MSI B560M Pro-E DDR4 Intel Motherboard

The MSI B560M Pro-E is a Micro-ATX motherboard built on the Intel B560 chipset and designed for Intel LGA1200 processors. It supports both 10th-generation and 11th-generation Intel Core, Pentium Gold, and Celeron processors, giving builders flexibility whether upgrading from an existing platform or starting fresh. Memory configuration centres on two DDR4 slots capable of holding up to 64 GB of non-ECC, unbuffered RAM in dual-channel mode. Native JEDEC speeds reach 3200 MHz on 11th-gen CPUs, with XMP overclocking headroom of up to 4800 MHz (1DPC 1R) — useful for users who want to extract extra bandwidth from compatible memory kits. Expansion is handled by a PCIe x16 slot wired directly to the CPU, running at PCIe 4.0 bandwidth when paired with an 11th-gen processor or PCIe 3.0 with a 10th-gen chip. A secondary PCIe 3.0 x1 slot from the PCH provides room for add-in cards. The single M.2 Key-M slot supports both NVMe (PCIe 3.0 x4) and SATA drives in 2242, 2260, and 2280 lengths; note that using an M.2 SATA drive disables the SATA4 port. Four SATA 6 Gb/s ports round out the storage connectivity. For video output, the board carries an HDMI 2.0b port (4K at 60 Hz) and a VGA port (up to 2048×1536 at 60 Hz), both active only when using a processor with integrated graphics. Networking is handled by the Intel I219V gigabit LAN controller, a reliable enterprise-grade solution. Onboard audio uses the Realtek ALC897 codec for 7.1-channel HD Audio. USB connectivity includes four USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports — two rear Type-A plus two via an internal header — and six USB 2.0 ports distributed between the rear panel and internal connectors. The rear I/O panel also includes PS/2 for legacy peripherals. Diagnostics are simplified through EZ Debug LEDs, which indicate boot issues related to CPU, memory, VGA, or storage. The board uses a UEFI AMI BIOS on a 256 Mb flash chip with ACPI 6.2 and SMBIOS 3.0 support. The PCIe x16 slot features MSI Steel Armor reinforcement with extra solder points to support heavier graphics cards and provide shielding against electromagnetic interference. A TPM module connector and chassis intrusion connector are also present for security-conscious deployments. Verified Specifications: Chipset: Intel B560 | Socket: LGA1200 | Form Factor: mATX (23.6 cm × 20.2 cm) | Memory: 2× DDR4, max 64 GB, up to 4800 MHz OC | PCIe: 1× x16 (CPU, PCIe 4.0 / 3.0), 1× x1 PCIe 3.0 | Storage: 4× SATA 6 Gb/s, 1× M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4 / SATA) | Audio: Realtek ALC897 7.1-ch HD | LAN: Intel I219V 1 Gbps | Display: HDMI 2.0b (4K/60Hz), VGA | USB: 4× USB 3.2 Gen 1, 6× USB 2.0 | BIOS: UEFI AMI | Warranty: 3 Years