Intel’s Z790 chipset supports all of the brand new 13th-Gen range of CPUs along with the previous 12th generation series. This gives you plenty of options when it comes to upgrading. So if you’re purely looking to get some more rear IO or some more current features without a CPU upgrade, you can do this with a 12th-Gen CPU and a BIOS update. LAN and Intel Wi-Fi 6E Solution: Upgraded network solution for professional and multimedia use. Delivers a secure, stable and fast network connection Memory Support 7800+(OC)/ 7600(OC)/ 7400(OC)/ 7200(OC)/ 7000(OC)/ 6800(OC)/ 6600(OC)/ 6400(OC)/ 6200(OC)/ 6000(OC)/ 5800(OC)/ 5600(JEDEC)/ 5400(JEDEC)/ 5200(JEDEC)/ 5000(JEDEC)/ 4800(JEDEC) MHz Mounted on the I/O through an M.2 port is the Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211NGW M.2 2230 card, which is easily serviced or swapped out as needed. This adapter also provides Bluetooth 5.3.

Memory Support 7600+(OC)/ 7400 (OC)/ 7200(OC)/ 7000(OC)/ 6800(OC)/ 6600(OC)/ 6400(OC)/ 6200(OC)/ 6000(OC)/ 5800(OC)/ 5600(JEDEC)/ 5400(JEDEC)/ 5200(JEDEC)/ 5000(JEDEC)/ 4800(JEDEC) MHz Intel Test System #2: MSI Z690 MPG Carbon WiFi, Corsair iCUE Elite LCD 360mm, Corsair DDR5-6000 Vengeance RGB Memory (32GB), Nvidia RTX 3090, Samsung 970 Pro NVMe 1TB, Corsair HX-1050 1050 Watt Power Supply, Windows 11 (fully updated). Intel Test System #1: MSI Z790 MPG Carbon WiFi, Corsair iCUE Elite LCD 360mm, Corsair DDR5-6000 Vengeance RGB Memory (32GB), Nvidia RTX 3090, Samsung 970 Pro NVMe 1TB, Corsair HX-1050 1050 Watt Power Supply, Windows 11 (fully updated).Available only on processors featuring integrated graphics. Graphics specifications may vary depending on the CPU installed. The main change is the inclusion of PCI-E 5.0 for graphics cards and SSDs. Most of the new Z790 boards have Gen 5 compatible slots which do a great job of opening upgrade paths for next-gen graphics card and SSD releases. We’ve also seen PCI-E 5.0 slots feature on a fair few on the cheaper boards which is a big selling point if you’re looking to upgrade in the future.

For gaming audio, music, and movies, the board uses an ALC4080 audio processor capable of 32-bit/384kHz. It’s not quite as high quality as the ESS DACs we’ve seen on other boards, but it delivers high quality audio that’s free from interference. MSI has gone the extra mile to source audio specific capacitors and to build in special shielding to keep the audio signal clean, which is great to see. Premium Thermal Solution: Enlarged heatsink with heat-pipe, MOSFET thermal pads rated for 7W/mk, additional choke thermal pads and M.2 Shield Frozr are built for high performance system and non-stop gaming experience There are also a number of quality of life features that I really appreciated with the board. It comes with a debug LED readout that is incredibly useful. As the system boots, it displays a series of codes that line up with what’s occurring at that moment, even if you don’t have video out to your PC. If there are any problems, the code will point you toward the source of the error. This is a feature that I refused to buy a motherboard without, so it’s great ot see it included here. The changes aren’t major, so the pressure is really on brands like MSI to make their boards worthwhile with custom features and capabilities. In fact, it’s entirely possible to run a 12th generation processor in a Z790 platform and take advantage of these same benefits, so you if you find yourself in the market for a new motherboard, Z790 is still a compelling option if it fits your budget. SATA Cables If you’ve got any older storage drives that use the SATA data interface, you can install them with the included SATA cables. Compatible CPUsOn that front, MSI has also implemented a total of seven fan headers into the board. Five of these are for system fans and are intelligently positioned around the motherboard for clean wiring. There’s also a CPU and PUMP header for your air cooler’s fan of pump head if you’re water cooling.

AUDIO BOOST 5: Reward your ears with studio grade sound quality for the most immersive gaming experience The system also features a whopping five M.2 slots for NVMe SSDs. Four slots run at PCIe 4.0 x4 speeds while the second larger slot is rated for PCIe 5.0. There are also six SATA slots, but be aware that the final M.2 slot shares lanes with these, so you’ll want to position your SATA SSDs and HDDs according to the manual. The other main change is the more frequent usage of high speed USB ports. The amount of rear IO you have is often based on price, but we’ve again seen the inclusion of more ports on less expensive boards which is a nice touch. Many new boards may also feature a Thunderbolt 4 header for your PC case, or USB4 ports on the rear giving you access to fast charging and better transfer speeds. Overall, the Z790 chipset has not changed that much from its predecessor, but there are definitely some improved features that justify choosing it over Z690 for a new build. Premium Thermal Solution: Enlarged heatsink dengan heat-pipe, MOSFET thermal pads dianjurkan untuk 7W/mk, additional choke thermal pads and M.2 Shield Frozr dibuat untuk sistem berperforma tinggi dan pengalaman gaming non-stop Memory Support 7600+(OC)/7400 (OC)/7200(OC)/7000(OC)/6800(OC)/6600(OC)/6400(OC)/6200(OC)/6000(OC)/5800(OC)/5600(JEDEC)/5400(JEDEC)/5200(JEDEC)/5000(JEDEC) /4800(JEDEC) MHz

User reviews

With everything removed we can take a good look at the motherboard in all of its glory! Hidden under all of the heatsinks are several ICs: a Nuvoton NCT6687D-M 8-bit microcontroller with internal storage for controlling Super I/O functions and SMART Fan, a Nuvoton NUC126NE4AE microcontroller based on an Arm Cortex-M0, the ASMedia ASM1061 SATA controller for the first two ports (unlike the other four SATA ports, these can’t be RAIDed), and the Macronix MXIC MX25U25673G storing a 256Mb CMOS. The Intel SRM8P Z790 chipset is large, yet only draws up to 6W TDP, and uses DMI 4.0 for the bus interface. With features and overview out of the way, let’s get into how the motherboard performed in benchmark testing. MSI MPG Z790 Carbon WiFi - Performance