MSI's Z890 motherboards have reinforced aluminum PCIe slots for next-gen graphics cards

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MSI has a pretty impressive line-up of motherboards for Intel's new Core Ultra 200 Series CPUs - from the high-end MEG Z890 ACE to the stylish PRO Z890-A WIFI and the PC gamer-focused MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI and MPG Z890 CARBON WIFI.

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In addition to supporting new chips, they come equipped with advanced full-speed Wi-Fi 7, multiple M.2 storage slots that include support for PCIe Gen5, and more USB ports than you'd think possible. With more and more desktop PCs being used for generative AI workloads, some models, like the new MPG Z890 CARBON WIFI, even support installing multiple graphics cards.

Outside of AI, desktop graphics cards for PC gaming - especially on the high end - have only gotten bigger in recent years. They have triple slots or higher thickness, lengths extending beyond the motherboard's end, chunky heatsinks, and three fans as standard. MSI, and other board makers for that matter, have noted and are factoring the larger size, weight, and power consumption into their new motherboard designs.

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This is why MSI's Z890 Series and other boards include PCIe Steel Armor II slots for graphics cards with reinforced aluminum in an 'XXL' design that is now 21mm high. The change not only takes into account the current graphics card lineup but was incorporated explicitly for the next generation of GPUs from NVIDIA and AMD.

As part of the presentation, MSI gave us and other media creators, it noted that one of the industry trends for 2025 would be "higher performance, higher power consumption" GPUs. Granted, MSI didn't break any sort of embargo, but you could safely assume that it's designing new motherboards and other hardware based on specs it has for NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce RTX 50 Series and AMD's new RDNA 4 cards.

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This isn't to say that next-gen GPUs won't work on current boards and systems; it's just that companies are now factoring in the changing GPU landscape to reinforce and provide additional support at the PCIe slot level. For MSI, this arrives alongside the new EZ PCIe installation system, which provides a simple one-button lock mechanic for installing and removing a GPU.