MSI Z790 Gaming Plus WiFi LGA1700 DDR5 ATX Motherboard

MSI Z790 Gaming Plus WiFi LGA1700 DDR5 ATX Motherboard

A straightforward Z790 ATX board for 12th to 14th Gen Intel Core with DDR5, a PCIe 5.0 graphics slot, four M.2 slots and Wi-Fi 6E.

The MSI Z790 Gaming Plus WiFi is a no-nonsense full-size board for Intel LGA1700 processors, covering 14th, 13th and 12th Gen Core, Pentium Gold and Celeron chips. It focuses on the things most gaming builds actually use: a 14-phase power design, fast DDR5 memory, a PCIe 5.0 slot for the graphics card, four M.2 slots and built-in Wi-Fi 6E and 2.5Gbps LAN. Punch can fit this board as part of a new custom PC.

Processor and memory

Four DDR5 DIMM slots take up to 256GB in dual channel, with MSI quoting 7200+MHz when overclocked, so a fast memory kit can run at its rated speed with an XMP profile.

Expansion and storage

The main slot runs at PCIe 5.0 x16 from the processor. Two further full-length slots and one x1 slot run from the chipset, one at PCIe 4.0 x4 and two at PCIe 3.0 x1, for sound, network or capture cards. Four M.2 slots all run at PCIe 4.0 x4: the first from the processor (taking 22110 down to 2242 drives) and three from the chipset (2280, 2260 and 2242), with the third and fourth also accepting SATA M.2 drives. Six SATA 6Gb/s ports cover hard drives and 2.5-inch SSDs.

Connectivity and audio

The rear panel has a USB Type-C port at 20Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2×2), one USB 10Gbps Type-A, two USB 5Gbps Type-A and four USB 2.0 ports, HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 outputs for processors with integrated graphics (4K at 60Hz), a 2.5Gbps Intel LAN port, Wi-Fi antenna connectors, audio jacks and a Flash BIOS button for updating the firmware without a processor. Wireless is Intel Wi-Fi 6E on 2.4, 5 and 6GHz with Bluetooth 5.3. Audio uses the Realtek ALC897 codec with 7.1-channel output and MSI Audio Boost. Internal headers provide a further four USB 2.0 ports, four USB 5Gbps ports and a USB 10Gbps front Type-C connector.

Ideal for

• 12th to 14th Gen Intel Core gaming PCs with DDR5
• Builders who want a PCIe 5.0 graphics slot on a sensible Z790 board
• Systems that need four M.2 slots and six SATA ports

Specifications

• Socket: Intel LGA1700 for 14th, 13th and 12th Gen Core, Pentium Gold and Celeron
• Chipset: Intel Z790
• Memory: 4 x DDR5 DIMM, max 256GB, dual channel, up to 7200+MHz (OC), XMP 3.0
• PCIe slots: 3 x PCIe x16 slots and 1 x PCIe x1 slot: PCI_E1 PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU), PCI_E2 PCIe 3.0 x1 (chipset), PCI_E3 PCIe 4.0 x4 (chipset), PCI_E4 PCIe 3.0 x1 (chipset)
• M.2: M.2_1 PCIe 4.0 x4 (CPU, 22110/2280/2260/2242), M.2_2 PCIe 4.0 x4 (2280/2260/2242), M.2_3 PCIe 4.0 x4 / SATA (2280/2260/2242), M.2_4 PCIe 4.0 x4 / SATA (2280/2260/2242)
• SATA: 6 x SATA 6Gb/s
• Rear USB: 1 x USB 20Gbps Type-C, 1 x USB 10Gbps Type-A, 2 x USB 5Gbps Type-A, 4 x USB 2.0
• Video outputs: 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 (4K at 60Hz)
• LAN: Intel 2.5Gbps
• Wireless: Intel Wi-Fi 6E 2.4/5/6GHz, up to 2.4Gbps, Bluetooth 5.3
• Audio: Realtek ALC897, 7.1-channel HD audio with Audio Boost
• Internal USB: 4 x USB 2.0 ports, 4 x USB 5Gbps ports, 1 x USB 10Gbps Type-C connector
• Fan headers: 1 x CPU, 1 x pump, 6 x system
• Lighting: 2 x addressable Gen 2 RGB headers, 2 x RGB headers
• Power design: 14 phases
• Form factor: ATX, 304.8mm x 243.84mm