MSI MEG Z690 Unify (Intel 1700)

Mit den UNIFY-Mainboards stellt MSI unter Beweis, dass Oberklasse-Mainboards ohne RGB-LED-Beleuchtung ebenfalls gern angenommen werden. So ist es wenig überraschend, dass auch für Intels Alder-Lake-S-Prozessoren entsprechende Boards bereitstehen. MSIs UNIFY-Serie präsentiert sich auch in der aktuellsten Iteration durch und durch in Schwarz. Wie sich das MEG Z690 UNIFY darüber hinaus in der Praxis schlägt, klärt unser Test.

Das MSI MEG Z690 Unify ist ein klasse Mainboard für Overclocker und Gaming-Enthusiasten mit einem schlichten Design für cleane Systeme ohne große Kirmes-Beleuchtung. Die Ausstattung der Platine kann sich insgesamt wirklich sehen lassen, allerdings lässt sich MSI dieses Gesamtpaket auch gut was kosten.

MSI brings forward the Unify series for the casual and enthusiast crowds. With a little bit of everything, the MEG Z690 Unify has nineteen 105 A power stages, five M.2 sockets, and PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 integration. The board also includes PS/2 legacy peripheral support, SLI/CrossFire, and advanced CPU overclocking.

Touching on the performance, the MSI MEG Z690 Unify is competitive against similar models that we've tested so far, but we do have plenty of Z690 models to compare against it in the future. As it stands, the Z690 Unify did well in our system, compute, and gaming testing, with competitive POST time, solid DPC latency, and decent power consumption figures. We observed no weird anomalies during any part of our testing with this board.

The 12th Generation Intel Core CPUs are now available. Intel has gone a long way, but the new architecture features cores with extremely high performance. An energy-friendly platform, however, isn't. The MSI board is leading the stack of motherboards tested to date. But what a fine motherboard this is. MSI LGA1700 / Z690 boards are available in the MEG, MPG, MAG, and Pro product lines, with solutions from each line. Among them are items that are compatible with both DDR5 and DDR4 memory technologies. The latter was not included in the MEG series, which means that individuals looking to acquire a high-end MSI LGA1700 motherboard will also have to shell out money for a new pair of RAM. Expect to pay 629 EUR/USD for this motherboard which by definition is not much faster than a 200 USD one; however it's all about features.

The MSI range is full of options to suit every pocket and requirement, but as their Lightning is to the world of graphics cards, so the MEG is to their motherboard range. It is the MSI equivalent of a ROG Maximus or Gigabyte Aorus. The all-singing, all-dancing, well-crafted expression of the designers art. Here in Z690 Unify form those attention to detail is clear wherever you look. Sometimes with motherboards there is a sense that elements have been squeezed onto the PCB, or alternatively clear gaps where parts have been removed for cost reasons. The Unify, however, is a geometrists heaven. Plenty of right angles, carefully placed hardware in just the right spot for a user to maximise their build whilst also keeping things on the edge of the PCB enough that it's possible to build a very carefully cable-managed system. The longer you look at it, the more details become apparent. Those of us who've spent a long time looking at motherboard designs see more details that leave us nodding in appreciation.