MSI MPG Z690 Carbon EK X Wifi DDR5 Intel Motherboard

The MSI MPG Z690 Carbon EK X WiFi is a full-size ATX motherboard built on the Intel Z690 chipset for 12th Generation Intel Core, Pentium Gold, and Celeron processors using the LGA 1700 socket. Its most distinctive feature is a custom-designed EK monoblock that delivers integrated water cooling across the CPU, VRM, and primary M.2 zone simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate cooling blocks and helping sustain performance under sustained workloads. On the memory side, four DDR5 slots support up to 128 GB of non-ECC unbuffered RAM. JEDEC baseline speed sits at 4800 MHz, while Intel XMP 3.0 profiles push single-rank, single-DIMM-per-channel configurations to 6666+ MHz. Dual-channel mode is supported through the board's Dual Controller architecture. Expansion is handled by three PCIe x16 slots: the primary two lanes from the CPU support PCIe 5.0 in x16/x0 or x8/x8 configurations, while the third slot from the chipset runs PCIe 3.0 x4. Storage is equally well-provisioned, with five M.2 Key-M slots — four running PCIe 4.0 x4 and one running PCIe 3.0 x4 — plus six SATA 6 Gb/s ports. M.2 slots 2 through 5 support Intel Optane Memory and Smart Response Technology. All M.2 slots are covered by M.2 Shield Frozr heatsinks to help maintain SSD thermal performance. Networking is handled by an Intel I225V 2.5 Gbps wired LAN controller and an Intel Wi-Fi 6E module (802.11ax, 2.4/5/6 GHz, up to 2.4 Gbps, MU-MIMO TX/RX, Bluetooth 5.2). The back panel provides a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20 Gbps Type-C port, five USB 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps Type-A ports, four USB 2.0 ports, HDMI 2.1 (4K 60 Hz), DisplayPort 1.4, optical S/PDIF output, and a Flash BIOS button. Audio is powered by a Realtek ALC4080 codec delivering 7.1-channel HD audio with S/PDIF output. The board carries an 18+1+1 phase direct power design with dual 8-pin ATX 12V connectors and is built on an 8-layer, 2 oz copper PCB. MYSTIC LIGHT RGB supports 16.8 million colours across 4-pin RGB, 3-pin ARGB, and 3-pin Corsair LED headers. AMD CrossFire multi-GPU is supported. A pre-installed I/O shield and nine mounting holes conform to the standard ATX form factor (305 mm × 244 mm). OS support covers Windows 11 and Windows 10 (64-bit), and MSI provides a 3-year warranty. Verified Specifications: - Socket: LGA 1700 | Chipset: Intel Z690 - Memory: 4× DDR5, up to 128 GB, XMP 3.0, up to 6666+ MHz (OC) - PCIe: 2× PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU), 1× PCIe 3.0 x4 (chipset) - M.2: 5× Key-M (4× PCIe 4.0 x4, 1× PCIe 3.0 x4) - SATA: 6× 6 Gb/s - USB rear: 1× Gen 2x2 20 Gbps Type-C, 5× Gen 2 10 Gbps Type-A, 4× USB 2.0 - LAN: Intel I225V 2.5 Gbps | Wi-Fi: Intel Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2 - Audio: Realtek ALC4080, 7.1-channel - Power: 18+1+1 phases, dual 8-pin 12V - Form Factor: ATX, 305 × 244 mm | Warranty: 3 Years