Closer Look
Signature box art from MSI adorns the the slim single-height packaging. The front/top is adorned by a large branding of the model name and the other side indicates the features of the board.
The package is quite bare with only the SATA cables proving to be what is the only freebie in this bundle.
Unwrapping the motherboard we see the MSI 970A-G43 in all its brown glory. Despite the faux black PCB, the blue and black scheme really makes the board stand out a bit and does not have that budget feel to it.
The board packs plenty of USB2.0 ports and a pair of USB3.0 ports to complement modern storage devices and peripherals. A pair of PS/2 ports is present along with 8-channel audio powered by an ALC887.
All of the SATA ports on the 970A-G43 are SATAIII powered off the AMD SB950. A front USB3.0 is also available as well as 3 more USB2.0 headers for a total of six more USB2.0 ports.
Yup, no VRM heatsink right there.