MSI's U.S. online store on Wednesday listed four of the company's upcoming AM5 motherboards for AMD's Ryzen 7000 processors based on X670 and X670E chipsets. Being among the first platforms aimed at AMD's Zen 4 CPUs, these products are certainly aimed at demanding users, so their prices are well above average.
MSI's initial lineup of AM5 motherboards will include four models: three powered by AMD's X670E chipset for die hard enthusiasts as well as one featuring AMD's X670 chipset for more rational buyers, just like the company announced in early August.
The crème-de-la-crème MEG X670E Godlike will be designed for gamers and enthusiasts with very deep pockets and will cost $1299.99, whereas the MEG X670E Ace will be aimed at those who are not ready to invest an extreme amount of money in a PC and will cost "only" $699.99. Sitting slightly below is the MPG X670E Carbon Wi-Fi for $479.99 for those who want a taste of AMD's Extreme platform at a slightly lower price. For those who do not want to pay for an extreme platform, MSI will offer its X670-powered Pro X670-P Wi-Fi for $289.99.
All MSI's X670/X670E-based motherboards will support AMD's Ryzen 7000-series processors with up to 16 Zen 4 cores as well as with dual-channel DDR5 memory support. Since the mainboards are designed for enthusiasts, they will all use high-quality 10 or eight-layer printed circuit boards and come equipped with very sophisticated multi-phase CPU voltage regulating modules that can deliver hundreds of watts of clean power to CPUs to maximize their overclocking potential.
The motherboards will also feature multiple PCIe x16 expansion slots for graphics cards and other add-in-boards, but only X670E-based platforms will support PCIe 5.0 x16 for graphics adapters as well as multi-GPU capability, whereas the X670 model will support PCIe 4.0 x16 for GPUs, but a PCIe 5.0 x4 interface for M.2 SSDs. As for connectivity, the new AM5 platforms from MSI will feature USB 3.2 Gen2x2 ports, 2.5GbE or 10GbE connectivity, a Wi-Fi 6E adapter, and sophisticated cooling for VRM, chipset, and SSD.
MSI's Initial AM5 Motherboards at a Glance
| Header Cell - Column 0 | MEG X670E Godlike | MEG X670E Ace | MPG X670E Carbon WiFi | Pro X670-P WiFi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VRM | 24+2+1 power stages, 105A | 22+2+1 power stages, 90A | 18+2+1 | 14+2+1 |
| PCB | 10-layer | 8-layer | 8-layer | 8-layer |
| PCIe 5.0 x16 slots | 3x PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16, x8, x4 modes) | 3x PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16, x8, x4 modes) | 3x PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16, x8, x4 modes) | 3x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x16, x4, x2 modes) |
| PCIe slots | - | - | - | PCIe 3.0 x1 |
| M.2 slots | 6 slots, PCIe 5.0 + PCIe 4.0 | 6 slots, PCIe 5.0 + PCIe 4.0 | 4 slots PCIe 5.0 + PCIe 4.0 | 4 slots PCIe 5.0/4.0/3.0 |
| M.2 Expander | M.2 Xpander-Z Gen5 Dual | M.2 Xpander-Z Gen5 Dual | - | - |
| Ethernet | 10GbE + 2.5GbE | 10GbE | 2.5GbE | 2.5GbE |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 6E |
| USB4/TB | - | - | - | - |
| USB | USB 3.2 Gen 2 + USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 + USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 + USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 + USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 |
| Audio Codec | ALC4082 | ALC4082 | Realtek ALC4080 | Realtek ALC4080 |
| Audio DAC | ESS ES9280AQ | ESS ES9280AQ | ? | ? |
| Add-ons | M-Vision Dashboard | - | - | - |
| Price | $1299.99 | $699.99 | $479.99 | $289.99 |
All the motherboards are fairly advanced, but the flagship MEG-series come with M.2 Xpander-Z Gen5 Dual SSD adapter cards that add two M.2-2280 slots for SSDs and therefore enable a rather formidable storage system. In addition, the MEG X670E Godlike comes with an M-Vision Dashboard LCD that displays the status of the rig and allows system tuning with touch control.
MSI's AMD X670 and X670E motherboards will be available starting September 27, 2022.
