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MSI MEG Z690 Godlike Motherboard Stuns in Official Photos
Earlier this month, MSI teased its upcoming flagship MEG Z690 Godlike motherboard for Intel’s 12th generation Alder Lake processors. Unfortunately, although we were made privy to dimensions (which are enormous) and specs for what could be one of the best motherboards for Intel processors, we didn’t have any clear product shots of the successor to the MEG Z590 Godlike.
That changes today with two new images of the motherboard, and it looks stunning. MSI posted the photos when it announced that the MEG Z690 Godlike won a CES 2022 Innovation Award. Like its predecessor, the MEG Z690 Godlike features an LCD mounted near the DDR5 DIMM slots (up to 128GB supported), but in this case, it measures a staggering 3.5 inches. As we can see from the images, the touch display shows what processor is installed (in this case, a Core i9-12900K) and its current clock speed. Further customization of the LCD is made possible by the MSI Dragon Center app.
According to WCCFtech, the MEG Z690 Godlike measures 305x310mm and puts that size to good use with a staggering six M.2 slots. That is a new high watermark for an enthusiast motherboard and in keeping with the over-the-top nature of the Godlike family.
Other features on deck for the MEG Z690 Godlike include a 22-phase power design for the CPU, dual LAN ports (10 GbE and 2.5 GbE), eight USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-A) ports and two USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C) ports. We should also mention that the MEG Z690 Godlike is also expected to come with the Gen5 PCI-Express Card in the box. As reported late last month, this add-in card allows you to add support for yet-to-be-released PCIe 5.0 SSDs by occupying a full-size Gen 5 PCIe slot on the motherboard.
We’re eager to test the MEG Z690 Godlike with Intel’s current crop of Alder Lake processors. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to check out our reviews of the Core i9-12900K and Core i5-12600K. Priced at $589 and $289, respectively, both processors are gaming beasts that are more than a match for their AMD Zen 3-based Ryzen 5000 counterparts.
However, the relatively attractive price points of the currently-available Alder Lake processors must be tempered with the higher price of DDR5 modules compared to DDR4. And the MSI MEG Z690 Godlike is sure to cost a pretty penny when released, given that its predecessor currently retails for $899.99.
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Brandon Hill is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware. He has written about PC and Mac tech since the late 1990s with bylines at AnandTech, DailyTech, and Hot Hardware. When he is not consuming copious amounts of tech news, he can be found enjoying the NC mountains or the beach with his wife and two sons.
i mean its an OC mb on a chip that requires water cooling practically <_<.....whoever buys this knows they will have manage cooling. 12th gen is an inferno.
I might just be old fashion but IMO the point of a clear side panel was to show off the components. Covering everything up seems kind of redundant. This board only really makes sense to me if you mounted it open air without a case?
I'm getting this or the KPE EVGA board. Can't wait, I have my EKWB LGA1700 block on order for the 12900k sitting ontop my current setup lol.
Prefer the EVGA lineup, really want a more OC focused board. The Z690 Godlike is so goddamn sexy though I'm split. Im praying its nowhere near Asus' taxed up Xtreme glacial build. A $200 monoblock upcharged on a regular 4 DIMM board., disgusting.
**I say regular as in, for this level and price I would expecet a more OC centric board with DIMMs as close to the CPU as possible etc. I understand this is an enthusiast level board that isn't necessarily concerned with OC numbers. It has a great VRM and powerphase. I hope you understand what I'm alluding to.
