MSI Pro Z790-A Wifi DDR5 Intel Motherboard

The MSI Pro Z790-A WiFi is an ATX form-factor motherboard built on Intel's Z790 chipset, designed to support 12th and 13th Generation Intel Core, Pentium Gold, and Celeron processors via the LGA 1700 socket. It is a strong choice for enthusiasts and professionals who want a stable, feature-rich platform for high-performance DDR5 builds. Memory support is a highlight: four DDR5 DIMM slots accommodate up to 128 GB of non-ECC, unbuffered RAM. Speeds reach 4800 MHz at JEDEC specification and scale up to 7200+ MHz under overclocking with Intel XMP 3.0 profiles. The board supports Dual-Controller Dual-Channel mode for maximum memory bandwidth. Expansion connectivity is comprehensive. The primary PCIe x16 slot runs at PCIe 5.0 from the CPU, enabling compatibility with the latest discrete graphics cards. A secondary x16 physical slot operates at PCIe 4.0 x4 via the chipset, and two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots cover legacy peripherals. Four M.2 slots — all running at PCIe 4.0 x4 — provide fast NVMe storage, with M.2_1 supporting up to 22110-length drives. Six SATA 6 Gbps ports round out storage options, and RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 are supported for both SATA and NVMe devices. Networking is handled by an Intel 2.5 Gbps wired LAN controller and an Intel Wi-Fi 6E module pre-installed in the M.2 Key-E slot. Wi-Fi 6E supports the 6 GHz band at 160 MHz channel width for up to 2.4 Gbps throughput, with MU-MIMO TX/RX. Bluetooth 5.3 with FIPS and FISMA compliance is also included. USB connectivity is extensive both at the rear panel and internally. The rear panel includes a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C port at 20 Gbps, three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports at 10 Gbps, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, and two USB 2.0 ports. Internal headers add further front-panel USB options. Audio is driven by a Realtek ALC4080 codec delivering 7.1-channel USB high-performance audio with S/PDIF output. Onboard video outputs include HDMI 2.1 (up to 4K 60 Hz with HDR) and DisplayPort 1.4 (up to 8K 60 Hz) for systems using CPU-integrated graphics. The board's power delivery uses a 16+1+1 DRPS configuration with 80A Smart Power Stages and dual 8-pin CPU power connectors, supported by an extended heatsink with 7 W/mK MOSFET thermal pads, choke thermal pads, and M.2 Shield Frozr heatsinks. The 6-layer PCB uses 2oz thickened copper with server-grade materials. Connectivity features include a Flash BIOS Button, EZ Debug LEDs, Thunderbolt header (JTBT with RTD3), three ARGB V2 headers, one standard RGB header, and a TPM 2.0 pin header. Verified Specifications: - Chipset: Intel Z790 - Socket: LGA 1700 - CPU Support: 12th/13th Gen Intel Core, Pentium Gold, Celeron - Memory: 4x DDR5, max 128 GB, up to 7200+ MHz (OC), XMP 3.0 - Primary PCIe Slot: PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU) - M.2 Slots: 4x PCIe 4.0 x4 (M.2_3 and M.2_4 also support SATA) - SATA: 6x SATA 6 Gbps - LAN: Intel 2.5 Gbps - Wi-Fi: Intel Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax, 6 GHz, up to 2.4 Gbps) - Bluetooth: 5.3 - Audio: Realtek ALC4080, 7.1-channel, S/PDIF out - Rear USB: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C (20 Gbps), 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10 Gbps), 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 2x USB 2.0 - Video Out: HDMI 2.1 (4K 60 Hz), DisplayPort 1.4 (8K 60 Hz) - Form Factor: ATX, 243.84 mm x 304.8 mm - OS Support: Windows 11 64-bit, Windows 10 64-bit - Warranty: 3 Years