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 |