MSI teases five upcoming motherboards with concealed connectors — Project Zero gets Intel and AMD 800-series motherboards

MSI Project Zero Motherboard
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

According to presentation slides shared by French publication Cowcotland, MSI plans to add five next-generation motherboards to its Project Zero lineup.

During a tour of the company's Shenzhen factory, MSI presented upcoming members of the Project Zero family of cable-hiding cases and motherboards. The presentation focused mainly on the new MAG PANO 110R PZ, the successor to the current MAG PANO M100R PZ. The 110R chassis seems similar to the 100R, except for having a flat top, while the top of the 100R was sloped.

Almost as an aside, the Project Zero presentation mentions "new coming motherboard SKUs," which include three Intel models and two AMD. While MSI didn't explicitly say these boards would use AMD's and Intel's upcoming 800-series chipets, it seems fairly likely. The current Project Zero motherboard lineup consists of an Intel Z790 motherboard, an Intel B760 board, and an AMD B650 board. It's hard to imagine MSI adding more motherboards from Intel's 700 series or AMD's 600 series, given they're about to be replaced.

Just over a month ago, MSI teased its upcoming "next-gen" boards, which the company has already confirmed include AMD 800-series boards. However, the arrival of Intel's competing 800-series seems to be just around the corner. Chipzilla's 800-series boards are anticipated to launch alongside Arrow Lake on its rumored release date of October 24, a necessity considering Intel's new CPUs are expected to slot into the LGA1851 socket instead of the 700-series' LGA1700.

MSI's presentation did not mention compatibility with other Project Zero cases and motherboards. Still, given how often the phrase "easy installation" was used, we'd hope that older Project Zero cases work with the newer motherboards and vice versa.

Cowcotland notes MSI didn't share a price or release date for the 110R case or the new motherboards. The first Project Zero motherboards arrived almost a year after the launch of the AMD 600-series and Intel 700-series chipsets. Still, MSI may get the new generation of Project Zero boards out the door quicker since it's not a brand-new product lineup.

Matthew Connatser

Matthew Connatser is a freelancing writer for Tom's Hardware US. He writes articles about CPUs, GPUs, SSDs, and computers in general.

  • 8086
    The total lack of PCI-e on modern motherboards is saddening. Just go back a few years and look at the MSI X570 Godlike compared to its successors or even motherboards from 15 years ago.
    Reply
  • husker
    Seems ironic to put a glass panel on your case to show the inside of your PC and then use a motherboard designed to hide half the inner workings of said PC. Cable management was once admirable feature in a build - part of the reason for showing it off in the first place. Now you can just stuff a rat's nest of cables into a hidden chamber and brag about your clean build. Kind of like stuffing all your dirty dishes into the cabinet under the sink and showing off your beautifully clean kitchen.
    Reply