MSI Z690 Motherboards

Just like Gigabyte, MSI hasn't really highlighted any unique features of their Z690 boards beyond some basic ones, like improved heatsinks and 16-phase VRM designs, although the company has several distinct SKUs on offer. At the top, we have the MEG boards, followed by the MPG series and MAG series with, oddly enough, the PRO series at the bottom. We were expecting up to 24 different SKUs from MSI, but so far, the company has only revealed 15, and only six of those appear to be on sale on Newegg, so pricing will mainly be from other sources.

MSI PRO Z690-A

The most basic model from the MSI is the PRO Z690-A which comes with either DDR4 or DDR5 memory support, as well as in SKUs with WiFi/Bluetooth. Although a step down from Gigabyte's Z690 UD series, the PRO Z690-A is very similar to ASUS's Prime Z690-P series and a step up from ASRock's Z690 Pro RS. As with all Z690 boards, we find a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, and MSI has added a pair of PCIe 3.0 x16 slots as well, but one is x4 and the other only x1, and there's also a PCIe 3.0 x1 slot. At least MSI didn't "cheap out" when it comes to M.2 slots since you get four, although one is only PCIe 3.0, whereas the other three are PCIe 4.0. There's also six SATA ports, 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, and, surprisingly, a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) USB-C port around the back. A USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) header is also present and audio is supplied by the typical budget choice for Z690 boards, the ALC897 codec, but there are six 3.5 mm jacks. MSI has also gone for HDMI 2.1 and DP 1.4, although the company for some reason claims both ports are limited to 4K60p. There's no pre-attached I/O shield, but the top-most M.2 slot comes with a heatsink. One last bonus is the rear-mounted Flash BIOS Button, as MSI calls it. Not a terrible board as such in other words, but with pricing starting at $220 for the DDR4 version and $230 for the DDR5 version and an extra $20 for the WiFi/Bluetooth-equipped models, MSI is pricing itself out of the competition here.

MSI MAG Z690 Torpedo

This brings us to the first in the MAG series, the Z690 Torpedo, which has an unusual black and blue-ish color scheme. This is also what we could call the first "fully featured" board from MSI even though there's no WiFi SKU, and you'll soon see why. The Torpedo only comes with DDR4 support, but you do at least get a pre-installed I/O shield and better heatsinks, and only one M.2 slot is missing a heatsink. Once again MSI has gone for one PCIe 3.0 M.2 and three PCIe 4.0 slots, and the expansion-slot layout is the same as on the PRO Z690-A boards. The audio side has improved with an ALC4080 audio codec, and you'll also find an S/PDIF connector. Most other features remain the same as on the PRO Z690-A, although there's no PS/2 port on the Torpedo. MSI is at least generous in the sense that even this far down its product stack, you get the drivers on a USB key. At what looks like the $270 price bracket, we're one again looking at a board that is priced out of the competition.

MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk

Moving up a tier, we find the MAG Z690 Tomahawk, which is the WiFi/Bluetooth version of the Torpedo, but in black and with that missing M.2 heatsink. It's also available in a DDR5 SKU, although we were only able to find pricing for the DDR4 model, which comes in at a very steep $300, making this yet another dud in terms of purchasing recommendations.

MSI MPG Z690 Edge WIFI DDR4

This brings us to the MPG series of boards, but there are no drastic changes with the Z690 Edge WIFI DDR4. The expansion-slot layout remains the same, but the fourth M.2 slot is finally using those missing PCIe 4.0 lanes, and we're getting prettier heatsinks all around, if that's your kind of thing. The SATA ports are now neatly grouped together at the front of the board, although two of them are via a third-party controller all of a sudden. The rear I/O gets a shuffle around, but there are no major changes otherwise, and MSI includes a pair of screwdrivers that look like a pair of car keys, as well as a cleaning brush to pad out the box. At $320, you're mostly paying for the looks and the MPG branding, as well as the mostly useless bundled accessories.

MSI MPG Z690 Force WiFi

Things are finally changing in terms of the overall board design with the MPG Z690 Force WIFI, which is identical to the MPG Z690 Carbon if you look beyond the metal and plastic shrouds of the boards. As such, we'll treat the two as the same board here, since there are no functional differences, just aesthetic ones. The Force is clearly targeting white builds with its white/silver look, whereas the Carbon is for darker builds. Feature-wise, this is MSI's first SKU with two PCIe 5.0 x16 slots, but as with most other boards, you get to choose between a x16/x0 or x8/x8 operation. If you're into M.2 SSDs, this could be the board for you, as there are a total of five M.2 slots, although one of them is PCIe 3.0 rather than PCIe 4.0. You still get six SATA ports, but once again, two of them are via a third party controller. Beyond that, there are no big changes compared to the Edge, but MSI has at least snuck in a POST80 debug LED display, which is a nice bonus. At $390 for the Force and $400 for the Carbon, you'd really need to want that extra M.2 slot or the option to run two PCIe 5.0 devices to splash out on either of these boards, but to MSI's credit, aside from possibly Biostar, these are the cheapest boards with two PCIe 5.0 slots. Before we move on, we should also point out that there's a special MPG Z690 Carbon EK X version with a liquid-cooling monoblock for the CPU and VRM that comes in at hefty $630.

MSI MEG Z690 Unify and Unify-X

We're getting close to the end, and this is also where we move up to the MEG series in the shape of the MEG Z690 Unify and Unify-X, which are largely identical, but with the Unify-X sporting two DDR5 DIMM slots rather than four for better DRAM overclocking. Both boards sport two PCIe 5.0 x16 slots and to no one's surprise, this is in the usual x16/x0 or x8/x8 configuration. There's also a PCIe 3.0 x16 slot at x4 and the five M.2 slots from the Force and Carbon, alongside the SATA ports. MSI has thrown in a second 2.5 Gbps Ethernet controller for good measure, and the PS/2 port is back, but little else has changed. The Unify gets all the bundled accessories from the previous boards, but the Unify-X adds a "DIY stand set" and a "Tuning controller," although we don't have any detailed information on either of those accessories. Both models appear to slot in at around the $500–550 mark, but we expect the Unify-X to be the pricier of the two.

MSI MEG Z690 ACE

At the top of MSI's revealed Z690 motherboards sits the MEG Z690 ACE, but for those in the know, this isn't MSI's flagship board, but more on that later. The ACE features a black and gold design and is covered in heatsinks; there's even one that sits between the memory slots and power connector we can't quite figure out the purpose of. MSI has fitted a heatpipe on the VRM cooling, but relies on traditional lumps of aluminium over the more popular finned heatsinks. What surprised us more than anything is the lack of 10 Gbps Ethernet on this $600 motherboard, although it does have dual 2.5 Gbps ports, and there are two Thunderbolt 4 ports with two adjacent mini-DP ports for 8K60p out through a single cable with a discrete graphics card. Interestingly, MSI also enabled DP Alt mode for the rear-mounted USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) port, which we haven't seen on too many boards. There are also two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) front headers, although this would require a case with more than one USB-C port. This is also MSI's only board so far with an ALC4082 codec plus an ESS Sabre 9018Q2C DAC. The bundle includes all the cables needed to connect a discrete graphics card to the mini-DP inputs, as well as an MSI-branded polishing cloth, which could have a $19 value. Overall, a pricey board, but cheaper than ASUS's equivalent products.

MSI MEG Z690 Godlike

So what about that flagship board? Well, MSI is working on the MEG Z690 Godlike, which is set to be the physically largest Z690 motherboard. We don't have the specifications of this board yet, but a picture of the bare PCB leaked, which gives us some insight into what to expect. The board appears to have no less than six M.2 SSD slots, two PCIe 5.0 slots, and an additional PCIe x16 slot of some kind. It might have Thunderbolt 4, but doesn't appear to get 10 Gbps Ethernet. It appears to have an additional PCB mounted vertically next to the WiFi card at the rear of the board. We've included the picture for your perusal—feel free to guess at what other features MSI will include.