MSI MEG Z490I Unify Preview

[Black Haru]

MSI has packed a lot of power into a small package with the MSI MEG Z490I Unify. Featuring a stealthy black aesthetic and a VRM config with 90 A power stages, the MSI MEG Z490I Unify could be a top choice for overclockers. Just how much can MSI stuff into a Mini-ITX footprint?

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[TheLostSwede]

Nice board, I just don't understand why none of the board makers can make something like this for AMD.

 

[EarthDog]

Nice board, I just don't understand why none of the board makers can make something like this for AMD.

MEG X570 UNIFY | Motherboard | MSI Global

Best AMD AM4 X570 ATX gaming motherboard, lightning PCIe 4.0, three lightning M.2, Frozr heatsink, WiFi 6, aluminum cove with extended heatsink, USB 3.2 Gen 2, M.2 heatsink, excellent overclocking, pre-install I/O, MSI GAMING

www.msi.com

 

[TheLostSwede]

MEG X570 UNIFY | Motherboard | MSI Global

Best AMD AM4 X570 ATX gaming motherboard, lightning PCIe 4.0, three lightning M.2, Frozr heatsink, WiFi 6, aluminum cove with extended heatsink, USB 3.2 Gen 2, M.2 heatsink, excellent overclocking, pre-install I/O, MSI GAMING

www.msi.com

Uhm... That's an ATX board

 

[Turmania]

Lovely to see MSI pushing Unify.really lovin the looks and design and component quality. C
Perfect match to use with noctua black chromax coolers.

 

[EarthDog]

Uhm... That's an ATX board

Sorry, I missed that requirement.

 

[Ex amd fanboy]

MSI Z390i Gaming Edge AC already was a great motherboard with lots of headroom in memory overclocking. Can't wait for reviews on this one

 

[SL2]

Is that a 25 mm fan?
Remember when they used to put fins on heatpipes? Yeah, probably too ugly or something, let's cover it all up and put a tiny fan there instead.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Is that a 25 mm fan?
Remember when they used to put fins on heatpipes? Yeah, probably too ugly or something, let's cover it all up and put a tiny fan there instead.

View attachment 154774

It's all about "shrouds" these days...

 

[SL2]

Nice board, I just don't understand why none of the board makers can make something like this for AMD.

Maybe because the 3950X isn't that hot running at stock speed. Had a quick look at some Z390 ITX boards, and I didn't see anyone advertise 90 A output either.
I did see 70 A for AM4.

 

[Turmania]

I criticized fan on x570 chipset. It would be very selfish of me to not to criticize on this beauty of a board. Hopefully,we can unplug it.

MEG X570 UNIFY | Motherboard | MSI Global

Best AMD AM4 X570 ATX gaming motherboard, lightning PCIe 4.0, three lightning M.2, Frozr heatsink, WiFi 6, aluminum cove with extended heatsink, USB 3.2 Gen 2, M.2 heatsink, excellent overclocking, pre-install I/O, MSI GAMING

www.msi.com

I do not think MSI have a x570 itx board. I believe, they were really not ready for x570 launch or did not expect it to do so well initially.but then they fixed their mistake with x570 unify and later recently x570 tomahawk.I believe they will not make the same mistake again with ryzen 4000 cpu's.

 

[SL2]

I criticized fan on x570 chipset. It would be very selfish of me to not to criticize on this beauty of a board. Hopefully,we can unplug it.

I don't think that's comparable. The X570 fan is needed when fast SSD's are pushed hard.
The VRM fan here is a bit more crucial than that IMO, especially since the VRM heatsink is sealed off from case airflow with that shroud..

I do not think MSI have a x570 itx board. I believe, they were really not ready for x570 launch or did not expect it to do so well initially.but then they fixed their mistake with x570 unify and later recently x570 tomahawk.I believe they will not make the same mistake again with ryzen 4000 cpu's.

They have had ONE ITX AM4 board since the launch of the first Ryzen. It's not like they missed the success of Ryzen by accident, they never had many ITX AM4 boards to begin with.

 

[Tsukiyomi91]

most small form factor builds are, sadly, Intel-based. AMD has a somewhat small influence on SFFs. X570 ITX boards are fine but the placement of the fan to keep the chipset cool makes it challenging.

 

[EarthDog]

I criticized fan on x570 chipset. It would be very selfish of me to not to criticize on this beauty of a board. Hopefully,we can unplug it.


I do not think MSI have a x570 itx board. I believe, they were really not ready for x570 launch or did not expect it to do so well initially.but then they fixed their mistake with x570 unify and later recently x570 tomahawk.I believe they will not make the same mistake again with ryzen 4000 cpu's.

Your criticism on the X570s fans didn't age well. Most of these are off at low/normal loads, and most you cannot hear in the first place.

Second, that was already addressed. You're a day late and a dollar short on this post.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Maybe because the 3950X isn't that hot running at stock speed. Had a quick look at some Z390 ITX boards, and I didn't see anyone advertise 90 A output either.
I did see 70 A for AM4.

It was more about the overall board design, as this looks like it's two steps up from even the best mini-ITX boards for AMD. The fan not withstanding.

 

[Ex amd fanboy]

I don't think that's comparable. The X570 fan is needed when fast SSD's are pushed hard.
The VRM fan here is a bit more crucial than that IMO, especially since the VRM heatsink is sealed off from case airflow with that shroud..


They have had ONE ITX AM4 board since the launch of the first Ryzen. It's not like they missed the success of Ryzen by accident, they never had many ITX AM4 boards to begin with.

They have had two itx boards. https://www.msi.com//Motherboard/B350I-PRO-AC/Overview

 

[SL2]

They have had two itx boards. https://www.msi.com//Motherboard/B350I-PRO-AC/Overview

You're right. That board doesn't show up when the filters are used.

It was more about the overall board design, as this looks like it's two steps up from even the best mini-ITX boards for AMD. The fan not withstanding.

Just curious, what features do you have in mind, current output aside?

Produktvergleich GIGABYTE X570 I AORUS Pro WIFI, ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3, ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming, MSI MEG Z490I Unify Geizhals EU

Produktvergleich für GIGABYTE X570 I AORUS Pro WIFI, ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 (90-MXBB10-A0UAYZ), ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming (90MB1140-M0EAY0), MSI MEG Z490I Unify (7C77-007R)

geizhals.eu

 

[TheLostSwede]

You're right. That board doesn't show up when the filters are used.


Just curious, what features do you have in mind, current output aside?

Produktvergleich GIGABYTE X570 I AORUS Pro WIFI, ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3, ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming, MSI MEG Z490I Unify Geizhals EU

Produktvergleich für GIGABYTE X570 I AORUS Pro WIFI, ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 (90-MXBB10-A0UAYZ), ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming (90MB1140-M0EAY0), MSI MEG Z490I Unify (7C77-007R)

geizhals.eu

Dual M.2 slots, full set of audio connectors, 2.5Gbps Ethernet...
All three of those AMD boards compromises on one or more of those features, whereas this Z490 board has none of those compromises. A couple of more USB ports might've bee nice, but that's really the only flaw I can find, and that's fairly minor. Well, that and the price, but I guess Thunderbolt adds a bit of a price premium.
Personally I'd like to see 10Gbps Ethernet, but I doubt that'll happen on a mini-ITX board. Then again, with Thunderbolt, an external dongle is at least an option.

 

[SL2]

It's all about "shrouds" these days...

Indeed, but there's no fan on the MSI Z390 ITX board. These CPU's are hot!

 

[Caring1]

It's being touted as an excellent overclocker already, yet has one 8 pin EPS connector.
I want to see figures first.

 

[SL2]

It's being touted as an excellent overclocker already, yet has one 8 pin EPS connector.
I want to see figures first.

Maybe it is, depending on which CPU (core count) you use.

 

[Caring1]

Maybe it is, depending on which CPU (core count) you use.

i9 -10900k

Apparently with AVX enabled, these chips can hit 400W...

Lets see them overclock that.

 

[SL2]

i9 -10900k

Then maybe not. The 10900K seems to be way too hot running even at stock.

 

[RH92]

Nice board, I just don't understand why none of the board makers can make something like this for AMD.

Amen , this being said considering the direction AMD is taking lately , Intel doesn't look nearly as bad as they looked a week ago so i will think twice before going AMD for my next CPU upgrade when time comes !

 

[TheLostSwede]

Amen , this being said considering the direction AMD is taking lately , Intel doesn't look nearly as bad as they looked a week ago so i will think twice before going AMD for my next CPU upgrade when time comes !

Because they're dropping support for B450 and X470 earlier than people anticipated? Hmmm...