MSI MEG Z890 Ace Wifi7 DDR5 Intel Motherboard

The MSI MEG Z890 Ace is a full-size ATX motherboard built on the Intel Z890 chipset, designed for Intel Core Ultra Processors (Series 2) in the LGA 1851 socket. With a 243.84 mm × 304.8 mm PCB and eight copper layers using 2 oz thickened copper construction, the board is engineered for both sustained performance and long-term reliability. At the heart of its power delivery is a 24+2+1+1 Duet Rail Power System featuring 110A Smart Power Stages and dual 8-pin CPU power connectors. This setup, combined with MSI’s Core Boost and OC Engine technology, provides headroom for serious CPU overclocking on supported Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors. Memory support spans four DDR5 UDIMM slots with a maximum capacity of 256 GB. In a single-DIMM-per-channel, single-rank configuration, memory can be pushed up to 9200+ MT/s (OC) with Intel XMP 3.0 and CUDIMM support. JEDEC speeds range from 4800 to 6400 MT/s depending on configuration. Storage options are extensive: five M.2 connectors are onboard, with M.2_1 and M.2_4 capable of PCIe 5.0 x4 bandwidth from the CPU, delivering the throughput needed for next-generation NVMe SSDs. Four SATA 6 Gbps ports round out storage, and RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 are supported for both SATA and NVMe arrays. Connectivity is a strong suit. The rear panel includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports (up to 40 Gbps each), a Marvell AQC113CS 10 Gbps wired LAN port, and an Intel Killer BE1750x Wi-Fi 7 module supporting 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands (up to 5.8 Gbps, 320 MHz channel width, MLO, 4KQAM, Bluetooth 5.4). USB coverage is comprehensive: 11× USB 10 Gbps Type-A and 2× USB 10 Gbps Type-C at the rear, plus a front-panel USB 20 Gbps Type-C header with 60 W USB Power Delivery. Audio is handled by a Realtek ALC4082 codec paired with an ESS9219Q DAC/headphone amplifier, delivering 7.1-channel USB audio and up to 32-bit/384 kHz playback on the front panel with S/PDIF output. Thermal management uses MSI’s Frozr Guard system: a wavy-fin heatsink with Direct Touch Cross Heat-pipe, MOSFET baseplate, 9 W/mK thermal pads, and Double-Sided M.2 Shield Frozr heatsinks on storage slots. Addressable RGB headers (3× JARGB V2, 1× JRGB) and MSI’s EZ DIY features — including tool-free EZ Magnetic M.2 Shield Frozr II and EZ PCIe Release — simplify installation and customisation. Key Specifications: – Chipset: Intel Z890 – Socket: LGA 1851 – Form Factor: ATX (243.84 mm × 304.8 mm) – Memory: 4× DDR5 UDIMM, up to 256 GB; up to 9200+ MT/s (OC, 1DPC 1R); XMP 3.0, CUDIMM – PCIe Slots: 2× PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU), 1× PCIe 4.0 x4 (Chipset) – Storage: 5× M.2 (2× PCIe 5.0, 3× PCIe 4.0), 4× SATA 6G – LAN: Marvell AQC113CS 10 Gbps – Wireless: Intel Killer BE1750x Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 5.4 – Thunderbolt: 2× Thunderbolt 4 (rear, 40 Gbps) – Audio: Realtek ALC4082 + ESS9219Q, 7.1-ch, 32-bit/384 kHz – USB: 11× 10 Gbps Type-A + 2× 10 Gbps Type-C (rear); 1× 20 Gbps Type-C (front) – Power: 24+2+1+1 Duet Rail, 110A SPS, dual 8-pin CPU – Warranty: 3 Years