Board Layout

The MSI MEG Z490 Godlike features a black PCB with brushed black and blue gray heatsinks. There is a large polished mirror section over the rear I/O and another over the chipset.


The CPU socket is open enough for most air coolers.


For added cooling to the VRM thermal solution, a pair of small fans pull air in through holes in the rear I/O shield.


There are three M.2 slots on the MSI MEG Z490 Godlike; one above the first PCIe x16 slot, another below the first PCIe x16 slot, and the last between the second and third PCIe x16 slot. All three feature double-sided heatsinks.


There is also the M.2 Xpander-Z Gen4, a PCIe gen 4 capable M.2 expansion card.


The M.2 Xpander-Z Gen4 features two M.2 slots along with a large actively cooled heatsink, as well as thermal probes for each slot.


The MSI MEG Z490 Godlike offers three PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, all of which are encased in Steel Armor, as well as one PCI Express 3.0 x1 slot. The top two x16 slots are PCIe 4.0 ready, featuring a clock generator to ensure a clear signal. While this feature is not supported by the 10th Gen Intel Core processors, it is expected to be supported in future launches. The board has a total of six SATA 6 Gb/s ports on the side, angled 90 degrees from the board.


The MSI MEG Z490 Godlike has an excellent I/O offering that includes an optical S/PDIF out port as well as a BIOS flashback button, a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports, and a wide selection of USB ports.

• 2x Antenna ports
• 2x USB 2.0 ports
• 4x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports
• PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port
• 2x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A port
• 2x Thunderbolt 3 Type-C ports
• 2x RJ-45 LAN port
• Optical SPDIF out port
• 5x 3.5 mm audio jacks
• BIOS flashback button
• Clear CMOS button

Networking on the MSI MEG Z490 Godlike is handled by a Realtek RTL8125 for 2.5 Gb/s LAN as well as an Aquantia AQC107 for 10 Gb/s LAN and an Intel 802.11ax module for WiFi support.