MSI first introduced us to the Aegis series with a barebones system that included MSI’s Silent Storm Cooling 2 and a B150 chipset motherboard. Then, Aegis X offered an upgrade to a Z170 motherboard, a better PSU, and liquid cooling for the CPU. Now, MSI has announced yet another Aegis-branded barebones system.
The new MSI Aegis Ti features a custom Z170 motherboard, an 850-watt Platinum-rated power supply, and support for Nvidia two-way SLI configurations (something the previous iterations were incapable of). It has a higher memory capacity than its predecessors, with support for up to 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) of SO-DIMM DDR4 (the other Aegis models have only two SO-DIMMs). The two M.2 slots support MSI’s Super Raid 4 (RAID 0) NVMe storage array. There’s also space for two 3.5-inch or one 2.5-inch drives.
A new version of the cooling solution, Silent Storm Cooling 3 (not to be confused with Silent Storm Cooling 2, or Silent Storm Cooling 2 Pro, or the original Silent Storm Cooling from the MSI Vortex), provides dedicated airflow for the graphics card(s) and power supply. Similar to the Aegis X, the Aegis Ti also features a liquid-cooling radiator for the CPU.
Aesthetically, we’re looking at the same barebones Aegis chassis as before. The biggest difference is the added space (and therefore, size) for a second GPU, but the overall design and layout remains the same. The front panel features a USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-C slot with up to 10 Gb/s data rates. There’s also two USB 3.1 Type-A ports; one is Gen 2, the other is Gen 1 (5 Gb/s). You can plug in your headset with a combo audio in/out jack, and an HDMI port on front is a considerate feature for a VR gamer. You can also press the Dragon button to instantly overclock the platform (though we aren't sure how much user setup is required, if any).
The motherboard’s rear I/O panel has four USB 3.1 Type-A (Gen 1) ports, four USB 2.0 ports, audio jacks and a P/S 2 port. The front panel’s HDMI pass through is on the back of the chassis in a space between where the graphics cards would go, making it easy to connect it to the GPUs. Internet connectivity is provided by a Killer LAN E2400 RJ45 gigabit Ethernet port and an onboard Killer Wi-Fi 1435AC adapter.
The MSI Aegis Ti barebones PC appears to be the king of the Aegis mountain, and it will arrive in mid-August starting at $649.99. Some assembly is required. However, the company undoubtedly has plans to sell a fully-featured Aegis Ti in the future (MSI did that with the previous Aegis barebones PCs), so if DIY isn’t your thing, hang tight. Preconfigured systems are likely coming.
| Product | MSI Aegis Ti Barebones System |
|---|---|
| CPU Support (Not Included) | Up to Intel Core i7-6700K |
| GPU Support (Not Included) | Up to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 2-Way SLI |
| Memory Support | Up to 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) SO-DIMM DDR4 |
| Motherboard Chipset | Z170 |
| Storage (Not Included) | - 3.5-inch HDD x3- 2.5-inch HDD/SSD- M.2 PCIe SSD x2 |
| Front Panel | - USB 3.1 (Type-C, Gen 2)- USB 3.1 (Type-A, Gen 2)- USB 3.1 (Type-A, Gen 1)- HDMI Out |
| Rear I/O | - USB 3.1 (Type-A, Gen 1) x4- USB 2.0 x4- 7-In-1 Audio Jacks- RJ45 (LAN)- P/S 2 |
| Networking | - Killer Gigabit LAN E2400- Killer WiFi 1435AC w/ Bluetooth 4.1 |
| Optical Drive | Super Multi DVD |
| Cooling | Silent Storm Cooling 3 (Liquid-Cooled CPU) |
| Power Supply | 850-Watt 80 Plus Platinum Certified |
| Dimensions | 510 x 415 x 506 mm |
| Starting MSRP | $649.99 |
Yeah but non-PC builders probably find it attractive.
I dont understand how rich companies like MSI dont hire good industrial designers, there are plenty and each has his own concept design in which they can see and decide how good he or she is ...
It's ok Robot, things will get better!
...I'll take a look inside before I criticize the "industrial design."
Not everyone wants a post-modern spartan asthetic, folks!