MSI Reveals its Official Pricing for its X670 Motherboards and They're Not Affordable

[Hofnaerrchen]

Even the most absurd price finds a buyer... did everyone forget what happened when GPU prices went through the roof? If all motherboards will be that expensive I doubt there won't be enough CPUs on launch day to satisfy the market.

 

[sepheronx]

I think it really depends on how you see it. In my observation, good Z690 with DDR5 support is not that cheap at launch. It may be cheaper over time, but ideally we should be comparing launch day price. I also believe that Z790 boards will get more expensive for features like PCI-E 5.0 M.2 slots, and beefier VRMs for higher peak power draw.

Another point to consider is the socket longevity. Z690 will support up to Raptor Lake, before the curtain comes down on it. So while you pay less for the Z690 board, you will need to buy a brand new board if you want to upgrade. If you are one that don’t upgrade your com regularly, then this is a none issue. But I suspect that motherboard makers are charging more for AMD boards with the backward compatibility being one of the main driver. Like someone bought a X470/ B450 board a few years back and subsequently upgrade to a Zen 3 processor, and the likes of MSI won’t make a single extra cent in this case.

There is truth to this asked upon the past but we can't guarantee that this will be the same thing again. I will not pay those prices though on any motherboard honestly so if I'm stuck with my 10700K for 5 more years, so be it. I can live with that, prior I ran mostly a Xeon W3670 for quite some time. I got a E5-1650V3 that also runs amazing but ended up with this cpu cause of itx form factor I wanted and much cheaper than AMD alternative here in Canada. But even at $200 cad for a motherboard is at most I was willing to pay.

 

[Godrilla]

Inflation is at 10% but these are 30% more than there x570 counterparts. $1299 to be a x670 beta tester facepalm squared!

 

[bobsled]

Tin foil hat, but I wonder if Intel are up to old tricks by paying MSI to set high MSRPs on AMD boards...?

 

[evernessince]

Another point to consider is the socket longevity. Z690 will support up to Raptor Lake, before the curtain comes down on it. So while you pay less for the Z690 board, you will need to buy a brand new board if you want to upgrade. If you are one that don’t upgrade your com regularly, then this is a none issue. But I suspect that motherboard makers are charging more for AMD boards with the backward compatibility being one of the main driver. Like someone bought a X470/ B450 board a few years back and subsequently upgrade to a Zen 3 processor, and the likes of MSI won’t make a single extra cent in this case.

Most people buying into a platform already spend more if they are going to keep the mobo for longer. It's counter-intuitive to charge more, it makes them look greedy and disincentives people from even bothering to buy in at all.

It also prices people out of the market. In order to exact every ounce of profit these companies are turning PC gaming into a blood sport between customers and their wallets. I want PC gaming to grow but this kind of price is just off-putting to so many people. Even if people would only consider entry level products it's this kind of thing they see and figure that PC gaming is only for the rich. It's this sentiment that had PC gamers only getting ports back in the Xbox 360 era, do people really want to go back to that? Ease of access and affordability are what made modern PC gaming, these prices are just out of hand and stand to potentially ruin that.

 

[1d10t]

So MSI opted to take margin up front for all those 3 years+ longevity.

 

[mahirzukic2]

I think it really depends on how you see it. In my observation, good Z690 with DDR5 support is not that cheap at launch. It may be cheaper over time, but ideally we should be comparing launch day price. I also believe that Z790 boards will get more expensive for features like PCI-E 5.0 M.2 slots, and beefier VRMs for higher peak power draw.

Another point to consider is the socket longevity. Z690 will support up to Raptor Lake, before the curtain comes down on it. So while you pay less for the Z690 board, you will need to buy a brand new board if you want to upgrade. If you are one that don’t upgrade your com regularly, then this is a none issue. But I suspect that motherboard makers are charging more for AMD boards with the backward compatibility being one of the main driver. Like someone bought a X470/ B450 board a few years back and subsequently upgrade to a Zen 3 processor, and the likes of MSI won’t make a single extra cent in this case.

The thing is, motherboard makers did shit to accommodate the backwards compatibility of AMD's processors. It's all on AMD and their design of future processors which make them backwards compatible.
So the question becomes, why would the motherboard manufacturers enjoy that increased price or even demand it in the first place when they did nothing to deserve?

 

[maxfly]

Stupid stupid stupid. They're cutting they're own throats before the launch even begins.

MSI is immediately removed from my list of manufacturers worth considering this winter. I liked my MSI mbs sad to see them go this route.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

Stupid stupid stupid. They're cutting they're own throats before the launch even begins.

MSI is immediately removed from my list of manufacturers worth considering this winter. I liked my MSI mbs sad to see them go this route.

I doubt MSI would price their X670E boards like this if the competitions boards are substantially cheaper... The rumor is Gigabyte boards will be quite a bit less expensive but Asus boards will likely be similarly priced.

Hard to make any conclusions till all the boards are revealed and have actual buy it now buttons next to them.

 

[maxfly]

I doubt MSI would price their X670E boards like this if the competitions boards are substantially cheaper... The rumor is Gigabyte boards will be quite a bit less expensive but Asus boards will likely be similarly priced.

Hard to make any conclusions till all the boards are revealed and have actual buy it now buttons next to them.

True but Asus always prices their boards in the idiotic realm. They may have one or two worth considering in the end but even that's unlikely.
Of course I'll revisit all of the players later but as is, MSI has gone full on stupid for some reason. One can only assume to drop pricing after the immediate launch to give that msrp vs look at the deal your gettin feel.

 

[mahirzukic2]

I doubt MSI would price their X670E boards like this if the competitions boards are substantially cheaper... The rumor is Gigabyte boards will be quite a bit less expensive but Asus boards will likely be similarly priced.

Hard to make any conclusions till all the boards are revealed and have actual buy it now buttons next to them.

The thing is, you don't need to see other boards revealed. Just seeing this is good enough to see that is heading in the wrong direction.

So we have 2 options here:
1. Other manufacturer(s) reveal much cheaper comparative boards
2. Other manufacturer(s) reveal pretty much the same price comparative boards

We all would much rather like number 1 and would punish MSI for doing so as an added bonus. The thing is though, MSI is not some stupid immature and inexperienced company, oh no. They are very good at what they do and know their shlt. Given that, I sadly think that we are more likely to see the option 2 playing out in reality. That's so sad.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

The thing is, you don't need to see other boards revealed. Just seeing this is good enough to see that is heading in the wrong direction.

So we have 2 options here:
1. Other manufacturer(s) reveal much cheaper comparative boards
2. Other manufacturer(s) reveal pretty much the same price comparative boards

We all would much rather like number 1 and would punish MSI for doing so as an added bonus. The thing is though, MSI is not some stupid immature and inexperienced company, oh no. They are very good at what they do and know their shlt. Given that, I sadly think that we are more likely to see the option 2 playing out in reality. That's so sad.

I definitely expect X670E as a whole to be expensive..... Even the PRO X670-P WIFI outclases a lot of X570 boards it's definitely better than my aorus master or my Crosshair 8 hero on paper overall that were priced quite a bit higher other than rear i/o that's a little worse in the usb department but has better wifi and similar lan.

14 80 amp power stages for the cpu
4x M.2 slots 3x at 4.0 1x at 5.0
8 layer pcb vs 6 on a lot of high end X570 boards

This pretty much looks like a 250+ X570 board

For people who don't want to pay for all that there will be B650 board's.

Now if other manufacturers come out with X670 boards with identical features for 50-100 usd less then sure msi is smoking some good $h!+.

 

[zlobby]

WTaF. Is this a joke. These prices will be 60-70% higher elsewhere, so $500 for entry level in Australia and going over $1100 for the Ace for sure.

If they all do this AMD is screwed, people will flee to Intel en masse, hell even I will get Raptor Lake unless Z790 is also stupidly priced too.

Something tells me intel's new offerings won't lack behind in price.

 

[Dirt Chip]

It might just be that intel will take the double 'better-preformance, bettrt-price' tropht, this round at least...

 

[Bomby569]

to be fair at least the cheaper one will end up on sale in no time, they always do that. MSI includes the idio.... pardon the first adopter tax.

 

[trparky]

All four of these boards look to require a second 8-PIN EPS power input. Am I correct in stating that that would be needed?

 

[zlobby]

All four of these boards look to require a second 8-PIN EPS power input. Am I correct in stating that that would be needed?

With the Amps they can gulp, it's a safe bet. Many current mobos refuse to boot if aux power is not plugged in.

 

[trparky]

With the Amps they can gulp, it's a safe bet. Many current mobos refuse to boot if aux power is not plugged in.

Shit. That means that when I do my upgrade, I'll probably need a new power supply too since mine only has one EPS rail.

 

[zlobby]

W

Shit. That means that when I do my upgrade, I'll probably need a new power supply too since mine only has one EPS rail.

Well, look at the bright side - when you do a new build, do it right and do it to be as future-proof as it can be. It will save you some money in the long run. With all the things going on in the world, I'd say prices won't go down in the near future, so in a way you'd be saving money.

 

[trparky]

when you do a new build, do it right and do it to be as future-proof as it can be.

Oh, I plan on it. I'm going to wait until October when the cheaper boards come out though. I tend to keep my systems for a minimum of four to five years so when I upgrade I tend to go big or go home.

 

[tussinman]

Shit. That means that when I do my upgrade, I'll probably need a new power supply too since mine only has one EPS rail.

It's a double edge sword. If your buying one of these enthusiast boards then upgrading your power supply isn't a big deal.

If your not trying to absolutely max the platform and aren't into overclocking then you'll buy/target a B series board which should run on a single 8 pin with no issues.

 

[john_]

Tin foil hat, but I wonder if Intel are up to old tricks by paying MSI to set high MSRPs on AMD boards...?

That could be a possibility, considering Intel's past, but if other motherboard makers follow MSI's example in pricing, it's probably a message to AMD and users, that 3-4-5 years of firmware support can't come cheap and definitely not for free.
A manufacturer building a motherboard for Intel today, knows that after Rocket Lake they don't have to support any new series of CPUs. With AMD I bet many manufacturers where not happy seeing AMD making the favor to AM4 owners to announce support for even the 5000 series on old motherboards with 300 series chipsets. Manufacturers, when they where putting a price tag on 300 series motherboards, probably they where not expecting to keep making firmwares for those motherboards in 2022. If they knew it, those motherboards could have been more expensive.

Motherboard manufacturers have to keep selling new motherboards every year to support themselves. With someone buying an AM5 today and not having to buy again a new motherboard for the next 5-6 years, motherboard makers will make it sure to get higher profit margin from that buyer in that period of 5-6 years. So, (as an example with random numbers) if they have to sell two motherboards, one Intel and one AMD that each costs them to make $100, they will sell the Intel motherboard for $150, expecting the buyer to swap motherboard at least once in those 5-6 years and the AMD motherboard $200, expecting that the buyer will probably not swap motherboard for the same period of 5-6 years. Doing that, they can expect a profit of $100 from both buyers in the period of those 5-6 years.

If this is the case, we can expect AM5 motherboard pricing to keep declining year after year, the closer we get to AM5's end of line. But the first batch will be ultra expensive.

 

[zlobby]

That could be a possibility, considering Intel's past, but if other motherboard makers follow MSI's example in pricing, it's probably a message to AMD and users, that 3-4-5 years of firmware support can't come cheap and definitely not for free.
A manufacturer building a motherboard for Intel today, knows that after Rocket Lake they don't have to support any new series of CPUs. With AMD I bet many manufacturers where not happy seeing AMD making the favor to AM4 owners to announce support for even the 5000 series on old motherboards with 300 series chipsets. Manufacturers, when they where putting a price tag on 300 series motherboards, probably they where not expecting to keep making firmwares for those motherboards in 2022. If they knew it, those motherboards could have been more expensive.

Motherboard manufacturers have to keep selling new motherboards every year to support themselves. With someone buying an AM5 today and not having to buy again a new motherboard for the next 5-6 years, motherboard makers will make it sure to get higher profit margin from that buyer in that period of 5-6 years. So, (as an example with random numbers) if they have to sell two motherboards, one Intel and one AMD that costs them to make $100, they will sell the Intel motherboard for $150, expecting the buyer to swap motherboard at least once in those 5-6 years and the AMD motherboard $200, expecting that the buyer will probably not swap motherboard for the same period of 5-6 years. Doing that, they can expect a profit of $100 from both buyers in the period of those 5-6 years.

if this is the case, we can expect AM5 motherboard pricing to keep declining years after year, the closer we get to AM5's end of line.

More so, I can't think it will be profitable for MSI to take 'subsidies' from intel and sell at huge prices, if competitors are to keep the prices, say $100 lower per piece. In that case MSI will take a great blow in terms of units moved.
Well, it's not that intel can't do the same with Biostar, ASRock, ASUS, etc. but will it be worth it? More so, AMD now are big and strong; they have claws and will to fight. Will mobo OEM risk it going to bed with intel?

 

[trparky]

If your not trying to absolutely max the platform and aren't into overclocking then you'll buy/target a B series board which should run on a single 8 pin with no issues.

Yeah, I'm not really into overclocking. Even my current 8700K is running stock. I figured I'd be buying one of the B650E boards.