MSI Z590 Plus DDR4 Intel Motherboard

The MSI Z590 Plus is an ATX-form-factor motherboard built on the Intel Z590 chipset, designed to support 10th Gen and 11th Gen Intel Core, Pentium Gold, and Celeron processors in the LGA1200 socket. It is part of MSI's PRO series, which prioritises stable operation, professional workflows, and long-term reliability without the complexity of enthusiast-grade overclocking platforms. Memory flexibility is a key strength of this board. Four DDR4 DIMM slots accommodate up to 128 GB of non-ECC unbuffered RAM, with JEDEC-standard speeds of up to 3200 MHz on 11th Gen CPUs. For builders who want to push further, overclocking via Intel XMP profiles is supported, with single-module configurations reaching up to 5333 MHz under optimised conditions. Storage options are comprehensive. Two M.2 Key-M slots serve different roles: the first (M2_1) draws lanes directly from an 11th Gen processor and supports PCIe 4.0 x4, accommodating drive lengths from 2242 to 22110 mm. The second (M2_2) runs from the Z590 chipset and supports PCIe 3.0 x4 or SATA 6 Gb/s for drives up to 2280 mm. Four SATA 6 Gb/s ports round out the storage connectivity, and RAID configurations include RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 for SATA devices, plus RAID 0 and 1 for M.2 NVMe drives. A third M.2 slot (E-Key, M2_3) is reserved for optional Wi-Fi modules. Connectivity on the rear panel includes a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C port running at 20 Gbps, five USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports at 5 Gbps, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI 1.4 (up to 4096×2160 at 30 Hz), DisplayPort 1.4 (up to 4K at 60 Hz), an optical S/PDIF output, and a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port driven by the Intel I225-V controller. Audio is handled by a Realtek ALC897 codec delivering 7.1-channel high-definition output. Expansion slots consist of two PCIe x16 slots and three PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. The primary x16 slot supports PCIe 4.0 with 11th Gen CPUs or PCIe 3.0 with 10th Gen CPUs; the secondary x16 slot runs at PCIe 3.0 x4 speed. Two-way AMD CrossFire multi-GPU configurations are supported. Debugging is simplified by four onboard EZ Debug LEDs that pinpoint boot issues across CPU, DRAM, VGA, and boot device categories. A 4-pin RGB and a 3-pin addressable LED header allow Mystic Light-compatible RGB strip integration. Verified Specifications: - Form Factor: ATX, 305 mm × 244 mm (12 × 9.6 in), 9 mounting holes - Socket: LGA1200 - Chipset: Intel Z590 - CPU Support: 10th Gen & 11th Gen Intel Core, Pentium Gold, Celeron - Memory: 4× DDR4 DIMM, up to 128 GB; XMP OC up to 5333 MHz (1DPC 1R) - PCIe: 1× PCIe 4.0 x16 (CPU, 11th Gen) / PCIe 3.0 x16 (10th Gen); 1× PCIe 3.0 x4; 3× PCIe 3.0 x1 - Storage: 2× M.2 (M-Key); M2_1 PCIe 4.0 x4 (11th Gen only); M2_2 PCIe 3.0 x4 / SATA; 4× SATA 6 Gb/s - USB: 1× USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps, Type-C); 7× USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps); 6× USB 2.0 - LAN: 1× Intel I225-V 2.5 Gbps - Audio: Realtek ALC897, 7.1-channel HD, S/PDIF out - Display: HDMI 1.4 (4096×2160 @ 30 Hz), DisplayPort 1.4 (4K @ 60 Hz) - Multi-GPU: 2-Way AMD CrossFire - RAID: SATA — 0/1/5/10; NVMe — 0/1 - OS: Windows 10 64-bit - Warranty: 3 Years