MSI has seemingly started to sell its own GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card with a two-wide blower-type cooling system. Since Nvidia does not produce its own high-end graphics cards with blowers since they may compete against its expensive workstation and server-oriented add-in-boards (AIBs), large makers of graphics cards tend to not offer them. According to a tweet by @harukaze5719, MSI has apparently produced one and it is being offered for sale

MSI's GeForce RTX 4090 Aero S 24G (which is not even listed at MSI.com) is now apparently available from 3DStor.com, an online store specializing on datacenter and workstation hardware. From a specifications point of view, the board follows Nvidia's recommendations when it comes to boost clocks (2520 MHz), so this graphics card is certainly not a factory-overclocked product. In fact, keeping in mind that the device is aimed not only at gamers with compact rigs, but mostly at professionals seeking to install two or more of such cards in one system, it is better to run at stock to avoid overheating. 

The board uses a 16-pin 12VHPWR connector, but for some reason 3DStor.com lists its TGP at 350W, which is 100W lower when compared to regular RTX 4090 AIBs. We must assume that this is a typo and that its TGP is the same as other RTX 4090 graphics cards, which are currently the best graphics cards for gaming. Meanwhile, when the board peaks at 450W, its blower-based cooling system likely gets extremely loud. 

Speaking of blower-style coolers in general, we must note that while not the most silent or efficient, these cooling systems are ideal for cooling high-heat graphics cards in compact PCs, especially when multiple cards are installed. They work well even with limited internal airflow and the only viable alternative in such cases is obviously liquid cooling. 

While 3DStor lists MSI's GeForce RTX 4090 Aero S 24G, it never reveals its price. In fact, it is likely that interested parties need to contact the company and tell the number of boards they want before getting exact quote. Meanwhile, the device can be purchased at Ebay for a whopping price of $3,065, which is comparable to the price of mid-range professional offerings.

MSI has launched its first all-AMD gaming desktop. The new MSI MAG Meta 5 SE combines the red-team charms of an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X CPU and a Radeon RX 6700 XT graphics card. These rub shoulders with the best processors and best graphics cards available at this time. Additionally, purchasers can spec up to 64GB of RAM, pick from various storage options, and choose air or liquid cooling. MSI is claiming this full-AMD tower will be a "budget-friendly choice."

One of the appealing aspects of choosing an 'all-AMD' system is that it will enable AMD Smart Access Memory Technology. According to AMD's own tests, this enhanced CPU-GPU communication feature can improve gaming performance by up to 15%. However, in the real world, its effect varies. We wrote about this technology in some depth back in Fall 2020. Since then, the competition, namely Nvidia and Intel, has figured out how to implement the analogous Resizable BAR technology support, so AMD SAM isn't an exclusive attraction.

While on the subject of performance enhancement technologies, MSI's press release about the MAG Meta 5 SE gaming desktop includes a segment about AMD Fidelity FX Super Resolution (FSR). Using an AMD-supplied slide espousing the benefits of FSR, MSI points out that modern AAA games with raytracing can run approx 20% faster in 4K, with hardly any perceptible difference in quality (FSR Ultra Quality). However, this isn't that much of an AMD attraction, as FSR is GPU-agnostic, and it just needs support in the game engine.

Above are the full tech specs according to MSI, but they seem to miss out on any standard storage configuration choices and don't mention specific cooling options either. At the time of writing, the MAG Meta 5 SE AMD 5000 Series product pages aren't published, so we can't look up that detail. No other tech specs seem out of the ordinary or worthy of special comment.

A View From the Outside

The inner tech specs are undoubtedly capable and agreeable if the price is right, and as a sizable desktop tower with standard motherboard and supporting components, it should be as easy to upgrade as a DIY PC. However, some will find the design a little old fashioned or ugly.

MSI describes the MAG Meta 5 SE as offering "minimalist style," but the red badge on the front, alongside dual RGB LED Mystic Light backed glowing fissures, and the chrome-head bolted windows to the left are all quite fussy design features. Moreover, the top-down view isn't minimalist by any stretch of the imagination, with its multiple angular undulations and venting patterns behind the front/top I/O section.

As mentioned above, MSI doesn't have the product pages ready at this time, and we don't have the pricing to hand to judge whether the "budget-friendly choice," claim is valid.

On Thursday, AMD finally announced details of its RDNA 2 card for the midrange price bracket. AMD positions the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT as the best graphics card for gaming at 1080p. There's no AMD-designed reference board — the above image is a 3D render for marketing purposes — which means custom designs from AMD's add-in board (AIB) partners will be your only option.

There are models aplenty, with plenty of design differences. Single fan, dual-fan, and triple-fan models will cover everything from compact designs to factory overclocked monsters, with varying levels of RGB bling as a bonus. We can only hope for supply that's closer to normal, even if not completely so, when the GPU launches on August 11. Until then, here are the different RX 6600 XT graphics cards that have been revealed so far, at least for the U.S. market.

ASRock

ASRock unveiled two RX 6600 XT models, clearly catering to different market segments with each. For larger desktops, it has a triple-fan cooling solution in the ASRock Phantom Gaming model, which features RGB lighting galore and an over-engineered cooling solution compared to other brands. That should help with reducing operational temperatures and noise levels, though it appears the card still uses the minimal 1x8-pin power connector. With a baseline 160W TDP, however, even heavily overclocked cards might not need more than that.

The other ASRock solution is a Mini-ITX design, equipped with a single fan and a significantly smaller PCB and cooler. The Mini-ITX model is tiny compared to the Phantom Gaming, yet ASRock managed to make both designs out of the Navi 23 silicon. So far, ASRock is the only company providing a single fan mini-ITX model that we're aware of, but that could change.

Asus

Asus showcased two different RX 6600 XT designs. The ROG Strix features a dual-fan, dual-slot cooling solution, with a two-tone design and RGB accents denoting its more premium origins. The other model announced is the Asus RX 6660 XT Dual, which features a cooling solution that looks similar to the Strix model, in that it's still a dual-fan, dual-slot affair, but it loses RGB lighting and has a more subdued black and gray design.

In looking at the images and product announcements from Asus, both cards feature a single 8-pin connector. Again, that's enough for up to 225W of power, counting the 75W from the x16 slot, so even with overclocking that should be sufficient.

Gigabyte

Gigabyte chose to go the triple-slot, triple-fan way with its two RX 6600 XT graphics cards, the Gaming OC and Eagle. Gigabyte's Gaming OC stands higher in the company's ladder, with RGB elements and silver coloring added plus its triple-slot (2.5-slot), triple-fan cooling solution. The Eagle still has triple fans, but features a standard 2-slot width. Both the Gaming OC and Eagle graphics cards use a single 8-pin connector, meaning they're limited to 225W maximum power (at least if you stay within spec). Both cards feature the company's Ultra Durable components and Windforce 3X cooling design that's been imported from higher-tier Gigabyte cards.

MSI

MSI chose to go for quantity, launching not two but four different designs for the RX 6600 XT. Sort of, as MSI actually launched two different designs but further segmented them by differentiating their higher-clocked models with the X suffix.

MSI's top-tier offering is the RX 6600 XT Gaming X, with its RGB MSI branding and silver-black color scheme. The card features a dual-fan, 2.2-slot Twin Frozr 8 cooling solution and a single 8-pin connector. It also sports MSI's Torx 4.0 fans, their latest technology iteration. Another version of this graphics card will be available as the RX 6600 XT Gaming, forgoing the X suffix, and lowering maximum clocks compared to the X's more aggressive factory overlock.

The other two models are an OC and non-OC version of the RX 6600 XT Mech 2X, which slots lower in MSI's product ladder. Both skip the RGB and more meticulous PCB design elements from the Gaming lineup in favor of simpler looks. The cooling solution suffers a downgrade to Torx 3.0 fans, and it also forgoes the Twin Frozr 8 branding — meaning you should expect lower cooling performance alongside the simplified looks.

PowerColor 

PowerColor has Red Devil and Hellhound RX 6600 XT graphics cards. Both feature a dual-fan cooling solution, with red accents on black for the Red Devil, and blue accents on black for the Hellhound. Both graphics cards feature a triple-slot clearance.

The Red Devil potentially delivers more performance than other solutions. It's one of the few AIB cards announced so far that ships with an 8-pin power connector and a 6-pin power connector. That means that the card can potentially draw up to 300W of power, nearly double the reference TDP, and this should allow for higher factory clocks. That makes sense, considering its more premium marketing position compared to the Hellhound.

Sapphire

Sapphire has also introduced two graphics cards to its RX 6600 XT lineup, in the well-known Nitro+ and Pulse families. The Nitro+ is positioned higher in Sapphire's product stack, offering increased clocks compared to the Pulse graphics card, with more RGB and a rather subdued black-grey-white color scheme. The Pulse presents itself in the "gaming" segment's usual black and red color scheme. Both graphics cards feature a dual-fan cooling solution and a single 8-pin connector, and require 2.2 slots of clearance.

XFX

XFX keeps its weird naming scheme alive with the RX 6600 XT series, though with a single graphics card. The company announced the triple-fan cooled Speedster MERC308 Black graphics card, which features a black color scheme, although there are some light gray and red accents as well. Despite being a triple-fan cooling solution and claiming three slots of clearance, the MERC308 Black again sticks with the baseline single 8-pin connector for power delivery.

We expect additional RX 6600 XT models to be announced as time passes, particularly if supply of the Navi 23 GPU ends up better than the other AMD RX 6000-series GPUs. There are over 14 graphics card designs announced, and other manufacturers that rank lower in the GPU distribution list will undoubtedly send theirs to market as well.

The Radeon RX 6600 XT officially launches on August 11. Check back then for our full review of the card, as we see whether it can consistently surpass Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3060, despite having less memory and a narrower memory interface.

MSI warned enthusiasts not to download its highly popular Afterburner overclocking utility from a new malicious website gaining traction on the Internet in a blog post Thursday. This website looks identical to MSI's own website, tricking users into believing it's the real thing. But in reality, any downloads visible on the page are loaded with viruses.

The site is called: afterburner-msi.space. (please do not visit this site), so it's immediately apparent this is not MSI's URL.

"This webpage is hosting software which may contain virus, trojan, keylogger, or other type of malicious program that have been disguised to look like MSI Afterburner. DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANY SOFTWARE FROM THIS WEBSITE," MSI's blog says. 

MSI noted that Afterburner is still available for legitimate download from its own website. Here is the real link to download MSI's Afterburner utility: https://www.msi.com/Landing/afterburner/graphics-cards.

This is a good reminder for us all to watch out for sketchy links we might come across. Generally, companies will have a primary domain site, like MSI.com, and all its content will be available through that name. Seeing a site called afterburner.com (for example) should immediately raise some red flags, since the site isn't under the MSI.com domain.

Luckily, all modern web browsers provide information on a website's security. There's an icon that appears right behind the address bar that will showcase a site's certifications and if the site is secure. If you're on the Tom's Hardware site right now, right next to the Tom's Hardware URL in your address bar is likely a lock. That lock tells you that the Tom's Hardware domain is secure. Clicking on the lock will give you more details.

Most importantly, you should be using an anti-virus with Internet security if you want to maximize your safety from bogus and fraudulent websites. Even the best of us can get bamboozled into believing a dangerous download or a website is legit.

In a shocking move, MSI Russia has has reduced the warranty period for 18 graphics cards, as reported by PC Gamer. MSI typically offers a 36-month warranty on graphics cards; however, the brand will only back the affected models for six months now.

MSI Russia shared the news on the company's warranty webpage but didn't share its exact reasoning. The list includes AMD Polaris and Navi cards, as well as Nvidia's Turing and latest Ampere products representing some of the best graphics cards for gaming. 

*Data from Minerstat

MSI Russia didn't point to cryptocurrency mining, but it still comes to mind as a potential driver for the drop in warranty, especially considering the first six models are obviously tailored towards cryptocurrency miners, such as the famed Radeon RX 580 Miner. 

It's a bit surprising to see Ampere cards on MSI's list, since the Ampere SKUs are GeForce gaming graphics cards. But cryptocurrency miners have repurposed Ampere, such as the GeForce RTX 3060 for mining activities. 

Mining cryptocurrency takes a heavy toll on graphics cards, since mining farms operate 24/7. Graphics cards used for mining are more likely to suffer a premature death, which is particularly problematic given today's graphics card shortage. Graphics card vendors aren't eager to replace these cards, and, in fact, many vendors explicitly state that cryptocurrency mining isn't covered under their warranty.

Nvidia's answer to crytocurrency mining was to introduce the Cryptocurrency Mining Processor (CMP) product line. However, CMP options aren't very appealing to casual miners, considering their price tag and warranty. Although Nvidia never acknowledged it, many CMP devices are using rewarmed Turing silicon. For example, the CMP 30HX performs similarly to the GeForce GTX 1660 Super in mining Ethereum. We've seen the CMP 30HX on the market with a price tag as high as $723 with warranty periods up to three months. It's easy to see why miners would avoid the CMP lineup since the GeForce counterparts are often cheaper and feature longer warranties.

If the rumor about Nvidia giving its Ampere silicon an overhaul is accurate, graphics card vendors won't have to resort to shortening warranty periods to protect their GeForce products from mining. The chipmaker is reportedly reinforcing its anti-mining algorithm on the new Ampere dies, so that mining performance is gimped straight out of the box.

This shouldn't affect shoppers outside of Russia,  but we've reached out to MSI to see if the company can shed any more light and if we could see similar action in other countries.

So this is a thing. MSI appears to be crowdfunding a product, the Liberator gaming pedal, with XFastest reporting that the peripheral is expected to debut on March 16. 

Pretty much everything about this needs to be seen to be believed. Take the most recent post on the product's Facebook page. We're sure it reads perfectly fine in the original Chinese, but the social network's automatic translation is just breathtaking:

So what is this "unprecedented electrical pedal" exactly? Well, it looks like the kind of pedal racing enthusiasts have used for years, but with far more RGB lighting. It also offers numerous inputs, activated by pressing different parts of its surface.

An earlier Facebook post from the MSI Gaming account said Liberator features an Omron shaft, and the product's Typeform page revealed that it can be used to input keyboard shortcuts. (A GIF showing Liberator in action is also worth checking out.)

Other details about the product are sparse. It appears to rely on a braided detachable cable, which is a plus for pretty much any peripheral, and it can also be adjusted to accommodate people who know that foot size truly does matter.

Jokes aside for a moment: Liberator could obviously prove useful to people with accessibility concerns, for example, or anyone who wants a discreet way to control their PC. We aren't mocking the product itself; we're delighting in the fact that it exists.

XFastest reported that crowdfunders receive an "early bird" discount that brings Liberator's cost down to approximately $430 (2,790 yuan) and that it will cost about $600 (3,900 yuan) after the official debut on March 16. A ship date was not revealed.

The MSI X570 Godlike motherboard isn’t new -- in fact, we’ve used it  as our test platform in some AMD CPU reviews.  But we’ve never had the chance to review it, and given that the Ryzen 9 5950X is our new test CPU, we’ve decided to put this flagship board through its paces with AMD’s latest flagship silicon. 

The bold Godlike name infers this is one of the best out there, and to be frank it isn’t very far off, if price isn’t much of an issue. The $699.99 Godlike includes robust power delivery, a premium audio solution, five M.2 sockets and a cool-looking monochrome OLED screen, all of which are fitting for a flagship-class part.

At the time of publishing, MSI’s X570 lineup consists of nine boards, starting with the X570-A Pro ($159.99) and including multiple parts from the MAG line (Tomahawk WiFi), the MPG line (Gaming Plus, Gaming Edge WiFi, and Gaming Pro Carbon WiFi), and the premium MEG lineup (Unify, Ace, and Godlike). From E-ATX flagships like the Godlike to entry-level boards, there is something for everyone in MSI’s X570 range.

Focusing on performance, the Godlike did well in our benchmarking suite, running most tests on the faster side of average. Even in the PCMark 10 MS Office/Application testing, where we often see anomalies, we saw consistent results across the full gamut of testing. The board allowed the 5950X to reach its full 5 GHz boost, so we’re getting all we paid for at default settings. As expected, overclocking on this motherboard went without a hiccup, easily handling our 16-core/32-thread CPU. VRM temperatures at load were some of the lowest we’ve seen as well. 

Performance isn’t everything, however. The features list is long and the Godlike includes a 10 GbE add-in-card (AIC) in addition to the existing 1 and 2.5 GbE ports, dual Realtek ALC1220 codecs and two additional PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 sockets via add-in-card. Features and specifications aren’t everything either, though. The appearance of the X570 Godlike is also solid. The Infinity RGB display around the VRMs, coupled with the customizable OLED screen and the overall clean look set this board apart from other less expensive models. Read on for additional details about the X570 Godlike, because there’s a lot here to cover.

Specifications - MSI X570 Godlike 

Inside the box along with the motherboard is a whole lot of accessories. Outside of the usual selection of SATA cables, driver disks, and guides, the Godlike includes multiple add-in-cards (10 GbE, M.2 Expander), thermistors, and more. This accessory stack is the biggest we’ve seen in a while. Below is a complete list of the included extras. 

• (6) SATA cables
• 1 to 2 RGB LED extension Y cable (80cm)
• Corsair RGB LED extension cable (50cm)
• Rainbow RGB LED extension cable (10cm)
• (2) Thermistor cables
• Wi-Fi Antenna
• M.2 Expander-Z Gen4 AIC
• 10G Super LAN AIC
• 6.3mm audio adapter
• Case badge
• SATA Cable labels
• Driver DVD
• Manual, Quick Guide, Quick Installation Guide

When you first take the Godlike out of the box, you’re greeted by an attractive board that will fit in with most build themes. The PCB is matte-black, as are all heatsinks and shrouds. The large brushed-aluminum finish VRM heatsinks connect via heatpipe to each other and the chipset heatsink, sharing the thermal load between them. The DRAM and PCIe slots are all reinforced using MSI’s PCIe Steel Armor, protecting against bending/shearing and EMI. 

On the RGB front, the Mystic Light Infinity II feature above the VRM area steals the show. Through the magic of light and mirrors, the RGB lighting looks like it goes down to infinity, offering a truly unique look. The chipset heatsink also sports RGB lighting, with the familiar MSI Dragon illuminated just above the chipset fan. Additionally, the customizable OLED panel located to the DRAM slots’ right brings another unique aesthetic to a motherboard. MSI’s Mystic Light software controls all of the LEDs and the OLED screen. In short, the X570 Godlike looks the part of a high-end motherboard and includes some cool features to set it apart from other high-end alternatives.

Starting with the board’s top half, we get a closer look at the Infinity RGB display above the heatsink on the left-hand side. The mirror reflection system does a great job of showing off the RGBs differently from most motherboards. Above this and the large VRM heatsink are two 8-pin EPS connectors (one required) that send power to the CPU. The socket area is clear of most hazards and begs to have a pot on top for some sub-ambient fun.

To the right of the socket are four reinforced DRAM slots. Capacity is listed up to 128GB, while the supported speeds are close to the fastest we’ve seen listed, at DDR4 5000+(OC). As always, your mileage may vary on reaching sky-high speeds such as that. AMD’s sweet spot, even with the 5000 series processors, still sits at DDR4 3600/3733 with the Infinity Fabric tied to it (1:1). Reserved for benchmarking, these speeds benefit those shooting for world records more than it does for real-world performance gains.

Above the DRAM slots are the first three (of nine) 4-pin fan headers. Each fan header supports both PWM and DC controlled devices. The board will automatically detect what is connected and adjust the mode accordingly. MSI doesn’t list how much power these will output in the manual, but we reached out to the company and have answers. All 4-pin headers are 1A/12W, except for the pump header at 3A/36W. If only by the sheer count of fan headers, there should be plenty of power available to connect your pump and fans to the motherboard. Each header even has a LED next to it that tells you what mode the board is using. You’ll see red for PWM fans and white in DC mode. I don’t recall seeing this before, but this nifty little add-on can be helpful for troubleshooting and gives users information on how the fans connect at a glance, without going into the BIOS.

To the right of the socket is MSI’s OLED-based Dynamic Dashboard. Used for a slew of things, the Dynamic Dashboard displays CPU temperature/speed, BIOS flash status and error messages. The monochrome dashboard is customizable, even allowing you to upload a .GIF animation file to display. If there is an error during POST, the dashboard displays the part causing the issue listing the location and error on the screen. Couple that with the two-character debug LED and the four ‘dummy’ LEDs onboard and you should know what’s going on with this motherboard at all times. While it’s arguably overkill for the average user, for those benchmarking and pushing overclocking limits, this can be very helpful to troubleshoot issues efficiently.

In between these headers on the top of the board is the first (of four + Corsair RGB) RGB headers. In this case, it’s a 4-pin RGB. You’ll find the other three headers on the bottom edge of the board. The Mystic Light RGB application controls the RGB lighting. We’ve had no issues with this software providing proper control in our testing.

To the right of the DRAM slots and Dynamic Dashboard are a few more headers and connectors. From the top-down is the first of two temperature sensors, SYS_FAN2 header, the Corsair header, 24-pin ATX power connector, SYS_FAN3 header and a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C front panel connector.

The MSI X570 Godlike runs a total of 14 phases for Vcore and a 4-phase configuration on the SoC. Managing power is a premium International Rectifier IR35201 (x+y=8) buck controller that sends power to seven IR3599 doublers, then on to 14 70A Infineon TDA21472 MOSFETs. The 980A available for the CPU/Vcore only is one of the highest we’ve come across so far. We had no issues whatsoever overclocking our flagship Ryzen 9 5950X CPU. The VRMs remained cool throughout all of our testing. If sub-ambient cooling and benchmarking are your thing, the VRMs will serve you well. Of course, ambient overclocking won’t be an issue either.

Moving to the bottom half of the board, we’ll start on the left side with the audio section. Hidden underneath the shroud are two (yes, two) Realtek ALC1220 codecs. The first is for the rear panel audio connectors, with the second dedicated for front-panel audio. An ESS E9018 Sabre DAC drives the 6.3mm stereo headphone output on the back panel. If you don’t have a 6.3mm headset, a 3.5mm-to-6.3 adapter is included if you’d like to use this port. Rounding out the audio section are 12 yellow Nippon audio caps and four WIMA audio caps (red). Overall, the audio solution is well above average, using premium codecs and a quality integrated DAC. The 6.3mm jack on the back is truly something unique on a motherboard.

In the middle of the board are four reinforced PCIe slots. Intended for GPUs, the top three slots support PCIe 4.0 x16 and break down to x16/x0/x0 or x8/x0/x8, or x8/x4/x4 when all three slots are populated. The fourth/bottom slot is sourced from the chipset and provides PCIe 4.0 x4 lanes. If you plan on using the M.2 Xpander and 10 GbE AICs, that leaves you with two full-size PCIe slots for video cards.

Between the PCIe slots are three M.2 sockets, each with their own heatsinks. The top two (M2_1 and M2_2) support both PCIe 4.0 x4 and SATA-based modules. M2_1 supports up to 110mm modules while M2_2 supports up to 80mm devices. The bottom slot, M2_3, supports PCIe only and drives up to 110mm long. If these three aren't enough, the M.2 expander card adds two more M.2 sockets. To get the full bandwidth from the AIC, install it in a slot that offers PCIe 4.0 x8 bandwidth (third slot down with nothing installed in the second slot). If you need a whole lot of wicked fast NVMe based storage, this motherboard supports it!

To the right of the M.2 and PCIe area are the chipset heatsink and fan. The large fan was inaudible during our testing, though we weren’t using any chipset-connected PCIe 4.0 devices so the stress level is lower. On the right edge are two USB 3.2 Gen 1 front-panel ports along with six SATA ports. SATA ports 1-4 are fed from the chipset, while ports 5/6 source their lanes from the ASMedia ASM1061 chip. The AMD chipset connected ports support RAID0, 1 and 10 modes, which is typical.

Across the bottom are several buttons and headers ranging from front panel audio to power and reset buttons. A lot is going on down there, especially for hardcore overclockers, where you’ll find BCLK buttons and other extreme overclocking functions. Also worth noting in this section are the temperature sensors and water flow headers. With these on board, you’re able to monitor and then control attached devices through the MSI software and the BIOS. Here’s the full list, from left to right:

• Front panel audio
• TPM header
• 3-pin RGB header
• LN2 mode header
• Fan header
• Temperature sensor header
• Fan header
• BIOS switch
• Fan header
• BCLK “-” button
• USB 2.0 header
• BCLK “+” button
• Reset and Power buttons
• OC knob
• USB 2.0 header
• Front panel header
• Water flow header
• Clear CMOS header
• Slow mode jumper

MSI’s rear IO includes an integrated plate with a black and red theme. On the left are two buttons, one that clears the CMOS and the other used for the board’s BIOS flashback capabilities. Moving right, we spy the two WiFi antenna mounts, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports and above that, a legacy PS/2 mouse/keyboard port. Next are the two Killer-based Ethernet ports that reside above the four USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (one Type-C). To the right of that is one of the most unique features on this motherboard, a 6.3mm audio jack that uses the integrated DAC. Finally, the rest of the audio stack consists of a 5-plug analog and SPDIF stack.

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Software

MSI doesn’t offer an excessive amount of software, but it covers all the bases. In the utility section of MSI’s support section for this board is an MSI-skinned version of CPUz, Nahimic Audio control and Dragon Center. Dragon Center (DC) is a one-stop-shop to monitor the system, control RGB lighting (Mystic Light), LAN, and gaming highlights. DC is relatively comprehensive, though it is missing software-based overclocking and fan control.

Dragon Center

Nahimic Audio

Firmware

To give you a taste of the Firmware, we’ve gathered screenshots showing most BIOS screens. MSI’s layout is informative and straightforward to use in EZ Mode or Advanced, with the latter separated into the more familiar sections on the main page. When overclocking, the most frequently used options are located on the opening BIOS screen in the OC section, so you don’t have to dig down for the most common functions. Overall, the MSI BIOS is easy to navigate and read with plenty of options to tweak your system.

Test System

We’ve updated our test system to Windows 10 64-bit OS (20H2) with all threat mitigations applied. We also upgraded our video card driver to 457.30 and reran all the game tests moving to the new 5000 series CPU. We use the latest non-beta motherboard BIOS available to the public unless otherwise noted. The hardware used is as follows:

Benchmark Settings

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Our standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including stock Thermal Velocity Boost), with all power-saving features enabled. We set optimized defaults in the BIOS and set the memory set using the XMP profiles. For this baseline testing, Windows is set to High Performance before we switch over to Balanced during power testing, so the PC idles appropriately.

Synthetic Benchmarks

Synthetics are a great tool to figure out if a board runs out of spec, as identical settings should produce similar performance results. Advanced memory timings are the one place where motherboard makers can still optimize for either stability or performance, though, and those settings can impact some testing.

In our synthetic benchmarks, the X570 Godlike was one of the better performing boards overall. Even in PCMark 10, where the results can vary, it performed consistently well throughout. The results from 7Zip and Cinebench were also some of the highest we’ve seen so far with the Ryzen 9 5950X.

Timed Applications

Results from our LAME testing shows the Godlike in the middle of the pack, while the Corona testing has it in the faster half. The x264 portion of Handbrake testing produced the quickest time, while in x265 it was among the fastest. This is a good showing in the multi-threaded timed applications as well.

3D Games and 3DMark

We’ve updated our game tests to The Division 2 and Forza Horizon 4. The games are run at 1920x1080 resolution using the Ultra preset. As the resolution goes up, the CPU tends to have less of an impact. The goal with these settings is to determine if there are differences in performance at the most commonly used resolution with settings most people use or at least strive for.

During our gaming tests, we saw appreciable gains when moving from the 3900X to the newer 5950X. Between the clock speeds, IPC and large cache differences, performance increased using this CPU at our 1080p test resolution. If you game at a higher resolution, chances are you won’t see those gains unless you’re using one of the new, ultra-fast Nvidia or AMD GPUs. Disclaimer aside, our X570 Godlike had no problems here, easily mixing in with the rest of the newly tested boards in both 3DMark and actual games.

Power Consumption / VRM Temperatures

For power testing, we used AIDA64’s System Stability Test with Stress CPU, FPU and Cache enabled, using the peak power consumption value. The wattage reading is from the wall via a Kill-A-Watt meter to capture the entire ecosystem. The only variable that changes is the motherboard; all other parts are the same.

The X570 Godlike used 78 Watts from the wall at idle, which is on the higher end of boards tested so far. Load wattage peaked 228W, a result that falls around the middle of others we’ve tested. If we average this out, the 153W value is just about in the center as well—nothing out of the ordinary here.

The 19-phase 70A VRMs handled our CPU testing without issue. At stock speeds, the hottest probe on our Exetech peaked a bit over 50 degrees Celsius with the internal sensor peaked at 56 degrees Celsius. After overclocking our Ryzen 9 5950X CPU to 4.4 GHz and ~1.3V, VRM temperatures peaked around 56 and 62 degrees Celsius for the Extech and internal sensors, respectively. Compared to the other boards tested, the temperature lands in the middle of the others tested so far. This VRM is plenty capable of handling the flagship CPU at stock, overclocked, and even sub-ambient/extreme overclocking.

Overclocking

There are several ways to overclock on AMD platforms, depending on your goals. If your focus is single-threaded performance, you may want to focus on using Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) and adjusting its parameters. If you can use all cores and threads, setting a manual CPU multiplier and voltage is likely the better route. While the latter clips peak single-threaded performance a bit, it increases all core/thread performance over the all-core boost. To that end, we settled on 4.4 GHz at ~1.3V for an all core/thread overclock.

As you’ve probably figured out by now, the robust power delivery on the motherboard isn’t holding anything back. Cooling on the CPU is the limiting factor. The Godlike efficiently handled our 16-core/32-thread Ryzen 9 5950X as expected. Vdroop was insignificant when LLC left on auto for this board. For ambient and extreme overclocking, you have nothing to worry about.

On the memory side, we know AMD is limited to around 3600/3733 MHz when keeping FCLK at a 1:1 ratio with the memory. With this in mind, we add two more sticks and run 4x8GB at DDR4 3600, which is AMD’s current sweet spot. We didn’t run into any issues on this board as expected. All we did was enable the XMP profile and we had a stable system.

Final Thoughts

Although the X570 Godlike has been out for a while now, it was still a treat to test it with the formidable Ryzen 9 5950X. As we saw from the testing, it was one of the better performing boards with the new CPU. Overclocking was a breeze, literally a set-it-and-forget situation for our 4.4 GHz and 4x8GB 3600 settings. It feels like she’s begging for more.

Outside of its good performance, the features list is long as well. The M.2 Expander card is novel, allowing the board to support up to five M.2 storage modules. This is a good configuration for those who want a lot of ultra-fast storage. On the networking side, some competitors use 10 GbE, so it was nice to see the 10 GbE add-in-card to supplement the internal Killer based GbE and 2.5 GbE LAN ports. If I had to nitpick, I would like to see the 10 GbE integrated, perhaps a 2.5 and 10 GbE setup instead. Another unique feature of the Godlike is the audio section. Not only are there two Realtek ALC1220 chips onboard feeding the front and rear audio, but it also uses a premium ESS Sabre audio DAC that outputs to a 6.3mm jack on the integrated IO panel. You don’t see that on motherboards, period.

Competition in the flagship space is fierce as each company puts its best foot forward and says, ‘look what we can do.’ Ignoring the water-cooled boards such as the $1000 X570 Aqua, ASRock has the X570 Creator ($499.99), Asus the ROG Crosshair VIII Formula ($599.99) and finally Gigabyte’s X570 Aorus Xtreme ($699.99). Of all the boards, the Asus and Gigabyte are the group’s beauties, with MSI riding their coattails. ASRock’s Creator board is the least expensive of the bunch, but still packs flagship-level features, though it may not be the best looking or fit into your build theme. So long as you don’t need 10 GbE, the Asus motherboard makes a strong case here as the Goldilocks board between price, features and appearance.

MSI’s X570 Godlike proved itself to be a worthwhile flagship-class motherboard in the X570 space. Whether you plan on gaming, overclocking or using it for productivity, the Godlike handles it all. Do you need loads of ultra-fast M.2 storage? Check. A VRM capable of extreme overclocking? It has that too. Temperature and water flow headers? Premium audio section? 10 GbE? Check and mate. If you’re looking to build an X570 based system with flagship-type money to spend, the MSI X570 Godlike makes for a great option in that space.

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It appears that on November 5, a fire took place at one of MSI's factories in China, as reported on Reddit and Twitter. This factory is located in Bao'an, though fortunately, the situation appears to be under control according to MSI.

MSI issued the following statement to Guru3D:

A fire accident occurred in MSI's Baoan factory in Shenzhen on the afternoon of November 5th. The company initiated emergency response measures and notified the fire department to deal with it quickly. No injuries were caused and the production line was not affected. In the future, the factory will strengthen the promotion and training of personnel. At present, all units are operating normally. Thank you for your concern.

According to this statement, the incident does not appear to have any major consequences. There are no reported injuries or deaths, nor has the production line been affected. We have not been able to verify this information.

The facility in question is said to be a location where MSI manufactures PCBs for various devices.

This event comes only months after the sad passing of MSI's CEO, Charles Chiang who fell from one of the company's buildings.

At this time, these are the only details available to us. We will keep this story updated as we learn more.

The launch of the Ryzen 5000 series CPUs is giving motherboard makers an opportune time to revamp or refresh current B550 motherboard designs. MSI is no exception and today went all out on a new design for its new MEG B550 Unify and Unify-X, designed specifically with Ryzen 5000 CPUs in mind.

The B550 Unify and Unify-X are very unique in the workloads the boards are designed for. Both boards have no RGB, but feature quad M.2 slots, and both models are designed specifically for extreme overclocking.

Specs-wise, the MEG B550 Unify and Unify X comes with a beefy 14+2 VRM power delivery system, only equal to that of the B550 AORUS Master from Gigabyte. However the Gigabyte model "only" comes with 70A power stages, the Unify and Unify X upgrade the power stages to 90A units. The extra amperage is overkill for moderate overclocking, but for world records, they can help stabilize the power the CPU needs at very high wattage.

To achieve quadruple M.2 slot capability on the Unify series, MSI removed the 2nd PCIe x16 slot (wired with 8 lanes traditionally) to make way for two M.2 slots. All in all you get four PCIe gen 4.0 capable M.2 slots. However, you can't run a graphics card or other PCIe devices in the first x16 slot and expect gen 4.0 performance on all four slots. Two of the slots can switch from either running off the CPU PCIe lanes or the chipset PCIe lanes. For most users that need a graphics card, you'll be running two of the M.2s from the chipset which means a downgrade to Gen 3.0 speeds. Still having quad M.2 slots at all is impressive and Gen 3.0 speeds are still very quick for storage.

The final big feature for the Unify, and especially the Unify X, is the memory overclocking capability. The Unify can support an official max speed of 5600Mhz, the Unify X with the dual DIMM slot design increases that max spec to 5800MHz. The Unify X removes two of the DIMMS to achieve a higher speed. Having more DIMMs always hinders overclocking performance, so this is a great feature to have if you desire ultra-high memory speeds.

There is no release date for either of these boards. However, the Ryzen 5000 series launch is just a week away so we can expect MSI's Unify boards will release around that time.

Update 9/29/2020, 7:30am PT: MSI sent over images and a statement disputing any claims that it has changed the design on its 30-series GPUs. Included are four images of the backs of the cards, showing the capacitor configuration. The MSI RTX 3090 Gaming Trio and MSI RTX 3090 Ventus 3X have a layout with 4x SP-Caps and 2x MLCC clusters, while the MSI RTX 3080 Gaming Trio and MSI RTX 3080 Ventus 3X have a layout with 5x SP-Caps and 1x MLCC cluster. These are the cards that actually shipped to consumers and reviewers; earlier variants may have existed but apparently did not ship to anyone outside of MSI. This includes the 6x SP-Cap card, images of which were posted on MSI's site at one point but have since been removed.

Original Article:

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 just can't seem to catch a break. The Ampere-powered offering is one of the best graphics cards on the market despite its limited availability, but some custom models are suffering from stability issues.

Reports of custom GeForce RTX 3080 crashing started piling up last week. EVGA has acknowledged that the root of the crashes is likely due to the design and choice of capacitors. Some vendors have openly responded to the issue, while others kept their silence. 

In a nutshell, there are two types of capacitors that filter voltage. POSCAPS (Conductive Polymer Tantalum Solid Capacitors) are bigger and have a higher temperature tolerance, meaning they're more expensive but don't excel at high frequencies. MLCC (Multilayer Ceramic Chip Capacitors), on the other hand, are smaller, cheaper and adept for higher frequencies in comparison to POSCAPS. However, they have a lower temperature tolerance, so they crack more frequently. So far, user reports show that the custom GeForce RTX 3080 models that leverage a complete POSCAPS design are more susceptible to instability and crashes.

MSI, as reported by VideoCardz, has started silently revising the design on the its GeForce RTX 3080 models. As a matter of fact, MSI has removed the renders of the backplate from the product pages, although some regional product pages are already showing the new design.

The original capacitor layout on the GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio employed five POSCAPS in conjunction with one array of MLCC. The new design consists of four POSCAPS and two arrays of MLCC.

On the GeForce RTX 3080 Ventus 3X, MSI had originally utilized a design six POSCAPS, which has been substituted with a new layout that includes five POSCAPS and two arrays of MLCC.

It's unknown if any of the old designs from MSI or other vendors actually made it into the wild. 

MSI’s new Stealth 15M looks to give Razer some slim competition in the 15-inch gaming portable space, while also bringing along speedy next-gen internal and external storage options. Maybe it will even knock Razer off our Best Gaming Laptops list. Weighing in at 3.7 pounds and just 0.63 inches thin according to MSI, the Stealth 15M is slightly thinner and substantially lighter than Razer’s Blade 15 Advanced (4.7 pounds and 0.7 inches). The aluminum chassis will be offered in carbon gray or white, with a combination of an Intel 11th Gen Tiger Lake CPU and Nvidia RTX 2060 Max-Q graphics inside. 

The other notable internal change should interest storage enthusiasts. MSI says the Stealth 15M supports PCIe 4.0, and the company will include a PCIe Gen4 x4 SSD in the laptop, in capacities up to 2TB. Given what we’ve seen from PCIe 4.0 SSDs on the desktop front (many with bulky coolers), it will be interesting to see how a speedy next-generation drive will affect battery life, as well as how MSI will keep the drive (and everything else) cool in a chassis so slim.

The next-gen speed theme carries over to the connectivity front as well, as the Stealth 15M includes Thunderbolt 4 (TB4) support. This also means you can charge the laptop over USB-C PD, though you’ll want to use the power brick for fast charging and gaming, as TB4 tops out at 100 watts. Killer Wi-Fi AX1650 is also included for fast and stable downloads and file transfers. Other aspects of the Stealth 15M are somewhat less exciting. The 15.6-inch “IPS-level” display boasts a 144 Hz refresh rate, and the keyboard sports a white backlight, rather than RGB. You do, though, get a 720p webcam , unlike many of Asus’ gaming laptops of late that have eschewed a camera altogether. And there is a Micro SD card slot on the left edge.

There’s no word yet on pricing or exact availability for the Stealth 15M, but we’re excited to get it in for testing. MSI’s slim laptops have impressed us in the past, but some also have a tendency to run hot. It will be interesting to see how MSI manages thermals in such a slim laptop -- especially with the addition of PCIe 4.0. Battery life will also be interesting, given the new Intel silicon paired with the Stealth 15M’s unimpressive-sounding 52 Whr battery. The company says you can expect “9+ hours” of unplugged productivity time. This is a U-series laptop, though, so we’re likely due for another refresh whenever Intel releases an H-series Tiger Lake lineup.

With the introduction of Tiger Lake comes new opportunities for laptop makers, and MSI today revealed that it’s taking the next generation of Intel chips as a chance to introduce a new line of laptops- the business-focused MSI Summit series.

The company reassures us that its gaming products aren’t going anywhere, but fans of Lucky the dragon might be disappointed. With the company’s push into business comes a new, dragon-less logo, but also some sleek new designs. 

Specs

The Summit line is the laptop maker’s first stab at a pure business machine, and will be launching with two core variations, the GPU-less B series and the GTX-equipped E series. MSI says it chose the name Summit because it embodies a “meeting of leaders,” but with Dell, HP and Lenovo already making the best laptops for business, these machines will need to bring a lot to sit at the table. Still, the company’s hoping that our new telecommuting era has disrupted the standard enough for it to squeeze into the market with new features that other brands lack. 

The Summit E15 is the most powerful of the Summit line, and uses a Tiger Lake Intel Core i7 and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q. It offers up to 2TB of storage and comes equipped with Thunderbolt 4, and has a 15.6 inch IPS-level display with options for both 4K and FHD, including one touchscreen option that’s exclusive to FHD. What’s probably most noticeable here, though, is the sleek and minimal black and gold look. Gone is the dragon shield and in its place is a new logo that simply says “MSI” in a stylized font.

The Summit E14, then, is largely the same machine as the Summit E15, but with a smaller 14 inch display, no HDMI port and one less USB Type-A port.

The B series looks to be a more budget friendly approach to the Summit line, carrying over the same sleek look from the E series but ditching the 4K screen option and the dedicated graphics card. It still has a Tiger Lake Intel Core i7, but uses Intel Iris Xe for graphics. Both B Series laptops- the B15 and the B14- also top out at IPS-level FHD screens, with options varying on color quality rather than resolution (you can choose between either a 72% NTSC option or a 45% NTSC option). As Tiger Lake machines, both B series Summit laptops also support Thunderbolt 4.

Oddly enough, the 15 inch B series laptop also has a unique option to combine an M.2 SSD with a SATA SSD, something not present in the rest of the Summit line.

MSI also took this opportunity to refresh and slightly rebrand its creator-focused Modern and Prestige laptops as well. These machines will both have Tiger Lake CPU options up to Intel Core i7, and will each have both dedicated GPU and integrated graphics options. The Prestige line will also have an option that carries the Intel Evo moniker, which is the chipmaker’s new name for second-genration Project Athena. 

The new Prestige laptops will have one 15-inch two 14-inch variations. One of the 14 inch options will focus on Intel Evo and will use integrated Xe graphics, while the other Prestige laptops will include GTX 1650 Max-Q GPUs. All Prestige laptops will have IPS-level displays, with the two Nvidia models having options for either 4K or FHD and the Evo model topping out at FHD. Like the Summit series, every Prestige laptop will also have Thunderbolt 4. 

The Modern line refresh will also have 14 and 15 inch models, each of which will have the same dedicated and integrated graphics options. That means that regardless of which size you opt for, you’ll be able to choose between an Nvidia Geforce MX450 GPU or Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics. Both models will also top out at IPS-level FHD screens (with options for either 72% NTSC or 45% NTSC) and will support Thunderbolt 4, but the 15-inch version will come with two SSDs as opposed to the 14-inch versions’ single SSD.

While the company has made productivity and creation machines before, the Summit line is its first foray into enterprise consumers. MSI reps told us over video call that it’s hoping to offer business consumers features its competitors can’t, like “better webcams,” that are more pertinent to our new work-from-home world. Still, this line is launching with 720p webcams, though MSI hopes to improve its offerings in the future.

If you thought you would never see MSI and power supply in the same sentence, then think again. MSI this week unveiled its venture into the power supply market with its new MPG GF Series product line.

Currently, MSI has three MPG GF units up its sleeve: the A650GF, A750GF and A850GF. As the model names imply, they come with capacities of 650W, 750W and 850W, respectively. 

According to the manufacturer, the power supplies support Nvidia's latest graphics cards, so hopefully they'll support Nvidia's next-gen Ampere cards and the new 12-pin PCIe power connector. If MSI's statement is accurate, then 650W should be the minimum capacity recommended for Ampere.

The MPG GF Series features a flexible power distribution to the CPU and graphics card. In one scenario, the power supply allows you to spread the juice across three 8-pin GPU connectors and two 8-pin CPU connectors. In another scenario, you can distribute the workload over four 8-pin GPU connectors and a single 8-pin CPU connector.

MSI Power Supply Specs 

Similar to rival high-end units competing among the best power supplies, the MPG GF Series pridefully sport the 80 PLUS Gold certification that's complemented with features, such as an active PFC design, LLC Half Bridge Topology with DC-DC module and 100% Japanese 105 degrees Celsius capacitors. The typical list of protections include OVP, OCP, OPP, OTP, SCP and UVP.

The MPG GF Series comes with a fully modular design and flat cables to facilitate cable management and reduce cable clutter inside your case. The modular panel looks pretty standard. It houses four 6-pin connectors for SATA devices and peripherals, four 8-pin connectors for graphics cards, two 8-pin connectors for the processor and a combination of a 18-pin and 10-pin connectors for the 24-pin ATX cable that goes to the motherboard.

MSI backs the MPG GF Series with a limited 10-year warranty. The company didn't mention when the power supplies will be available to the public or how much they will cost.

As PC Gamer reported, the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) published a very interesting entry today. Apparently, MSI has registered 29 different Nvidia graphics cards based off the next-gen Ampere architecture with the regulatory body. These could be MSI's take on the GeForce RTX 3090, 3080 and RTX 3070, respectively.

Instead of publicly exposing the model names for the graphics cards, MSI cunningly filed their part numbers. It's a good tactic, since hardware sleuths are constantly on the lookout for new model name listings, but almost no one pays attention to the part numbers. 

Fortunately, we do have MSI's current Turing-powered offerings as reference; however, we don't for sure if MSI will maintain the same formula for its Ampere cards. 

The part numbers on the EEC don't really tell us much about the specifications, so we still have to to get all the juicy details. Hopefully, that'll come on September 1, when Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang plans on making a GeForce announcement. 

For the current GeForce RTX-20 series, MSI utilizes the V371, V372 and V373 prefixes for the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, RTX 2080 and RTX 2070, respectively. MSI generally uses smaller numbers to denote higher-specced models. 

We've applied the same pattern for MSI's alleged Ampere products in the table below: 

The 29 different part numbers from the EEC listing can be separated into three groups: V388, V389 and V390. According to MSI's nomenclature for Turing, the V388 should be the GeForce RTX 3090, while the V389 and V390 likely correspond to the GeForce RTX 3080 and RTX 3070, respectively.

As a result, the EEC submission seemingly points to 14 GeForce RTX 3090s, 11 GeForce RTX 3080s and four GeForce RTx 3070s. It is important to note that not every EEC-registered product makes it to market. Brands often register an abundance of part numbers or product names just to get dibs on other competitors. The companies will use some of them, while others remain inactive forever.

As mentioned, Nvidia has a big GeForce-related online event scheduled for September 1.  If you believe in coincidences, Nvidia announced the GeForce 256 graphics card on August 31, 1999. So this year marks the 21 year anniversary of the "the world's first GPU" as Nvidia marketed it. There's simply no better time or a bigger stage to announce Ampere.

At this point, it's pretty much anybody's guess which models will star in Nvidia's Ampere show. The GeForce RTX 3090 and RTX 3080 are strong candidates; although, we wouldn't be surprised if the RTX 3070 also gets in on the fun.

First, there was a mortar, bazooka and tomahawk in MSI's MAG (MSI Arsenal Gaming) lineup. Now, there's a torpedo. Continuing its love of military-theme model names, MSI recently announced the MAG B460 Torpedo motherboard for Intel 10th Generation Comet Lake-S processors.

Conforming to the typical ATX form factor, the MAG B460 Torpedo will debut with a 13-phase power delivery subsystem and a single 8-pin EPS power connector to supply juice to your best CPU. The presence of four DDR4 RAM slots means the motherboard can accommodate up to 128GB of DDR4-2933 memory.

The MAG B460 Torpedo's storage options consist of six SATA III ports with support for RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 arrays and two M.2 slots. Both M.2 slots leverage a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface, but there are some limitation. For starters, the primary M.2 slot is the only one that can house M.2 SSDs up to 110mm in length. The secondary M.2 slot is compatible with drives up to 80mm. 

Additionally, Intel Optane drives are only supported on the secondary M.2 slot.

Expansion possibilites aren't too shabby on the MAG B460 Torpedo. MSI equipped the mothjerboard with two PCIe 3.0 x16 slots and two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. The first PCIe 3.0 slot runs at x16, of course, and is directly linked to the Comet Lake-S processor. The second PCIe 3.0 slot, however, is confined to x4 because it's powered by the B460 chipset.

If you're keen on using the integrated graphics from your Comet Lake-S chip, the MAG B460 Torpedo provides one HDMI port and one DisplayPort output for your displays. The first supports resolutions up to 4096 x 2190 at 30 Hz refresh rates and the latter does 4096 x 2304 at 60 Hz.

The MAG B460 Torpedo comes with a single 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port, which is possible thanks to the Realtek RTL8125B controller. The rear panel features a combo PS/2 port, two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, as well as five 3.5mm audio jacks and an optical S/PDIF out. 

Further expanding the port selection are one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C , one USB 3.2 Gen 1 and two USB 2.0 headers. 

MSI didn't reveal the pricing for the MAG B460 Torpedo. However, CompSource has the motherboard up for $116.25, making the MAG B460 Torpedo just a bit cheaper than the MAG B460 Tomahawk that retails for $139.99.

MSI’s B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi is a Mini ITX motherboard based around the mid-range B550 chipset. Priced at $199.99, it’s a motherboard with capable (but not the best) VRMs, multiple M.2 slots, integrated Wi-Fi, four SATA ports, and six USB ports on the rear IO. Read on as we dig down into performance and features to flesh out the differences between this and other B550 Mini-ITX size boards and see if it’s a worthy option in this compact-mid-range field.

MSI’s B550 product stack currently consists of 12 boards, ranging from the Pro B550M Pro-VDH Wi-Fi  ($109.99), several MAG and MPG class boards including the popular B550 Tomahawk ($179.99), and the flagship B550 Gaming Carbon Wi-Fi ($219.99). MSI’s lineup has something for just about every AMD Ryzen system builder, including Micro ATX- and Mini ITX-size motherboards.

In our testing, the B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi performed well in the majority of benchmarks, matching the other B550 boards we’ve tested so far, generally landing within a standard margin of error. The board handled stock operations without issue, boosting our Ryzen 9 3900X to 4.6 GHz and 4.3 GHz (two core/all core boost), respectively. Overclocking was also successful in running the CPU at 4.3 GHz. Read on to find detailed specifications and performance results. 

MSI MPG B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi Specifications

Features

 Starting with the accessories, our B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi includes the expected basics (though not much else), which is typical of today’s motherboards at this price point. 

• Driver DVD
• Quick Install guide
• User Manual
• Two SATA cables
• Wi-Fi antenna
• Case badge
• Two M.2 Screws

MSI went with a less-is-more look with this board. The 8-layer PCB is all black, as are the VRM and chipset heatsinks. The VRM heatsink extends out over the rear IO area, covering all the bits below. Stenciled in grey on top of the heatsink is the MSI name, along with the company’s iconic gaming dragon. The chipset/M.2 heatsink includes a tiny fan, which was inaudible during testing. Outside of that, the DIMM slots and all other connectors are black.

The B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi doesn’t include RGB lighting onboard, but does have a 3-pin header for those who cannot live without it and will bring their own. Overall, it's a stealthy black board that will fit in with most build themes.

Since this is a compact Mini ITX board, we’ll start the tour at the top and go around clockwise, covering all the details. In the top-left corner is a single 8-pin EPS connector that sends power to the VRMs. To the right of it, above the mounting bracket, is a set of four debug LEDs. The debug LEDs will turn on and off during the POST process. If there is a problem with any of the four areas (CPU, DRAM, VGA or Boot), that LED will stay lit, informing the user where the POST is hung up. The debug LED is a valuable tool to have for troubleshooting, especially without the 2-character debug display often found on larger boards. 

The far-right edge sports the two single-sided latching DIMMs slots that are capable of supporting 64GB of RAM with speeds listed up to DDR4 4600+. To the right are two (of three) 4-pin fan headers. The CPU and Pump headers output 2A/24W and 3A/36W respectively, which should easily support a couple of fans and most pumps. Below these headers is the 24-pin ATX connector, while below that are four vertically oriented SATA ports (which support RAID0, 1, and 10). Just underneath those ports is a front-panel USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C header and a USB 3.2 Gen 1 header.

On the bottom portion of the board, we see a few headers along with a single full-length PCIe 4.0 (x16) slot. The headers in this area are for the front panel (audio and buttons) and additional USB 2.0 ports. Hidden under the chipset heatsink and fan is the first M.2 socket. This socket supports both PCIe- and SATA-based modules, up to 80mm. The second M.2 socket hides on the backside of the motherboard. The M.2 slots support RAID0 and RAID1 on NVMe drives.

Also in this area is the Realtek ALC1200 codec, along with a couple of capacitors (yellow) dedicated to the audio. While this isn’t the premium ALC1220 or 1220-VB codec, most users will be satisfied with the sound, regardless. 

MSI implemented a 10-phase (8+2, Vcore + SOC) VRM with a Monolithic Power Systems MP2855GUT controller. Details are scarce on this controller, but since we don’t see doublers for Vcore, that leads us to believe it has nine discrete channels. The digital PWM controller then feeds eight 60A MP86936 MOSFETs for Vcore. While this isn’t the most robust power delivery on the Mini-ITX B550 boards, it handled our Ryzen 9 3900X without issue at stock and while overclocked, without burning up or causing other issues.

Flipping the board around to the rear IO, we first see an integrated IO plate, six USB ports (USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A/C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen1, and 2x USB 2.0), 5-plug analog plus SPDIF outputs for the audio and a BIOS Flashback button. There is a single HDMI output for video, as well as the ethernet port and 

Software

MSI doesn’t offer an excessive amount of software, but it covers all the bases. The utility section of MSI’s support page for this board includes an MSI-skinned version of CPUz, Realtek Audio control and Dragon Center. Dragon Center (DC) is a one-stop-shop to monitor the system, control any RGB lighting (Mystic Light), LAN, and gaming highlights. DC is relatively comprehensive, though it is missing software-based overclocking and fan controls.

MSI Dragon Center

Nahimic

Firmware

To give you a taste of the Firmware, we’ve gathered screenshots showing a majority of the BIOS screens. MSI’s layout is informative and straightforward to use in EZ Mode or Advanced, with the latter separated into the more familiar sections on the main page. When overclocking, you’ll find the most frequently used options on the initial BIOS screen in the OC section. Overall, the MSI BIOS is easy to navigate and read, with plenty of options to tweak your system.

Test System and Comparison Products

Our test system uses Windows 10 64-bit OS (1909) with all threat mitigations applied. The motherboard BIOS used is the latest non-beta available to the public unless otherwise noted. The hardware used is as follows: 

For this review, we’ll be comparing the MSI MPG B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi ($199.99) against the full-size B550 motherboards we’ve tested, the MAG B550 Tomahawk ($179.99), Gigabyte B550 Aorus Master ($279.99) and the Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi ($209.99). As soon as we can get other Mini-ITX size boards from the B550 family, we’ll have better direct comparisons. 

Benchmark Settings 

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Our standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including stock Thermal Velocity Boost), with all power-saving features enabled. Optimized defaults get set in the BIOS and the memory uses its XMP profiles. For this baseline testing, we set Windows to High Performance, except for power testing that uses the Balanced plan for the PC to reach an idle state.

Synthetic Benchmarks

Synthetic benchmarks are a great tool to figure out if a board is running out of spec, as identical settings should produce similar performance results. Advanced memory timings are the one place where motherboard makers can still optimize for either stability or performance, though, and those settings can impact some testing.

In our synthetic benchmarks, the B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi’s results were right in line with the other, ATX B550 motherboards we’ve tested. We haven’t seen a lot of deviation in most of these tests, except perhaps with the PCMark suite which can be a bit temperamental at times.

Timed Applications

In our timed application tests, LAME and Handbrake, the Gaming Edge Wi-Fi’s times we spot on against the other B550 motherboards.

3D Games and 3DMark

We’ve recently updated our game tests to The Division 2 and Forza Horizon 4. The games are run at 1920x1080 resolution using the Ultra preset. As the resolution goes up, the CPU tends to have less of an impact and most games at this resolution in the first place. The goal with these settings is to determine if there are differences in performance at the most commonly used resolution with settings most people use or at least strive for.

During our gaming and 3DMark tests, MSI’s Mini ITX board kept up with all other B550-based products without issue. 3DMark Fire Strike, Time Spy, and our two games continue to show very little difference with all boards, within a small margin-of-error range.

Power Consumption and VRM Temperatures

For power testing, we use AIDA64’s System Stability Test with Stress CPU, FPU and Cache enabled, using the peak power consumption value. The wattage reading comes from the wall via a Kill-A-Watt meter to capture the entire ecosystem. The only variable that changes is the motherboard; all other parts are the same.

When our system was at idle (using the AMD Balanced power plan in Windows), the Gaming Edge Wi-Fi pulled 47W from the wall, a value tied for the lowest idle wattage we’ve seen so far. After applying the AIDA64 stress test load, power use peaked at 216W from the wall, leaning towards the higher end of consumption.

Our B550 Gaming Edge Wi-Fi and its 8-phase (Vcore) 60A VRMs handled both stock and overclocked testing without issue. During the stock runs, the hottest point on the VRM peaked just under 50 degrees Celsius (Hwinfo didn’t display a MOS sensor). After overclocking to 4.3 GHz and 1.35V, temperatures increased a few degrees and peaked at 56 degrees Celsius, well within the operational parameters of the MOSFETs. 

Note that the dip on the chart around the 18-minute mark was from the chassis fan falling on the VRMs for a brief time, not any throttling.

Overclocking

There are several ways to overclock on AMD platforms, depending on your goals. If your focus is single-threaded performance, it’s best to tweak PBO and let the motherboard and CPU figure it out under the parameters entered. If you are looking for better multi-core/thread performance, you will overclock all cores to the same speed. Part of our goal is to test the capability of the motherboard, so we chose the more power-hungry option, 4.3 GHz and 1.35V for an all core/thread overclock. The Gaming Edge Wi-Fi handled our 12c/24t Ryzen 9 3900X overclock without issue. Vdroop was mitigated well by the default setting (auto); no other tweaks were necessary. We simply set the voltage to a static 1.35V and 43x CPU multiplier, then off we went to stability testing.

Final Thoughts

MSI’s B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi ($199.99) proved to be a competent performer in our stock benchmarks, as well as the overclocking we put it through. The power delivery, while not the most robust, handled our 12c/24t Ryzen 9 3900X with poise. Features-wise, the tiny board managed to stuff two M.2 slots, four SATA ports and a fair amount of USB ports on the rear IO (and headers). About the only thing missing is lighting. You’ll have to bring your own RGB via a header on the board.

At this price and form-factor, the B550I Gaming Edge’s direct competitors are the Gigabyte B550I Aorus Pro AX ($179.99), ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming-ITX/ax ($199.99) and the Asus ROG Strix B550-I Gaming ($229.99). The most significant difference between these boards outside of price is the VRM capability (the other boards have better power delivery), audio (not that many would notice a difference), officially supported memory speeds and aesthetics/integrated RGB lighting (ASRock and Gigabyte integrate the LEDs).

Without getting our hands on the other Mini ITX size boards (yet), it’s tough to declare an outright winner among these diminutive B550 based motherboards. For just under $200, the MSI B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi showed that it is more than capable of handling our Ryzen 9 3900X, even when overclocked. Suppose you are looking for a Mini ITX size motherboard and want to save some money by going to B550 chipset. In that case, the MSI MPG B550I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi is a viable option to build your system around, though if you crave that RGB lighting and better power delivery, there are other options available. Some are even priced less.

MORE: Best Motherboards

MORE: How To Choose A Motherboard

MORE: All Motherboard Content

MSI is hosting a virtual event on September 3, focusing on a new line of computers in a segment the company hasn't previously covered.

The company has said nothing else about what it is revealing, though the invite includes a new MSI logo that's unlike the typical dragon shield we've seen on both gaming and creator-focused products from MSI.

MSI's online event takes place the day after Intel's Tiger Lake launch event on September 2, so the timing makes it possible that MSI will be launching laptops with Intel's 11th Gen mobile processors.

We'll be there on September 3 at 8 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. ET to bring you the news.

MSI has silently expanded its Radeon RX 5600 XT army with a new series of graphics cards. Given the specifications, the Gaming MX lineup appears to be a budget-oriented version of the Gaming series.

As spotted by VideoCardz, the MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Gaming MX flexes a dual-slot design built upon a black and iron grey shroud that lacks RGB lighting. Those familiar with MSI's graphics cards may notice that the Gaming M's shroud looks similar to the design on the Armor series. MSI affirms that the Radeon RX 5600 XT M(X) utilizes a custom PCB but doesn't expose the design of the power delivery subsystem. The new graphics card is 297mm long.

A pair of Torx 3.0 cooling fans are in charge of cooling the Radeon RX 5600 XT MX. As opposed to traditional fan blades, Torx 3.0 fan blades feature a curved design to accelerate airflow. 

MSI equips the Torx 3.0 fan with its Zero Frozr technology, meaning the fan will remain inactive unless the graphics card's operating temperature breaks 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit). Although the Radeon RX 5600 XT MX is supposed to be a low-cost product in MSI's product stack, the manufacturer went ahead and gave the graphics card a slick backplate anyway.

The Radeon RX 5600 XT MX is based on the Navi 10 silicon and brings 2,304 Stream Processors (SPs) along with 6GB of GDDR6 memory. 

The Radeon RX 5600 XT MX comes equipped with base, game and boost clocks up to 1,280 MHz, 1,495 MHz and 1,620 MHz, respectively. 

MSI has also introduced the Radeon RX 5600 XT Gaming M, which checks in with a 1,130 MHz base clock, 1,375 MHz game clock and 1,560 MHz boost clock.

One thing the two Gaming M models have in common is memory. The graphics cards each sport 14 Gbps memory that communicates across a 192-bit memory interface. The result is a memory bandwidth that maxes out at 288 GBps.

Display outputs are identical on both models. There are three DisplayPort 1.4 outputs and one HDMI 2.0b port. The Radeon RX 5600 XT Gaming M(X) requires two 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The graphics card is rated for 150W, so it should run fine with a 450W power supply; however, MSI recommends a 550W unit.

Pricing and availability for the MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Gaming MX and M are unknown at the time of writing.

Updated July 7 at 3:46 p.m. ET with statement from an MSI spokesperson.

A leading hardware company has lost its leader. Earlier today in Taiwan, MSI general manager and CEO Charles Chiang passed away after falling from one of the company’s buildings. Chiang, 56, had been with MSI for more than two decades before taking over as chief executive in 2019.

"Earlier today, MSI GM and CEO Charles Chiang passed away," an MSI spokesperson told Tom's Hardware. "Having been a part of the company for more than 20 years, he made outstanding contributions and was admired by his colleagues. Mr. Chiang was a respected leader in the MSI family, and helped pave the way for the brand’s success. We are all deeply saddened by the news, and are mourning the loss of Mr. Chiang. He will be deeply missed by the entire team."

MSI didn't elaborate on the circumstances surrounding Chiang's death.

Prior to taking the reins as CEO, Chiang had served as VP of desktop platform solutions, VP of R&D and AVP of R&D. His passing leaves a hole in one of industry’s most visible hardware companies. Founded in 1986, MSI (Micro-Star International) is a manufactures gaming laptops, gaming desktops, peripherals and components, including motherboards and graphics cards.

We had a chance to interview Chiang a couple of times and found him very open and eager to talk about his company and the PC industry, including some of its challenges. In our first discussion with Chiang, back in January 2019, he confirmed that Intel’s shortages had damaged the company’s motherboard business and he said that U.S. tariffs were causing price increases. He also explained why the company, which had focused on gaming, was moving into the prosumer space.

In June of 2019, we spoke with Chiang again and he gave us some valuable insights into how the U.S. trade war with China was affecting PC manufacturing by causing companies to move more production to Taiwan and other countries. At the time, he said that the U.S. market represented 25 percent of the company’s sales overall. He also predicted that X570 motherboards would be more expensive than their X470 predecessors, a forecast that turned out to be accurate.

MSI today unveiled a new lineup of gaming desktops that it will build in the United States. The company, which typically manufactures its prebuilt machines in Taiwan, has a new series, the MIA Gaming Desktop, which stands for “Made in America.”

That nomenclature isn’t 100% correct, however. The desktops, which will feature Intel’s latest 10th Gen Core CPUs and Nvidia’s RTX or GTX Super graphics cards, will be assembled out of the company’s U.S. home base in City of Industry, Calif. But MSI will still import the components it uses in these rigs.

MSI told Tom’s Hardware that the reason for building the desktops in the United States was to facilitate the shipment of its products in North America. It did not specify if it was getting any government subsidies or other incentives for the business. The other desktops MSI is announcing today, updates to the MSI Trident X, Trident 3 and Trident AS, will continue to be built and shipped from its operations in Asia.

There are four models in the MIA lineup: the Aegis RS, Aegis R, Codex R and Aegis SE.

Specs

The Aegis SE is the cheapest with a single, $799 configuration using an Intel Core i5-10400F and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super. The Codex R and Aegis R both go up to an Intel Core i7-10700 and feature multiple configuration options with different CPUs, GPUs, RAM and storage. The Aegis SE is the top-end model, going up to an Intel Core i9-10900K and Nvidia RTX 2080 Super.

The Aegis RS and R will come housed in MSI’s existing 50L PC case, the Gungnir 110R. Meanwhile,the Codex R uses the MAG Force 100R, a 45L chassis, while the Aegis SE is in a smaller, 25L MSI MPG Gungnir 100 with a dedicated RGB button.

Additionally, MSI is bundling each of these desktops with its Vigor GK30 keyboard, which is selling for $40 as of writing, and the MSI Clutch GM11 mouse, which we’ve seen for about $25.  

Last week, we had MSI on the forums to answer everything you wanted to know about their new Intel Z490 Motherboards. In case you missed it, we have the AMA in full below. Before the digest though, take a moment to enter our MSI giveaway, which features an RTX 2060 Super, MSI Z490 motherboard Gaming EDGE WiFi Motherboard, Gungnir 100 Case, and an MSI Optix MAG272CR Gaming Monitor. To enter, head to our giveaway widget and follow our instructions there. You can enter through May 29, 2020. To view the AMA in full on our forums click here. 

First off, let's give a big thank you to MSI for stopping by to answer all the insightful questions presented by our community members. Scheduling this AMA took a bit of work on their end, especially during such a chaos of the pandemic, and for that, the Community Staff as well as our readers are much obliged to everyone at MSI for taking the time to engage with the enthusiastic members of our community.

And of course, we're deeply appreciative of Mark Tran, David Yee, Jorge Meza, and Manny Change for their in-depth responses to each question posted by the Community.

Q: How are you dealing with the extra power consumption from the new 10 core i9 processors? Reusing existing VRM designs? Completely new designs?

A: All of our Z490 motherboards feature Core Boost technology. It's a reserved zone of premium power delivery components on an optimized circuit layout. We designed larger heatsinks to improve VRM heat dissipation.

Q: Is there any way you can customize the small display on the "Godlike" board. Uploading custom gifs or pictures would be an incredible feature. Is there integration with mystic light?

A: Yes, you can upload your own by using free Dragon Center software. Also the new Dynamic Dashboard 2 is now in color. We also improved our mystic light from previous generations.

Q: Why did you decide to ditch RGB and are there going to be any RGB options for this lineup?

A: The only 2 models that completely has no RGB are the MEG Z490 UNIFY and MEG Z490i UNIFY. The other models still have RGB lighting.

Q: RTX or GTX?

A: Depends on your budget and the need for performance. GTX is usually for lower-mid range price and performance while the RTX is considered the upper range.

Q: Are any of the models going to have direct chipset cooling?

A: There's no direct chipset cooling but we do have larger heatsinks to improve VRM heat dissipation.

Q: What kind of cooling system do you recommend for the new Intel Ice Lake 10th gen CPUs?

A: If you're running i7 to i9 CPU, then you should have liquid cooling (AIO) at least. But otherwise for i5 and below should be okay running air cooler.

Q: When will the MSI MEG Z490 Godlike be available?

A: It is currently available now on pre-order but will be fully available on May 20th in Newegg and Amazon.

Q: What does the future of VRM cooling look like for upcoming boards. Is it leaning more toward fans or more elaborate fin technology?

A: Future VRM cooling will have a larger heatsink (extended) and probably towards fin technology.

Q: What is the fastest option for accessing data storage?

A: Probably M.2 SSD.

Q: Will you offer MSI Comet Lake Z490 motherboard in white color?

A: As of now, probably not for this generation chipset.

Q: What inspired the use of the MSI dragon?

A: Within many mythologies, dragons are the most powerful of mythical beasts, and in the hearts and minds of many people today, dragons are recognized as apex predators in video games, television, and film.

When designing the dragon component found in the MSI logo many years ago, it was recognized that an animal or creature could impart personality and distinctiveness - the same principle behind sport team identities. Within East Asian mythologies, dragons are universally recognized as the most powerful mythical beast, but the dragon in the MSI logo takes its appearance from European dragons so as to be understood internationally as a depiction of power.

Q: Are there any smaller changes that aren't really discussed to the newer motherboards from prior boards?

A: Our Z490 motherboards with RGB LEDs have an on-board dipswitch called EZ LED Switch that can turn the lighting on or off.

Q: In your opinion, which MEG Z490 Unify and the MEG Z490I Unify feature is your favorite? Also, do you think SATA III will be phased out in future motherboard releases?

A: For MEG Z490 UNIFY (ATX) specifically, I like the VRM heatsink. It has a heatpipe connecting the two pieces.

For MEG Z490I UNIFY (mini-ITX) specifically, I like that it has two M.2 connectors - one on the front and one on the underside.

SATA III is still a very relevant connectivity standard as hard drives still have bulkier storage than SSDs.

Q: Is there any release date for the Mag Core 360 coolers? I already preordered my MEG Godlike, and processor. Just need the cooler, 6 extra fans and 1 extra controller to complete the build.

A: The upcoming CORELIQUID coolers don't have a firm launch date. It falls onto regional branches to work out the logistics. For the team here in USA, we are looking at June as the time when MAG Core Liquid 360R and MAG Core Liquid 240R will begin to appear at retailers and etailers.

Q: Among MSI staff has there ever been a sort of feature or design choice to motherboards agreed upon as "unnecessary" but still demanded by the market?

A: RGB LEDs in certain segments...the UNIFY models at the high-end segment are most obvious reaction from MSI

Overclocking capabilities. This is mentioned often within online communities often, but most individuals are nebulous on the details, supporting research that the vast majority of end users either do not know how to or do not care to learn how to overclock. The broadness of overclocking capabilities can range from easy overclocking through simply changing unlocked multiplier ratios, automated overclocking such as AMD PBO, and of course, extreme overclocking at the peak of this specific usage segment.

Q: Hi, are there numbers for how the M.2 heatsink on the motherboard increases cooling when compared to the stock heatsink that usually comes with the M.2 SSD?

A: The answer will depend on what's being compared. In any case, a heatsink on an M.2 SSD is primarily to prevent thermal throttling and thus heatsinks are preferably designed to deal with bursty heat output as opposed to sustained heat output. NVMe drives are so fast that they can probably complete a prolonged operation within a few minutes.

Q: Huge MSI fan here! My PC build is all MSI. When will the MAGCORE LIQUID coolers be released for sale worldwide?

A: A specific day cannot be given because it comes down to regional branches to plan and execute logistics. For us here in USA, we are expecting to have the first CORELIQUID coolers delivered to retailers and etailers in early June.

Q: How do you think new motherboards will be useful for next generation processors?

A: 10th gen mainstream Intel processors have higher core counts compared to the previous generations and some models can draw lots of electrical power. Our new Z490 motherboards have "larger" power delivery layouts to address this.

Q: Why do companies put out so many motherboards with only minuscule differences?

A:  Someone wants Wi-Fi, another one doesn't. Someone wants Thunderbolt 3, another one doesn't. Someone wants a white motherboard, another one wants green.

Q: Is the MSI MPG GAMING PLUS compatible with the 10600KF?

A: Yes, unless you want Wi-Fi, then get one of the MPG Z490 GAMING EDGE models which come in ATX or mATX.

Q: If using the upcoming 10 core processor at full load for extended periods (benchmarking, machine learning, etc.), will the liquid cooling be necessary for the VRMs? There's likely to be a lot of heat dumped from the processor and motherboard, and I'm curious what is required to keep everything cool enough for extended use and extended life of the system!

A: No. If dedicated VRM cooling is a concern, aim a fan straight at the heatsinks. Even a small amount of direct airflow aimed at the heatsinks works very well. If you've played with fan speed control software such as Afterburner, you may notice diminishing gains when increasing fan speed. This is because the thermal conductivity of the heatsink is limiting the rate of heat dissipation.

All our MEG-class Z490 models have a dedicated VRM cooling fan that spins on when needed. Liquid cooling is unnecessary for dedicated VRM cooling.

Q: Would you ever consider installing a mini display feature on a future motherboard that would offer readouts of temperatures and other technical information?

A: Three of our GODLIKE motherboards - MEG Z490 GODLIKE, MEG X570 GODLIKE, and MEG Z390 GODLIKE - have a small OLED display that does that.

Q: What will be the highest rated ram speed for the mobo?

A: MEG Z490 GODLIKE and MEG Z490I UNIFY (mini-ITX) are currently rated for 5000MHz.

Q: I use my air compressor with an inline moisture filter to clean out my desktop. Can these I/O fans be held from spinning out of control and possibly breaking while cleaning out the case, without having to stick a toothpick in there to hold it, and will the dust come out the other end?

A: Good question! Access to the fan within the VRM cooling solution is not necessarily easy to get to. However, in most situations the fan would not be running at all or much due to Zero Frozr technology keeping the fan off until the VRM reaches a higher temperature. This means dust should not really accumulate on this fan.

Q: From a strictly gaming perspective, are there any particular MSI Z490 motherboards that offer compelling features for gamers? Which motherboards? What features? I was looking over the MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK and MPG Z490 GAMING Plus. Thanks!

A: All of our Z490 motherboards from our more entry level boards to our enthusiast boards contain tons of features that are useful for gamers. Many of our motherboards such as the Tomahawk you mentioned have tons of peripheral connectivity support which is crucial for gamers, streamers especially, that need to have a mouse, keyboard, webcam, microphones, headsets, stream decks, VR systems, etc. connected to their PC. Reinforced PCI-Express slots help support graphics cards that keep getting bigger and bigger easier. For gamers looking to push every possible ounce of power from their systems by overclocking, we have models with powerful VRM designs and great M.2 cooling such as the Godlike and Ace. Many gamers love the RGB aesthetic and it is certainly there with the vast majority of our Z490 line-up.

In addition, our motherboards are compatible with MSI Dragon Center software that has hardware optimization software with Game Boost and Gaming Mode to get a customized experience on a per game basis. It can even pick out in game highlights for you to share with others if you so desire.

Q: Will any of the new Z490 boards have watercooled VRMs or something to that effect?

A:  We don't have an onboard watercooler VRM. But we're working with EKWB and Bitspower. There'll be customized water blocks for GODLIKE, ACE and Gaming Carbon covering both VRM and CPU.

Q: How many x16 slots will be on the new ATX boards?

A: It depends on the model. Godike/ACE/Unify/Gaming Carbon has 3 PCIe x16 slots. Edge/Tomahawk/Gaming Plus/A Pro has 2 PCIex16 slots.

Q: First off, what is the difference between the B450 MAX Series motherboards and the Z490 Series motherboards. Secondly, would you say the Z490 gaming edge wifi motherboard is superior to the B450 Tomahawk Max motherboard?

A: B450 is the mainstream chipset for AMD and Z490 is the enthusiast chipset for Intel processors. These two are different segmegments. Price and feature wise, Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi is more expensive than B450 Tomahawk Max.

Q: In terms of future CPU generation compatibility, do you guys at MSI have any inside information on how long the new platforms will last? What are the CPU power delivery capability figures (in watts) for Z490 motherboards' line-up?

A: Z490 will support a new CPU in the feature, so it'll last at least 1 year. MSI GODLIKE/ACE/Unify have 16phase, 90A VRM , that's 1440A(16x90A), overkill VRM for overclocked i9-10900K. MPG series has powerful 12-phase 12x60A or 12x50A VRM too.

Q: Will the coronavirus pandemic cause a long delay before any of the new Z490 motherboards are delivered?

A:  Z490 production is smooth. There will be no delay.

Q: The Titan series is labeled as a desktop killer. In my mind that would indicate we could condense the benefits of a desktop (customization, swappable components and more space for components) into a laptop package. Is it just the performance or are there other things about the newest laptops that make them a desktop killer? Would killing desktops even be a desired outcome?

A: It's performance. Titan series laptops use desktop CPUs and have very good CPU performance. This is why it's labeled as a desktop killer. Titan offers a good choice for desktop performance and mobility.

Q: Will MSI ever release every possible pc component for a complete system? For example, like MSI RAM. I always wanted to make a PC with just MSI parts!

A: As of now, no plan for RAM and other PC components. But we have chassis products and will offer liquid coolers.

Q: Real question: Can we expect to see any improvements to base clock overclocking on these new boards?

Joke question: When can we expect to see RGB VRMs, resistors, capacitors, and ports on your boards? When I want an RGB motherboard I want it all over.

A: To my knowledge MEG Z490 GODLIKE has a clockgen.

About RGB, the closest you can have is to connect RGB devices to the RGB pin headers and you'll have full internal lighting.

Q: Why do CPU companies need to change the socket from time to time? What is the difference between PCI Express generations and is the difference in interface type or in speed?

A: 1. Very simply, it's for seamless compatibility. Sockets change so to allow for either or even both increased data transmission and increased power delivery.

2. That is a topic beyond the scope of this AMA, but is rather easy to look up. The most important update on PCI-E for motherboards is bandwidth.

Q: How can an extra panel connector possibly aid on any type of overclock? They do not provide power. They are mainly there to provide connections for the on/off and reset switches,  and led connectors for the case.

A: There is a bit of misconception here that you were referring to the two 8pin ATX power supply connectors for CPU power. Our motherboards only really have one system panel connector section split into two parts JFP1 and JFP2. JFP1 has headers for your conventional connectors (Power, Reset, HDD LED, PLED) while JFP2 is just a row of 4 pins used for debugging speakers in order to hear beep codes if you wish to do so.

Regarding TPM modules, you can definitely find them online at places like Amazon.

Q: What do you think about current RTX technology? Do you think we finally will be able to get high refresh rates at 1080p with ray-tracing enabled in the next 3000 series? What about the myth that raytracing is a gimmick or a fraud?

A: To keep it short since we are mostly focusing on our Z490 boards for this AMA, personally Raytracing technology is great experience in games, and as technology moves forward more amazing things will come from it. FPS is mostly what takes a hit with Raytracing enabled at the moment, not necessarily monitor refresh rate.

Q: As a newbie to PC building, does a good quality motherboard really make a massive difference to anything? Do they just support more RAM than a more premium board, or are there other features to consider?

A: The type of motherboard you get can certainly make a difference depending on your use case and what you are looking to get out of it. Enthusiast motherboards have a plethora of features that more budget boards do not to accommodate people with higher or more advanced requirements. For a simple example, say you want a build with lots of fans or custom liquid cooling that requires connectivity for cooling pumps, RGB, and such. A higher end motherboard will have let's say six fan headers in comparison to a budget board which may only have two. If you have tons of peripherals to connect to your PC because you are streaming, a higher end board will typically also have more USB ports than a budget board.

Now let's say you want to overclock your CPU to get as much FPS as possible when gaming. A more enthusiast board will have a robust VRM system and cooling solution that you won't find on a budget board.

At the end of the day, a budget board can be perfectly good for gaming if you don't need all the bells and whistles offered on the higher end stuff.

Q: What CPUs will this new generation of mobos be compatible with?

A: This new Z490 chipset will support Intel 10th gen Core processors such as the i9-10900K processor and should also support the generation of processors after these. Anything older will not be supported due to the chipset using a new LGA 1200 socket compared to the LGA 1151 socket from the last generations.

Q: How confident are you in your Z490 VRM designs? You have made bad reputed and greatly reputed boards before, but the VRMs on the new X570 Tomahawk was an impressive design. I hope you can bring something like this down into the Z490 Tomahawk, or better yet trickle it down to the A Pro.

A: We are quite confident with our VRM design. We have even added active VRM cooling to our MEG series motherboards, something some may argue may even be overboard :)

Extended heatsink designs have been implemented throughout the entirety of our product line from the Godlike down to the A-Pro to provide enhanced VRM cooling solutions for every model.

Q: I've noticed on a lot of the mid-grade boards like the B450 Tomahawk/Max (the most popular B450 around) that there's limited bells and whistles, like lack of even more standard things like 3/4 pin argb/rgb ports (has 2x 5050 strip ports). So my question is: Is that trend going to continue with the low-mid grade boards, or is there going to be more emphasis on what's currently in demand by users like multiple NVMe capable or argb headers?

A: We're offering as much as possible on the mid-grade and entry Z490 boards. We have at least 2 ARGB headers and 2or 1 RGB headers for mid and entry boards. For fan headers, we have 1 CPU fan header+1 AIO pump header+6 system fan headers for the ATX MPG/MAG and A PRO boards. 2 M.2 slots are available on MPG/MAG and A-Pro boards. We also offer front Type-C header on all Z490 models and pre-installed I/O shield on all Z490 models except A PRO. We offer a lot on all Z490 boards.

Q: How much can a motherboard impact a system’s performance? And what causes this impact?

A: VRM will impact system performance. With a weak VRM, high-end CPUs may have a throttling problem due to weak VRM. For memory, especially with XMP loaded, better optimization will bring some performance difference. And with faster connection, like10/2.5GbE LAN and Wi-Fi6 connection, it performs better than boards with only 1GbE LAN and WI-Fi AC. I/O matters too. Some MSI Z490 models feature 20Gbps USB and Thunderbolt 3 ports, and it offers faster I/O speed.

Q: More companies are now offering sound cards or external DAC/Amps for improved sound. What are we going to see as the next evolution for onboard sound? Or have we plateaued on what can reasonably be done within the constraints of a motherboard?

A: Audio is a challenge for motherboards. For onboard audio, we implement ESS audio DAC, headphone amplifier, and audio-oriented capacitors on GODLIKE, and have seperate audio circuit from the rest circuit on the motherboards. This is to get a cleaner signal. We're also working to reduce noise as much as possible. We'll keep working with our partners like DAC, amplifier companies to offer the latest and best audio solutions.

Q: Where is the Z490 Mobo (and your other components) manufactured? Is it possible to streamline and future proof your supply chain by expanding your manufacturing to the USA?

A: Expanding motherboard manufacturing to the US can get a little tricky due to a number of reasons. I do not see it being feasible in the near future.

Thanks again to everyone who participated! If you haven't yet, now is your final chance to enter our giveaway for the MSI system starter bundle. New to the Tom's Hardware Community? Head to the forums and sign up to become a member of the largest hardware enthusiast community on the planet. 

MSI already has its hands in graphics cards, motherboards, laptops, desktops and peripherals, but it looks like that's not enough for the vendor. Its latest experiment is the MAG CoreLiquid series, which is MSI's go at liquid cooling. After showing off the MAG CoreLiquid 240RH and 360RH at CES 2020 in January, MSI today announced the coolers alongside the 360R and 240R variants.

Getting around Asetek's patents, MSI implemented a creative solution here: The coolers' water pumps are implemented into the radiator. According to MSI, this reduces vibrations and increases the products' life expectancy.

This design makes the water block itself a little simpler, though MSI hasn't skimped on aggressive design elements. What we do like to see is that the logo on top can be rotated 270 degrees to match your system's orientation. This means you can mount the water block with tubing coming out at your ideal location, rather than where the tubes happen to turn out when orienting the block's logo correctly.

The fans on the coolers spin at between 500 and 2,000 RPM, pushing up to 78 CFM. The 240 and 360 designations in the names refer to the radiator sizes for carrying either two or three 120mm fans; however, MSI hasn't clarified the differences between the R and RH versions of the coolers.

The loops are compatible with all modern CPU sockets. MSI hasn't announced pricing for the MAG CoreLiquid series yet. 

Plenty of Intel Z490 motherboards will hit the market on March 20. If the best motherboard for your rig is something that ditches RGB for a more elegant look, MSI's latest Unify boards may be just what the Comet Lake doctor ordered. 

The MEG Z490 Unify and MEG Z490I Unify are ATX and Mini-ITX motherboards, respectively. Both feature an all-black design that spans from the PCB up to the heatsinks. Based on the high-end Z490 chipset, MSI has equipped both motherboards for enthusiast overclocking. The MEG Z490 Unify checks in with a 16-phase power delivery subsystem, while its little brother sports 8-phase design. 

Given the size difference, the two siblings come with different features. Starting with the DDR4 RAM slots, the MEG Z490 Unify has four, so it can support up to 128GB. The MEG Z490I Unify, on the other hand, only arrives with two, so it's limited to 64GB. In regard to supported memory speeds, the MEG Z490I Unify has the upper-hand, accommodating DDR5-4000 modules. The ATX model supports up to DDR4-4800.

Regardless of the model, four SATA III ports are available for connecting standard hard drives and SSDs. However, the ATX model has three PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots, while the Mini-ITX model is limited to two PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots. The differences continue down to the expansion slots.

The MEG Z490 Unify features three full-length PCIe 4.0 ready slots and two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. As you would expect from any Mini-ITX motherboard, the MEG Z490I Unify only has one full-length expansion slot, a PCIe 4.0 slot.

Options for connectivity are ample on the MEG Z490 Unify and sufficient on the MEG Z490I Unify too. Both feature Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 and 2.5G Ethernet networking. The Realtek ALC1220 audio codec is in charge of managing the five 3.5mm audio jacks and S/PDIF optical output on the Z490 Unify motherboards.

The MEG Z490 Unify provides a PS/2 combo port, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A port and two USB 2.0 ports. MSI markets the MEG Z490 Unify as an enthusiast product, so the brand presumes consumers would pair the motherboard with a discrete graphics card, which could explain why it doesn't have any video outputs.

On the flipside, the MEG Z490I Unify comes with a Thunderbolt 3 port, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports and two USB 2.0 ports. This model also includes an HDMI port and DisplayPort output for leveraging the integrated graphics inside Intel's 10th Generation Comet Lake-S processors.

B&H Photo Video has already put the MEG Z490 Unify and MEG Z490I Unify up for pre-order. The former costs $299.99, and the latter retails for $269.99.

In a livestream, Eric van Beurden and Michiel Berkhout from MSI Netherlands discussed the wide array of Z490 motherboards that MSI built to host the upcoming Comet Lake-S CPUs. In addition to discussing the motherboards, however, they also touched on CPU overclocking, most notably their quality levels, as spotted by VideoCardz.

Of course, what this really is is a judgment of Intel's binning methods. MSI tested a handful of Intel Core i5-10600K, i5-10600KF, i7-10700K, i7-10700KF, i9-10900K and i9-10900KF processors and determined how well they run at different clock speeds and voltages. 

MSI evaluates the chips and places them in one of three categories, based on quality level. Mid-tier Level B chips meet expectations, and Level A chips exceed performance expectations. 

The execs said that Level C chips are "below the standard," and around 30% of Comet Lake-S silicon fit this category, according to MSI's testing. (Intriguingly, the percentages don't add up to 100%.) But don't panic; this only affects you if you want to overclock your CPU. A Level C chip that made it through Intel's Q&A is almost certainly still good enough to perform as advertised -- you just won't be able to hit high overclocks with it. 

According to MSI's data, i5 and i7 chips rarely come with top-quality silicon. If you purchase an i9-10900K(F), however, there's a  greater chance you'll get a chip that overclocks tremendously. Out of the batch that MSI sampled, 27% of these CPUs used the highest quality silicon. Of course, that doesn't guarantee your chip will achieve huge overclocks, but, alas, such is the nature of the silicon lottery.

MSI also shared a slide (above) detailing the average voltage required for running stable at different clock speeds. It seems that the i5 parts require higher average voltages to run the same clock speeds, whereas the i9 chips require a lower average voltage at all clock speeds. 

If you're in the market for a Comet Lake-S i5 or i7 chip, you shouldn't expect a lot of overclocking room, based on MSI's data. But it's not surprising to see Intel apparently reserving its best silicon for the i9 chips. 

If Intel were to use the silicon from an i5 quality chip in the i9s, that CPU would need a higher core voltage to run stable, which in turns leads to higher power consumption and higher thermals. Those two things are exactly what Intel needs to avoid, given that it is squeezing every last bit of performance out of the 14nm process with Comet Lake-S. 

MSI has banded together with watercooling expert EK Water Blocks (EKWB) to incorporate the latter's monoblock on the upcoming MPG Z490 Carbon EK X motherboard.

The details on the MPG Z490 Carbon EK X's monoblock are still a bit slim, but it appears to hail from EKWB's Momentum series. If this variant is like any other from that family, it should be manufactured from nickel-plated copper with an acrylic top piece with standard G1/4-inch ports. 

The design is complemented with a bit of carbon-fiber eye candy. EKWB specifically designed the monoblock to cool both an Intel 10th Generation Comet Lake-S CPU and the motherboard's power delivery subsystem. Fully addressable D-RGB lighting is on the table as well.

The MPG Z490 Carbon EK X is actually the MPG Z490 Gaming Carbon WiFi in disguise. The ATX motherboard comes equipped with a beefy 12-phase power delivery subsystem and a combination of a 8-pin EPS and 4-pin power connectors to feed the processor.

The MPG Z490 Carbon EK X has four DDR4 RAM slots optimized to support up to a maximum of 128GB of memory and memory speeds that exceed the 4,800 MHz mark. In total, there are six SATA III ports and two M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 ports that can handle drives with lengths up to 110mm. MSI advertises the MPG Z490 Gaming Carbon WiFi has three PCIe 3.0 x16 slots and two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. Multi-GPU support includes two-way Nvidia SLI and three-way AMD CrossFire setups. 

USB options here are pretty plentiful. You get two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, two USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C port and two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports. If you need additional USB ports, the motherboard also provides one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 header and two USB 2.0 headers. Video outputs consist of one HDMI port and one DisplayPort output.

The motherboard leverages Realtek's RTL8125B controller to offer the sole 2.5G Ethernet port. Optionally, Wi-Fi 6 networking, which includes Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity, is also available if your prefer a wireless connection to the internet. 

On the audio end, the motherboard employs the Realtek ALC1200 codec to supply a high-definition 7.1-channel audio experience through the five 3.5mm audio jacks and single optical S/PDIF port.

EKWB's Z390 Momentum monoblocks typically sell for $189.09. We expect the new MPG Z490 Carbon EK X to cost a small premium over the vanilla MPG Z490 Gaming Carbon WiFi.

MSI's latest all-AMD gaming laptops are officially available for pre-order, MSI announced today. The MSI Bravo 15 and the MSI Bravo 17 are the company’s successors to last year’s Alpha series and aim to be one of the best gaming laptops for budget-conscious shoppers by combining an AMD Ryzen mobile CPU with an AMD Radeon discrete graphics card to support 1080p gaming at up to 120 fps. 

MSI Bravo 15 and 17 Specs

We got our first taste of the Bravo 15 at CES in January. It upgrades the MSI Alpha 15’s CPU to a Ryzen 7 4800H while also updating the design and adding what MSI is calling an “IPS-level” screen with FHD resolution at a 120 Hz refresh rate with FreeSync.

Unlike the Alpha, the new design ditches the indents on the lid but otherwise looks fairly similar, including a backlit keyboard and a thin bezel around the display.

The Bravo 15’s GPU, an AMD Radeon RX 5500M, is the same as what's found in the Alpha, as is the 512GB NVMe SSD. The Bravo 15 also comes in two models, with one offering 16GB of DDR4 RAM, while the other comes with a more modest 8GB.

The Bravo 17, meanwhile, features the same design and many of the same specs, with the key upgrade being a larger 17.3-inch display. Oddly enough, it also has one fewer USB Type-C port than the Bravo 15, although the addition of a 1TB 7200 RPM hard drive alongside its 512GB NVMe SSD helps to give it another edge over its smaller sibling.

The Bravo 15 starts at $929.00, while the Bravo 17 starts at $1,099.00, and both are available for pre-order at Newegg now. Building on the Alpha 15, MSI is hoping these two computers will offer “the best mid-range gaming laptop in the industry.” 

It's uncertain if this will be a trend going forward, but MSI has launched the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming Z Trio that aims to be one of the best graphics cards by introducing a nice memory uplift. MSI's latest offering is the first GeForce RTX 2080 Ti to come with 16 Gbps of GDDR6 memory.

The GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming Z Trio is aesthetically identical to MSI's previous Gaming X Trio model. The brand's Tri-Frozr cooling solution with triple Torx 3.0 cooling fans are still present and so is the flashy RGB lighting and sleek backplate. The real upgrade lies inside the memory chips hidden under the hood. 

In case you've forgotten, the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti launched with 14 Gbps GDDR6 memory. Coupled with a 352-bit memory interface, the graphics card delivers a maximum bandwidth of 616 GBps. The GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming Z Trio, on the other hand, is rocking 16 Gbps and, therefore, can pump out 704 GBps. This amounts to a 14.3% increase in memory bandwidth. 

Regarding clock speeds, the Gaming Z Trio features the same 1,755 MHz boost clock as the Gaming X Trio.

Depending on how big of a jump, faster memory can help boost a graphics card's performance. In this case, the improvement is almost negligible. According to MSI, its GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming Z Trio is only up to 5% faster than the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio.

Price

The new GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming Z Trio is available as of today; however, MSI didn't share U.S. pricing. 

UK retailer CCL Computers has already listed the graphics card for £1,307.32. The store sells the Gaming Z Trio for £1,226.47. We're looking at a 6.6% price increase for the faster model.

The GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Gaming X Trio costs about $1,200 at Newegg, meaning that the Gaming Z Trio could potentially sell for around $1,315.44 on our side of the globe.

MSI is officially announcing the specs for the newest entries in its powerful Raider series and modestly designed Stealth series, plus a design philosophy overhaul for its next productivity laptop. All will include Intel's new 10th Gen H Series CPUs.

Earlier this year, we saw the GE66 Raider, the GE66 Stealth, and Creator 17 at CES in Las Vegas, where we were impressed by their capabilities but weren't told many specifics. Now, MSI is letting us in on the full details, including release dates.

MSI is setting up the GE66 Raider as its next gaming flagship, and that means options up to a new 10th-Gen Intel Core i9 CPU, Nvidia Geforce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q graphics, 32GB of DDR4 RAM, a 1TB SSD, a 300Hz display--and of course plenty of RGB.

As the follow-up to the MSI GE65 Raider, currently sitting atop our best gaming laptops list, the GE66 has some big shoes to fill. Aside from the new GPU and longer battery life, that means communicating to gamers right away what this upgrade offers. 

On that note, the new Raider features a wider CTRL key than previous models, and has moved the Windows key back to a more standard position. It's also gets a shiny light bar across the front, though it's probably a good idea to turn that off to maximize battery life.

The MSI GE66 Stealth shares many of these specs, but attempts to pack them into a more lightweight, minimally designed laptop designed not to look out of place in an office. This most noticeably comes at the loss of a USB Type C port, a mini-display port, and an SD card reader, but gains you a thinner profile and more travel-friendly weight for your trouble.

The MSI Creator 17 is a different beast altogether. MSI told us that this PC marks a shift in the company's attitude with laptops meant for content creators. Rather than providing gaming-style specs in a more productivity-inspired shell, the company will aim to deliver features and specs specifically meant for creators.

This means options all the way up to similar graphics and RAM as the Raider and stealth, but a 1TB larger SSD and a weaker CPU. In exchange,  you'll get a much larger screen at 17.3 inches, and a choice between either a 144Hz FHD IPS display or a UHD miniLED display.

MSI says it's the first laptop producer to bring a miniLED screen to market, allowing it to offer VESA certified HDR 1000 visuals at over 1000 nits of brightness without risking the screen burn-in of OLED. That should make it an ideal candidate for those producing HDR content on the go.

The Creator 17 will also be equipped with a new keyboard "designed for creators," with a more casual font and, more crucially, function keys dedicated to key features like microphone control and basic photo editing.

With starting prices as low as $1,499, MSI's latest laptops are sure to entice more than a few buyers once they arrive in mid-April. And we hope to see more laptops soon with HDR 1000 displays.

As tipped by leaker @momomo_us, an online Hong Kong retailer, which appears to be an authorized MSI distributor, has listed the MSI GS66 Stealth 10SG gaming laptop with an estimated arrival date of May. With these specs, the machine is looking like it'll be one of the best gaming laptops in MSI's arsenal. 

AMD Ryzen 4000-powered laptops are starting to hit the shelves of many U.S. retailers. It's now on Intel to prove if its 10th Generation Comet Lake-H army can fend off AMD's 7nm APUs. 

According to the Hong Kong listing, the GS66 Stealth 10SG measures 14.1 x 9.8 x 0.8 inches (358.3 x 248 x 19.8mm) and weighs up to 4.6 pounds (2.1kg). The laptop packs a 15.6-inch panel with 1080p resolution and an impressive 300 Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time. The device uses a Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super Max-Q graphics card, which should be more than enough to push those frame rates at that resolution. The graphics card offers a whopping 3,072 CUDA cores and 8GB of GDDR6 memory at 14 Gbps.

On the CPU side, the laptop is listed with an Intel Core i9-10980HK, which retains the same 8-core, 16-thread configuration as the previous i9-9980HK. Intel has probably pushed its 14nm process node to the max by now. Instead of adding more cores, the chipmaker can only push for higher operating clocks. The i9-10980HK appears to come with a 2.5 GHz base clock and a 5.3 GHz Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB) clock.

Configurations can vary by region, but this particular model is outfitted with two 16GB sticks of DDR4-2666 RAM and a 2TB PCIe M.2 SSD. The laptop conveniently provides two SODIMM DDR4 memory slots, so you can rock up to 64GB of memory. There are also two M.2 slots, making it possible to run a RAID 0 array on the laptop.

The GS66 Stealth 10SGS is said to ship with MSI's robust CoolerBoost Trinity+ cooling system. It transfers heat from the processor and graphics card via seven heatpipes and dissipates it with three cooling fans. MSI claims an uplift of 15% in airflow compared to previous designs.

Being a gamer-oriented product, MSI is apparently attempting to implement one of the best gaming keyboards in its laptop by calling in SteelSeries and per-key RGB lighting.

Other noteworthy attributes include a four-cell, 99 Whr battery, dual Dynaudio Duo Wave 2W speakers, Killer E3100 Gigabit and WiFi 6 AX1650 DoubleShot Pro networking. Connectivity-wise, the GS66 Stealth 10SGS provides one HDMI 2.0 port, one Thunderbolt 3 port, one USB 3.2 Type-C port and two USB 3.2 Type-A ports.

The GS66 Stealth 10SGS is listed for 32,999 Hong Kong dollars (HKD), which converts to roughly $4,255. Hardware is normally more expensive overseas, so you can consider the shop's pricing a worst-case scenario of what we could expect in the U.S.

New gaming laptops from Asus and MSI that leverage AMD's Ryzen 4000-series (codename Renoir) APUs are starting to show up at major U.S. retailers, including Amazon, Newegg and Best Buy, with availability depending on the PC and retailer.

Renoir brings all the goodness of AMD's Zen 2 microarchitecture and TSMC's 7nm FinFET manufacturing process to the mobile space. The Ryzen 4000-series family tree has two branches. The U-series, which focuses on power efficiency, is rated for 15W, while the H-series aims to provide the best performance that Zen 2 has to offer within a 45W envelope. With this generation, AMD introduce the exclusive HS-series processors that offer similar performance as their H-series counterparts but at a lower 35W target.

AMD Ryzen 4000 Specs

AMD is determined to take the fight to Intel with the latest Renoir chips. The entry-level SKU, if you can even call it that, starts at 6 cores and 12 threads. The Ryzen 7 4800H and Ryzen 9 4900H top the product stack, offering up to 8 cores and 16 threads.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

In our Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review today, we called the system one of the best gaming laptops to use an AMD processor that we've ever seen. 

The device weighs 3.64 pounds and has a thickness of 0.7 inches. It packs a 14-inch, 1080p resolution screen and features the flagship Ryzen 9 4900HS processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 discrete graphics card. The Zephyrus G14 also boasts 16GB of DDR4-3200 RAM and a spacious 1TB M.2 PCIe SSD.

In terms of graphics power, the RTX 2060 has 1,920 CUDA cores and 6GB of GDDR6 14 Gbps memory. The exact operating clocks will depend on whether Asus is utilizing the mobile or Max-Q variant of the RTX 2060. Although the model isn't specified, the Zephyrus G14 is likely using the latter given the device's svelte body.

The Zephyrus G14 is currently up on Best Buy for $1,449.99. However, the retailer doesn't specify a release date, only that the laptop is arriving soon.

MSI Bravo 15

The MSI Bravo 15 stands as one of the handful of laptops that will go all in with AMD. With a footprint of 14.13 x 9.99 x 0.85 inches, the MSI Bravo 5 features a 15.6-inch "IPS-level" display with 1080p resolution and a 120 Hz refresh rate.

The laptop can come with the Ryzen 5 4600H six-core, 12-thread option or the more powerful Ryzen 7 4800H eight-core, 16-thread part. The Bravo 15 also relies on AMD's latest Navi-based Radeon RX 5500M graphics card that brings together 1,408 Stream Processors (SPs) clocked up to 1,645 MHz and 4GB of GDDR6 14G bps memory.

The MSI Bravo 15 is up for pre-order at Newegg and will be released on April 29. The base configuration with a Ryzen 5 4600H, 8GB of DDR4-2666 memory and a 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD starts at $929. The Ryzen 7 4800H configuration with 16GB of DDR4-2666 memory and a 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD will set you back $999. 

Asus TUF Gaming A15

The Asus TUF Gaming A15 is engineered for durability and passed multiple military-grade tests. The laptop is supposed to be able to withstand drops, vibration, humidity and very harsh temperatures. 

With dimensions of 14.1 x 10.1 x 1 inches, the laptop sports a 15.6-inch "IPS-type" display with a 1920 x 1080 resolution and an impressive refresh rate of up to 144 Hz. This specific model pairs a Ryzen 7 4800H processor with an RTX 2060 Max-Q graphics card.

The laptop's other specifications include 16GB of DDR4-3200 memory and a 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD for storage. The TUF Gaming A15 was listed for $1,199.99 at Amazon with a April 30 release date.

Even though we're seeing the first signs of AMD's B550 chipset, MSI announced today two new B450 motherboards. The MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon Max WiFi and the MSI B450M Bazooka Max WiFi are both compatible with up to 3rd-generation AMD Ryzen 9 processors, and the latter comes in the Micro-ATX form factor. 

With no release date or pricing yet, we're far from knowing if these will be the best motherboards, but they are an interesting duo. They're very well-kitted, considering their B450 nature. 

MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon Max WiFi

The full-size ATX B450 Gaming Pro Carbon Max WiFi sports two PCIe 3.0 x16 slots and support for the best RAM in the form of dual-channel DDR4 support. You also get plenty of SATA ports, space for two M.2 NVMe SSDs. There's also addressable-RGB, along with USB 3.2 Gen2 and Audio Boost 4 for those that care about good sound quality. 

With big chunky heatsinks and, from the looks of it, elaborate VRM circuitry hiding underneath there, the MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon Max WiFi is the most feature-rich B450 motherboard in MSI's lineup.

MSI B450M Bazooka Max WiFi

Taking a step in a different direction, the B450M Bazooka Max WiFi will aim to compete with an aggressive price point, according to MSI's announcement. It offers the basic  features needed in a Micro-ATX motherboard without adding so much that it jacks up the price. 

Consequently you won't find big heatsinks, highly elaborate VRM circuitry, an overdose in connectivity or built-in RGB on this board. 

What you will find is an RGB header for connecting to the lighting of your PC case, CPU cooler or accessories, plus a basic variant of MSI's Audio Boost circuitry, on-board WiFi, USB 3.2 Gen 1 and an NVMe M.2 SSD slot. If you need more features, on a Micro-ATX platform from an MSI AM4 board, you'll have to look at the B450M Mortar Max instead.

With the coronavirus outbreak, many of us are stuck at working at home while manufacturing and industries have come to a standstill. In light of this, MSI announced Wednesday that it'd be appropriate to extend the warranties of its customers that are set to expire this month.

"MSI remains committed to our mission of putting our customers first. In light of the health concerns surrounding coronavirus across the globe, we want to ensure that our valued customers don’t have to worry about anything other than their health and safety," the company said. 

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The manufacturer is placing strict conditions on the promotional program though. For one, the warranty has to expire within March, and you have to be enrolled in the MSI Rewards Program. The product categories covered are desktops, motherboards, AIO computers, PC cases and monitors. Interestingly, laptops and graphics cards are not included in the program despite being huge markets for the company.

Lastly, to qualify, you have to live in one of the areas heavily affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, which include the U.S., Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden Switzerland and the UK. 

You'll note that China isn't on the list. That's because MSI has a different independent warranty extension program there.

Kudos to MSI for at least giving users the peace of mind that they'll be able to deal with last-minute warranty issues. We're curious if other vendors will come out with similar programs.

An EEC (Eurasian Economic Commission) listing, which was recently discovered by VideoCardz, reveals multiple SKUs for GTX 1650 graphics cards from MSI that weren't announced yet. Interestingly, their model names suggest that these will feature GDDR6 memory. If the products listed are actually coming to market, it would appear that the GTX 1650 is getting a performance uplift soon.

Nvidia released the GeForce GTX 1650 in April 2019, followed by the more powerful GeForce GTX 1650 Super a few months later. The original GTX 1650 carries 4GB of GDDR5 memory running at 8 Gbps. Among other upgrades, the Super model has speedy GDDR6 memory clocked at 12 Gbps. 

Both the GTX 1650 and GTX 1650 Super are stucked with a 128-bit memory interface. However, thanks to its faster memory, the latter flaunts a higher memory bandwidth at 192 GBps, while the first tops out at 128 GBps. 

Although this is an official EEC submission, vendors sometimes submit these things just to claim dibs on a potential product name but never end up releasing said offering. 

Nevertheless, MSI's submission, which dates back to November 2019, names eight unreleased models spanning from the brand's low-profile series to its high-end Gaming series: 

• MSI GeForce GTX 1650 D6 Gaming X
• MSI GeForce GTX 1650 D6 Gaming
• MSI GeForce GTX 1650 D6 Ventus XS OC
• MSI GeForce GTX 1650 D6 Ventus XS
• MSI GeForce GTX 1650 D6 Aero ITX OC
• MSI GeForce GTX 1650 D6 Aero ITX
• MSI GeForce GTX 1650 D6T LP OC
• MSI GeForce GTX 1650 D6T LP

The model names feature a clue in their "D6" designation. MSI often uses the "D" affix to denote the type of memory when there are identical models with different memory types. Take the GT 1030 for example, which debuted with GDDR5 memory and was eventually made available with DDR4 memory as well. MSI first launched the GeForce GT 1030 Aero ITX 2G OC and then added the GeForce GT 1030 Aero ITX 2GD4 OC. The "D4" label is the only difference between the two model names and indicates DDR4 memory.

We'll have to wait and see if these graphics cards, and potentially other GTX 1650s with GDDR6, ever make it to the market. 

MSI is prettying up the Prestige 14. Its ultraportable ($1,399.99 as tested, $1,199.99 to start) has received a new pink paint job. It certainly stands out among a sea of black and gray machines and also packs a discrete graphics card in the form of an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q. It will easily last eight hours on a charge, but below that pretty-in-pink exterior are a few flaws, including a mediocre display and a keyboard that can get warm when the laptop's under heavy usage. 

Design

No, you’re not wearing rose-colored glasses. The MSI Prestige 14 is very, very pink. MSI isn’t the first company to go this route with colors; Razer notably already does it with the Blade Stealth. But if you were looking for more brightly colored options, there’s another one on the market. The lid is pink, the bezels are pink, the keyboard is pink. If my experience is an indication, people will notice this laptop.

But otherwise, the Prestige is rather modest. The aluminum lid has MSI’s dragon shield logo, but it’s pink-on-pink, so it doesn’t scream about the company’s gaming heritage.

Thin pink bezels surround the display, and MSI’s logo on the bottom is also tone-on-tone and barely noticeable. The keyboard and deck are the same shade, and the keys have a surprisingly bold, cartoonish font. The keyboard has white backlighting and the fingerprint reader on the keypad is black, but otherwise this is entirely blushed.

When you open the laptop, the hinge brings the keyboard to a slight angle, similar to the ErgoLift hinges on Asus’ ZenBooks. It’s not a must-have, but I do find it makes typing slightly more comfortable. 

At 12.6 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches and 2.8 pounds, the Prestige is light and has a pretty standard footprint for a laptop of this size. The larger Dell XPS 15 is a heavier 4.5 pounds and is 14 x 9.7 x 0.7 inches. The HP Spectre x360, a 13-inch convertible, is  2.7 pounds and 12.1 x 7.7 x 0.7 inches.

On the left side of the system are a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports (you’ll need one for charging) and a microSD card slot. The 3.5mm headphone jack and two USB 2.0 Type-A ports are on the right side. MSI includes a Type-C dongle with Ethernet, as well as two USB 3.0 ports, a microSD card slot and a full-size SD card slot. I wish MSI would have just included USB 3.0 Type-A on the laptop itself, and it’s baffling that that’s not the case in 2020.

Specifications

Productivity Performance 

Our review configuration of the Prestige uses an Intel Core i7-10710U “Comet Lake” processor, as well as 16GB of LPDDR3 RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD. That’s plenty for most everyday tasks.

On Geekbench 4.3, the Prestige earned a score of 17,296, which is higher than the premium-priced laptop average of 16,511. The HP Spectre x360, with an Intel Core i7-1065G7 Ice Lake processor, had a higher score of 18,408. It’s no surprise that the Dell XPS 15 with its i9-9980HK scored significantly higher.

The Prestige finished our file transfer test, which copies 4.97GB of files, in 5 seconds. That’s a rate of 1,017.9 MBps and far faster than the 581.24 MBps average, as well as both the XPS 15 and the Spectre.

On our Handbrake video editing test, in which we have laptops convert a 4K resolution video to 1080p, the Prestige finished in 14 minutes and 1 second. That’s again faster than average (about 20 minutes) and the Spectre.

To stress test the Prestige, we ran Cinebench R20 on a loop 20 times. Across those runs, the performance was consistent within a few points. The average CPU clock speed during the stress test was 2.3 GHz, and the average CPU temperature measured 69.6 degrees Celsius (167.3 degrees Fahrenheit).

Graphics Performance 

With a GTX 1650 Max-Q in tow, the Prestige is fit light content creation or gaming (though for games, you’ll have to turn down settings pretty low on intensive titles).

On 3DMark Fire Strike, the Prestige earned a score of 1,494. That’s higher than the premium laptop average (5,865) and the Spectre with its integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics (2,615).

It was able to play Hitman on ultra settings at 1080p at 69 frames per second (fps), but it couldn’t play most of our benchmarks on the high settings we run them at. 

Display 

MSI outfitted the Prestige with a 14-inch 1920x1080 “IPS-level” display which is not bright or vivid as some of its competitors. When I watched the trailer for Black Widow, a fight between the titular character and Yelena Belova in a kitchen was too dim to make out clearly. The Red Guardian’s suit was fairly vivid, though it looks better on competitors’ screens.

The panel covers 112% of the sRGB color gamut. That’s below the premium laptop average (122%) and, of course, the OLED panel on the XPS 15 (239%). The Spectre x360 measured 109%.

MSI’s screen is also the dimmest of the bunch at 269 nits. That’s lower than average (354 nits) and both of its competitors.

Keyboard and Touchpad 

MSI’s pink touchpad is backlit with white lighting, which makes it look nice in a Candy Land kind of way.

The company jammed in delete, insert, page up and page down keys on the far right side of the keyboard. But on the left side, there are smaller than usual tabs, tilda and caps lock keys. I would have preferred that MSI didn’t squeeze in those extra keys in order to have a better space keyboard.

On the 10fastfingers.com typing test, I reached 108 words per minute. That’s normal for me, but I had a 3% error rate, which is slightly higher than usual. I wish the keys had a millimeter or two of additional travel, but I didn’t feel like I was bottoming out.

The 5.5 x 2.5-inch touchpad is luxuriously spacious. It uses Windows precision drivers, which allowed for precise navigation and gestures. There’s a fingerprint reader on the top right-hand corner, which worked well. However, I wish MSI would have put it on the power button or on the deck instead of the touchpad.

Audio

The pair of two-watt speakers on the Prestige do a capable job. They easily fill a room with sound, but are a bit eh on the low end. I put on Tones and I’s “Dance Monkey” in a small conference room and found that the vocals, clapping and keys were all crisp and clear. Some synthesizers on the low-end were harder to make out, and there was very little bass.

Nahimic’s audio software comes onboard, but the small adjustments for voices, bass and treble didn’t make much of a difference. The laptop also has movie, communication and gaming modes.

Upgradeability 

To get into the Prestige, you have to remove seven pink Phillips head screws from the base. One of those is under a sticker labeled “Factory Seal.” We’ve seen this on a number of MSI laptops, and we wish they would stop this practice that may dissuade some people from upgrading or repairing their own laptops.

The bottom of the chassis was on tight, but with some patience and a prying tool, we got it off. The battery, Wi-Fi card and SSD (the first we’ve seen with Kioxia branding) are all accessible and replaceable. The RAM is soldered down, so you can’t upgrade that. 

Battery Life

You can easily get a full day of work done on the Prestige. It lasted 9 hours and 49 minutes on our battery test, which constantly browses the web, streams video and runs OpenGL tests over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. That’s above the premium laptop average of 8:38 and longer than the Dell XPS 15 (though the model we tested had an OLED screen). The HP Spectre x360 had the most endurance of them at all, however, at 13:19. 

Heat

During the Cinebench stress test, we also measured for heat. The keyboard measured 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 degrees Fahrenheit), which is a bit warmer than I would like. The touchpad was cooler at 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 degrees Fahrenheit).

The bottom of the laptop measured 52.7 degrees Celsius (126.9 degrees Celsius), so this can run a bit warm.

Webcam

The Prestige has a 720p webcam that is best described as serviceable. A photo I took was blurry around the edges of my face, but it would be good enough to chat with a friend. For professional use, consider an external webcam.

There’s also an infrared (IR) camera to log in with facial recognition with Windows Hello, which I appreciated and found worked flawlessly.

Software and Warranty

The MSI Prestige is packed with extra software. Sure, some of it is useful, but there’s so much that anyone who gets this will spend some time uninstalling at least some of it. 

Creator Center is the flagship app, which allows you to check CPU, GPU, memory and disk usage; device information; adjust display and audio settings and access the user manual and customer support.

The laptop also comes with CyberLink PhotoDirector, PowerDirector, ColorDirector and AudioDirector, though for enthusiasts, this will be bloatware, as people will probably pick their creativity software of choice. 

Other bloat includes Music Maker Jam, LinkedIn and Sudoku. That’s on top of the usual junk that comes pre-installed with every copy of Windows 10.

MSI sells the Prestige 14 with a 1-year warranty.

Configurations

The MSI Prestige 14 we reviewed had an Intel Core i7-10710U CPU, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q GPU, 16GB of RAM (notably, single channel), and a 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD. Oh, yeah, and it comes in pink with a carrying case, mouse and a keychain of Lucky the Dragon. That all costs $1,399.99.

For $1,199, you can get it in gray with an i5-10210U and without the freebies, but with the same display, storage and GPU.

If you want more storage, a model with the same CPU as ours and a 1TB drive is $1,699 and also comes in gray. 

Bottom Line

The MSI Prestige 14, pink or not, is a slim and sleek PC with solid battery life. If you want an ultraportable with discrete graphics, this is up your alley.

But if you put the computer under heavy load, the keyboard can get a bit warm to the touch. And while its display is serviceable, it’s not as good as those of competitors.

If the pink color is what you want, the only other place to really go is the Razer Blade Stealth. But if you’re looking for an ultraportable, the 13-inch HP Spectre x360 has a better display and longer battery life. It has a smaller screen and also serves as a 2-in-1.

If you want a laptop with a pop of color and a discrete GPU inside, the Prestige is for you. But if you’re willing to go for something that looks more traditional, there are other options without some of the Prestige's trade-offs.

MORE: Best Gaming Laptops

MORE: Gaming Laptop Previews

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If you’re a fan of super-wide gaming monitors, or have toyed with the idea of upgrading to 1440p, we may have found the perfect deal for you. MSI’s Optix MAG341CQ Superwide Gaming Monitor is on sale right now for just over £425. That’s £115 off its regular price, for a massive 21% savings whilst stock lasts. In fact you won’t see a screen in the UK with this kinda spec list for anything less than £546 right now.

So is it worth upgrading to that 21:9 super-wide aspect ratio? Well as a journalist currently using one to type out this epic deals post, I can say yes it is. MSI’s taken the monitor world by storm in the last few years with an armada of affordable gaming monitors. And this MSI Optix MAG341CQ packs in a feature list that would’ve set you back £800 just two years ago. It’s an impressive screen. It features a particularly potent VA panel at its heart, which enables it to reach a contrast ratio of 3000:1. What that means is you get inky black darkness, and bright crisp colour to provide you with an exceptional viewing experience outside of the world of HDR.  

Specifications

On top of that the MSI Optix MAG341CQ gaming monitor also comes with a 100Hz refresh rate. Now yeah that’s not the best refresh out there, it’s certainly not 165 or 240Hz as found on some of the higher end premium gaming monitors, but it does make a significant difference compared to something like a 60Hz panel. Even outside of gaming, when you’re on the desktop moving application windows or flicking that plucky little mouse cursor around it’s far smoother than on a traditional 60 Hz screen. Which is weirdly satisfying. As for productivity, it’s second only to utilising two separate screens, and let's face it, not all of us have the space (or the cash for that). You can work comfortably across large spreadsheets, and run two applications side-by-side with ease. 

Gaming Concerns

So the big question is, “is it good for gaming?”. Well that depends entirely on what you play. If you’re into your MMOs, RTSs and RPGs super-wide screens are the creme de la creme of gaming experiences. That extra screen real estate that MSI’s Optix MAG341CQ gives you, allows you to witness vast expansive vistas that no 16:9 screen can ever match. In games like Total War, Stellaris, or World of Warcraft, this thing is king, on top of that the extra space is immensely useful for UI elements. Couple that with the extra pixel density you gain from a 1440p resolution, and it’s just the perfect balance. 

It’s also pretty effective in FPS games too. However there’s a few things to note. Firstly, it does have an 8ms reported G2G response time, so that might be of concern to you if you game at the absolute top end of competitive play, and secondly not all first-person shooters allow you to play at a 21:9 resolution (here’s looking at you Overwatch), as some companies deem it gives the gamer too much of an advantage thanks to that expansive field of view. In those situations you’ll be forced to use a 2560x1440 resolution, and have to live with those black bars running down the left and right hand side of the screen.

It also comes with FreeSync to help alleviate any screen-tearing at high and low frame rates which is a nice plus as it also means it’ll likely support G-Sync as well. 

Ultimately MSI’s Optix MAG341CQ is a fantastic screen, ideal for those productivity kings, and MMO/RTS/RPG gamers who demand the most cinematic experience possible. If it's still not quite right for you though, you can check out some more of our favourite gaming monitors of 2020 here.

In the latest episode of the MSI Insider podcast, hosts Eric Van Beurden, MSI marketing director, and Pieter Arts, MSI product marketing manager, had a discussion saying that not every single Radeon RX 5600 XT graphics card can run its memory at 14 Gbps.

Unlike motherboards, graphics cards usually don't get many vBIOS updates, especially not a few days before launch. However, AMD did just that with the RX 5600 XT and boosted performance, likely in response to Nvidia's GeForce RTX 2060 price drop.

Beurden said that AMD's RX 5600 XT vBIOS increases the card's power limit, which in return enables it to run at higher clock speeds. However, the memory increase was never part of the update. This means that some brands that are bumping the memory from 12 Gbps to 14 Gbps are doing so at their own discretion. 

Clearing things up further, Arts said that AMD, just like Nvidia, supplies its partners with the silicon and memory chips necessary to build the graphics card. For the RX 5600 XT, AMD provided GDDR6 memory chips validated to operate at 12 Gbps. Although some memory chips might have overclocking headroom to run at 14 Gbps, MSI cannot guarantee its RX 5600 XT graphics cards' stability and longevity at 14 Gbps, since they weren't originally designed and tested for that speed.

It also looks like not every RX 5600 XT will receive the vBIOS update either. Depending on the graphics card's design and the quality of the silicon that's inside, it seems some of the entry-level models might not be capable of accommodating higher clock speeds. 

In MSI's case, its RX 5600 XT Gaming and RX 5600 XT Mech is not getting the vBIOS treatment. Their clock speeds will remain the same as previously announced. The Gaming X, Mech OC and Gaming Z variants, on the other hand, will enjoy the improved clock speeds. 

The MSI execs confirmed that the first batch of the RX 5600 XT was probably already en route if not already in retailers' hands upon the vBIOS release. Those might require the vBIOS update, but future products should already come with the latest vBIOS.

This whole situation ultimately unlocks the doors for vendors to release new models that already carry the latest vBIOS and 14 Gbps memory. 

As for MSI, it revealed the brand-new RX 5600 XT Gaming Z, which has the same clock speeds as the Gaming X model but with 14 Gbps memory onboard. The graphics card will be available in the middle of February.

MSI has announced four new AMD graphics cards based on AMD's recently announced Radeon RX 5600 XT. The graphics cards, which are available as normal and overclocked models, hail from MSI's Gaming and Mech product lines.

The Radeon RX 5600 XT Gaming and Mech debut with MSI's Innovative Power Allocation technology that basically makes sure the graphics cards draw their power from the power supply rather than the PCIe slot. According to MSI, this results in a much cleaner power signal.

The Radeon RX 5600 XT Gaming and Mech graphics cards employ MSI's dual-fan cooler, but with distinct designs. The Gaming model stays true to the black and gunmetal grey theme with red accents, while the Mech model combines the black with a steel grey. Both come with a beautiful brushed metal backplate that's supposed to strengthen the graphics card while enhancing its look.

The cooling solutions for the Radeon RX 5600 XT Gaming and Mech utilize two Torx 3.0 fans for a good mixture between performance and silence. The fans utilize MSI's Zero Frozr feature, which only turns them on when the graphics card's operating temperatures goes over 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit).

 MSI's offerings mostly abide by AMD's Radeon RX 5600 XT reference specifications. Each graphics card has 2,304 Stream Processors (SPs) and 6GB of 12 Gbps GDDR6 memory at its disposal. 

The only difference resides in the operating clocks. The Radeon RX 5600 XT Gaming X is the fastest of the lot with game and boost clocks up to 1,460 MHz and 1,620 MHz, respectively. The Radeon RX 5600 XT Gaming and Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC are tied for second place with 1,420 MHz game and 1,600 MHz boost clocks. 

Specs

The Radeon RX 5600 XT Gaming X measures 297 x 140mm and occupies two PCIe slots. It has one HDMI 2.0b port and three DisplayPort 1.4 outputs for connecting your displays. It also has a pair of 8-pin PCIe power connectors.

On the other hand, the Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC is 231 x 127mm. It still requires two PCIe slots for installation and has the same display outputs are the Gaming X. However, the Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC only needs one 8-pin PCIe power connector for proper operation.

AMD's Radeon RX 5600 XT comes with a 150W TBP (typical board power) target. MSI recommends that you have a 450W power supply at the very least for its new Navi-powered graphics cards.

MSI's new graphics cards will come out on January 21; however, MSI didn't specify pricing.

Gigabyte and Sapphire also announced custom Radeon RX 5600 XT cards today. 

MSI detailed upcoming gaming monitors today at CES 2020, including two with some standout features. The MSI Optix MAG342CQR will be one of the curviest gaming monitors ever, and the MSI Optix MEG381CQR has a bonus OLED screen on its bottom bezel.

MSI Optix MEG381CQR 

With two screens for the price of one, this could almost be considered a bargain. MSI said that its 38-inch MEG381CQR will be the first gaming monitor to use a human machine interface (HMI), which it defined as a user interface (UI) connecting the user to a device and allowing interaction to flow between the two. Yep. This HMI takes the form of an OLED display in the bottom left corner that can share information about the monitor and is controllable via a dial.

When I saw the monitor, it was showing the monitor's including refresh rate, CPU clock speed and temperature and even the weather. Additionally, the dial for navigating it felt strong and sturdy with firm, solid clicks. In my short time with the monitor I was able to scroll the menu, which included a system monitor and macro keys. You could also control the RGB, which can sync with other MSI RGB products. 

There’s also a camera in the bottom bezel that uses facial recognition to load a user's specific settings. 

Additionally, the monitor’s on-screen display app can work with the MSI's MEG Aegis Ti5, a 5G gaming desktop announced this week to overclock the Ti5 via the OLED display.

In addition to the 144Hz refresh rate, shared specs include an IPS panel with a 2300R curve, 21:9 aspect ratio, 3840 x 1600 resolution, and HDR support at a minimum of 600 nits. The monitor will be available in Q3 or Q4 2020, MSI said. 

MSI Optix MAG342CQR 

Do I smell a trend here? Just last week, Samsung announced it's launching three gaming monitors with a 1000R curvature. Today, MSI revealed an equally curvy display in the form of its MAG342CQR. That curvature is deeper than that of any other curved gaming monitor available out in the market now. Samsung claims that that 1000R radius is the same curvature of that of the human eye, calling it "a curve optimizing the human eye's natural field of view.” Curved monitors are all about an immersive experience, but MSI’s 1000R announcement promised even more. 

MSI claims that the 1000R radius improves gamers’ reaction time by 44.8%, compared to when using an 1800R gaming monitor. It didn’t specify if this was for professional gamers or typical users, but in either case we’ll hold off celebrating until we see the data for ourselves. I will say that playing a driving game on the monitor almost felt safe, as I could see my periphery just like when you're actually driving. And when viewing from the side, it looked nearly perfect, so we're thinking it can output a high level of brightness. 

Available specs for the screen were minimal but include a VA panel (super patterned vertical alignment, or S-PVA, to be exact), quantum dot technology for displaying 1.07 billion colors with extra powerful dark reds and greens, according to MSI, and high brightness without eye strain. 

The monitor  is expected to be available in Q2 or Q3 2020, but pricing wasn't shared.  An MSI rep told us that a 27-inch version will come this year, as well as another size that they couldn't disclose. But considering Samsung's prepping its own 1000R monitors in 27, 32 and 49 inches, we suspect MSI's third 1000R monitor will be 32 inches too. 

Editor's Note: This article originally ran on January 6, 2020 and was updated on January 7, 2020 to include additional details and hands-on information. 

MSI announced its second all-AMD gaming laptop here at CES 2020. The Bravo 15 is a follow-up to last year's Alpha 15, but with updated specs and a slightly newer design.

We didn't get much in the way of details, but we know it will use one of AMD's Ryzen 4000 series CPUs paired with an AMD RX5500M (the same GPU in the last model). This is aimed at budget customers and is expected between Q1 and Q2 of 2020. Pricing hasn't been finalized, we were told to expect it to be below $1,000.

The laptop has a 15.6-inch, "IPS-level" 1920 x 1080 display with a 144Hz refresh rate. It also supports AMD FreeSync.

But MSI was light on any other specs, including storage or RAM, so we'll have to see what's on offer when it releases.

The design is largely the same, but the green bird that was on the Alpha 15 is now silver, which goes a long way in making the laptop look more premium. 

We'll see how it competes later this year.

There’s always a lot of new and different stuff at CES, but I’ve never seen a desktop quite like this. Sure, it goes up to an Intel Core i9 and RTX 2080 Ti, but what’s different about this is the design, including a dial and an OLED panel. Oh, and it’s the first 5G desktop we’ve seen, too. 

The desktop was shown at CES in prototype form, and specs weren't totally final. We're told it will have the latest Intel and Nvidia parts when it releases.

MSI MEG Aegis Ti5 Specs

Through what MSI calls the MSI Commander Unit, or MCU, you can see real-time information about the desktop on the OLED display. That could include desktop notifications, system statistics or even local weather reports.

There’s also a knob that MSI has dubbed the “Gaming Dial” to make some adjustments on the fly. Between that, its black chassis and some RGB lighting, it kind of looks like the center console you'd find in a car. 

With 5G connectivity on board, MSI claims the MEG Aegis Ti5 offers networking transfer speeds that are faster than, not just 4G but also wired networks, which would be a serious change to the way most people play games online. (Of course, this also assumes you currently have access to a reliable 5G network.) 

The case uses MSI’s Silent Storm 4 cooling, which keeps the processor, graphics card, power supply and now VRMs in separate, distinct chambers, which the company said will help improve airflow.

Besides the latest Intel Core i9 and RTX 2080 Ti, the system will support up to 128GB of RAM and has a ton of space for storage. That includes up to three M.2 SSDs, two 2.5-inch drive bays and a 3.5-inch bay as well.

What we don’t yet know is how much the Aegis will cost or when it will come out (an MSI rep estimated Q3 and that it could be around $4,000). But with top-of-the-line specs, an ambitious design and 5G support, it won’t be cheap. We’re looking forward to seeing what this can do on our test bench.

AMD is rumored to release its Radeon RX 5500 XT graphics card this week. Today, we're already seeing leaks of two of MSI's variants of the upcoming GPU, as reported by VideoCardz. 

The AMD Radeon RX 5500-series is expected to land in 4GB and 8GB memory configurations over a 128-bit memory bus and1,408 RDNA cores. The RX 5500 will likely be an OEM-only product and merely a lower-clocked version of the RX 5500 XT.

According to VideoCardz, MSI will release the MSI Radeon 5500 XT Mech as a mainstream option clocked at 1,845 MHz when boosting. The more premium ‘Gaming’ card will reportedly have clock speeds of up to 1,905 MHz under boost. The cards apparently don't deviate from AMD's reference memory clock speed (14 Gbps), which isn't too surprising considering we only see overclocked memory in very select graphics cards nowadays. Both cards are said to feature 8GB of GDDR6 memory and PCIe 4.0 support.

According to VideoCardz, samples of the RX 5500 XT have already been shipped out to reviewers, and the embargo is set to lift on December 12. If that's true, all details will be confirmed on Thursday.

A user on Reddit has spotted a listing for MSI's Pro 22X 9M all-in-one PC, with all the components built into the display, on the Energy Star program. The new listing features an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU. The AIO is currently available with an Intel Core i5-9400.

The entry doesn't specify the exact model for the AMD processor. However, it's probably a Ryzen 5 3500 or Ryzen 5 3500X, as AMD cooked up the pair of six-core, six-thread parts to steal the Intel Core i5-9400F's thunder. 

Adopting the Ryzen 5 3500 or 3500X in an AIO would present one problem, however. The original Pro 22X 9M doesn't feature a discrete graphics card, as the AIO relies on the i5-9400's integrated graphics (Intel UHD Graphics 630). Having a Ryzen 5 3500 or 3500X onboard would require MSI to implement a graphics card, which could end up making the system more expensive than the Intel version. 

MSI hasn't yet listed the AMD-based Pro 22X 9M on its website, but it was certified on October 27, so it should be available soon. According to the Energy Star listing, MSI will offer the AMD version in the U.S., Switzerland, Taiwan, Japan and Canada.

When narrowing your best gaming monitor prospects, speed is usually the top priority. But with screens with 144 Hz refresh rates becoming increasingly common, that list can become crowded with confusing choices.

The next logical thing to consider is image quality. Color accuracy is certainly important, but the key to everything is contrast. That’s why we’ve long touted VA panels over IPS and TN ones. Short of a high-end display with a full-array local-dimming backlight, there is no greater dynamic range than that found in most VA monitors available today. By far, VA offers the most bang for the buck when it comes to contrast and color saturation.

The MSI Optix MAG271CQR ($375 / ~ £363 with VAT at the time of publishing)  answers the call for speed and contrast with a VA panel and 144 Hz. It’s a 27-inch panel with QHD resolution, 1800R curvature, plus AMD FreeSync, as well as the ability to run Nvidia G-Sync unofficially. It even checks the styling box with RGB lighting across the back.

MSI Optix MAG271CQR Specs

Unpacking and Accessories

Unpacking the ample carton reveals a lightweight screen that tips the scales at a little over 12 pounds. The panel, upright and base must be assembled, but that can be done without tools. After hooking the panel on the upright’s mounting plate, two thumbscrews secure it in place. The base attaches with a captive bolt. The cable compliment includes USB 2.0, HDMI, DisplayPort and an IEC cord for the internal power supply.

Product 360

Despite its light weight, the MAG271CQR is solidly built with little flex in any of the hardware. The base is slender and cast from solid aluminum with a matte black finish, and the upright has a brushed texture molded into its plastic cover. Surrounding the screen are narrow bezels around its top and sides and a wider plastic strip at the bottom. An anti-glare layer provides excellent picture quality in all indoor environments without any obvious grain or distortion. Though the curve radius is a tight 1800mm, the image is free from any barrel distortion, where lines curve inward, or pincushion effects, where straight lines curve outward. Wraparound is subtle, but you will feel a tad more immersed than with a flat screen of the same size.

Around back is a slick RGB lighting strip sweeping across at a stylish angle. You can turn it on or off in the on-screen display (OSD), but for further effects, you’ll have to download MSI’s Mystic Light app, which operates from either a PC or a smartphone. The lighting syncs with compatible hardware, like mice (see our best gaming mouse article), as well as the best gaming keyboards and headphones. Speaking of headphones, you can hang yours (for help finding one, see our Best Gaming Headsets page) on a cool hook that pops out from the left side of the bezel.

For ergonomics there’s a 5.1-inch height adjustment and 20-degree back tilt with 5-degree forward. Oddly, there is no swivel available; you have to slide the base to turn the screen.

Video inputs comprise two HDMI 2.0 ports, plus a single DisplayPort 1.3. You’ll need to use the latter for G-Sync, but FreeSync works through all inputs. For audio, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack but no built-in speakers. USB 2.0 comes in the form of one upstream and two downstream ports.

OSD Features

For the best gaming experience, we recommend using the settings pictured above.

The OSD is controlled with a tiny joystick around the back on the right. When clicked in a direction, it brings up quick menus that can be programmed by the user, like input selection, gaming timer and image mode. A press reveals the full menu, with many gaming-oriented features.

First up are five picture modes. User is the default and delivers the best and most accurate image. The others alter color temperature and gamma to suit different gaming categories. Black Tuner adjusts shadow detail, but its adjustments are very coarse. One click in either direction renders the image either very dark or very washed out. We recommend leaving it on the default setting of 9.

Response Time (overdrive) has three levels with the middle one (Fast) striking the best balance between blur reduction and ghosting. The Anti-Motion Blur feature is a backlight strobe that smooths out what little blur exists but reduces brightness by 60%. It works even if FreeSync is on, but not with Zero Latency, which reduces input lag by 4ms, according to our tests. We turned off Anti-Motion Blur for all our gameplay tests.

You’ll want to activate adaptive sync regardless of the brand of your graphics card because the MAG271CQR work with G-Sync, even though Nvidia hasn’t certified it to do so. We tested it with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FE graphics card without trouble. For more information on this process, check out our article on How to Run G-Sync on a FreeSync Monitor. For even more information on the state of adaptive sync, check out Nvidia G-Sync vs. AMD FreeSync: Which Monitors Perform Better?

Two other cool features in the Gaming menu are an array of aiming points and a frame counter. MSI calls this one “Refresh Rate” for some reason, but it is nothing more than an fps (frames per second) meter that can live in any corner of the screen.

Calibration is possible with the controls found in the Image menu. There are three color temp presets, plus a Customization mode that unlocks RGB sliders. We opted for the Normal preset, as it provides the best possible accuracy. There are no gamma options, so you’ll have to accept the luminance curve that MSI has provided.

The rest of the OSD contains necessary functions like input selection, PIP and PBP options and a sub-menu that set the functions of the joystick.

There is no separate signal info screen, but at the top of the OSD, you can always see the input resolution, refresh rate, game mode, status of the Zero Latency switch and active input. The Setting menu also has an option for resetting things to their factory defaults.

Setup and Calibration

The default User mode measures well, with excellent grayscale tracking and very good color, with a twist. The MAG271CQR is listed as supporting the sRGB color gamut, but we’d call it more sRGB+, with the plus pointing to extra saturation as you near the perimeter of the gamut triangle. You get accurate color for most of the saturation range and some extra punch in the brightest content. The MAG271CQR doesn’t have a standard sRGB mode, so if you’re looking for a color-critical display, this isn’t it.

When calibrating the MAG271CQR, we discovered its Custom color temp mode reduces brightness by almost half and skews gamma unacceptably. We achieved good grayscale tracking, but the losses outweighed the gain. In the end, we left the color temp on Normal and reduced brightness to 200 nits. Gamma is still off the mark, but overall quality is good.

Here are our recommended settings:

Gaming & Hands-on

To see if the MAG271CQR’s 1800R curvature introduced any image distortion with small text, we opened Microsoft Word and Google Chrome. We didn’t see any issues. In fact, the curve was barely noticeable. Some may wonder if there’s any advantage to a curved monitor with a 16:9 aspect ratio. We found that for productivity it made no difference, but for gaming and video, there was a subtle wraparound effect that enhanced the experience. Of course, an ultra-wide makes more of the curved technology.

In Call of Duty: WWII,  the pumped-up red primary and excellent contrast had a positive effect. We were immediately struck by the bold reds and ruddy flesh-tones of the characters. Breaking through enemy lines on a sunny day is a very colorful experience, accentuated by instant control response and super-smooth, blur-free video processing.

With FreeSync on, our PC running an AMD Radeon R9 285 graphics card enjoyed frame rates around the 60 fps mark, with detail set one notch below the max. Action was artifact-free with no tearing or hesitation. Obviously, higher refresh rates will provide smoother motion and faster response, but the game was perfectly playable on our legacy PC.

We also played the same title with G-Sync and a 1080 Ti FE. With overdrive set to its middle option (Fast), we saw no blur and no ghosting. Judder was also non-existent as frame rates hovered between 100 and 110 fps without tears. It’s hard to imagine a better gaming experience.

Equally mesmerizing was Tomb Raider, which maintained speeds of 130-140 fps at the highest detail level with G-Sync. QHD monitors can keep the refresh rate high even without  a premium graphics card, a real advantage over 4K gaming monitors. Again, we were impressed by Tomb Raider’s color. Reds were vivid without being overblown. Shadow detail was strong with deep blacks and contrast only a VA screen can provide. The only way to top this is with a zone dimming display, which would cost at least five times more than the MAG271CQR.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test Monitors

MORE: All Monitor Content

Brightness and Contrast

To read about our monitor tests in-depth, check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test Monitors and TVs. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

To compare the MAG271CQR’s performance, we brought in two other gaming monitors with a  VA panel, the Philips 326E8FJSB and Monoprice 33822. To broaden the field, we also have the IPS-based Acer RG270 and Dell S2719DGF with a TN panel.

None of the screens here are super-bright, but the Dell and our review subject both top 350 nits with the MAG271CQR surpassing its specs table’s claim of 300 nits. This level of brightness provides plenty of light for gaming and any other task.

Since the MAG271CQR backlight is pretty bright, its black level is higher too. But it’s still darker than the Acer and Dell monitors. This is what VA does best and why we favor them for gaming and video content. Resulting contrast is a stout 2,440.1:1. While not the top finisher in our comparison group, it isn’t far behind the first-place Philips.

After Calibration to 200 nits

For the above set of results we reduced the backlight using the Normal color temp preset. Black levels were still superb and only the tiniest bit off from the Philips, while contrast was an excellent 2,314.3:1. You can see all the VA monitors here have greater dynamic range than the IPS and TN ones. Even the best of those technologies can only muster around 1,000:1 max.

The ANSI test, which measures intra-image contrast using a checkerboard pattern rather than full fields, gives a more real-world picture of what one can expect. With a score of 2,185.2:1, the MAG271CQR renders images with a lot of depth and dimensionality. That extra dynamic range also enhances color saturation and makes images more vivid while still staying true to proper color specs.

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Grayscale, Gamma and Color

After trying several different settings combinations, we concluded that the MAG271CQR is best left uncalibrated. Working the RGB sliders improved grayscale accuracy slightly but created gamma issues we couldn’t ignore. The charts below help explain our observations.

Grayscale & Gamma Tracking

We describe grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

Credit: Tom’s Hardware

The out-of-box measurement (first chart) shows good tracking with no visible errors at any brightness level. Our only concern is the gamma trace, which is mostly too light except for a slight darkness at the 10% step. We prefer to see the white trace at or slightly above the yellow reference line. VA monitors with their extra contrast often look better at gamma values of 2.25 or 2.3. The MAG271CQR is too light at an average of just 2.0197. It would be great if MSI provided a few gamma options.

Calibration of the RGB sliders (second chart) improved grayscale tracking a little but took gamma well off the mark. The 10% brightness level became virtually indistinguishable from the 0% one. This means deep shadow details were lost, hurting picture quality. Additionally, max brightness is much lower at just 150 nits.

By going with the Normal color temp preset and just lowering the brightness slider to 43 (third chart), we achieved decent grayscale tracking with just the tiniest errors (blue tint) at 90 and 100% brightness. Gamma could be better, but at least shadow detail was restored. This is the best possible compromise between light output, contrast and color accuracy.

Comparisons

Out of the box, the MAG271CQR has no visible errors with a very low Delta E (de) average of 1.54. Usually, turning down the backlight doesn’t affect this score, but when we decreased brightness to 200 nits, the average error increased slightly to 2.63dE. There are slightly visible tints at 90 and 100% brightness, but they’re hard to see in actual content. However, this still means a last place finish for the MSI. The problem isn’t huge, but the other screens fared better.

Our chief gripe with the MAG271CQR’s gamma is its low average value. At 200 nits, a 0.48 range of numbers isn’t terrible, so the luminance curve is at least consistent. But we’d like to see an average of at least 2.2. VA monitors look their best when the gamma is correct or even a bit above 2.2. This is an area we hope MSI will address with a firmware update.

Color Gamut Accuracy

MSI takes a unique approach to color reproduction. We’ve seen similar traits from all the MSI screens we’ve tested. Rather than adhering strictly to sRGB or DCI, it uses a gamut we’ve dubbed sRGB+. You get extra color saturation in brighter content but in the lower and mid-range tones, the monitors stick to the spec. Check out the charts to see what we mean.

For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

When measured against the sRGB standard, the MAG271CQR hits all its saturation targets up to 60%. At 80 and 100% (the two outermost boxes), color is extended almost to the full DCI-P3 gamut. This creates an image that is very colorful when content is bright, but more accurate and natural in the low and mid-range hues. We like the effect even though it doesn’t stick to the letter of the color law. If you’re looking for an extra colorful monitor, MSI is a good choice.

Turning the backlight down to 200 nits had no effect on gamut accuracy. The difference is just 0.511dE, which can’t be seen by the naked eye. In both cases, the only colors that are off-target are red and green at 80 and 100% and magenta at 100%. The rest of the gamut is pretty much on the money.

MSI markets the MAG271CQR as supporting DCI-P3, so  we measured against that standard too. It hit the red and blue 100% targets but falls a bit short in green, so the monitor can be said to deliver most of the P3 gamut. The inner targets are fairly under-saturated. Ultimately, displaying DCI-mastered content on this monitor wouldn’t be ideal, as the image would look a little washed out unless it was very bright. This is best considered an sRGB monitor with extra saturation in the brightest tones.

Comparisons

Given all the tweaking MSI has done to the color gamut, you might think the color gamut error would be high, but it’s not. By hitting all the inner targets, there are only a few areas at the perimeter of the gamut that are off. This is a good approach to providing extra color without straying too far from the realm of accuracy. While we’d prefer all measurements to be on target, the MAG271CQR delivers an excellent picture that will satisfy most users.

With those extended primaries, sRGB volume is just over 120%, and DCI-P3 manages to crack the 80% barrier. The MAG271CQR is not suitable for color-critical tasks without a custom profile in place. But it looks great when gaming or watching video content.

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Viewing Angles, Uniformity, Response and Lag

Viewing Angles

VA monitors’ off-axis image quality falls between that of IPS and TN. In the MAG271CQR’s case, light falloff is small at only about 30%, and the color shift is subtle. You can see a bit of green and red in the 30-50% steps, but other brightness levels are still neutral at 45 degrees to the sides. From the top, detail is reduced significantly, and light is reduced again by around 30%. This is better than average performance when compared to the majority of VA monitors.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

If you like playing games in the dark, there won’t be any bleed or glow artifacts to spoil the fun. Thin-bezel monitors sometimes show a little glow around the edges, but MSI avoided that pitfall. Our MAG271CQR sample displayed excellent screen uniformity. With an overall score of just 9.48%, we couldn’t see any light or dark spots anywhere.

Pixel Response & Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

The MAG271CQR is one of the fastest 144 Hz screens we’ve ever tested. Not only does it post an excellent 7ms full-frame draw time, it only showed 25ms total lag in our mouse-movement test. Only a handful of higher-refresh-rate monitors are quicker and only by imperceptible amounts.

Our gaming experience was equally impressive with instant response to control inputs and no visible motion blur in any gaming or video content. You won’t need the backlight strobe feature with this monitor.

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Conclusion

At this writing, the MSI Optix MAG271CQR sells for $400. That makes it a little pricier than some 27-inch QHD monitors, but not as costly as premium ones. The bang-for-the-buck quotient is high with a subtle but beneficial curvature, super-colorful image and fantastic gaming performance.

Though color doesn’t adhere strictly to the standard, it’s manipulated in a positive way. The resulting image is bright and saturated without looking blown-out or cartoonish.

We only have two wishes for the MAG271CQR. One would be the addition of an sRGB mode for those seeking perfect color. Given our test results, we speculate that an instrumented calibration may not be necessary. We’d also like improved gamma. If the monitor came closer to the ideal 2.2 luminance curve, it would look even better. It presents an excellent picture, but there’s potential for improvement. Indeed, you can find better image quality from other QHD, 144Hz monitors, including the Razer Raptor 27. But although that monitor has some of the best image quality we've ever seen, it's also much pricier ($700 at the time of publishing). 

Once we started gaming, the speedy and smooth video processing took center-stage. The MAG271CQR makes the most of its 144 Hz with one of the lowest input lag scores we’ve recorded. That, coupled with FreeSync or G-Sync (unofficially), make it a great choice for gamers running a wide variety of hardware, and you don’t need a premium graphics card.

With all this versatility, if you’re looking for a 27-incher to outfit a mid- to high-priced gaming rig, the MSI Optix MAG271CQR should be on your short list.

Image Credits: MSI, Tom's Hardware

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This is the laptop AMD fans have been waiting for (on the entry level, anyway). The MSI Alpha 15 ($999.00 to start; $1,099.00 as tested) features an AMD Ryzen 7 3750H CPU and the 7nm AMD Radeon RX 5500M GPU. The performance is middling, excluding the Alpha from our list of best gaming laptops, but MSI tries to make up for it with a comfortable keyboard by SteelSeries and a bright display.

Design

I thought it would never happen, but it did; MSI ditched the dragon. The Alpha 15 instead features a green bird with a red eye on its black aluminum lid. Like many other MSI laptops, there are two ridges on the cover, providing some texture, but it’s otherwise just plain black.

When it’s open, the Alpha looks a bit like a business notebook. It has dark gray thin bezels around the sides of the 15.6-inch display. The MSI logo is on the thicker bottom bezel, and the deck is silver. The only giveaway about this being a gaming notebook is the RGB lighting around the keys.

At 14.1 x 9.8 x 1 inches (358.1 x 248.9 x 25.4mm) and 5 pounds (2.3kg), the Alpha 15 is of a similar size to competitors but is slightly lighter. The Dell G3 15 is 5.4 pounds and 14.4 x 10 x 0.9 inches, and the Lenovo Legion Y545 is 5.3 pounds and 14.2 x 10.5 x 1 inches.

There’s a strong selection of ports on the Alpha. On the left side there’s a lock slot, an Ethernet jack, HDMI, Mini DisplayPort, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port and separate headphone and microphone jacks. The right side offers another two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, an SD card slot and a barrel jack for the power.

Specifications

Gaming, Graphics and VR

The MSI Alpha 15 is the first gaming laptop we’ve tested with a Radeon RX 5500M. It’s an entry-level gaming GPU, so you won’t be able to play games on the highest settings. When I played Control, the game ran at around 45 frames per second (fps), with occasional dips into the 30s.

In most cases, the Alpha 15’s numbers were close to those of two laptops with GTX 1650 GPUs that we've tested: the Dell G3 15 and Lenovo Legion Y545. The Dell packs an Intel Core i5 CPU, while the Legion uses an Intel Core i7.

On the Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark at FHD resolution with very high settings, the Alpha ran the game at 28 fps, below the 46-fps mainstream gaming average, as well as both the Dell G3 and the Legion. It’s also below what we consider playable (a minimum of 30 fps).

On Hitman 2’s Miami benchmark (FHD, ultra), it ran at 56 fps, falling short of the 68 fps average and the Legion (78 fps) but beating the Dell G3 (51 fps.)

And on Grand Theft Auto V (FHD, very high), the Alpha 15 ran the game at 41 fps, below the average (56 fps) and the Legion (62 fps) but a few frames above the Dell.

To stress test the Alpha 15, we ran Metro Exodus 15 times on a loop on the high preset. MSI’s laptop ran the test at an average of 39.3 fps, which was largely consistent between the runs. The CPU reached an average clock speed of 3.3 GHz and an average temperature of 69.1 degrees Celsius (156.4 degrees Fahrenheit). The GPU ran at an average temperature of 55.9 degrees Celsius (132.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

Productivity Performance

With an AMD Radeon 7 3750H CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB M.2 SSD, the Alpha 15 provides enough performance for simple productivity alongside gaming, but not much else.

On the Geekbench 4.3 overall performance benchmark, the Alpha 15 earned a score of 13,980, falling below the mainstream gaming average (20,171), as well as the Lenovo Legion Y545 (23,868 with an Intel Core i7-9750H and 16GB of RAM). But it’s a higher score than the Dell G3 15 (16,650, Intel Core i5-9300, 8GB).

The Alpha copied 4.97GB of files in 11 seconds, a rate of 484.7 MBps. That’s faster than both the Dell G3 and the Legion, as well as the average (417 MBps).

It took the Alpha 14 minutes and 51 seconds to transcode a video from 4K resolution to FHD in our Handbrake test, which is slower than the average (10:45) as well as both the G3 and the Legion.

Display

The Alpha 15 we tested came with a 15.6-inch FHD display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time. It’s brighter than many of its competitors and is suitably vivid for its price. The red lights in the Oldest House in Control were evocative; although, the wooden walls were a bland brown.

When I watched a trailer for the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, Sonic’s blue fur was bright and lively, but a forest area where Dr. Robotnik is first introduced was kind of dull.

MSI’s panel measured an average 311 nits of brightness, which is higher than the 278 nits and brighter than both the Dell G3 and the Legion Y545.

Keyboard and Touchpad

MSI continued its partnership with SteelSeries with the Alpha’s keyboard. That’s a good thing because the keys are clicky and bouncy. On the 10fastfingers.com typing test, I reached 101 words per minute with a 2% error rate, all of which is reasonable for me.

In the SteelSeries Engine 3 app, you can customize the per-key RGB lighting on the keyboard.

The 2.4 x 4.3 touchpad is spacious enough for everyday productivity and web browsing. It feels a bit cheap, but with Windows 10 precision drivers, even three and four-finger gestures worked without an issue.

Audio

The Alpha has a pair of 2W speakers that are wholly and entirely disappointing. When I listened to Incubus’ “Drive,” the vocals squeaked at high points, and the entire song, including the guitars and drums, was fuzzy. It got more than loud enough to fill our lab, but it didn’t sound good doing it. Nothing in the included Nahimic audio software did anything to help.

It wasn’t as bad when I played Control, which has fewer high pitches, but the sound was still on the grainy side.

Upgradeability

To get into the MSI Alpha 15, you need to remove 12 screws with a Phillips-head screwdriver (one of these is under a “factory seal” label). Then, you’ll need a spudger to pry off the bottom cover, which takes some patience but is easy enough once you get it started.

Once that comes off, you can see the SSD, the RAM (below a thin heat shield) and the Wi-Fi card.

The SSD would be a pain to upgrade because the screw to hold it down is located beneath the heat pipes from the cooler. To change that out, you would need to remove the entire cooler, perform the swap, re-apply thermal paste on the CPU and GPU and then put the cooler back.

On the bright side, there is space for a 2.5-inch HDD on the left side, which was empty on our model.

The two RAM modules are located to the left of the SSD and are simple to replace.

Battery Life

Gaming notebooks have a reputation for poor battery life, and the Alpha 15 doesn’t do anything to overcome that. It ran for 3 hours and 55 minutes on our battery test, which browses the web, streams video and runs OpenGL tests over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. That matches the mainstream gaming average exactly.

The Legion Y545 fared a little worse at 3:38, but the Dell G3 15 outdid the others at 6:41.

Heat

We took skin temperature readings while running our stress test with Metro Exodus. It measured 28.7 degrees Celsius (83.7 degrees Fahrenheit) on the touchpad and 38.4 degrees Celsius (101.1 degrees Fahrenheit) between the G and H keys on the keyboard.

On the bottom of the laptop, the hottest spot measured 44.9 degrees Celsius (112.8 degrees Fahrenheit).

Webcam

The 720p webcam on the Alpha 15 takes grainy images, so I wouldn’t use it for anything beyond video chats with family or friends. My black and gray flannel shirt appeared light gray and blue, while my blue eyes appeared gray. Some webcams catch all of the colors in my beard, but this one didn’t.

Software and Warranty

MSI puts a bit more software on the Alpha 15 than other vendors. The main app is MSI Dragon Center, a one-stop hub to monitor system statistics, settings and check for updates.

But there’s a bunch of bloat, too, like AudioDirector, ColorDirector, PhotoDirector and Music Maker Jam. Also of questionable utility is the MSI App Player, which can run mobile Android games. But without a touchscreen, it doesn’t have the proper controls for many of them.

There’s also the usual bloat built into Windows 10, like Candy Crush Friends, Hulu and Spotify.

MSI sells the Alpha 15 with a one-year warranty.

Configurations

We reviewed a $1,099 configuration of the Alpha 15, with an AMD Ryzen 7 3750H, AMD Radeon RX 5500M (4GB), 16GB of RAM, a 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD and a FHD 144Hz display.

For $999, you get the same CPU, GPU and storage but with 8GB of RAM and a display with a lower refresh rate of 120Hz.

Bottom Line

For the price, the MSI Alpha 15 delivers adequate, albeit middling, gaming performance, a bright display, plenty of ports and a comfy keyboard.

If you’re an AMD-only type of user, this is for you. There’s nothing else like it in the space. If you’re open to Intel and Nvidia options, the Lenovo Legion Y545 will offer more power for the same $1,099 price, but you’ll get less storage space unless you pay extra. You can get similar performance for less with some models of the Dell G3 15.

If you prefer the extra space and a brighter screen to better gameplay, the MSI Alpha 15 will be worth the sacrifices to some.

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Motherboard vendors, including Gigabyte and AsRock,are rolling out their latest offerings for the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3000 CPUs announced yesterday. MSI's lineup features three motherboards: the MSI Creator TRX40, MSI TRX40 10G and the MSI TRX40 Pro WiFi.

MSI Creator TRX40: MSI’s Top TRX40 Board

The top-tier board is the Creator TRX40; although, we suspect MSI will one day build a more overclocking-oriented board. The Creator TRX40 comes with a 16+3-phase VRM circuit, which feeds power to the Threadripper 3000 CPU installed in its sTRX4 CPU socket. The motherboard carries the usual eight DDR4 slots for quad-channel memory support and has four PCIe 4.0 x16 slots, though two of these will only have access to eight PCIe lanes instead of all 16. MSI hasn't taken any shortcuts around storage either, packing the board with three M.2 slots, each having access to four PCIe 4.0 lanes for a total of 64 Gbps of bandwidth per unit. 

But if that’s not enough storage for you, MSI, much like Gigabyte, is including its M.2 Xpander-Aero Gen3 add-in-card (AIC), which adds support for four additional 110mm long M.2 NMVe SSDs, each also having access to four PCIe x16 lanes, so in total you’ll be able to install up to seven M.2 SSDs in this bad boy.

MSI has also included 10 Gigabit Ethernet on the Creator TRX40 by means of an Aquantia AQX107 chip. Next to this Ethernet port is another that connects through to a standard Intel i211AT Gigabit Ethernet chip.

Of course, it doesn’t quite stop there. The Creator board, being the top-tier board also has some extra cooling goodies. The VRM circuitry is cooled by a large heatsink, which extends to the I/O block at the rear of the motherboard through a heat pipe. Another heat pipe connects the heatsink, going around the DRAM slots to the chipset, which is cooled by a chipset fan.

All Aboard: TRX40 Pro 10G & TRX40 Pro WiFi

For those seeking a board with less gear, MSI also announced the TRX40 Pro 10G and TRX40 Pro WiFi. These motherboards also come with the TRX40 chipset and an sTRX4 socket but skip luxuries like the lavish VRM circuitry and cooling equipment in favor of a slightly more palatable price tag.

Both of these boards feature the same basic design with a 12+3 phase power circuit for the CPU and a chipset fan. The TRX Pro 10G comes with an AIC to equip it with 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and the TRX40 Pro WiFi comes with onboard WiFi capabilities for users not in the vicinity of networking hardware. Both still feature dual-onboard Intel Gigabit Ethernet, and MSI throws in the M.2 Xpander-Z Gen4 add in card, which is like the AIC included with the Creator TRX40 but only capable of housing two M.2 SSDs over four PCIe 4.0 lanes per SSD. On-board they each also have two M.2 slots, so in total you’ll be able to mount four M.2 cards on these boards with RAID 1, 0 and 10.

MSI hasn’t revealed pricing yet, but we expect more information to be available nearing November 25, when the Threadripper 3000 CPUs will be available.

It appears that AMD's upcoming AGESA 1.0.0.4 micrcode (think of a microcode as being like CPU firmware) not only improves the all-core boost clock speed for AMD Ryzen 3000-series chips, but also delivers shorter boot times. 

MSI has deployed new firmwares with the AGESA 1.0.0.4 Patch B microcode for its X570 motherboards. The company is touting improvement in boot times by up to 20%. MSI's test system used the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 CPU, MSI's MEG X570 Godlike motherboard and a pair of 8GB DDR4 memory modules (brand not specified).

Hong Kong media HKEPC tested MSI's latest firmware on the over-engineered MEG X570 Godlike motherboard, and the reported results were in line with MSI's figures.

Since the time your PC takes to boot into Windows is dependent on a number of factors, MSI and HKEPC measured the time it takes to get inside the motherboard's BIOS instead.

On the AGESA 1.0.0.3 ABBA microcode, HKEPC registered a boot time of 22 seconds. When HKEPC switched over to the AGESA 1.0.0.4 microcode, the boot time went down to 17 seconds, a 22.7% improvement.

The publication also measured the boot times after clearing the motherboard's CMOS. With the current AGESA 1.0.0.3 ABBA microcode, the MEG X570 Godlike motherboard took 34 seconds to boot up. The boot time decreased to 26 seconds on the AGESA 1.0.0.4 microcode, a 23.5% reduction.

The new firmware is available as of today for MSI X570 motherboards. MSI 400-series Max motherboard owners will get theirs in the middle of November, while MSI 400-and 300-series motherboard users have to wait until the end of November.

MSI today announced two new X299 motherboards, the Creator X299 and X299 Pro10G, for Intel’s upcoming 18-core LGA 2066 CPUs. As the names imply, Creator X299 focuses on creative types with Thunderbolt 3, while the X299 Pro10G focuses on its 10GbE interface. 

Specs

The Creator X299 gets the longer list, and perhaps the most interesting of these features is its triple EPS12V (8-pin CPU 12V power) connectors that are tied to a 90A voltage regulator. Notice that the Creator gets onboard 10GbE in addition to its four x16-length PCIe slots and Thunderbolt 3 expansion card. Space for this integration comes via an expansion from the standard ATX depth. MSI calls this EATX, but there are a bunch of ATX PC cases with an extra 1.1 inch of clearance at the motherboard’s front edge.

The X299 Pro10G gets its namesake feature via a PCIe x4 expansion card while retaining the classic ATX dimensions. Unfortunately, installing that card could dictate the number of graphics cards that a PC builder can install and/or their placement.

Both boards also feature a PCIe x8 to dual M.2 expansion card, the use of which places further restrictions on the number of graphics cards installed and their placement.

Here’s how MSI addresses the extra four lanes available from the new 18-core processors:

The Creator X299 sacrifices four lanes for an installed M.2 device when using a 44-lane (rather than the new 48-lane) CPU, but users of the X299 Pro10G are told to look up a table for presumably more complicated sharing schemes under similar circumstances. 

Alongside AMD's Radeon 5500 series desktop graphics card, MSI today announced its Alpha 15 laptop, the first with a Radeon RX 5500M GPU. The laptop will start at $999 and is expected to release by the end of the month.

Details on the laptop are still limited, but we do know the AMD's new mobile RX 5500M will be driving a 15-inch, 1920x1080 144 Hz IPS panel (in some models) that supports FreeSync, alongside a quad-core, eight-thread AMD Ryzen 7 3750H processor.

The base $999 model will have a 120Hz display, 8GB of RAM and a single-zone backlit keyboard. For $1,099, you get a SteelSeries per-key RGB keyboard and 16GB of RAM with 144Hz display -- which sounds like a pretty good upgrade for an extra $100.

Performance of the 5500M is said to be up to 30% faster than the GTX 1650 mobile part and in line with AMD’s performance metric of “60 fps in AAA titles and 90 FPS in eSports games.” The AAA titles AMD is talking about with the RX 5500M include Borderlands 3, The Division 2, Civ 6, World War Z, Monster Hunter: World and Battlefield 5. AMD and MSI claim that the system managed to reach 90 fps on popular eSports titles such as World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth, PUBG and Apex Legends.

At 357.7 x 248 x 27.5 mm, MSI claims that the Alpha 15's chassis is 11% smaller than competing 15-inch notebooks. Its bezels are just 5mm thick on the sides of the display.

Also notable is the laptop's, which is not a MSI dragon we're used to, but a Thunderbird.

Like many MSI laptops before it, the Alpha 15 will include a keyboard made in conjunction with SteelSeries in the $1,099 model. Under the shell, MSI's Cooler Boost 5 tech utilizes 7 heat pipes with 3 exhausts for cooling, which sounds ample for what seems to amount to a mainstream gaming notebook.

We look forward to putting the MSI Alpha 15 through a full battery of tests to see how it stacks up against competing Intel/Nvida laptops in the $1,000 price range, and how competitive the Radeon RX 5500M will be in a graphics space that's been all but completely dominated by GTX and RTX models for several years. Clearly the RX 5500M isn't going to take on high-end GPUs like the RTX 2070 or 2080, but the fact that AMD has a fresh new offering in the mainstream realm is of course good for competition.

And the fact that MSI went out of its way to both have a laptop to announce with it on launch day is probably a good sign. The only real question there is whether the company created the Alpha brand because it's confident that it's a line the company can expand behind AMD, or if they're trying to draw a distinction between the kind of experience you can expect with a dragon-branded MSI laptop, and what you'll get with an AMD-powered Alpha.

Update 9/10/2019: MSI today released the PS341WU monitor for pre-order today at B&H exclusively. It's listed for  $1,199.99, which is $100 cheaper than MSI expected the monitor to cost when we checked it out in May. The retailer is also giving out a $200 B&H gift card with each 
PS341WU monitor purchased until September 29.

MSI also announced that P100 desktop will be available in October. 

Original article 5/26/19:

MSI is putting the final touches on its Prestige PS341WU monitor, a 5120 x 2160 resolution, 34-inch display targeting creatives with its crisp white design and premium color capabilities. The vendor showed off the display ahead of Computex 2019 in Taipei, Taiwan this week and confirmed a Q3 release date.

This monitor is one that's sure to catch the attention of someone walking past your workstation with its bright white plastic build, thin bezels and rectangular base, not to mention the subtle gold accents in its base, stand (which offers plenty of vertical movement, as well as swivel and tilt) and MSI badge on the back.

First unveiled at the CES tech show in January, the ultrawide has a 21:9 ratio (true 5K resolution is 5120 x 2880), which MSI noted offers creatives 33% extra work area when working on 16:9 content in 4K resolution. The display carries a standard 60 Hz refresh rate and 5 ms response time. 

Appealing to professionals working on video and movies, it covers 98% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and 100% sRGB, while also boasting DisplayHDR 600 certification, which promises 600 nits max brightness and high-contrast HDR content delivery. The monitor's contrast ratio is pegged at 1,200:1, and its color count is a whopping 1.07 billion.

Speaking of colors, Prestige PS341WU is working with an anti-glare Nano IPS screen, which is basically a form of IPS that promises brighter and more saturated colors.

An interesting touch is the monitor’s ability to synchronize with desktops and laptops in MSI’s Prestige creative line to match preferences for the user’s preferred content creation applications.

Ports are aplenty with two HDMI 2.0 and one each of DisplayPort 1,  USB 3.1 Gen1 Type A, USB 3.1 Gen1 Type B, 3.5mm headphone jack, mic in and an audio jack combo for connecting your PC to the monitor. 

You can expect MSI’s Prestige PS341WU to often be used alongside the matching white Prestige P100 Series desktop, also detailed at Computex this week.

Ahead of IFA in Berlin, MSI is introducing a new suite of laptops focused on content creation with Intel’s new tenth generation “Comet Lake” processors. The company didn’t reveal precise specs or release dates, but the new laptops are available for pre-order today through Newegg.

The new laptops are the MSI Modern 14 and the MSI Prestige 14 and 15. The biggest difference is that the Modern will go up to Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics, while the Prestige laptops will go up to GTX 1650 Max-Q. While the Prestige laptops will have 4K options, the Modern will only go up to FHD.

A number of specs weren’t fully detailed at press time, including exact  storage sizes and amounts of RAM.

The Prestige laptops are being touted as mobile workstations with what MSI calls a “True Pixel” display; that means a 4K panel that covers 100% of the AdobeRGB color gamut with a Delta-E value of less than 2. MSI is claiming 16 hours of battery life on the 15-inch notebook and and 14 hours on the 14 incher.

All three will come in a “carbon gray” color and aluminum chassis. I found the Modern felt a bit more solid than the Prestige options. Additionally, the content creation laptops are getting a new font on the keyboards to separate them from prior models, which shared a font with the gaming machines.