board with NVMe support

MSI B360M Pro-VD is an inexpensive but high-quality motherboard based on the B360 chipset, which belongs to the middle level. Among the features of the board, it is worth highlighting reinforced PCI-E slots to protect the graphics card from electromagnetic interference and physical damage, optimized memory module layout for more reliable memory overclocking, a utility for automatically optimizing the cooling system, and an M.2 port with support for ultra-fast NVMe drives. For complete happiness, I would like four slots for RAM instead of two.

Perfect base for entry-level and mid-range computers

With a $70 price tag, the MSI B360M Pro-VD looks like an interesting option for an entry-level and mid-range computer. It is extremely rarely complained about on specialized forums, it has a fairly wide functional set and there are no obvious weaknesses. The only thing missing is an HDMI output, instead of which there is a digital DVI-D and an old-school analogue VGA. Considering that MSI is positioning this board as a solution for a home multimedia centre, this is a bit surprising.

World's friendliest BIOS

Finally, I would like to note the set of utilities that comes with the board. Usually, almost any motherboard is stuffed with this stuff, but the kit from MSI looks like one of the most thoughtful and useful. So, here you can find a full-fledged command centre for overclocking the system, managing disks or controlling the cooling system, utilities for speeding up system boot and optimizing the bundle of drives (useful when a hybrid array of HDD and SSD is installed on your computer). Plus, MSI managed to make one of the most understandable and user-friendly BIOS shells on the market.