MSI MPG Z790 Edge Wifi DDR4 Intel Motherboard

The MSI MPG Z790 Edge WiFi DDR4 is an ATX form-factor motherboard built on the Intel Z790 chipset and designed for Intel LGA 1700 socket processors, covering 12th and 13th Generation Intel Core, Pentium Gold, and Celeron families. It offers a compelling combination of high-bandwidth connectivity, robust power delivery, and premium thermal management, making it a solid platform for demanding gaming and content-creation workloads. On the connectivity front, the board ships with a PCIe 5.0 x16 primary slot sourced directly from the CPU, ensuring compatibility with the latest discrete graphics cards. Five M.2 slots are provided — four operating at PCIe 4.0 x4 and one with an additional SATA mode option — alongside seven SATA 6 Gbps ports, giving builders generous storage flexibility. RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 is supported across both SATA and M.2 NVMe devices. Memory support covers four DDR4 DIMM slots with a maximum installed capacity of 128 GB. Frequencies range from 2133 MHz (JEDEC) up to 5333+ MHz in single-DIMM-per-channel single-rank configurations via XMP 3.0 overclocking profiles. Dual-channel operation is supported across all populated configurations. Networking is handled by an Intel 2.5 Gbps wired LAN controller and a pre-installed Intel Wi-Fi 6E module operating across 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands (160 MHz) with MU-MIMO TX/RX and speeds up to 2.4 Gbps. Bluetooth 5.3 is also integrated. Audio is delivered by a Realtek ALC4080 codec supporting 7.1-channel USB HD audio with up to 32-bit/384 kHz playback on the front panel output. Power delivery uses a 16+1+1 Duet Rail power system fed by dual 8-pin CPU power connectors. Thermal management includes an enlarged VRM heatsink with heat-pipe, 7 W/mK MOSFET thermal pads, choke thermal pads, and double-sided M.2 Shield Frozr heatsinks on the storage slots. The 6-layer PCB is constructed from server-grade materials and measures 243.84 mm × 304.8 mm (ATX standard). USB connectivity is comprehensive, with a rear panel complement of four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, four USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, and one USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C (20 Gbps) ports. Display output for processors with integrated graphics includes HDMI 2.1 (up to 4K 60 Hz) and DisplayPort 1.4 (up to 8K 60 Hz). Additional headers include three ARGB V2 connectors, one RGB connector, a Thunderbolt header (JTBT with RTD3 support), and a TPM 2.0 pin header. A pre-installed I/O shield and EZ Debug LEDs ease installation and troubleshooting. Verified Specifications: - Chipset: Intel Z790 - Socket: LGA 1700 - CPU Compatibility: 12th / 13th Gen Intel Core, Pentium Gold, Celeron - Memory: 4× DDR4 DIMM, max 128 GB, up to 5333+ MHz (OC/XMP 3.0), dual-channel - Expansion: 1× PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU), 1× PCIe 4.0 x4 (chipset), 1× PCIe 3.0 x1 (chipset) - Storage: 5× M.2 (PCIe 4.0 x4), 7× SATA 6 Gbps - Wireless: Intel Wi-Fi 6E (2.4/5/6 GHz, 160 MHz, up to 2.4 Gbps), Bluetooth 5.3 - LAN: Intel 2.5 Gbps - Audio: Realtek ALC4080, 7.1-channel, 32-bit/384 kHz - Rear USB: 4× USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 4× USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1× USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 1× USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C - Display Output: HDMI 2.1 (4K 60 Hz), DisplayPort 1.4 (8K 60 Hz) — iGPU only - Form Factor: ATX, 243.84 mm × 304.8 mm - OS Support: Windows 11 64-bit, Windows 10 64-bit