Moderately than tackling every Z790 flagship board in their very own separate opinions, in the present day we’ll examine two motherboards head-to-head (in addition to discussing Asus’ competing possibility) to see which comes out on high.
Contemporary off our check bench is the Gigabyte Z790 Xtreme ($899) and the MSI Z790 Godlike ($1,199). Each boards are present flagship choices, and provide a plethora of options, from high-end look, premium audio options, overbuilt VRMs, and customarily the quickest different bits, together with Thunderbolt 4 Sort-C ports and native 10 GbE. In all, boards like this (together with the Asus ROG Maximus Excessive, which didn’t arrive in time for this text) set the excessive bar for the platform and exhibit all it has to supply.
Each boards (all three when you embrace the ROG Maximus Excessive) accomplish this at a big value improve over the remainder of their product stack. The Aorus Excessive is the least costly possibility at $799.99, with the ROG Maximus Excessive sitting at $999.99 and the MSI Godlike the most costly at $1,199.99. That’s fairly a value distinction, however MSI tries to make up for it by together with its M-Imaginative and prescient Dashboard (a magnetic USB-C-powered LCD touchscreen) and providing seven M.2 sockets. Nonetheless, most customers will most likely discover something above $1,000 offputting, even for a flagship-class SKU.
When evaluating the overall specs of those two contestants (in addition to the Asus), there principally isn’t a big distinction. Whereas VRM rely could range (26+2 with 105A SPS MOSFETs on the Godlike, 20+1 with 105A SPS MOSFETs on the Xtreme), these configurations are overkill, even when you resolve to make use of sub-ambient cooling strategies. M.2 socket rely is completely different (with MSI providing two extra), however most customers received’t use greater than 4 M.2 drives. The audio codec can also be crucial, with all flagships providing some type of the Realtek ALC 4082 codec, together with ESS DAC/Amps, so most customers will likely be glad on that entrance.
All three boards provide a minimum of one PCIe 5.0 M.2 socket and PCIe 5.0 AIB slots, so that you’re set on that entrance. Concerning efficiency between them, on common, the MSI Godlike performs higher throughout our testing suite, although the distinction between it and the Aorus board in most assessments is negligible.
To be blunt right here early within the article, the MSI Z790 Godlike is simply too costly to make our Greatest Motherboards checklist (although it has the options and {hardware}), with out a way more compelling purpose to make up the $400 value distinction. Nonetheless, the Aorus Excessive and its cheaper price (however flagship-class every thing else) is compelling and has an opportunity to earn a spot on our checklist. Learn on for extra particulars on the boards, together with how they carried out in our benchmark testing. However first, listed here are the specs and options from the MSI and Gigabyte.
Specs: MSI Z790 Godlike
| Socket | LGA1700 |
| Chipset | Z790 |
| Kind Issue | E-ATX (305 x 310mm) |
| Voltage Regulator | 28 Part (26x 105A SPS MOSFETs for Vcore) |
| Video Ports | (2) Intel Thunderbolt 4 (Sort-C) |
| (2) Mini-DisplayPort Enter (TB passthrough) | |
| USB Ports | (2) Thunderbolt 4 Sort-C (40 Gbps) |
| (1) USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, Sort-C (20 Gbps) | |
| (7) USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) | |
| Community Jacks | (1) 10 GbE |
| (1) 2.5 GbE | |
| Audio Jacks | (5) Analog + SPDIF |
| Legacy Ports/Jacks | ✗ |
| Different Ports/Jack | ✗ |
| PCIe x16 | (2) v5.0 (x16, or x8/x8) |
| PCIe x8 | ✗ |
| PCIe x4 | ✗ |
| PCIe x1 | ✗ |
| CrossFire/SLI | Helps AMD Multi-GPU |
| DIMM Slots | (4) DDR5 7800+(OC)*, 128GB Capability |
| • 1DPC 1R Max pace as much as 7800+ MHz | |
| • 1DPC 2R Max pace as much as 6600+ MHz | |
| • 2DPC 1R Max pace as much as 6400+ MHz | |
| • 2DPC 2R Max pace as much as 5600+ MHz | |
| M.2 Sockets | (1) PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps) / PCIe (as much as 110mm) |
| (3) PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) / PCIe (as much as 80mm) | |
| (1) PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) / PCIe (as much as 110mm) | |
| (1) PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) / PCIe + SATA (as much as 80mm) | |
| (1) PCIe 3.0 x4 (64 Gbps) / PCIe + SATA (as much as 80mm) | |
| (NVMe helps RAID 0/1/5/10) | |
| SATA Ports | (6) SATA3 6 Gbps (Helps RAID 0/1/5/10) |
| USB Headers | (2) USB v3.2 Gen 2×2, Sort-C (20 Gbps, 60W PD/QC4+) |
| (2) USB v3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) | |
| (2) USB v2.0 (480 Mbps) | |
| Fan/Pump Headers | (10) 4-Pin (CPU, Pump, System) |
| RGB Headers | (3) aRGB (3-pin) |
| (1) AURA RGB (4-pin) | |
| Diagnostics Panel | (1) Debug Code LED |
| (1) EZ Debug LED | |
| Inner Button/Change | Energy/Reset buttons, BIOS and LED switches |
| SATA Controllers | ASMedia ASM1061 |
| Ethernet Controller(s) | (1) Intel (2.5 GbE) |
| (1) Marvell AQX113CS-B1-C (10 GbE) | |
| Wi-Fi / Bluetooth | Intel Wi-Fi 6E (2×2 ax, MU-MIMO, 2.4/5/6 GHz, 160 MHz, BT 5.3) |
| USB Controllers | Genesys Logic GL3590, GL3523, GL850 |
| HD Audio Codec | Realtek ALC4082 (ESS SABREES9280AQ DAC/HPA) |
| DDL/DTS | ✗ / ✗ |
| Guarantee | 3 Years |
Contained in the Field of the MSI MEG Z790 Godlike
The Z790 Godlike features a slew of equipment, together with a number of cables and bits designed to assist get you began. Distinctive to the accent stack are the detachable M-Imaginative and prescient Dashboard show, thermistor cables and DP to Mini-DP cables for many who plan to make use of Thunderbolt capabilities for video. Beneath is a whole checklist of the included equipment.
- M-Imaginative and prescient dashboard
- Wi-Fi antenna
- USB drive (drivers)
- M-Imaginative and prescient cable
- (3) SATA cables
- 1 to 2 RGB LED extension Y cable
- ARGB extension cable
- 1 to three ARGB Gen 2 extension cables
- (2) DP to Mini DP cables
- EZ Entrance panel cable
- Metallic Dragon badge
- M.2 screw/standoffs EZ M.2 clips
- Cable Stickers
- Fast Set up Information
Design of the Z790 Godlike
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Taking the Godlike out of the field, one of many first issues we observed, together with its mass, is the scale. It’s listed as E-ATX and is 12.2 inches (310 mm) huge, so ensure the chassis you select can deal with the board. The rear of the board is protected by a backplate that additionally doubles as a passive heatsink on the rear of the VRMs. The Godlike presents an all-black look, with a brushed aluminum end on the heatsinks and shrouds, together with tasteful branding carried out in your typical places (I/O space, chipset, VRM and M.2 heatsinks). The entire connections on the fitting facet of the board stick out horizontally, which helps with cable administration, whereas the underside headers/connectors are all vertical.
If you happen to’re in search of built-in RGBs, solely the IO space has what you’re in search of. If you happen to want extra, you’ll be able to add them by way of the 4 headers. Management over the RGB is managed by way of the MSI Heart software program and Mystic Gentle. General I just like the black-with-gold-accents look. It’s going to match most all builds themes and offers off that premium high-end vibe you need with a flagship-class machine.
Specializing in the highest half of the board, beginning with the left facet above the IO space, is an Phantasm Lighting impact that permits the board to show two distinct patterns (MSI Gaming Dragon and image) in the identical area. It’s higher than the dot-matrix look on the ROG Excessive, however falls wanting the LCD on the Aorus Excessive. The VRMs join through heatpipe with the highest heatsink utilizing a wavy fin design to extend floor space.
To the fitting of the socket space and simply above the DRAM slots are two 8-pin EPS connectors (one required) to energy your Intel CPU. The 4 DRAM slots under assist as much as 128 GB of RAM, with speeds listed to DDR5-7800+(OC) (although that’s utilizing one DIMM). We didn’t have any points with our ‘base’ kits (DDR5-5600 and 6000), and it was plug-and-play with the Teamgroup DDR5-7200 equipment, the quickest in our arsenal in the intervening time.
Persevering with to maneuver proper, subsequent we hit the primary two (of seven) M.2 sockets, hidden below a heatsink. These are PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) sockets that assist as much as 80mm PCIe modules. The additional huge kind issue permits a singular implementation for added M.2 storage. Above that, we spy the primary two (of 10) 4-pin fan headers. The CPU_Fan and System fan headers default to auto (will run with PWM or DC) and output as much as 2A/24W, whereas the pump fan headers default to PWM mode and output a whopping 3A/36W every. You shouldn’t have any points operating your cooling system, even customized liquid cooling, from the motherboard. Lastly, within the nook is the Debug LED, 4 voltage learn factors and the EZ Debug LEDs.
Shifting focus down the fitting edge, all connections on this space are horizontal to assist with cable administration – or a minimum of to assist issues look cleaner. Beginning on the high is the primary 3-pin ARGB connector, adopted by the primary three System Fan headers. Beneath these is the 24-pin ATX Energy connector and a 6-pin PCIe connector (required to assist 60W PD charging on the entrance port). After which are two USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gbps) Sort-C entrance panel ports.
For energy supply, the Godlike has, nicely, Godlike VRMs. Energy travels down from the EPS connector(s), onto a Renesas RAA229131 controller to the 26x 105A Renesas RAA22010540 SPS MOSFETs in a teamed configuration. The two,730A accessible for the CPU is essentially the most I can recall seeing on a motherboard and received’t get in the best way of any sort of overclocking, together with utilizing LN2 (liquid nitrogen). You’re restricted by the cooling technique, simply as you might be with most mid-range boards.
The underside half of the board is the place a majority of the M.2 sockets reside, together with tons of headers, connectors, and even a few switches. The audio part on the left homes a Realtek ALC4082 codec, together with ESS ES9280AQ combo DAC/HPA. That is the flagship codec with a DAC and Amp combo and one of many higher audio implementations for the platform.
Shifting on to the M.2 sockets, 5 are hidden under the heatsinks on this space. For particulars on their bandwidth, see the specs above. What’s price mentioning right here is how these break down. When the M2_4 (the PCIe 5.0 x4 socket) is populated, PCI_E2 (the second PCIe slot) is unavailable. If you happen to’re utilizing a SATA- or PCIe-based drive in M2_5, SATA ports 5-8 are unavailable, leaving you with simply two functioning SATA ports left. The PCIe slots combined in among the many M.2 sockets are easy. Each are bolstered and PCIe 5.0. The highest slot helps as much as x16 speeds, however each run at PCIe 5.0 x8 speeds when the second slot will get populated. Final, alongside the fitting edge, are two USB 3.2 Gen 1 (10 Gbps) headers and 6 SATA ports.
Throughout the underside of the board are a number of uncovered headers, all vertical. You’ll discover the standard and fairly a bit extra: extra USB ports, RGB headers, fan headers, customized water cooling headers (for stream and temperatures), energy/reset buttons, and extra. Beneath is a whole checklist from left to proper.
- Entrance panel audio
- 4-pin RGB
- 3-pin ARGB
- (6) 4-pin fan/pump headers
- (2) 2-pin temperature headers
- (2) USB 2.0 headers
- Energy/Reset buttons
- BIOS/LED/M switches
- M-Imaginative and prescient connector
- Entrance panel
The rear IO plate on the Z790 Godlike comes preinstalled to the motherboard. It has a black background with light-grey labels on the ports, making them comparatively straightforward to learn. There are a complete of 10 USB ports: two Thunderbolt 4 Sort-C (40 Gbps, passes video as nicely), seven 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps, one Sort-C) ports, and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Sort-C port. On the left are three buttons: Clear CMOS, BIOS Flash, and the Sensible button. The latter is programmable, letting you employ to do issues like reset the PC, boot into Protected Mode, management followers and lighting, and many others. Across the USB ports are the Marvell 10 GbE and Intel 2.5 GbE ports. Off to the fitting are the 2 Thunderbolt 4 Sort-C ports and the Mini-DisplayPort inputs for video. Final however not least are the Wi-Fi antenna connections and the five-plug plus SPDIF audio stack.
Firmware
MSI’s BIOS for the Godlike just isn’t a lot completely different than the Z790 Tomahawk we reviewed beforehand. The menus reside on the perimeters, and knowledge up high, with a black and purple background. It’s a singular look in comparison with the competitors. For Z790, the one updates had been performance for the brand new processors and chipset. The colour scheme continues to be straightforward to learn, and there’s the standard informative Simple Mode that shows numerous details about the system and permits for some adjustments (boot order and XMP enabled). Although completely different than different UEFIs, it’s straightforward to get round; every thing has a spot, and most regularly used choices are available, not buried inside sub-menus.
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Software program
MSI has a single utility, MSI Heart, that covers fairly a little bit of performance. From {hardware} monitoring to RGB management with Mystic Gentle, there are numerous applets to select from inside the software program and a one-stop store to obtain all the firm’s utilities. I want there have been some overclocking choices right here, however for these trying to make use of the Gamebar characteristic, Tremendous Charger, or another utilities MSI provides, they are going to all be at your fingertips in MSI Heart.
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