MSI MPG Z790 Carbon WIFI II DDR5 Intel Motherboard

The MSI MPG Z790 Carbon WIFI II DDR5 is an ATX-form-factor motherboard (243.84 mm × 304.8 mm) built on the Intel Z790 chipset and designed for LGA 1700 processors. It supports Intel Core 12th, 13th, and 14th Generation CPUs as well as Intel Pentium Gold and Celeron processors on the same socket, making it a strong platform for both current and legacy Intel builds. At the heart of the power delivery is a Direct 19+1+1 phase VRM design paired with dual CPU power connectors and 105 A Smart Power Stage components. The extended heatsink and direct-touch heat pipe connect the two MOS heatsinks to enlarge the heat-dissipation surface, while high-quality 7 W/mK MOSFET and choke thermal pads help sustain peak CPU performance under load. Memory support spans four DDR5 UDIMM slots with a maximum capacity of 256 GB. JEDEC speeds are supported from 4800 MHz up to 5600 MHz, and Intel XMP 3.0 overclocking profiles push frequencies up to 7800+ MHz in a 1DPC 1R configuration. Dual-Controller Dual-Channel mode is also supported. Storage flexibility is delivered through five M.2 slots — one M.2 supporting PCIe 5.0 x4 (direct CPU lanes), three supporting PCIe 4.0 x4, and one supporting PCIe 4.0 x4 or SATA — complemented by six SATA 6 Gbps ports and RAID 0/1/5/10 support across both SATA and NVMe devices. The primary PCIe x16 slot runs PCIe 5.0, delivering up to 128 GB/s bandwidth for discrete graphics cards. Connectivity is highlighted by integrated Wi-Fi 7 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax) with MU-MIMO, tri-band support at 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz (320 MHz channel width) reaching up to 5.8 Gbps, plus Bluetooth 5.4. Wired networking is handled by an Intel 2.5 Gbps LAN controller. The rear I/O panel includes six USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports, one USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, one USB 3.2 Gen2x2 20 Gbps Type-C, HDMI 2.1 (4K 60 Hz, requires integrated graphics), and Optical S/PDIF output. Audio is managed by a Realtek ALC4080 codec with 7.1-channel USB audio output and 32-bit/384 kHz playback capability on the front panel. RGB and ARGB headers (3× JARGB_V2, 1× JRGB, 1× JAF), along with MSI Mystic Light software supporting 16.8 million colours, enable full system lighting synchronisation. Safety features include Transient Voltage Suppressors (TVS), Over Current Protection (OCP) on USB, DDR, PWM IC, and CPU rails, plus an anti-corrosive stainless-steel I/O shield. The board ships with a 3-year warranty. Verifiable Specifications: • Chipset: Intel Z790 • Form Factor: ATX — 243.84 mm × 304.8 mm • CPU Socket: LGA 1700 (Intel 12th / 13th / 14th Gen; Pentium Gold; Celeron) • Memory: 4× DDR5 UDIMM, max 256 GB; JEDEC up to 5600 MHz; XMP 3.0 up to 7800+ MHz • VRM: Direct 19+1+1 phases, 105 A Smart Power Stage • PCIe: 1× PCIe 5.0 x16, 1× PCIe 4.0 x4 (as x16 slot), 1× PCIe 3.0 x1 • Storage: 5× M.2 (1× PCIe 5.0 x4, 3× PCIe 4.0 x4, 1× PCIe 4.0 x4/SATA); 6× SATA 6G • Wireless: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11ax), up to 5.8 Gbps, Bluetooth 5.4 • LAN: Intel 2.5 Gbps • Audio: Realtek ALC4080, 7.1-channel, 32-bit/384 kHz • USB (Rear): 2× USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, 6× USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, 1× USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, 1× USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C • Display: 1× HDMI 2.1 (4K 60 Hz, iGPU required) • Warranty: 3 Years