MSI MEG Z890 Ace motherboard review: Arrow Lake S, with lots of USB and M.2

Z890 motherboards hit the scene with improved looks, more PCIe lanes, and added features

MSI MEG Z890 Ace
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Firmware

MSI has updated its BIOS for Z890 (and X870), renaming it “Click X” and improving the aesthetic and functionality. The company changed the format from its previous UEFI with the headings on the left side, details in the middle, and system status information on the right. Like most other board partners, it has an informational EZ Mode, allowing limited functionality, such as Game Boost, PBO, XMP, and more. The black background that fades to gold with light-colored text is easy to read, and most of what you need is at your fingertips. Overall, I like the new layout, and maneuvering around is intuitive, though it does take some getting used to.

Software

MSI Center is a single utility that covers quite a bit of functionality. From hardware monitoring to RGB control with Mystic Light, the software has many applets and is a one-stop shop for downloading other utilities, including overclocking and fan control. Those looking to use the Gamebar feature, Super Charger, or any other utilities MSI offers will find them all in MSI Center.

Test System / Comparison Products

 We’ve updated our test system to Windows 11 (24H2) 64-bit OS with all updates applied as of mid-October September 2024, which includes all OS optimizations. Hardware-wise, we’ve updated the RAM kits to match the AMD system, as well as cooling, storage, and our video card. Unless otherwise noted, we use the latest non-beta motherboard BIOS available to the public. Thanks to Asus for providing the RTX 4080 TUF graphics card and Crucial for the 2TB T705 SSDs. The hardware we used is as follows: 

Test System Components

Swipe to scroll horizontally
CPUIntel Core Ultra 9 285K
CoolingArctic Liquid Freezer II 420
StorageCrucial 2TB T705 M.2 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD
MemoryKingston Fury Beast DDR5-6000 CL36 (KF560C36BBEAK2-32)
Row 4 - Cell 0 Kingston Renegade Fury DDR5-8200 CU-DIMM (KF582C40RS-24)
Row 5 - Cell 0 Klevv CRAS XR5 RGB (KD5AGUA80-80R380S)
Row 6 - Cell 0 GSkill Trident Z5 CK (F5-8200C4052G24GX2)
GPUAsus TUF RTX 4080 16G
PSUEVGA Supernova 850W P6
SoftwareWindows 11 64-bit (24H2 - 26100.2033)
Graphics DriverNVIDIA Driver 561.09
SoundIntegrated HD audio
NetworkIntegrated Networking (GbE to 10 GbE)

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Benchmark Settings

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Synthetic Benchmarks and SettingsRow 0 - Cell 1
ProcyonVersion 2.8.1352 64
Row 2 - Cell 0 Office 365, Video Editing (Premiere Pro 24.6.1), Photo Editing (Photoshop 25.1.2, Lightroom Classic 13.5.1)
3DMarkVersion 2.29.8294.0 64
Row 4 - Cell 0 Speed Way and Steel Nomad (Default)
Cinebench R24Version 2024.1.0
Row 6 - Cell 0 Open GL Rendering Benchmark - Single and Multi-threaded
BlenderVersion 4.2.0
Row 8 - Cell 0 Full benchmark (all 3 tests)
Application Tests and SettingsRow 9 - Cell 1
LAME MP3Version SSE2_2019
Row 11 - Cell 0 Mixed 271MB WAV to mp3: Command: -b 160 --nores (160Kb/s)
HandBrake CLIVersion: 1.8.2
Row 13 - Cell 0 Sintel Open Movie Project: 4.19GB 4K mkv to x264 (light AVX) and x265 (heavy AVX)
Corona 1.4Version 1.4
Row 15 - Cell 0 Custom benchmark
7-ZipVersion 24.08
Row 17 - Cell 0 Integrated benchmark (Command Line)
Game Tests and SettingsRow 18 - Cell 1
Cyberpunk 2077Ultra RT: - 1920 x 1080, DLSS - Balanced.
F1 2024Ultra High Preset - 1920 x 1080, 16xAF/TAA, Great Britain (Clear/Dry), FPS Counter ON

MORE: Best Motherboards

MORE: How To Choose A Motherboard

MORE: All Motherboard Content

Joe Shields
Motherboard Reviewer

Joe Shields is a Freelance writer for Tom’s Hardware US. He reviews motherboards.

  • HideOut
    Finally a motherboard with all the premium features one can want or need. But What does this board cost? If its more than the top CPU (really more than an 7 series CPU) its overpriced.
    Reply
  • pixelpusher220
    HideOut said:
    Finally a motherboard with all the premium features one can want or need. But What does this board cost? If its more than the top CPU (really more than an 7 series CPU) its overpriced.
    neighborhood of $700-725 it seems. Bad but not egregiously bad. (That may be my being beaten over the head with inflated prices too often though)
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    HideOut said:
    Finally a motherboard with all the premium features one can want or need. But What does this board cost? If its more than the top CPU (really more than an 7 series CPU) its overpriced.
    "Priced at $599.99, the MSI MEG Z890 Ace is...."

    Currently, $659 at Newegg
    https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144673
    Reply
  • TheHerald
    Is it possible to test for higher memory speeds? Like 9000+?

    I want this over the unify X but I'm afraid memory support will be lacking
    Reply