MSI MAG Z690 Torpedo DDR5 Intel Motherboard

The MSI MAG Z690 Torpedo is an ATX form-factor motherboard built around the Intel Z690 chipset and LGA1700 socket, designed to support 12th Generation Intel Core, Pentium Gold, and Celeron processors. It adopts the DDR5 memory standard, offering four DIMM slots capable of accommodating up to 128 GB of non-ECC unbuffered DDR5 RAM. JEDEC base speed sits at 4800 MHz (1R), with overclocking profiles reaching up to 6400+ MHz (1DPC 1R) via Intel XMP 3.0 support, making it a capable platform for memory-intensive workloads and enthusiast builds. Storage flexibility is a strong suit of this board. Four M.2 Key-M slots are on offer: M2_1 (from CPU) supports PCIe 4.0 x4, while M2_2 and M2_4 (from the Z690 chipset) also support PCIe 4.0 x4 plus SATA, and M2_3 supports PCIe 3.0 x4 plus SATA. All four slots are covered by MSI's M.2 Shield Frozr thermal solution to help prevent thermal throttling. Additionally, six SATA 6 Gb/s ports support conventional storage or RAID 0/1/5/10 arrays. RAID 0/1/5 is also available for M.2 NVMe devices. The primary PCIe x16 slot (from the CPU) runs at PCIe 5.0, delivering up to 128 GB/s of bandwidth for next-generation discrete graphics. AMD CrossFire multi-GPU configurations are supported via Steel Armor-reinforced PCIe slots. For integrated-graphics output, an HDMI 2.1 port (4K 60 Hz with HDR) and a DisplayPort 1.4 port (4K 60 Hz, HBR3) are included on the rear panel. Connectivity is comprehensive: a single Intel I225V controller provides 2.5 Gbps wired LAN. The rear USB stack includes one USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C (20 Gbps), two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10 Gbps), two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (5 Gbps), and USB 2.0 ports. Internally, additional USB headers expand capacity further. Audio is handled by a Realtek ALC4080 codec delivering 7.1-channel HD audio with S/PDIF optical output. RGB and system management features include one 4-pin RGB header, three 3-pin addressable RAINBOW LED headers, an EZ LED Control switch, and four EZ Debug LEDs for rapid fault diagnosis. Fan control is extensive, with one CPU fan header, one pump header, and six system fan headers. A Flash BIOS Button on the rear panel enables firmware updates without a CPU or memory installed. Verified Specifications: - Socket: LGA1700 | Chipset: Intel Z690 - Form Factor: ATX, 12 in. x 9.6 in. (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm) - Memory: 4x DDR5 DIMM, max 128 GB, up to 6400+ MHz (OC), XMP 3.0 - Primary PCIe Slot: PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU) - M.2 Slots: 4x (PCIe 4.0 x4 / PCIe 3.0 x4 / SATA) - SATA Ports: 6x SATA 6 Gb/s - LAN: 1x Intel I225V 2.5 Gbps - USB Rear: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20 Gbps Type-C, 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps Type-A, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 5 Gbps Type-A - Audio: Realtek ALC4080, 7.1-channel HD, S/PDIF out - Display Out: HDMI 2.1 (4K 60 Hz), DisplayPort 1.4 (4K 60 Hz) - Warranty: 3 Years