MSI unveiled a premium variant of its MPG Z490 Gaming Pro Carbon motherboard with a factory-fitted monoblock, the MPG Z490 Gaming Pro Carbon EK X. As its name suggests, the monoblock is supplied by EK Water Blocks. It uses nickel-plated copper as its primary material, and has a clear acrylic top with some faux carbon-fiber embellishments. The block is studded with addressable RGB LEDs that plug into one of the motherboard's 3-pin ARGB headers.

The monoblock uses a micro fin lattice over the CPU socket, and has its main coolant channel pass through not just the CPU, but also the CPU VRM area. There's some prominent "Carbon EK X" branding over another strip of faux carbon-fiber at the PCH heatsink. The rest of the board's design and feature-set are identical to the original MPG Z490 Gaming Pro Carbon. The company didn't reveal pricing, although an EK Quantum series monoblock like the one featured here should add at least $140 to the original board's price.