According to a new Tweet by @g01d3nm4ng0 and WCCFTech, MSI is preparing to launch its flagship Z690 Godlike motherboard, and it will be one of the largest E-ATX motherboards we've ever seen. The new Z690 Godlike is believed to be packing some serious weight, including a 3.5-inch LCD, possibly up to seven M.2 slots, and a 22 phase power design.
(The main image is the previous Z590 Godlike)
Most impressive of all is the sheer size of the board. According to WCCFTech, the Z690 Godlike will measure in at 305x310mm, making it the largest motherboard we've seen in years. For comparison, the Z690 Aorus Xtreme measures 305x285mm, and HEDT motherboards like the Asus X399 Xenith Extreme measure at just 305mm x 277mm, despite having double the number of memory slots compared to the Z690 Godlike.
With some PCB shots taken from WCCFtech, we have a good idea of what MSI is doing with all that extra space. The most apparent use of the extra space is the addition of up to seven M.2 slots, with four being found in-between the PCIe slots, two by the chipset, and a single one by the rear I/O. If this is true, then the Godlike will have the most amount of M.2 slots ever seen on a motherboard rivaling the amount of SATA 3 slots most motherboards have.
But unfortunately, direct PCB shots like this can only get you so far, so we have no idea what other features MSI will add to the motherboard until it's released. But, expect some crazy features to be added from MSI since this is indeed their flagship motherboard for the Alder Lake generation.
We suspect MSI will be using all that extra PCB real estate for more features than just the M.2 slots, whether they be extra physical buttons, extra power connections, fan slots, memory cooling, or more. One feature the Twitter post does mention is a massive 3.5-inch display making its way onto the board, so perhaps that is another feature taking advantage of the board's monster size.
One big consideration builders will have to take into account is the board's size and case compatibility. With the Z690 Godlike being the largest of all E-ATX motherboards, there will be compatibility problems in some cases. Even large E-ATX cases might have trouble accommodating the size of this motherboard, so users will have to take some precautions to ensure the board can overlap cable management holes without blocking them.
We don't have a release or announcement date for the new MSI Z690 Godlike, but with Alder Lake releasing in a few days, we shouldn't have to wait long for more details on this monster-sized motherboard.
