MSI MEG Z790 Ace Max Wifi DDR5 Intel Motherboard

The MSI MEG Z790 Ace Max Wifi is a flagship E-ATX motherboard built on the Intel Z790 chipset, designed for Intel LGA 1700 processors including 12th, 13th, and 14th Generation Core, Pentium Gold, and Celeron series CPUs. It is engineered for builders and overclockers who demand both raw throughput and long-term platform reliability. At the heart of its power delivery sits a 24+1+2 phase power design, with each phase rated at 105A via Smart Power Stage technology and backed by dual CPU power connectors. This configuration is built to sustain sustained loads from high-core-count processors without thermal throttling. Cooling is handled by a Stacked Fin Array heatsink, a Direct Touch Cross Heat-pipe, an aluminum backplate, and 7W/mK thermal pads across VRM zones, complemented by Double-sided M.2 Shield Frozr covers on all M.2 slots. Memory support is extensive: four DDR5 UDIMM slots accommodate up to 192 GB total capacity, with JEDEC speeds starting at 4800 MHz and XMP 3.0 overclocking profiles reaching 7800+ MHz (1DPC 1R configuration). The board supports Dual-Controller Dual-Channel mode and non-ECC unbuffered DIMMs exclusively. Storage options include five M.2 connectors — one of which (M.2_4, sourced from the CPU) runs at PCIe 5.0 x4 for next-generation NVMe drives — plus six SATA 6G ports. RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 are supported for both SATA and M.2 NVMe devices. Three PCIe x16 physical slots are present: the primary (PCI_E1) runs PCIe 5.0 x16 from the CPU, the secondary (PCI_E2) runs PCIe 5.0 x8 from the CPU, and a third (PCI_E3) runs PCIe 4.0 x4 from the chipset. AMD Multi-GPU configurations are supported. Connectivity is a standout: dual onboard Intel 2.5 Gbps LAN ports provide wired redundancy, while the integrated Wi-Fi 7 module (pre-installed in the M.2 Key-E slot) supports 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands with a 320 MHz channel width, MU-MIMO TX/RX, MLO, 4K-QAM, and speeds up to 5.8 Gbps. Bluetooth 5.4 is also included. Two rear-panel Thunderbolt 4 ports (Intel JHL8540 controller) deliver 40 Gbps per port for Thunderbolt devices, 20 Gbps for USB4 devices, and support daisy-chaining up to three Thunderbolt 4 or five Thunderbolt 3 devices each. An 8K display output via Thunderbolt is possible when a discrete GPU's DisplayPort is routed through the onboard Mini DisplayPort input. Audio is handled by a Realtek ALC4082 codec paired with an ESS ES9280AQ combo DAC and headphone amplifier, delivering 7.1-channel USB audio and up to 32-bit/384 kHz playback on the front panel header, with optical S/PDIF output on the rear panel. DIY-friendly features include a patented magnetic screwless M.2 Shield Frozr, EZ M.2 Clips, EZ Antenna connector, pre-installed I/O shield, Flash BIOS Button, Clear CMOS Button, and a Smart Button on the rear panel. Internal RGB headers include three ARGB V2 headers, one standard RGB header, and one combined ARGB+FAN header. VERIFIED SPECIFICATIONS • Chipset: Intel Z790 • Socket: LGA 1700 • Form Factor: E-ATX, 277 mm × 304.8 mm • CPU Support: Intel 12th / 13th / 14th Gen Core; Pentium Gold; Celeron • Memory: 4× DDR5 UDIMM, up to 192 GB, 4800 MHz JEDEC to 7800+ MHz (OC), XMP 3.0 • PCIe Slots: 3× x16 physical (PCIe 5.0 x16 / PCIe 5.0 x8 / PCIe 4.0 x4) • M.2 Slots: 5× (1× PCIe 5.0 x4; 4× PCIe 4.0 x4 or SATA) • SATA: 6× SATA 6G • LAN: 2× Intel 2.5 Gbps • Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), up to 5.8 Gbps, Bluetooth 5.4 • Thunderbolt: 2× Thunderbolt 4 (40 Gbps, JHL8540) • Audio: Realtek ALC4082 + ESS ES9280AQ, 7.1-CH, 32-bit/384 kHz • USB (Rear): 7× USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, 1× USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, 2× Thunderbolt 4 Type-C • USB (Front headers): 4× USB 2.0, 4× USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, 2× USB 3.2 Gen2×2 Type-C • OS Support: Windows 11 64-bit • Warranty: 3 Years