Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Setting Up The Comparison
It’s been a while since we’ve reviewed a barebones PC, and all of the old data uses older hardware. MSI Aegis X is thus compared to current hardware as both a motherboard and a case/power supply combo.
Comparison Motherboards
| Header Cell - Column 0 | MSI Aegis X | Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac |
|---|---|---|
| PCB Revision | 1.0 | 1.03 |
| Chipset | Z170 | Z170 |
| Voltage Regulator | 5 Phases | 8 Phases |
| 100.0 MHz BCLK | 100.0 (+0.00%) | 100.0 (+0.00%) |
| I/O Panel Connectors | ||
| P/S 2 | 1 | 1 |
| USB 3.0/3.1 | 6x 5 Gbps Type A | 10Gbps Type C (1) Type A (1) 6x 5 Gbps Type A |
| USB 2.0 | 2 | None |
| Network | 1 | 1 |
| eSATA | None | None |
| CLR_CMOS Button | None | 1 |
| Digital Audio Out | Optical | Optical |
| Digital Audio In | None | None |
| Analog Audio | 5 | 3 |
| Video | 1x HDMI | 2x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort |
| Other Devices | 2x Wi-Fi Antenna | 2x Wi-Fi Antenna |
| Internal Interfaces | ||
| PCIe 3.0 x16 | 1 | 1 |
| PCIe 3.0 x1 / x4 | 1x half-mini PCIe (filled) | 1x half-mini PCIe (filled) |
| USB 3.0/3.1 | 1 (2-ports) | 1 (2-ports) |
| USB 2.0 | None | 1 (2-ports) |
| SATA 6.0 Gb/s | 4 | 6 (Shares 2x SATA-E, 1x M.2) |
| SATA Express | None | 1 (Uses 2x SATA) |
| M.2 Interfaces (Transfer Modes) | 2x PCIe 3.0 x4 | 1x PCIe 3.0 x4 / SATA 6Gbps (1x SATA-E, 2x SATA shared) |
| 4-Pin Fan | 2 | 3 |
| 3-Pin Fan | 1 | None |
| FP-Audio | 1 | 1 |
| S/PDIF I/O | None | None |
| Internal Buttons | None | None |
| Internal Switch | None | None |
| Diagnostics Panel | None | None |
| Other Devices | None | None |
| Mass Storage Controllers | ||
| Chipset SATA | 4x SATA 6 Gbps | 6x SATA 6 Gbps (Includes M.2, SATA-E) |
| Chipset RAID Modes | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| Add-In SATA | None | None |
| USB 3.1 10Gbps | None | ASM1142 PCIe (2x Rear Panel Ports) |
| Networking | ||
| Primary LAN | Killer e2400 PCIe | WGI219V PHY |
| Secondary LAN | None | None |
| WiFi | Killer Wireless-AC 1435: 802.11ac dual-band + BT 4.1 | BCM4352 PCIe: 802.11ac dual-band + BT 4.0 |
| Bluetooth | By Killer 1435 combo | By BCM4352 combo |
| Audio | ||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC1150 | ALC1150 |
| DDL/DTS Connect | None | DTS Connect |
| Warranty | One Year | Three Years |
The design of MSI’s Aegis X presents somewhat of a challenge to case selection capabilities, as we haven’t tested a riser-card case specifically designed to cool gaming graphics cards since the original ASRock M8 of 2013. Nearly the same height as the Aegis X, Corsair’s Graphite 380T is the smallest gaming case we had on hand.
To help demo its Aegix X, MSI included a pair of Toshiba 128GB M.2 drives in RAID 0. Unfortunately, our comparison system doesn't have two M.2 slots. A recent upgrade in our test software suite made this the perfect time to switch to our new test drive, which is a single 256GB version of the drives MSI had included. Retail-boxed Toshiba NVMe M.2 drives come with a PCIe adapter card that we wouldn't need, and are sold under the OCZ brand.
MSI also included its GTX 1080 Armor OC for the demo, and with all those other changes to the system configuration I ran out of excuses not to upgrade. It's both more powerful and shorter than the GTX 970 we were previously using.
Comparison Cases
| MSI Aegis X | Corsair Graphite 380T | |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 14.8" (37.6 cm) | 14.1" (35.8 cm) |
| Width | 6.5" (16.5 cm) | 11.5" (29.2 cm) |
| Depth | 17.1" (43.4 cm) | 15.5" (39.3 cm) |
| Space Above Motherboard | N/A | 5.9" (15.0 cm) |
| Card Length | 11.8" (30.0 cm) | 11.8" (30.0 cm) |
| Weight | 19.7 lbs (9.0 kg) | 12.3 lbs (5.6 kg) |
| Cooling | ||
| Front Fans (alternatives) | 1x 80 x 15mm (None) | 1x 200mm (1x 140 / 2x 120mm) |
| Rear Fans (alternatives) | 1x 92mm (on bottom) (None) | 1x 120mm (None) |
| Top Fans (alternatives) | None (None) | None (None) |
| Left Side (alternatives) | None (None) | None (None) |
| Right Side (alternatives) | None (None) | None (2x 120mm) |
| Drive Bays | ||
| 5.25" External | 1x Slim ODD (Filled) | None |
| 3.5" External | None | None |
| 3.5" Internal | Two | Two |
| 2.5" Internal | One | 2 +2* |
| Card Slots | Two | Two |
| Front Panel | ||
| Front USB 3.0/3.1 | 1x 10 Gbps Type C 2x 5 Gbps Type A | Two |
| USB 2.0 | None | None |
| Audio | Head/mic | Head/mic |
| Fan Control | Motherboard | Three Speed Manual |
| Other | Turbo Button | None |
| Noise Damping | ||
| Sides | None | None |
| Top | None | None |
| Front | None | None |
| Other Features | Integrated 92mm CLLC Integrated 600W PSU H-L GUD0N Ultra Slim 8X DVDRW ASM1142 USB 3.1 10 Gbps | None |
We used the same CPU cooler in both systems to make the thermal comparison as fair as possible, but how do we price that cooler if it’s not sold separately? Fortunately, the model it’s based on is available on eBay for $85.
Finished Test Configurations
| Header Cell - Column 0 | MSI Aegis X | ASRock/Corsair Mini PC |
|---|---|---|
| Case | MSI Aegis X | Corsair Graphite 380T |
| Motherboard | MSI Aegis X | ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac |
| CPU Cooler | MSI Aegis X | Asetek 545LC |
| Optical | H-L GUD0N Ultra Slim 8X DVDRW | Not Supported |
| Power | FSP600-40UGSBE: 600W, 1U, 80 PLUS Silver | CORSAIR AX860i: 860W Modular, ATX12V v2.3, 80 PLUS Platinum |
| Baseline Price | $500 | $600 |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-6700K: Up to 4.20 GHz, Four Cores, 8 MB Cache | |
| Memory | 2x Hynix HMA41GS6AFR8N-TF: DDR4-2133 C15, 2x 8GB (16GB) | Patriot PVE416G320C6KGY at DDR4-2133 C15 Defaults, 16GB (2x 8GB) |
| Graphics | MSI GTX 1080 Armor OC: GeForce GTX1080, 1658-1797 MHz GPU, GDDR5X-10008 | |
| System Drive | TOSHIBA OCZ RD400 256GB NVMe 1.1b SSD |
We could have reduced our theoretical build tally by over $100 through the purchase of a lower capacity power supply, but re-using an old high-end unit that we already had on hand saved us actual money. New system builders could potentially get the ASRock/Corsair baseline configuration down to $400 if they chose a cheaper motherboard model as well, or even push overclocking potential on the expensive setup by starting off with a larger cooler. Of course they’d give up the slenderness of the Aegis X in the process along with a couple of its special features. Then again, we’ve recently seen the Aegis X at a promotional price of $360, and not everyone is die-hard concerning overclocking. Because of the plethora of pricing and configuration options, our conclusion will speak only in general terms concerning Aegis X value.
