Introduction

In today's review, we are covering another collaboration between MSI and EKWB for the AMD AM4 platform. The biggest selling point of this type of product is EKWB's talented team's ability to create a monoblock tailored to a specific motherboard. Combined with MSI's well-received MSI MPG X570S Carbon MAX WiFi, a mid-tier motherboard with a good balance between price and features, you get the MSI MPG X570S Carbon EK X.

The MPG naming convention is for MSI's mid-range line of Intel motherboards. Generally offering performance similar to the MEG series, but without some of the premium features, the MPG X570 lineup typically comprises the Carbon, Gaming, and Edge. The MSI MPG X570S Carbon EK X serves as the highest entry for the AMD MPG family of products.

AMD's Computex 2022 press conference revealed the company's plans for the new AM5 socket and new Zen 4 processors. In additional news, the company has not ruled out extended support for its current AM4 socket. With strong sales and a competitive advantage in gaming and production workflows, those looking for a mature platform will find AM4 something that shouldn't be written off just yet.

After the highly successful B550 chipset launch in 2020, marketed and priced to be more budget friendly while maintaining PCIe 4.0 support, some may find themselves upgrading to a new motherboard or waiting for the perfect time to buy and replace an older system. Waiting for the perfect moment to upgrade can pay off, especially as prices decrease and bugs are worked out over multiple revisions. Motherboard manufacturers have an opportunity to refresh the X570 lineup yet again with new features, including Wi-Fi 6E, USB 3.2 connectivity, and higher supported memory frequencies that just weren't available previously.


The MSI collaboration with EKWB has taken the MPG X570S Carbon MAX WiFi feature set and added a custom EK-Quantum monoblock that directly cools the sixteen 75 A VRM power stages and CPU. This combination allows for higher power stage efficiency during CPU intensive workloads and a near silent setup in combination with a watercooled video card. While the monoblock is certainly the main attraction, MSI does its due diligence by including an assortment of storage and connectivity options. These include four M.2 Gen4 sockets with full heatsink coverage, WiFi 6E, and up to eight SATA devices at once. With that teaser out of the way, it's time to take a closer look to see what this MSI EKWB collaboration has to offer.

Specifications