MSI Refreshed Z790 Motherboards Show 15 Percent Price Hike
Prices are up but with the promise of faster networking and other refinements.
A purported price list of upcoming MSI motherboards has leaked. The boards are from MSI’s Z790 Max line, which competes with the best motherboards on the market. These might be excellent for pairing with upcoming 14th Generation Raptor Lake Refresh processors like the Intel Core i7-14700K. However, the leaked list may prove that MSI isn’t shy about asking premium prices.
Leaker Chi11eddog has shared the MSI Z790 Max series motherboard MSRPs. However, perhaps you aren’t that surprised by these prices. The headlining MSI MEG Z790 Godlike Max at $1,299 is ‘only’ $100 more than the launch price of the flagship MSI MEG Z790 Godlike that it will usurp.
Next down the list is the MSI MEG Z790 Ace Max. At a touted $699, this is significantly costlier than the non-Max model at launch, with a near 15% premium applied. The rest of the range seems to have similarly pitched price increases – between 5% and 15% compared to the non-Max versions.
The price hikes aren’t coming without extra new features, though. As well as being ready for Intel’s 14th Gen Core Raptor Lake Refresh desktop processors fresh from the box, these boards are touted to deliver desirable features such as:
- Wi-Fi 7 and 5G Ethernet
- Advanced power delivery
- ‘Memory Boost’ with up to DDR5-7600 support
- Magnetically attached M.2 Frozr heatsinks
- Bundled USB4 PD100W expansion cards
It shouldn’t be long until we get complete official reveals of Z790 Max products from MSI and others. We understand that the boards will be launched in October alongside the first Intel Raptor Lake Refresh processors (several K-and KF-suffixed parts). Recent rumors suggest you should also be prepared to pay up to 15% more for the RPL refresh chips.
PC enthusiasts and DIYers are getting their pockets double-dipped – no surprise. However, the CPU performance benefits will be relatively meager – perhaps 5%. One exception may be the aforementioned Intel Core i7-14700K, as it is the only chip we know of that will be reconfigured in terms of P-and E-cores in its generational uplift.
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Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
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Nicholas Steel > Wi-Fi 7 and 5G EthernetReply
I don't think either of these have anything to do with Ethernet. -
bill001g
wifi7 of course does not but 5G means 5Gbit ethernet not some silly unclear name cell phone companies use. Still I would never buy anything that claims to be wifi7 before the first part of 2024. The wifi7 certifications are not scheduled to be finalized until some time early 2024. Anything you buy before that is purely a guess by a manufacture as to what the final standard will be. They never learn even though many got burned by the 802.11n "draft" incompatible devices they just have to be "first".Nicholas Steel said:> Wi-Fi 7 and 5G Ethernet
I don't think either of these have anything to do with Ethernet. -
3tank I cant tell- Should I feel dumb for for not holding out and buying an Asus x670 Xtreme a few months ago or be confident in my purchase?Reply