MSI MEG Z490 ACE, Intel Z490 motherboard - socket 1200 [7C71-008R]

Since the "Comet Lake-S" processors require a new socket due to the optimized power supply, the Intel series LGA1200 socket is used on the 400 series mainboards. Despite the increased number of pins, the actual size of the socket remains identical to older sockets, so that CPU coolers for socket LGA 115x can also be mounted on the mainboard.

The features of the MSI MEG Z490 ACE motherboard at a glance:
- 3x PCIe (3.0) x16 and 2x PCIe (3.0) x1
- 1x USB 3.2 Gen. 2x2 with fast 20 Gbit / s
- 4x USB 3.1 (3x type A / 1x header)
- A total of 4x USB 3.0 and 6x USB 2.0 (internal & external)
- 3x M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4) / 6x SATA 6G
- Supports max. 128 GB DDR4 RAM up to 4,800 MHz
- Integrated RGB LED lighting with RGB LED headers
- With integrated WiFi and Bluetooth module
- Dual LAN with fast 1 Gbit LAN & 2.5 Gbit LAN

The MSI MEG Z490 ACE in detail
The MSI MEG Z490 ACE is a mainboard in the ATX form factor and offers three PCIe-x16 slots, two of which are directly connected to the CPU and one is connected to the chipset, as well as two PCIe-x1 slots for plug-in and expansion cards . As a high-end motherboard, the MSI MEG Z490 ACE also supports multi-GPU setups via NVIDIA SLI / NVLink and AMD Crossfire / XDMA.

Other features of the mainboard also include a striking cooler design and integrated RGB LED lighting. Additional RGB LED components can be connected and controlled via a 4-pin RGB header (12V) and two digitally addressable 3-pin RGB headers (5V), provided they are compatible with the RGB software of the mainboard. In addition, the MSI MEG Z490 ACE offers a JCORSAIR header (3-pin / 5V) with which compatible RGB products from Corsair can be controlled and synchronized.

RAM and drives
Up to 128 GB DDR4 RAM in dual-channel mode can be used in the four DIMM slots. The Z490 chipset supports clock rates up to 2,933 MHz, but the OC enables the MSI MEG Z490 ACE to operate RAM kits with up to 4,800 MHz!

There are three M.2 slots and six SATA 6G connectors available for storage drives. The M.2 slots support the NVMe protocol, which enables data transfer rates of just under 4 GB / s. This means that M.2 PCIe SSDs are up to eight times faster than SATA 6G SSDs!

External connections
The MSI MEG Z490 ACE has a USB 3.2 port on the I / O panel. The socket of the same design as USB-C is particularly thin and plugs can be inserted on both sides. USB 3.2 gen. 2x2 achieves very high transmission speeds of up to 20 Gbit / s. br>
In addition to three USB 3.1 ports and two USB 3.0 ports of type A, the board also offers two USB 2.0 ports, a classic PS / 2 port for mouse or keyboard as well as a Clear CMOS and a Flash BIOS Button. The MSI MEG Z490 ACE offers dual LAN with 1 Gbit / s (Intel I219V) and 2.5 Gbit / s (Realtek 8125B) as well as WLAN 802.11ax and Bluetooth 5.1 (Intel AX201).

When it comes to audio, the manufacturer relies on the Realtek ALC1220 audio codec with ESS SABRE9018Q2C digital-to-analog converter. This provides a total of five 3.5 millimeter jack sockets and an optical S / PDIF output on the I / O panel and supports 7.1 surround sound. Internally, the mainboard provides a large selection of connections and headers.

Overclocking features
The MSI MEG Z490 ACE offers a total of eight 4-pin PWM connections for fans and / or pumps on the main board. For the power supply, there is a 24-pin ATX connector and two 8-pin EPS connectors on the mainboard. Overclockers are also pleased with the extensive power supply with 16 + 1 phases including a 90 amp output stage, which is equipped with solid heat sinks.

The expansion and RAM slots are reinforced to counteract wear and tear under frequent use, for example when the mainboard is used in test systems and benchtables. There is a start and reset button on the board and an LED segment display helps with error analysis. The PCH is actively cooled and the back of the mainboard is partially reinforced with an aluminum backplate.

Compatible only with 10th generation Intel CPUs!

Technical details:
Format:
- ATX
- Chipset:
- Intel Z490
- Base:
- 1200 (for 10th-generation Intel CPUs)
- R.A.M:
- 4x DDR4 (2,933 MHz, up to 4,800 MHz using OC)
- Dual channel
- 128 GB max
- Slots (physical):
- 3x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 / x0 / x4 or x8 / x8x / x4)
- 2x PCIe 3.0 x1
- Compatible multi-VGA configurations: 2-way SLI (quad-GPU), 3-way CrossFireX (quad-GPU)

Internal connections:
- 6x SATA 6G
- 1x M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4 & SATA6G, 2242-22110)
- 1x M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4 & SATA6G, 2242-2280)
- 1x M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4, 2242-2280)
- 1x USB 3.1 Type C (USB 3.2 Gen. 2, one header)
- 2x USB 3.0 (USB 3.2 Gen. 1, one header)
- 4x USB 2.0 (two headers)
- 2x system panel connectors
- 1x front panel audio connector
- 1x TPM header
- 1x chassis intrusion header
- 1x slow mode jumper
- 1x power button
- 1x reset button
- Fan header:
- 1x CPU fan (4-pin PWM)
- 1x water cooling / CPU fan (4-pin PWM)
- 6x case fan (4-pin PWM)
- RGB header:
- 1x 4-pin RGB header (12V)
- 2x 3-pin A-RGB header (5V)
- 1x 3-pin JCORSAIR RGB header (5V)

External connections:
- 1x PS / 2 (keyboard / mouse)
- 1x USB 3.2 (USB 3.2 Gen.2x2, max. 20 Gbit / s)
- 3x USB 3.1 (type A, max. 10 Gbit / s)
- 2x USB 3.0 (type A, max. 5 Gbit / s)
- 2x USB 2.0
- 1x 1 Gigabit LAN (Intel I219V)
- 1x 2.5 gigabit LAN (Realtek 8125B)
- 2x WLAN antenna (Intel AX201, 802.11ax / BT 5.1)
- 5x 3.5 mm jack (Realtek ALC1220 & ESS SABRE9018Q2C DAC)
- 1x optical S / PDIF
- 1x flash BIOS button
- 1x Clear CMOS button
-- Power supply:
- 1x 24-pin ATX
- 2x 8-pin 12V
Scope of delivery:
- 1x mainboard
- 1x WLAN antenna
- 1x driver CD
- 1x MSI case sticker
- 1x 4-pin RGB LED Y cable (1 to 2)
- 1x 3-pin ARGB extension cable
- 1x CORSAIR RGB LED extension cable
- 4x SATA data cables 1x labels for cable labeling
- 1x user manual
- 1x promo postcard
- 1x postcard for product registration
- 1x MSI product catalog
- 1x quick start guide