MSI MEG Z790 Ace Wifi DDR5 Intel Motherboard

The MSI MEG Z790 Ace WiFi DDR5 is a premium E-ATX motherboard built on the Intel Z790 chipset, designed for 12th and 13th Generation Intel Core, Pentium Gold, and Celeron processors using the LGA 1700 socket. It delivers a high-end platform for enthusiast builders who demand performance, connectivity, and expandability in a single board. At the heart of its power delivery sits a 24+1+2 phase design with 105A Smart Power Stage MOSFETs, backed by dual CPU power connectors. This robust VRM configuration is engineered to sustain demanding workloads and overclocking sessions without thermal compromise. The 8-layer PCB with 2oz thickened copper further reinforces long-term system stability. Memory support extends to four DDR5 UDIMM slots with a maximum capacity of 128GB. The board supports DDR5 speeds up to 7800+ MHz via overclocking (OC) and is compatible with Intel XMP 3.0 profiles, with JEDEC-standard speeds beginning at 4800 MHz. Dual-Controller Dual-Channel mode maximises memory bandwidth for multi-threaded workloads. Storage is addressed by five M.2 slots, one of which (M.2_4) operates at PCIe 5.0 x4 bandwidth from the CPU for next-generation NVMe performance. The remaining four M.2 slots offer PCIe 4.0 x4 or SATA connectivity. Six additional SATA 6Gbps ports round out the storage subsystem. RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 are supported for both SATA and M.2 NVMe arrays. Connectivity is a standout feature. Two onboard Thunderbolt 4 ports (via Intel JHL8540 chip) provide 40Gbps transfer speeds, 8K display passthrough, daisy-chaining support, and up to 15W power delivery per port. The rear panel also includes dual Intel 2.5Gbps LAN ports and an Intel Wi-Fi 6E module pre-installed in the M.2 Key-E slot, supporting tri-band (2.4 / 5 / 6 GHz) operation at up to 2.4Gbps with MU-MIMO and Bluetooth 5.3. Expansion slots comprise three PCIe x16 physical slots: PCI_E1 at PCIe 5.0 x16, PCI_E2 at PCIe 5.0 x8 (both from CPU), and PCI_E3 at PCIe 4.0 x4 (from chipset). AMD Multi-GPU configurations are supported. Audio is handled by the Realtek ALC4082 codec paired with an ESS ES9280AQ combo DAC/headphone amplifier, delivering 7.1-channel USB high-performance audio with up to 32-bit/384 kHz front-panel playback and optical S/PDIF output. USB connectivity includes—rear: 7x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10Gbps), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (10Gbps); front headers: 4x USB 2.0, 4x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C (20Gbps, one with 60W USB Power Delivery). Verified Specifications: – Chipset: Intel Z790 – Form Factor: E-ATX (277 mm x 304.8 mm) – Socket: LGA 1700 – CPU Support: 12th / 13th Gen Intel Core, Pentium Gold, Celeron – Memory: 4x DDR5 UDIMM, max 128GB, up to DDR5-7800+ (OC), XMP 3.0 – M.2 Slots: 5x (1x PCIe 5.0 x4, 4x PCIe 4.0 x4 / SATA) – SATA Ports: 6x SATA 6Gbps – PCIe Slots: 2x PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU), 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 (Chipset) – Thunderbolt: 2x Thunderbolt 4 (JHL8540), 40Gbps – LAN: 2x Intel 2.5Gbps – Wi-Fi: Intel Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3 – Audio: Realtek ALC4082 + ESS ES9280AQ, 7.1-ch, 32-bit/384kHz – Power Phases: 24+1+2, 105A SPS – OS Support: Windows 11 64-bit, Windows 10 64-bit – Warranty: 3 Years