Processor | pentium |
---|---|
RAM | DDR4 |
Memory Speed | 4600 MHz |
Wireless Type | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 2 |
MSI MEG Z390 ACE LGA1151 (Intel 8th and 9th Gen) M.2 USB 3.1 Gen 2 DDR4 Wi-Fi SLI CFX ATX Z390 Gaming Motherboard
Brand | MSI |
CPU Socket | LGA 1151 |
Compatible Devices | Personal Computer |
RAM Memory Technology | DDR4 |
Compatible Processors | 9th Generation Intel Core |
Chipset Type | Intel Z390 |
Memory Clock Speed | 4600 MHz |
Platform | Windows 10 |
Model Name | MEG Z390 ACE |
CPU Model | Pentium |
About this item
- Supports 9th i9-9900k, i7-9700k, i5-9600k and 8th Generation Intel Core/ Pentium gold/ Celeron Processors for LGA 1151 socket
- Supports dual channel DDR4 memory, up to 4600(OC) MHz
- Killer E2500 LAN, Intel 802. 11AC Wi-Fi, Turbo U. 2, 3x Turbo M. 2 with M. 2 Shield frozr, Dual front USB 3. 1 Gen2 Type-C
- Mystic Light Infinity: 16. 8 million colors/ 29 effects. Connect RGB or rainbow LED strips with addressable headers and create an RGB Gaming PC. Control Mystic Light Sync enabled products
- Built for hardcore gaming and extreme overclocking
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This Item MSI MEG Z390 ACE LGA1151 (Intel 8th and 9th Gen) M.2 USB 3.1 Gen 2 DDR4 Wi-Fi SLI CFX ATX Z390 Gaming Motherboard | Recommendations | dummy | dummy | dummy | dummy | |
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Price | Currently unavailable. | $389.99$389.99 | $346.83$346.83 | $699.99$699.99 | $73.99$73.99 | $309.99$309.99 |
Delivery | — | Get it Mar 25 - 28 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Mar 26 | Get it as soon as Monday, Mar 25 | Get it as soon as Monday, Mar 25 | Get it as soon as Monday, Mar 25 |
Customer Ratings | ||||||
For gaming | 4.9 | — | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.4 |
Tech Support | — | — | 4.0 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 4.1 |
Value for money | 4.1 | — | 3.9 | — | — | 4.1 |
Stability | — | — | 4.3 | — | 4.8 | 4.3 |
Sold By | — | EXCaliberPC | Amazon Warehouse | Amazon.com | Reliable Brands LLC | Amazon.com |
platform | windows 10 | windows | windows 11 | windows 11 | windows | windows 11 |
cpu socket | LGA 1151 | LGA 1700 | LGA 1700 | LGA 1700 | LGA 1151 | LGA 1700 |
memory slots | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
memory capacity | 64 GB | — | 128 GB | 128 GB | 32 GB | 64 GB |
compatible processors | 9th Generation Intel Core | Intel Celeron, Intel Pentium Gold | Intel Core 14th/ 13th/ 12th Gen Processors, Intel Pentium Gold and Celeron Processors | Support Intel Core 14th/13th/12th Gen Processors, Intel Pentium Gold and Celeron Processors for LGA 1700 socket | 8th Generation Intel Core | Intel Core 14th/ 13th/ 12th Gen Processors, Intel Pentium Gold and Celeron Processors |
card interface | pci e x16, pci e x4 | pci e, pci | pci e | pci e | pci e | pci e |
RAM tech | DDR4 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR4 | DDR5 |
Product Description
With a unique look and feel, packed with exclusive gaming features, MSI ENTHUSIAST GAMING motherboards offer the best possible gaming experience. Customize and set up your own color scheme with MSI Mystic Light utility. Select the available colors from the palette to match your system style. Bored of the same colors? Simply change the complete look of your system in 1 second! Cooling your PC is essential for reliable performance. We've made sure to include enough fan headers with full control to allow you to cool your system any way you want. pc_4300. MSI conducts thorough memory testing with the most popular memory brands under extreme conditions to ensure your system runs stable no matter what. Our memory partners include brands like Corsair, Crucial, Kingston, G.Skill and many more to optimize memory modules and configurations.MSI Z390 motherboards perfectly support Intel 9th and 8th processors, so you can still enjoy latest MSI motherboard technology if you use 8th processors. Combining MSI Core Boost, you can release maximum performance no matter what CPU you use. MSI motherboards featured all the latest solution for enthusiast gamers and prosumers. CPU and memory enhancement and fast storage and USB transfer speed are ready to be on the battlefield.
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Product information
Technical Details
Brand | MSI |
---|---|
Series | MEG Z390 ACE |
Item model number | MEG Z390 ACE |
Item Weight | 3.3 pounds |
Product Dimensions | 12 x 9.6 x 1.2 inches |
Item Dimensions LxWxH | 12 x 9.6 x 1.2 inches |
Computer Memory Type | DDR4 SDRAM |
Voltage | 0.01 Volts |
Manufacturer | MSI Computer |
ASIN | B07HM3M86B |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | October 1, 2018 |
Additional Information
Customer Reviews |
4.5 out of 5 stars |
---|---|
Best Sellers Rank | #1,333 in Computer Motherboards |
Warranty & Support
Feedback
From the manufacturer
Mystic Light Infinity
Mystic Light Infinity brings together colorful lighting and an infinity mirror for deceptively endless light effects. Personalize your PC with 16.8 million colors and 29 effects with the Mystic Light App.
Triple Turbo M.2 with M.2 Shield Frozr
Triple Turbo M.2 delivers PCI-E Gen3 x4 performance with transfer speeds up to 32 Gb/s. M.2 Shield Frozr extends the motherboard’s heatsink over M.2 SSDs to prevent thermal throttling and sustain maximum drive performance.
Intel Wi-Fi AC & Bluetooth
Use your LAN port for online gaming while using WiFi for other online applications.
Audio Boost HD with Nahimic 3
High definition dedicated ALC1220 audio processor, ESS audio DAC with amplifier, quality audio capacitors, golden audio jacks with S/PDIF.
Pre-installed I/O Shielding
Make the assembly process easier and safer with MEG Z390 ACE. The pre-installed rear I/O is grounded and protects the I/O ports from potential electrostatic discharge damage from the external environment.
Become an MSI Dragon Fan and Get Rewarded
MSI is keen to hear from you! Share your product experience and get rewarded. Your feedback is appreciated. Become an MSI Dragon Fan today!
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Customer Reviews
|
4.2 out of 5 stars
185
|
4.5 out of 5 stars
499
|
4.6 out of 5 stars
1,302
|
4.5 out of 5 stars
692
|
4.6 out of 5 stars
1,977
|
4.5 out of 5 stars
375
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Intel 9th/8th Gen CPU Support
| Intel Core/Pentium/Celeron | Intel Core/Pentium/Celeron | Intel Core/Pentium/Celeron | Intel Core/Pentium/Celeron | Intel Core/Pentium/Celeron | Intel Core/Pentium/Celeron |
Chipset
| Intel Z390 Chipset | Intel Z390 Chipset | Intel Z390 Chipset | Intel Z390 Chipset | Intel Z390 Chipset | Intel Z390 Chipset |
Graphics Interface
| 4x PCIe 3.0 x 16 slots | 3 x PCI-E 3.0 x 16 slots | 3 x PCI-E 3.0 x 16 slots | 3 x PCI-E 3.0 x 16 slots | 3 x PCI-E 3.0 x 16 slots | 3 x PCI-E 3.0 x 16 slots |
Display Interface
| — | — | DisplayPort / HDMI | DisplayPort / HDMI | DisplayPort / HDMI | DisplayPort / HDMI |
Memory Support
| 4 DIMMs, Dual Channel DDR4 | 4 DIMMs, Dual Channel DDR4 | 4 DIMMs, Dual Channel DDR4 | 4 DIMMs, Dual Channel DDR4 | 4 DIMMs, Dual Channel DDR4 | 4 DIMMs, Dual Channel DDR4 |
Expansion Slots
| 1 x PCIe x 1 slots | 3 x PCIe 3.0 x 1 slots | 3 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots | 3 x PCIe 3.0 x 1 slots | 3 x PCIe 3.0 x 1 slots | 2 x PCI-E 3.0 x1 slots |
M.2 / SATA
| 3x M.2 32Gb/s; 6x SATA 6Gb/s | 3 x M.2 32Gb/s; 6 x SATA 6Gb/s | 2 x M.2 32Gb/s; 6 x SATA 6Gb/s | 2 x M.2 32Gb/s; 6 x SATA 6Gb/s | 2 x M.2 32Gb/s; 6 x SATA 6Gb/s | 2 x M.2 32Gb/s; 6 x SATA 6Gb/s |
SATA RAID
| RAID 0, 1, 5, 10; SATA1-SATA6 | RAID 0, 1, 5, 10; SATA1-SATA6 | RAID 0, 1, 5, 10; SATA1-SATA6 | RAID 0, 1, 5, 10; SATA1-SATA6 | RAID 0, 1, 5, 10; SATA1-SATA6 | RAID 0, 1, 5, 10; SATA1-SATA6 |
LAN
| 2 x Killer E2500 Gigabit LAN | Killer E2500 Gigabit LAN | Intel I219-V Gigabit LAN | Intel I219-V Gigabit LAN | Intel I219-V Gigabit LAN | Intel I219-V Gigabit LAN |
Audio
| 8-Channel (7.1) HD Audio | 8-Channel (7.1) HD Audio | 8-Channel (7.1) HD Audio | 8-Channel (7.1) HD Audio | 8-Channel (7.1) HD Audio | 8-Channel (7.1) HD Audio |
Wi-Fi / BT
| Killer Wi-Fi AC 1550 | Intel Wireless-AC 9560 | Intel Wireless-AC 9560 | — | Intel Wireless-AC 9462 | — |
Form Factor
| E-ATX | ATX | ATX | ATX | ATX | ATX |
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the quality, ease of setup, and appearance of the motherboard. For example, they mention it's an excellent board, solid, and easy to OC and use. Some appreciate the RGB accents and the double USB 3.1 port. That said, opinions are mixed on performance, value, and lighting.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the quality of the motherboard. They say it's an excellent board, they're surprised with the quality, and it'll be a solid motherboard. Customers also appreciate the quality and supplied software. They mention that it'd be able to overclock to 5.1 GHz, and be reliable.
"...latest and greatest features, but the fact that the quality and supplied software is very good...." Read more
"...Its simply amazing." Read more
"...you need in my experience, but with manual fine tuning this board is nice and stable. Just under 5.1 Ghz and stabilizes at high 80°C in Prime95...." Read more
"The MSI ACE Motherboard is excellent, half of the price compared with God like but nearly the same quality...." Read more
Customers find the setup of the motherboard to be easy. They mention that the documentation is great, the CMOS setup is easy, and the install was smooth. They also appreciate the on-board power and reset button. Customers say that the board is easy to overclock and use, with windows installing like a champ. They say the users guide is easy and follow, and updating everything from the software is easy. Customers also mention that it's easy to build outside the case and turn it on/off with the buttons on the board. Overall, customers are happy with their purchase and recommend it to others.
"...messed with RGB so this is all new to me but this board makes it very easy to learn...." Read more
"...Once I got it sorted out it was all over. windows installed like a champ and I was off to the races installing my drivers, games and apps...." Read more
"...The BIOS is very intuitive and user friendly. There a two USB 2.0 headers, which is very convenient for people that uses AIO's or RGB fan hubs...." Read more
"...Installation was a breeze, posted on 1st attempt. It has enough usb connections for VR and HOTAS setup...." Read more
Customers like the appearance of the motherboard. They say it looks great, has nice RGB accents, and is well designed. Customers also appreciate the tasteful implementation and the modern front I/O. They mention that the complete visual experience was very good and that everything is laid out nicely.
"...This is probably not needed, but it looks pretty darn cool.Last tip: Go for it...." Read more
"...The color scheme is great and fits with any build. I love that this board has plenty of fan headers as well as rgb headers...." Read more
"...slots, an onboard LED screen that displays error codes, and some nice RGB accents...." Read more
"...delivery, NVME support, plentiful USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, and attractive aesthetics." Read more
Customers find the documentation for the motherboard to be easy to navigate, intuitive, and simple. They also appreciate the book that came with it, which has QR codes to videos that help setup if necessary. Overall, customers are satisfied with the documentation provided with the motherboard.
"...Cooling shield for m.2 SSD. Two USB C ports. Easy to use BIOS...." Read more
"...BIOS is fairly easy to navigate, and I'm using a 9700K at stock speeds...." Read more
"...The BIOS is very intuitive and user friendly. There a two USB 2.0 headers, which is very convenient for people that uses AIO's or RGB fan hubs...." Read more
"...The Bios utility is so simple.. you dont even have to do anything to configure it...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the features of the motherboard. They mention that it has nice features, plenty of them, and modern ones. Some say that it does all the wonderful things a motherboard needs to do and is user friendly.
"...motherboard tops them all and not just because it has the latest and greatest features, but the fact that the quality and supplied software is very..." Read more
"...Packed full of all the features you need and may not need lol...." Read more
"...That being said, this board brings to the table some very nice features, and it does those things very well...." Read more
"...It does all the wonderful motherboard stuff that a motherboard needs to do. It works...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the performance of the motherboard. Some mention that it was running great, has no issues with anything, and works well with their i9 9900k and 2080ti. However, others say that it causes issues with some online games, has sluggish operation, and freezes randomly at boot.
"...The i7-9700K processor is great with zero complaints. All of the Corsair products work great...." Read more
"...The VRMs are reliable and stay cool when overclocking thanks to an efficient heat-pipe and a hefty, finned aluminum heatsink...." Read more
"...Fast forward to bare bones boot. Nothing happened. Checked my PSU, my CPU is brand new from Intel, checked everything. The board is dead...." Read more
"...It works. The RGB is quite lovely and the headers that link to my AIO cooler synchronize the lights nicely...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the value of the motherboard. Some mention that it's very good for money, and the features are well worth the price. However, others say that it is too plain looking for the price and not worth investment of time and money.
"...a bit better in overclocking than this is, but this one performs great for the asking price...." Read more
"...Their documentation is sometimes lacking and their pricing a little high, but their quality and breadth of computer kit building hardware is..." Read more
"The MSI ACE Motherboard is excellent, half of the price compared with God like but nearly the same quality...." Read more
"...At the purchase price of $269.99, the MEG Z390 Ace is not cheap, but the amount of features makes up for the high price tag...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the lighting. Some mention that it has a good lighting control system, while others say that it's minimal. The app to control the lighting is detailed, while the bios is wonderful. However, some customers have reported issues with the RGB lighting, saying that it can be difficult to hook up and maintain a color theme. The installation was more difficult than usual, and the motherboard struggles to maintain its color theme with respect to the ram.
"...Had some initial issues getting her up and running but I'm 99% sure it was some of my older equipment I was transferring over...." Read more
"...slot for my heavy gpu, very wide ram speed support, and a good lighting control system..." Read more
"The installation was more difficult than usual. However, after a few attempts, it was successful...." Read more
"RGB lighting is hard to hook up if you dont go with corsair rgb products...." Read more
Reviews with images
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Top reviews from the United States
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My build consisted of a MSI Ace Motherboard, i7-9700K Intel Processor, XFX Over Clocked 580RX Video Card, 32GB Corsair Vengeance 3200MHz DRAM, WD Black 500GB m.2 drive, 4TB WD Hard Drive, 500GB Samsung SSD from my prior build, Corsair 570X Crystal Series Glass Mid Tower Case (which is also awesome), a Corsair H115i liquid cooler, Corsiar LL series RGB fans and RGB Light Strips. I absolutely love my system. I was able to easily overclock the processor to 5.2GHz, but settled at 5.1GHz to allow a little headroom. BTW, MSI has an excellent Overclocking guide for the I9 and I7-9700K processor installed on a MSI motherboard. A must read if you want to Overclock. I only have my CPU Core voltage at 1.310 at 5.1GHz, so if you start with the guides recommended 1.37V setting and your overclock works then keep backing down the voltage by .100 volt until your system becomes unstable. Then set the Core CPU voltage to .200 or .300 volts higher than the unstable voltage so you aren't running on the ragged edge. This is what I did on my system and I have been doing some heavy gaming, etc. with zero heating or software problems.
Other thoughts: All the MSI Z390 boards (i.e., Ace, Pro Carbon, Gaming Edge, Godlike, etc.) seem to be similar except for variations in power supplies and USB, Wi-Fi, etc. I choose the Ace due to all of the USB connectors and its 13 phase power supply. I don't think you could go wrong with any of the other MSI motherboards. The i7-9700K processor is great with zero complaints. All of the Corsair products work great. My only partial regret is not going to at least a 2070 or higher series graphic card. No complaints on the 580X with an AMD processor, but just not fast enough for me. My reasoning for not biting the bullet on a +$600 Graphics Card is this: I am attending the 2019 CES show in a couple of weeks and I want to see what's up with AMD's upcoming offering to compete with NVIDIA. Rumors are AMD's new GUI's are going to kick butt, and be less expensive. I know you can spend the rest of your life waiting to pull the trigger on buying a cutting edge Graphics Card, but this time I decided to wait, right or wrong. Since I like my MSI motherboard so much, I will probably end up replacing with a MSI Graphics card. Presetly my system can play most games on Medium or High Setting with FPS varying from 30 to 80 at a 1920 x 1080 resolution. I use a 34" wide Dell 3415W monitor that supports up to 3440 x 1440 resolution, and not being able to take advantage of the monitors full resolution keeps me up at night. LOL So, I am hoping in the next few months their will be a sub $500 MSI graphics card that will allow me to play almost all my games at High or Ultra High settings on my monitors max 3440 x 1440 resolution setting at 50FPS or better. I want to be able to go full throttle for a few years without having to upgrade again.
Tips: If you can't get your wireless mouse to work with the MSI BIOS then plug in a corded USB mouse. I had to do this, though you can use the keyboard to navigate the BIOS without a mouse, just slower for me. Also, you can like or dislike Corsair, but I like their products. Their documentation is sometimes lacking and their pricing a little high, but their quality and breadth of computer kit building hardware is excellent. It's nice to have a company who still sells products for the home PC builder! I built this computer on my kitchen counter height island which is much easier than building on the floor like I have previously done with other computer builds. Just clear off the counter, it is worth it.
Big Tip: If you use the Corsair H115i cooler, the MSI Ace Motherboard, and the Corsair 570X case the cooling radiator will NOT fit on the inside TOP of the case. And, since the radiator is supplied with (2) 140mm LL Series fans, and the top of the Corsair case is the only spot for (2) 140mm fans this creates a big problem, or so I thought. There is not enough room due to the radiator and fan combination interfering with the Motherboard. Needless to say when I discovered this I was in disbelief especially after planning every last detail of my build, plus I already had the Motherboard installed in the case and wired up. I searched the internet for a couple of hours and could not find an easy solution. Some people went to extreme measures to make this combination work, but I didn't want to do any drilling on my brand new case! But, after a couple of beers and staring at my case for a few minutes I found my answer: Mount the radiator on the front of the case. This was fairly simple,; however, you will need to swap the flat metal plate that holds the (3) fans on the front of the case with the plate on top of the case that is made to hold (2) fans. I am not sure if Corsair made the case to be able to do this, but nonetheless it works. Because I wanted to see my funky RGB fans when viewing the front of the case I attached the (2) LL Series Corsair fans that came with the H115i cooler to the front of the case, THEN I mounted the radiator on top of the fans with the supplied longer Corsair screws. As far as the airflow, there should be very little difference. Just make sure the (2) Radiator fans and the Top (3) Case fans are blowing air out of the case. I ended up putting a single LL series RGB 120mm fan on the rear of the case with the air blowing into the case. This is probably not needed, but it looks pretty darn cool.
Last tip: Go for it. When it comes to finally pulling the trigger on all the components for your new computer build don't let a few hundred bucks get in your way. Look at it this way, just cut out a few nights out on the town and use the savings to stay home and admire your PC. Yes, you qualify as being a little nerdy, but no one will know. LOL
Update 9/8/2019: I am still loving this motherboard and have had Zero problems. One tip I can pass along is to make sure you keep the Killer Network software up-to-date. I still haven’t purchased a 2080 video card, but one is still on my list if the prices ever drop! As far as gaming I have been using my Xbox on a 75” UHD TV with a 5.1.4 Atmos sound system. I like this gaming setup better so really no need for super fast graphics on PC, at least for me.
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2018
My build consisted of a MSI Ace Motherboard, i7-9700K Intel Processor, XFX Over Clocked 580RX Video Card, 32GB Corsair Vengeance 3200MHz DRAM, WD Black 500GB m.2 drive, 4TB WD Hard Drive, 500GB Samsung SSD from my prior build, Corsair 570X Crystal Series Glass Mid Tower Case (which is also awesome), a Corsair H115i liquid cooler, Corsiar LL series RGB fans and RGB Light Strips. I absolutely love my system. I was able to easily overclock the processor to 5.2GHz, but settled at 5.1GHz to allow a little headroom. BTW, MSI has an excellent Overclocking guide for the I9 and I7-9700K processor installed on a MSI motherboard. A must read if you want to Overclock. I only have my CPU Core voltage at 1.310 at 5.1GHz, so if you start with the guides recommended 1.37V setting and your overclock works then keep backing down the voltage by .100 volt until your system becomes unstable. Then set the Core CPU voltage to .200 or .300 volts higher than the unstable voltage so you aren't running on the ragged edge. This is what I did on my system and I have been doing some heavy gaming, etc. with zero heating or software problems.
Other thoughts: All the MSI Z390 boards (i.e., Ace, Pro Carbon, Gaming Edge, Godlike, etc.) seem to be similar except for variations in power supplies and USB, Wi-Fi, etc. I choose the Ace due to all of the USB connectors and its 13 phase power supply. I don't think you could go wrong with any of the other MSI motherboards. The i7-9700K processor is great with zero complaints. All of the Corsair products work great. My only partial regret is not going to at least a 2070 or higher series graphic card. No complaints on the 580X with an AMD processor, but just not fast enough for me. My reasoning for not biting the bullet on a +$600 Graphics Card is this: I am attending the 2019 CES show in a couple of weeks and I want to see what's up with AMD's upcoming offering to compete with NVIDIA. Rumors are AMD's new GUI's are going to kick butt, and be less expensive. I know you can spend the rest of your life waiting to pull the trigger on buying a cutting edge Graphics Card, but this time I decided to wait, right or wrong. Since I like my MSI motherboard so much, I will probably end up replacing with a MSI Graphics card. Presetly my system can play most games on Medium or High Setting with FPS varying from 30 to 80 at a 1920 x 1080 resolution. I use a 34" wide Dell 3415W monitor that supports up to 3440 x 1440 resolution, and not being able to take advantage of the monitors full resolution keeps me up at night. LOL So, I am hoping in the next few months their will be a sub $500 MSI graphics card that will allow me to play almost all my games at High or Ultra High settings on my monitors max 3440 x 1440 resolution setting at 50FPS or better. I want to be able to go full throttle for a few years without having to upgrade again.
Tips: If you can't get your wireless mouse to work with the MSI BIOS then plug in a corded USB mouse. I had to do this, though you can use the keyboard to navigate the BIOS without a mouse, just slower for me. Also, you can like or dislike Corsair, but I like their products. Their documentation is sometimes lacking and their pricing a little high, but their quality and breadth of computer kit building hardware is excellent. It's nice to have a company who still sells products for the home PC builder! I built this computer on my kitchen counter height island which is much easier than building on the floor like I have previously done with other computer builds. Just clear off the counter, it is worth it.
Big Tip: If you use the Corsair H115i cooler, the MSI Ace Motherboard, and the Corsair 570X case the cooling radiator will NOT fit on the inside TOP of the case. And, since the radiator is supplied with (2) 140mm LL Series fans, and the top of the Corsair case is the only spot for (2) 140mm fans this creates a big problem, or so I thought. There is not enough room due to the radiator and fan combination interfering with the Motherboard. Needless to say when I discovered this I was in disbelief especially after planning every last detail of my build, plus I already had the Motherboard installed in the case and wired up. I searched the internet for a couple of hours and could not find an easy solution. Some people went to extreme measures to make this combination work, but I didn't want to do any drilling on my brand new case! But, after a couple of beers and staring at my case for a few minutes I found my answer: Mount the radiator on the front of the case. This was fairly simple,; however, you will need to swap the flat metal plate that holds the (3) fans on the front of the case with the plate on top of the case that is made to hold (2) fans. I am not sure if Corsair made the case to be able to do this, but nonetheless it works. Because I wanted to see my funky RGB fans when viewing the front of the case I attached the (2) LL Series Corsair fans that came with the H115i cooler to the front of the case, THEN I mounted the radiator on top of the fans with the supplied longer Corsair screws. As far as the airflow, there should be very little difference. Just make sure the (2) Radiator fans and the Top (3) Case fans are blowing air out of the case. I ended up putting a single LL series RGB 120mm fan on the rear of the case with the air blowing into the case. This is probably not needed, but it looks pretty darn cool.
Last tip: Go for it. When it comes to finally pulling the trigger on all the components for your new computer build don't let a few hundred bucks get in your way. Look at it this way, just cut out a few nights out on the town and use the savings to stay home and admire your PC. Yes, you qualify as being a little nerdy, but no one will know. LOL
Update 9/8/2019: I am still loving this motherboard and have had Zero problems. One tip I can pass along is to make sure you keep the Killer Network software up-to-date. I still haven’t purchased a 2080 video card, but one is still on my list if the prices ever drop! As far as gaming I have been using my Xbox on a 75” UHD TV with a 5.1.4 Atmos sound system. I like this gaming setup better so really no need for super fast graphics on PC, at least for me.
The color scheme is great and fits with any build. I love that this board has plenty of fan headers as well as rgb headers. Prior to this z390 build, i never messed with RGB so this is all new to me but this board makes it very easy to learn.
The infinity mirror looked great while testing, unfortunately I don't notice it in my case but I'm over that already.
The bios is laid out pretty nicely. I don't find the overclock "switch/dial" to be very effective. If you're wanting to overclock, its better to do on your own. Maybe if you are a beginner... this would be helpful?
My only gripe i've had with this motherboard was when I was building my new system. I tried a POST test and... no beep. Later on after like 30 minutes of re-seating my parts and what not.. I plugged in my other monitor and saw that it was booting the whole time, for some reason it didnt like my HDMI cable. But the other thing is.. the POST beep is disabled by default... why???
Overall.. I am satisfied with this MSI board.
My only con is the cd disk lol come on guys its the 21st century lets start putting drivers on a flash drive. And make it update-able via the MSI support site. This will make it super easy for re-installs.
If your looking for a great bang for the buck motherboard for the current gen of Intel processors take a long look at this badd boy and put it on the top of your short list. Its simply amazing.
My only con is the cd disk lol come on guys its the 21st century lets start putting drivers on a flash drive. And make it update-able via the MSI support site. This will make it super easy for re-installs.
If your looking for a great bang for the buck motherboard for the current gen of Intel processors take a long look at this badd boy and put it on the top of your short list. Its simply amazing.
Namely, I enjoy the amount of M.2 ports on this board. The Raid 0 on the NVMe ports I am sure this board advertises is, of course, nigh on pointless, but just having the ability to have the room to expand my internal storage as many as three NVMe is much appreciated.
Really, the only reason I would say to avoid this board is if you have no plans to overclock and/or use more than two M.2 drives. If you do not, drop to a lesser board and use the money saved to perhaps upgrade your storage or GPU- assuming you are building a brand new system with this.
Top reviews from other countries
- Overclocking is easy and works well
- A lot of useful connectors
- The connectors are lit, making it easy to plug stuff
- Very beautiful
- 2x m.2 slots and 1x frozen shield m.2 slot
- Fast DDR4 with XMP option
Cons:
- Pricey
- You will need to use the antenna for wi-fi and Bluetooth. It's horrible without it. With it though, it's extremely fast. You can even consider gaming on wi-fi.
Reviewed in India on August 30, 2019
Fast motherboard. Recently purchased a WS 229sage motherboard. Have endless problems looking for adapters that Asus do not supply and plugins that is not standard
- Great features (more than enough ports and peripheral space for typical use)
- Easy to overclock
- Great bios (this is from someone coming from a previous ASUS bios)
- Onboard LCD also shows realtime CPU temp, which is very handy
- Had no issues removing M2 screws unlike many other commenters. They key is to use the right screw driver head, and it comes right off easily.
Dislikes
- Packaging was a bit cheap (Asus do a much better job with packaging).
- MBD felt a bit too light with a little too much flex in the center of the board. It would have been better if MSI had reinforced the board to reduce flex, especially for heavy dual GPU setups.
- No MBD RGB backlight (personal asthetic taste, might not appeal to others).
Overall, I am very very pleased with the MSI z390 MEG. It is half the price of a Godlike, whilst providing over 75% of the same features.
I also wanted to do a custom water cooled system, and EKWB had a monoblock for this motherboard that made overclocking a breeze. So happy with this build, I think I might try a MSI X570 Meg Ace for my next build :).
Reviewed in Canada on October 23, 2019
I also wanted to do a custom water cooled system, and EKWB had a monoblock for this motherboard that made overclocking a breeze. So happy with this build, I think I might try a MSI X570 Meg Ace for my next build :).