MSI Z77A-G45 Thunderbolt motherboard is out

MSI introduces the Z77A-G45 Thunderbolt, a new Intel Z77 based motherboard with MSI "Military Class" components that promises to deliver Thunderbolt support at a more affordable price. A quick look around the web reveals retail price tags of at least 142EUR for this new motherboard, about 40EUR more than the non-Thunderbolt version.

Other features of this LGA1155 motherboard include 4 DDR3 slots, three PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, four, PCI Express x1 slots, 3-way AMD CrossFire X and 2-way NVIDIA SLI support, two SATA 6Gbps ports, four SATA 3Gbps ports, four USB 3.0 ports, ten USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, THX TruStudioPRO 7.1 channel audio, and Mini-DisplayPort/HDMI/VGA outputs.

MSI, the Thunderbolt mainboard pioneer, is pleased to announce the availability of the new MSI Z77A-G45 Thunderbolt. The Z77A-G45 Thunderbolt is a unique aproach to a Thunderbolt equipped mainboard by breaking the current limits of Thunderbolt, the price. Breaking the mold, the MSI Z77A-G45 is a full-featured Z77 mainboard with Thunderbolt at a new pricepoint that makes Thunderbolt accessible for everyone looking to upgrade to the Z77 platform. Of course, the renowned Military Class III components are again available to deliver the highest quality and most stable components. OC Genie II boosts your overall CPU, Memory, Disk and Graphics performance and thanks to its power saving hardware features such as Active Phase Switching (APS), the MSI Z77A-G45 Thunderbolt can combine its performance with best in class power saving.

Thunderbolt™ Technology: The Fastest Connection available
MSI equipped the Z77A-G45 Thunderbolt with the groundbreaking Thunderbolt™ technology. Thunderbolt™ is the fastest data connection available for your PC, running at 10Gbps. Its technology delivers two communication methods, or protocols, on a single cable: PCI Express for data transfer and DisplayPort for displays. MSI has integrated the Thunderbolt controller on the mainboard, ensuring that Thunderbolt is a hassle-free solution that not requires additional cards, cables and configuration issues because external Thunderbolt controllers steal bandwidth from other devices. Thunderbolt is an easy technology and should not add to your PC complexity!

Fastest Data transfers
Data transfers for backup, sharing, and editing are faster with Thunderbolt™ technology, significantly reducing times to complete these tasks. Running at 10Gbps, Thunderbolt™ technology on the MSI Z77A-G45 Thunderbolt can transfer a full-length HD video in less than 30 seconds and backup 1 year (!!!) of continuous audio playback in just over 10 minutes.

Cable management without clutter
Thunderbolt™ technology delivers great responsiveness with data and display transfers – in each direction, at the same time – using a single cable to connect devices. It’s no longer needed to connect multiple devices directly to your PC. Using multiple connection in a daisy chain, the amount of cables directly attached to your PC will be reduced while maintaining maximum throughput.

Military Class III components
The MSI Z77A-G45 Thunderbolt is equiped with Military Class III components. These components have all passed strict MIL-STD-810G regulations and provide the best stability under extreme circumstances. MSI Military Class components can be found on MSI Mainboards, Graphics Cards and All-in-One PC's

Smoothest system experience with OC Genie II
MSI OC Genie II is world’s easiest overclocking technique and allows a complete performance overhaul with a simple push of a button. My OC Genie is a new feature that allows end-users to customize their OC Genie II experience through MSI’s unique ClickBIOS II interface.