Product Showcase

Product Showcase

The MSI MEG ACE lineup is a high-end motherboard, but it is not the company's top dawg product. The GODLIKE is MSI's top-of-the-line motherboard, and the ACE is like a smaller, cheaper version of the GODLIKE, but still expensive at 699 USD. The MEG Z790 ACE has a chipset from Intel's 700 series—Z790, to be exact—and is made for the latest 12 and 13th-generation Intel Alder Lake and Raptor Lake processors that work with socket LGA 1700. 

Its best features are the 24+1 105A phase power design, DDR5 memory support, dual Thunderbolt 4.0 ports, PCIe 5.0 support, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 front-panel connector, support for up to five M.2 SSDs, onboard WiFi 6E, dual 2.5G LAN, and many more. Based on its features alone, the MEG Z790 ACE is somewhat similar to the Asus ROG Maximus Z790 HERO, which we reviewed already.

Size	E-ATX
Memory	4 x DDR5 up to 7900 (OC)
PCIe	2x PCIe 5.0 x16 (1x x16, 1x x8), 1x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4), 1x M.2/M key (PCIe 5.0 x4, 2280), 1x M.2/M key (PCIe 4.0 x4 , 22110/2280/2260), 1x M.2/M key (PCIe 4.0 x4, 2280/2260), 1x M.2/M key (PCIe 4.0 x4/SATA, 22110/ 2280/2260), 1x M.2/M-Key (PCIe 4.0 x4/SATA, 2280/2260), 1x M.2/E-Key (PCIe/Intel CNVi, 2230, occupied by WiFi +BT module)
Connection External	2x Thunderbolt 4 (40Gb/s, Intel JHL8540, iGPU), 1x USB-C 3.1 with DisplayPort (10Gb/s, iGPU), 7x USB-A 3.1 (10Gb/s), 2x 2.5GBase-T (Intel ), 5x jack, 1x Toslink, 2x DisplayPort-In (Mini DisplayPort)
Connection internal	1x USB-C 3.2 Key-A Header (20Gb/s, PD, max. 60W), 1x USB-C 3.2 Key-A Header (20Gb/s), 2x USB 3.0 Header (5Gb/s, 4x USB 3.0), 2x USB 2.0 header (480Mb/s, 4x USB 2.0), 6x SATA 6Gb/s (Z790), 1x TPM header, 1x chassis intrusion header, 1x MSI tuning controller header 5-pin
Audio	7.1 (Realtek ALC4082), DAC (ESS ES9280AQ)
Thunderbolt 4	2 x USB Type-C ports
LAN	2x 2.5GBase-T (Intel )
WIFI	WiFi 6E (WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax, 2x2, Intel), Bluetooth 5.2
lighting	RGB, 2 zones (chipset cooler, I/O cover) / 1x 4-pin RGB (+12V/G/R/B, max. 3A), 3x 3-pin ARGB (+5V/DATA/GND, max. 3A, MSI V2)
Buttons	Power button (internal), Reset button (internal), Clear CMOS button (external), USB BIOS Flashback (external), Smart button (external), LED switch (internal), BIOS switch (internal)
Headers cooling	1x CPU fan 4-pin, 2x pump 4-pin, 5x fan 4-pin, 2x thermal sensor, 1x flow sensor

A slew of enthusiast-grade features nicely complements the ACE's assertive appearance. Dual Thunderbolt 4 connectors on the back panel are ready to support next-generation peripherals at full speed, and next-generation Realtek audio paired with an ESS ES9218 Quad-DAC for front-panel connections delivers crisp, clear gaming audio regardless of the headset or speakers you plug into your PC. This board has Thunderbolt 4 with outstanding interface bandwidth speeds up to true 40Gbp and support for up to six daisy-chained devices. Additionally, Maximum 8K display support, Multi-Port Accessory Architecture and USB 4.0 compliance provide reliable connectivity and a better user experience.

• Maximum 8K display support
• Daisy Chain support
• Multi-Port Accessory Architecture
• Thunderbolt 4 - 40 Gbps
• USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 - 20 Gbps
• USB 3.2 Gen 2 - 10 Gbps
• USB 3.2 Gen 1 - 5 Gbps

MSI's MEG series is at the top of their product lines, and they usually have features that show why they are at the top. The Z790 ACE we have here is no different. It has 24K gold accents, Thunderbolt 4, and is very well set up to handle any Alder/Raptor Lake CPU, so let us get started.