MSI MEG X670E ACE

[Ravenas]

I haven't figured out why some reach 7GB/s and other only 6GB/s. My working theory was the Gen5 sockets that are CPU attached always hit 6800-7000 (gen 4 nvmes) and chipset ones are 6100~. That idea broke down with the X670E Valkyrie which all 4 reach the peak, but only two are Gen5 and attached to the CPU (so I believe). I should pull that MB back out. At the time I thought it was strange as well and wrote about it. But I also checked the PCIe slots to make sure they were still at the rated speed... hmmm. Now I'm second guessing myself.

Ok I'm really looking and comparing these two boards, the price on the AsRock x670 Tachi non-C version is sitting at $469 right now (no differences besides aesthetics) and is very appealing in comparison to the x670MSI ACE MEG (a board I have experience with, using the x570 version in my personal rig). I've never used an AsRock board, but it's a $330 price difference and the VRMs and gaming performances are so close... So, it's coming down to finer details and distinctive features, such as the network controllers, data transfer rates, etc...

 

[ir_cow]

Consider the GB B650E at all, or are you set on X670E because of the extra USB ports? https://www.techpowerup.com/review/gigabyte-b650e-aorus-master/

The Taichi is perfectly fine and $330 could but put towards other things. Buy DDR5-6000 and call it good. ASRock has a the memory perf boost hidden away where MSI and GB has it on the OC tab and the newest BIOS is a bit less aggressive on sub-timings for ASrock. OC Tweaker TAB > DRAM Profile Configuration > DRAM Performance Mode) set to “Aggressive” for 5-10 fps increase (depending on the game and settings).

 

[Assimilator]

I think it's a travesty that a motherboard at this level doesn't have a USB 4 port. If I could, I'd be willing to give up the 20Gbps USB 3.2x2 port and two 10Gbps USB 3 ports to get a single USB4 port. USB4 may not have a lot of new uses at the moment, but I'm sure in the next year or so, a bunch of new devices will emerge that utilize the bandwidth.

Never mind not having USB4, the paltry number of USB-C ports on a so-called high-end motherboard disgusts me. THREE, one of which is disabled when the bottom PCIe slot is populated... what?

 

[ValenOne]

right which is why I said most AM4 x570 won't do 8x first slot/x8 second slot (still 16 lanes), like they should be able to do.

From my research these are the only AM4 x570 & x470 that do split lane to the 8x/8x

MSI MEG ACE x570, Asrock Taichi x570, MSI x570 godlike, gigabyte X570 Aorus master, Asus Crosshar VII hero.

ironicly they're all boards that support SLI.

ASUS ROG Strix X570-E Gaming has a split lane 8x/8x feature.

I only wanted the split lane 8x/8x feature as reserve M2 expansion capability which is less of an issue for AM5 X670E motherboards with four built-in M2 slots.

Good question. Unfortunately this is a problem being a launch review of a new platform. It isn't a refresh of a chipset using the same socket. So at the time it was written before the launch and only one other motherboard on same to compare to for quirkness. If were to review it now, I would change a few things but I'm not sure if it would received Editors Choice. price is always a concerning thing to consider but and I try my best NOT to base the review around it because it changes per region and everyone has different ideas of what is a good value. Unless it is a exceptionally good value and just runs over everyone else.

What puts this X670E ACE over the top would be a clean BIOS among a few other things. I updated the Taichi to 1.08 and it is the same. Memory support hasn't changed either. The Xpander card, a 3rd PCIE Gen5 slot and more internal and external USB ports. considering it is a X670E, USB ports/headers should be one of the reasons to consider buying it over the B650. All Ryzen 7000 CPUs have 16+4+4 Gen5 lanes. whether it's B650E or X670E, it is just how the vendor splits it up. ASRock used the extra x4 for the USB4 (Thunderbolt 4), where MSI put it towards the 3rd slot. ASrock took away some rear USB ports and used it for the additional 4 SATA ports. What I am getting at is, while the ASRock price is $200 cheaper, it is trade off on features. I think MSI did it better. That does come with a increase cost though. Without those USB4 ports on the Taichi, it would be "meh" in terms of using the X670E chipset to the fullest. If the ACE was $1000, it wouldn't get a award. just to much in my opinion. Really hard to justify that unless its limited run or adds something really unique and not found elsewhere. So there is considering of price, but its small factor.

ASUS Crosshair X670E Hero has x8/x8 mode for its two PEG slots.

ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO | Gaming motherboards｜ROG - Republic of Gamers｜ROG Global

Designed for the broadest range of demanding fans, the ROG Crosshair X670E Hero features 18 + 2 power stages, DDR5 support, up to five M.2 slots, a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 front-panel connector with Quick Charge 4+ Support, dual USB4®, PCIe 5.0 and onboard Wi-Fi 6E

rog.asus.com

2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slots (supports x16 or x8/x8 mode(s)*
2 x USB4® ports with Intel® JHL8540 USB4® controller (2 x USB Type-C®)

Intel JHL8540 is for the Thunderbolt 4 controller.

Meanwhile, ASUS TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WIFI has PCIe 5.0 16X and PCIe 4.0 4X for its two PEG slots. ASUS TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WIFI has a Thunderbolt header for the Thunderbolt adaptor card.

I have both ASUS Crosshair X670E Hero and ASUS TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WIFI motherboards.

 

[Jism]

wait, does it have only one phase for 4 dimms of RAM?

DDR5 modules have their own, build in VRM phases. Its just a buck converter what your looking at the motherboard that downscales the voltage supplied to the memory.

 

[Ravenas]

Never mind not having USB4, the paltry number of USB-C ports on a so-called high-end motherboard disgusts me. THREE, one of which is disabled when the bottom PCIe slot is populated... what?

I agree with you, but it gives the user an option for an expansion “Thunderbolt” card if they are interested, but isn’t forced on them which takes away the slot completely for some other use. Most of those come with at least 2 USB 4 ports (and some other ports). I’m not sure how many users desire the USB4 right now. For me, likely if Valve releases an Index 2.

 

[ir_cow]

ASUS Crosshair X670E Hero has x8/x8 mode for its two PEG slots.

Yes that x16 lanes can be split up. A MB could have 16 x1 slots like mining motherboards have.

 

[The Von Matrices]

Never mind not having USB4, the paltry number of USB-C ports on a so-called high-end motherboard disgusts me. THREE, one of which is disabled when the bottom PCIe slot is populated... what?

I can understand the argument that a motherboard this expensive should have everything. But at the same time, I don't see it as a big deal since there are no USB4 devices on the market and this is a desktop motherboard. While I use a Thunderbolt 3 dock on my laptop, I have yet to use any Thunderbolt devices on my desktop PC, and I suspect USB4 will be similar.

 

[Ravenas]

I think this is the only x670e motherboard on the market using AMD’s cobranded Wi-Fi 6 module with mediatek.

AMD to Steer Motherboard Partners Away from Intel WLAN, Toward MediaTek Co-branded Ones | TechPowerUp}

 

[ir_cow]

I think this is the only x670e motherboard on the market using AMD’s cobranded Wi-Fi 6 module with mediatek.

AMD to Steer Motherboard Partners Away from Intel WLAN, Toward MediaTek Co-branded Ones | TechPowerUp}

You may be right, I don't often take them apart. The B650E Master uses Mediatek Inc - Model: MT7922A22M. Maybe others as well? If it doesn't say Intel on the spec sheet, it's probably Mediatek.

 

[bl4C3y3]

So, I'm just wondering if something is going on with MSI Center in W11

Just to update, I got MSI Center working in W11, they only thing that I did different was the starting point:
Instead of going to the support download page of the motherboard, or going via the Microsoft Store, this time I typed "MSI Center" in Edge, and went to this page:
https://www.msi.com/Landing/MSI-Center
There is a download button that opens up the Microsoft Store, clicked install and this just worked (including the Norton pop-up we were warned about )

The B650E Master uses Mediatek Inc - Model: MT7922A22M. Maybe others as well?

Yes, the "MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WIFI" also has the AMD Wi-fi 6E, I haven't used its WIFI yet ...

 

[ir_cow]

Update: DRAM voltage mystery may be solved. AMD platform by default has VDDIO_MEM Voltage tied to the DRAM voltage. Unless they can be uncoupled in the BIOS, the DRAM voltage is limited by the VDDIO_MEM (1.430). I couldn't find the option in the X670E ACE to decouple this.

 

[Ravenas]

Consider the GB B650E at all, or are you set on X670E because of the extra USB ports? https://www.techpowerup.com/review/gigabyte-b650e-aorus-master/

The Taichi is perfectly fine and $330 could but put towards other things. Buy DDR5-6000 and call it good. ASRock has a the memory perf boost hidden away where MSI and GB has it on the OC tab and the newest BIOS is a bit less aggressive on sub-timings for ASrock. OC Tweaker TAB > DRAM Profile Configuration > DRAM Performance Mode) set to “Aggressive” for 5-10 fps increase (depending on the game and settings).

In my final decision phase…

The lack of a PCIe slot that doesn’t share with the GPU is almost a deal breaker for me. Having 2 thunderbolt ports on the Tiachi is interesting, but for what use on desktop? If I wanted to purchase a 10gbe NIC, they offer Thunderbolt 3 external versions right now. They are very expensive, and in the end I should have just bought a MEG Ace because the cost.

I feel like MSI is forcing the xpander card on us, and increasing the price but it is an extremely feature rich board. I have seen other reviewers complain about the gaming performance being lower in comparison to other boards, BIOS issue is suspect.

I’ve also read by many that the Asrock BIOS is still plagued with boot load times far beyond other venders.

 

[kapone32]

In my final decision phase…

The lack of a PCIe slot that doesn’t share with the GPU is almost a deal breaker for me. Having 2 thunderbolt ports on the Tiachi is interesting, but for what use on desktop? If I wanted to purchase a 10gbe NIC, they offer Thunderbolt 3 external versions right now. They are very expensive, and in the end I should have just bought a MEG Ace because the cost.

I feel like MSI is forcing the xpander card on us, and increasing the price but it is an extremely feature rich board. I have seen other reviewers complain about the gaming performance being lower in comparison to other boards, BIOS issue is suspect.

I’ve also read by many that the Asrock BIOS is still plagued with boot load times far beyond other venders.

Just looking at the Website for the MSI board and it would seem all 3 of those x16 slots are wired to the CPU. That add in card is PCIe 5 is i not? With Direct Storage becoming more of a reality it is my opinion that the Ace board is more future proof because of the inclusion of that expander card.

 

[Ravenas]

Just looking at the Website for the MSI board and it would seem all 3 of those x16 slots are wired to the CPU. That add in card is PCIe 5 is i not? With Direct Storage becoming more of a reality it is my opinion that the Ace board is more future proof because of the inclusion of that expander card.

The add in card is meant to be placed on the 3rd slot, PCI 16 x4. This 3rd slot doesn’t cause the 1st slot to go in to x8 mode.

On the Asrock Taichi you have only 2 PCI slots, and if the second is in use you are downgraded on both slots to x8 mode. There is no expansion beyond using Thunderbolt 4 ports. They should have just given the user a PCI x4 slot and let them choose.

My only consideration is that I picked up the Taichi for $469 on Black Friday. Is the 10 gbe NIC, better BIOS, xpander card, and the x4 slot worth the extra $230 to me? Something I am thinking on…

This is coming from a X570 MEG Ace user.

 

[kapone32]

The add in card is meant to be placed on the 3rd slot, PCI 16 x4. This slot doesn’t cause the 1st slot to go in to x8 mode.

On the Asrock Taichi you have only 2 PCI slots, and if the second is in use you are downgraded on both slots to x8 mode. There is no expansion beyond using Thunderbolt 4 ports. They should have just given the user a PCI x4 slot and let them choose.

My only consideration is that I picked up the Taichi for $469 on Black Friday. Is the 10 gbe NIC, better BIOS, xpander card, and the x4 slot worth the extra $230 to me? Something I am thinking on…

This is coming from a X570 MEG Ace user.

This is the data sheet for the MB. The Expander card is 2 5.0 M2 slots. The board clearly states that it supports RAID 0 across NVME. I am sure there will be an AMD RAID setting for the 2nd slot in the BIOS. The x8 that you are worrying about is really a non issue. Even the latest 7000 series GPUs from AMD are Pcie 4 and X8 at 5.0 has enough bandwidth to handle that just fine as I am running a 6800XT on my X570S Ace Max and notice exactly 2 FPS difference in most Games running the card at x16 vs x8 electrically.

https://storage-asset.msi.com/datasheet/mb/global/MEG-X670E-ACE.pdf

 

[Ravenas]

This is the data sheet for the MB. The Expander card is 2 5.0 M2 slots. The board clearly states that it supports RAID 0 across NVME. I am sure there will be an AMD RAID setting for the 2nd slot in the BIOS. The x8 that you are worrying about is really a non issue. Even the latest 7000 series GPUs from AMD are Pcie 4 and X8 at 5.0 has enough bandwidth to handle that just fine as I am running a 6800XT on my X570S Ace Max and notice exactly 2 FPS difference in most Games running the card at x16 vs x8 electrically.

https://storage-asset.msi.com/datasheet/mb/global/MEG-X670E-ACE.pdf

Yes I agree. I’m referencing the Asrock Taichi with only 2 slots.

The X670 Ace is priced higher than the 7950X and much higher than my X570 Ace was new.

The bottom line is that I save $230 by going with Asrock, a vendor I’ve never used for MOBOs. I’m not sure how much I need that many NVME cards maybe 2 additional down the road, but I have 1 already and a 8 TB SSD for game storage.

I have fiber optics where I live, but I doubt I would upgrade to the 10 Gbe for $299 a month and I don’t transfer large files across my network. I wouldn’t see any benefit.

Now it comes down to the extra PCI slot and a rock solid BIOS.

 

[kapone32]

Yes I agree. I’m referencing the Asrock Taichi with only 2 slots.

The X670 Ace is priced higher than the 7950X and much higher than my X570 Ace was new.

The bottom line is that I save $230 by going with Asrock, a vendor I’ve never used for MOBOs. I’m not sure how much I need that many NVME cards maybe 2 additional down the road, but I have 1 already and a 8 TB SSD for game storage.

I have fiber optics where I live, but I doubt I would upgrade to the 10 Gbe for $299 a month and I don’t transfer large files across my network. I wouldn’t see any benefit.

Now it comes down to the extra PCI slot and a rock solid BIOS.

This is the beauty and dilemna of Computing. You clearly have your heart set on one but your mind is rationalizing the other. I had the AS Rock X470 Taichi and that was a rock solid board. The X570 lineup for some reason was too expensive for what you got for me so I ended up with MSI but I have had Asus, MSI, Gigabyte and As Rock boards with Asus being the most solid followed by MSI (now) As Rock and the Gigabyte. Anecdotal or not every single Gigabyte board I have ever bought has died at some point for no apparent reason and have the most infuriating gremlins. As Rock Bios will seem Spartan compared to MSI as well but should always work and I don't believe As Rock has their own Win 11 certified bloatware like Asus and MSI I could be wrong though.

 

[ir_cow]

The add in card is meant to be placed on the 3rd slot, PCI 16 x4. This 3rd slot doesn’t cause the 1st slot to go in to x8 mode.

No, it will work in the 3rd slot but you only get one M.2 (because it runs in x4 mode). You need to use the second slot for both M.2 to work. All 3 slots are indeed connected to the CPU.

The bottom line is that I save $230 by going with Asrock, a vendor I’ve never used for MOBOs. I’m not sure how much I need that many NVME cards maybe 2 additional down the road, but I have 1 already and a 8 TB SSD for game storage.

Is it wrong to say the X670E Taichi is still a good choice in the comments of another review? Seriously though, you saved $230. That is a good amount of money. Besides a horrible BIOS, its still a good MB.

 

[Ravenas]

No, it will work in the 3rd slot but you only get one M.2 (because it runs in x4 mode). You need to use the second slot for both M.2 to work. All 3 slots are indeed connected to the CPU.


Is it wrong to say the X670E Taichi is still a good choice in the comments of another review? Seriously though, you saved $230. That is a good amount of money. Besides a horrible BIOS, it’s still a good MB.

Yes my bad. I was actually referring to the way I intend to setup because there is no way I will need that many NVME, but it came off like that was the only option. I won’t say 100% I would never need an additional 2 5.0 NVME, but I would probably just end up buying NVME 4.0 at a discounted price once 5.0 is released. I already have slots for those, but the active cooling is nice on the xpander card.

I’ve been reading a lot on the AsRock forums, and there are a lot of complaints flowing in regarding excessive boot times and XMP bugs causing sleep issues. I’ve seen one BIOS version may fix the sleep issue, but the newest doesn’t. I have no problem with a simplistic BIOS that has all the options, but takes more effort to find. I do have a problem with a BIOS that downgrades my experience. AM5 versus AM4. Especially when there isn’t a dual bios to see which one fixes my issues. The Z790 taichi is a better overall design that they should have used on AM5, having a PCI 4.0 slot instead of a 3rd 5.0. The only problem with Z790 is channel allocation, if I use the 5.0 NVME slot my x16 PCI 5.0 runs at x8.

I’m leaning towards the MEG for a long term platform investment. I’ve just never paid $699 for a motherboard. My last Meg X570 ACE was $399 new, and I thought that was a lot.

I would have added a con on this review for not offering the MEG Ace without the expander card. It would have at least cut $100 off the price.

 

[kapone32]

Yes my bad. I was actually referring to the way I intend to setup because there is no way I will need that many NVME, but it came off like that was the only option. I won’t say 100% I would never need an additional 2 5.0 NVME, but I would probably just end up buying NVME 4.0 at a discounted price once 5.0 is released. I already have slots for those, but the active cooling is nice on the xpander card.

I’ve been reading a lot on the AsRock forums, and there are a lot of complaints flowing in regarding excessive boot times and XMP bugs causing sleep issues. I’ve seen one BIOS version may fix the sleep issue, but the newest doesn’t. I have no problem with a simplistic BIOS that has all the options, but takes more effort to find. I do have a problem with a BIOS that downgrades my experience. AM5 versus AM4. Especially when there isn’t a dual bios to see which one fixes my issues. The Z790 taichi is a better overall design that they should have used on AM5, having a PCI 4.0 slot instead of a 3rd 5.0. The only problem with Z790 is channel allocation, if I use the 5.0 NVME slot my x16 PCI 5.0 runs at x8.

I’m leaning towards the MEG for a long term platform investment. I’ve just never paid $699 for a motherboard. My last Meg X570 ACE was $399 new, and I thought that was a lot.

I would have added a con on this review for not offering the MEG Ace without the expander card. It would have at least cut $100 off the price.

How much is the Carbon WIFI? It looks pretty much like the Ace without the Expander card. There may be other small differences but the PCIe allocation is the same.

 

[ir_cow]

How much is the Carbon WIFI? It looks pretty much like the Ace without the Expander card. There may be other small differences but the PCIe allocation is the same.

there is a bit more missing besides just the expander card lol. Usually the Unify fills that gap and is practically the ACE without accessories or RGB. No Unify for AMD this time (yet).

 

[Ravenas]

Decision made. I went with the Asrock X670 Taichi. Wrong review thread I know… I’ll be returning the MEG. I’m counting on Asrock to continue BIOS updates at the frequency they have been.

Cheers and thanks for your input all. In the end, the discounted Black Friday pricing at $469, tons of IO, and the 24/2/1 design only found in high end mobos really just made this mobo for me.

 

[JimGrongle]

I think this is the board I'm going to go with, but stilllllll confused about one thing
How many, and of what PCIE generation, can I add, without taking anything away from the PCIE5 slots - wanting to run x8, x8, x4. I can have one NVME? Of any gen?

Gen 4 is plenty for me and happy to use SATA for storage of assets, textures, models etc - or the 10gbe LAN, over which most assets will be travelling. So NVME is really just for system only.

 

[Ravenas]

I think this is the board I'm going to go with, but stilllllll confused about one thing
How many, and of what PCIE generation, can I add, without taking anything away from the PCIE5 slots - wanting to run x8, x8, x4. I can have one NVME? Of any gen?

Gen 4 is plenty for me and happy to use SATA for storage of assets, textures, models etc - or the 10gbe LAN, over which most assets will be travelling. So NVME is really just for system only.

On the mobo, you have 1 backwards compatible 5.0 slot and 3 4.0 slots.

With the xpander card you gain 2 additional backwards compatible 5.0 slots when placed in the second PCIE 16 lane. Using the second PCIE 16 lane will cause PCIE 1 and 2 to run in x8 mode. Although they are in PCIE x8 5.0.

So a total of 6 slots.