MSI Z490

Das MSI MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK ist derzeit ab einem Preis von 198€ verfügbar. Für diesen Preis erhalten wir ein solides Mainboard mit zahlreichen Anschlüssen und sogar zwei Netzwerkschnittstellen. Die Spannungsversorgung ist ausreichend dimensioniert, selbst für einen INTEL Core i9-10900K. Möchte man allerdings einen i9-10900K übertakten, so wird die Luft mit dem MSI MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK in diesem Bereich eng.Für einen Preis von 200€ bieten allerdings auch keine Konkurrenz-Produkte eine bessere Spannungsversorgung und damit können wir das MSI MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK nur empfehlen.

MSI is launching quite a lot of motherboards for Z490 and they’ll be hitting a wide range of price points too. From the affordable gaming boards to their ultimate overclocking monsters, there’s bound to be something for everyone. However, the Z490 TOMAHAWK has a lot of broad appeal in the gaming market, with a good feature set that doesn’t go too crazy. Just enough features to build a high-end gaming PC, get great performance, and not spend more than you really need to. It sounds like a winning combination to me.

In diesem Test werden wir uns dem MSI MPG Z490 GAMING EDGE WIFI widmen, das MSI für die Mittelklasse konzipiert hat und Teil der MSI-Performance-Gaming-Serie ist. Zwar wird es natürlich Unterschiede und Abstriche im Vergleich zum bereits getesteten MSI MEG Z490 ACE geben. Wir werden festhalten, ob die Unterschiede sehr groß ausfallen.

The MSI MPG Z490 Carbon EK X is a beautiful board. Its great looks start with the carbon fiber aesthetic, and the excellent RGB implementation only builds on that. With an integrated rear I/O shield, full coverage M.2 heatsinks, and good storage options, the MSI MPG Z490 Carbon EK X has a lot to offer. Out of the box, performance for the MSI MPG Z490 Carbon EK X was good. Memory overclocking was great as well, as I reached 4000 MHz CL16 stable with my Trident Z Neo quad-channel kit. For CPU overclocking, I was able to achieve 5.3 GHz on all cores. The largest limitation to overclocking with Z490 is going to come down to dealing with the heat produced by the incredibly dense Intel Core i9-10900K. When it comes to VRM thermals, the MSI MPG Z490 Carbon EK X did as well as you might expect, which is to say absolutely excellent. In my review of the MSI MEG Z490 Unify I said that there is no substitute for top-shelf power stages—turns out the substitute is water-cooling. At this price point, you are trading some features for that fancy water block. While there is 2.5 Gb/s LAN, there is just one LAN port and controller. There are also only two M.2 ports. However, at $399.99, the MSI MPG Z490 Carbon EK X is by far the cheapest water-cooled board on the market, and an excellent choice for those who want a custom water-cooled board at an excellent price.

If you're a watercooling fan and slap copper on a variety of systems including mid-range ones, then the combination on offer here is interesting. Sadly, we can't really tell if you're getting a good deal seeing as the board isn't in stock anywhere in this guise, at least in the UK, and EK currently offers no Z490 standalone monoblocks on its website. We'd suggest waiting to see what the score is on that front. In terms of the motherboard, it's easy to think this is a £400 monster, when actually, it's not. It's very mid-range and really, given the choice of transplanting some old watercooling gear or a cheap waterblock on to the MEG Z490 Ace, or opting for the MSI MPG Z490 Carbon EK X, we'd definitely choose the former. It's a far sexier motherboard and even has fan-assisted VRM heatsinks, but it didn't really have any issues cooling them when the fans weren't spinning. It's great to see a collaboration between EKWB and MSI and there will likely be plenty of people that would consider buying the MSI MPG Z490 Carbon EK X as a drop-in item, especially as the eye candy is in abundance. However, performance at stock speed and overclocked is a little lacking, overclocking headroom is limited, and we feel it's better value to get a more premium motherboard with decent air-based VRM cooling and more features.

The MSI MEG Z490 Godlike is a worthy successor to the Godlike series. The Godlike is a beautiful board with an excellent RGB LED implementation, while keeping neutral color tones that are easy to match. For features, you would be hard pressed to find one the MSI MEG Z490 Godlike doesn't have: Thunderbolt 3, 10G and 2.5G LAN, WiFi 6, top-tier VRM, top-tier storage support, MSI stuffed just about everything except the kitchen sink into the MSI MEG Z490 Godlike. Of course, none of that matters if the performance isn't there to match.

The Alpha, The Omega, Thee Almighty! There are few words that could top “EXTREME” or “ULTIMATE” but I think GODLIKE just about tops them all. That’s a bold name for any product though, you’re implying it’s basically infallible and perhaps even omnipotent. What I’m getting at, is that if this isn’t the fastest most amazing motherboard ever, it’s a bit of a silly name. That being said, it’s certainly got the look of the best motherboard, and a feature-list so long, I doubt I’ll fit it all into this review.

Der Großteil der heute verfügbaren Desktop-Mainboards wird mit einer RGB-LED-Beleuchtung ausgeliefert, dem großen, aktuell vorherrschenden Trend folgend. Doch nicht alle Technik-Interessenten wollen ein Lichtspektakel in ihrem Gehäuse sehen. Und genau für diese Zielgruppe hat MSI die Unify-Mainboards ins Leben gerufen, die mit einem cleanen Erscheinungsbild auftreten und dennoch umfangreich ausgestattet sind. Heute werden wir sowohl das MEG Z490 UNIFY als auch das MEG Z490I UNIFY durchleuchten

MSI has revamped its range for the arrival of 10th Gen Core. Of the 11 boards comprising Z490 only one, the Unify, gets the Mini-ITX treatment. The petite form factor makes sense as enough is integrated into the chipset not to warrant larger PCBs for a wide range of customers.

The MSI MEG Z490I Unify packs a lot of power in a tiny package. It has great looks with a black on black stealth aesthetic and a robust feature set with an integrated rear I/O shield, full coverage M.2 heatsink, Thunderbolt 3, and, of course, top-tier 90 A power stages. The only thing the MSI MEG Z490I Unify does not offer are built-in RGB LEDs—a negative for some, but a huge plus for many others.

Beim Test zum MSI MPG Z490 GAMING EDGE WIFI habe ich bereits den etwas zu hohen Preis bemängelt und beim MSI MPG Z490 GAMING CARBON WIFI ist das nicht anders. 20 bis 30 Euro weniger hätten dem Modell gut gestand, sodass in diesem Fall das Preis-/Leistungsverhältnis deutlich besser ausgefallen wäre. Doch davon ab gibt es an der Mainboard-Qualität nichts auszusetzen. Ich bin mir sicher, dass das MSI MPG Z490 GAMING CARBON WIFI sicherlich seine Käufer/innen finden wird.

The Intel Core i9-10900K is a very attractive platform. If you're like me and you've come up through the ranks from the days when CPU speeds were measured in single digits, and the thought of hitting 1 GHz on a core was the stuff of science fiction, getting more than 5 GHz across ten cores, and those ten cores have hyperthreading so are actually twenty, then it's difficult not to get a slight twitch at the prospect.

The MPG Z490 Gaming Carbon WiFi is a good case in point. We like the understated look, lots of space between the cooler and primary x16 slot, decent layout throughout, and the fact that the latest BIOSes offer flawless stability and correct interpretation of Intel's CPU speeds, which is more than can be said for some of the competition.

I have to admit that the carbon lineup has come a long way over the years. Early on I felt like the fake carbon fiber look was tacky and they do still include a few touches of it. But the MPG Z490 Gaming Carbon WiFi ends up being more of a simple blacked out board which offers a simpler look that some of the more expensive boards. MSI kept costs down by not adding fancy 10G network cards and stuck with a lot of what is offered from the Z490 chipset but that does still get you a 2.5G NIC, WiFi 6, and a surprisingly large number of USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports.

MSI is one of the leading brands in the enthusiast gaming market. They’ve delivered many of the best graphics cards, motherboards and much more over the years. Sure, we’re reviewing their GODLIKE motherboard today too. However, that’s BIG money and pretty extreme for most gamers. The Carbon series has long been a sweet spot between a mid-range motherboard and the flagships, and it looks like it is set to repeat that trend.

The MSI MEG Z490 Unify is one of the most compelling motherboards of the Z490 launch. It has great looks with its black on black stealth aesthetic and a robust feature set with an integrated rear I/O shield, full coverage M.2 heatsinks, good storage options, and, of course, a monster VRM design. The only thing the MSI MEG Z490 Unify can't offer is built-in RGB LEDs—a negative for some, but a huge plus for many others.

We know that MSI love to create some of the best-looking motherboards out there, and we suspect the MSI MEG Z490 ACE is one of them! As one of their high-end enthusiast motherboards, it’s crammed full of features to ensure great overclocking performance from the latest Intel CPUs. However, aesthetics are just as big a part of the enthusiast PC building market these days as anything else, so they’ve given it a funky gun-metal, black and gold design laced with RGB to make it really stand out from the crowd.