Subsystem Testing
NOTE: For all Subsystem Testing, an AMD Ryzen 2700X (3.7GHz / 4.3GHz Boost) and 2x 8GB (16GB total) G.SKILL FlareX (3200MHz DDR4 14-14-14-36, 1T@1.35v) memory modules running at DDR4 3200MHz speeds were used. For power, I used the an Enermax MaxTytan 800watt unit. Our discreet graphics card needs were handled by an NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X reference card. The CPU was cooled with a Koolance Exos 2.5 system and a Koolance CPU-390 waterblock.
Sound Hardware
MSI opted for the very basic Realtek ALC892 8-channel audio CODEC. It is a 7.1 channel HD audio CODEC, but it’s a somewhat budget conscious implementation. However, the X470 Gaming Pro does feature an audio amplifier, PCB isolation for different channels and power. A de-pop circuit is provided to prevent annoying noises while connecting speakers. There are also Chemi-Con audio capacitors which are designed for use with audio components. Where this solution really falters is with the CODEC itself, as its been replaced by the newer ALC1220 and its variants like the S1220A. The audio jacks are gold plated to prevent oxidization. They have plastic rings around them but are only color coded to denote the microphone port.
The following specifications were taken from the manufacturer’s website:
Realtek® ALC892 Codec
7.1-Channel High Definition Audio
Supports S/PDIF output
As usual, no useful specifications are listed here. Most of what you can find on the CODEC comes from the product page’s marketing information rather than actual specifications. Even the detailed specs on the website list only what’s above.
Audio – Subjective Listening
For general audio testing, I logged into my Spotify account and played various songs on my playlist. The audio quality was good, but nothing special.
Audio – Microphone Port Testing
The onboard audio MIC-IN port was tested using an old analog Corsair gaming headset. I am unsure of the precise model. Spoken words were recorded from the Windows Sound Recorder found under the Accessories folder in the start menu within Windows. The recording was using the highest quality settings available in the control panel for the audio device being used to record.
During playback of our recording sample, there was slight distortion, but nothing severe. The general quality of the recording sample was good.
Gaming Audio Quality
In the gaming test, I used Shadow of the Tom Raider, The Division 2, and Hitman 2. These were tested briefly while messing around with benchmarking the system. The gaming audio quality was again good, but not anything to write home about. Its serviceable, but if I were an audiophile or I was going to use this in my own machine I would probably get a sound card or a USB DAC. At this price point, I can’t complain too much about the onboard audio. Its not bad for what it is.
DPC Latency
For those who may not know what DPC is, I’ll explain. Deferred procedure calls are a function within Windows that allows higher priority tasks such as device drivers to defer lower priority tasks for execution at later times. It’s an interrupt and reassignment of sorts performed by the operating system.
DPC latency varies from board model to model and brand to brand. DPC issues show up in the form of audio dropouts and streaming video issues. Naturally this is something that the enthusiast would want to avoid. I used LatencyMon and let it run for 10 minutes to graph the results. I have compiled a list of several systems I’ve tested over the last year and placed the results in a graph for easy reference. This way we can compare DPC results to other motherboards which should be more meaningful than the old format I used before.
In our DPC latency test, the highest measured interrupt to process latency was 116.05. This places the MSI X470 Gaming Pro ahead of all but ASUS’ ROG STRIX B450-I motherboard. All these systems are in an acceptable range for DPC latency with most even being excellent. Even so, the MSI X470 Gaming Pro fares better than all but one system by a fair margin.