Motherboards

MSI has just introduced its new "X3D Gaming Mode" feature that will give you increased gaming performance when running a single or dual CCD processor from Ryzen and its growing X3D range of chips.

Now that AMD's new Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor is out in the wild, motherboard makers have been quick to launch their own performance-boosting tweaks to X3D processors on their motherboards. MSI's new "X3D Gaming Mode" BIOS feature allows you to disable the other CCD or SMT to improve gaming performance.

MSI's new X3D Gaming Mode will be great for dual CCD processors like the upcoming Ryzen 9 9950X3D, and the Zen 4-based Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Ryzen 9 7900X3D processors. But, it's not just the dual CCD processors that will benefit from X3D Gaming Mode, with single CCD chips seeing performance boosts... perfect timing for the launch of AMD's new gaming champion: the Ryzen 7 9800X3D (you can read our review here).

GIGABYTE has just launched its new X870I AORUS PRO ICE motherboard, the company's first X870-based Mini-ITX board which costs $299. Check it out:

The company is using an 8+2+1 (VCORE+SOC+MISC) phase VRM design that supports AMD's extensive AM5 socket, ready to rock and roll with up to Zen 5-based processors like the just-released AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor. GIGABYTE's new X870I AORUS PRO ICE motherboard has 2 x DDR5 DIMMs (hey, it's a Mini-ITX mobo) with support for up to DDR5-8800 memory through AMD EXPO overclocking profiles.

There's also room for 2 x M.2 SSDs (1 x Gen5 + 1 x Gen4) while there's a full-sized PCIe 5.0 x16 slot ready for graphics cards, with GIGABYTE's reinforced UD Slot X design (Ultra Durable) that supports heavier graphics cards. GIGABYTE's new X870I AORUS ICE PRO motherboard also features Wi-Fi 7 and features the company's new "EZ-Plug" antenna system.

GIGABYTE is preparing its new Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE CAMM2 motherboard, which will support the new CAMM2 memory standard that offers higher speeds and massive capacities.

The upcoming GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE CAMM2 motherboard was spotted on the Z890I AORUS ULTRA motherboard that Aussie YouTubers GearSeekers was presented with. The new board was shown off at Computex 2024 earlier this year, with the new CAMM2 version now on its way.

What do CAMM2 memory modules offer? CAMM2 memory modules will be offered in gigantic 256GB capacities, with speeds that we haven't got right now in the DDR5 memory market. CAMM2 memory modules will replace SO-DIMM modules for laptops, which usually maxed out at 5600MT/s, while desktops were pushing 8000MT/s.

ASUS has teased it has some "exciting" upgrades to its still unannounced Z890 BTF motherboards, the boards that have backside power connectors and sleek style.

During a recent livestream by ASUS North America on YouTube, the team was asked if there was going to be a next-gen Z890 BTF motherboard with ASUS manager Juan Jose Guerrero saying there's no designs planned for the Z890 launch, but the company remains committed to the design, development, and production of BTF products.

Guerrero said: "BTF at Computex was just for demo to show our commitment to BTF design alongside other BTF products we highlighted including next-gen AIO design and chassis. We also showed a CAMM2 board but do not have a model we are launching. While we do not have a launch BTF Z890 motherboard we are committed to the design, development and production of BTF solutions. Response from our uses and the community has been extremely positive and we have some exciting updates in the works".

With Intel unveiling its new Intel Core Ultra 200S desktop processors and Arrow Lake's imminent arrival, we've also seen an onslaught of new motherboards for the new Z890 chipset announced. Multiple impressive boards are coming; however, the new ASRock Z890 Taichi AQUA might just be the one to turn a few heads - especially when you look at the rear IO and its features.

ASRock says that with this board, you've got "plenty of Type-C," but if you glance at the rear IO panel, you'll notice that it's exclusively USB Type-C with ten ports available - including dual Thunderbolt 4 ports. By not including even one or two traditional USB Type-A ports, this is a deliberate design choice by ASRock and one that is impressive. Type-C is the future, after all.

The front IO or case supports up to four USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A connections, so there is some support if you need one. Standing out from the pack doesn't stop with USB Type-C; the ASRock Z890 Taichi AQUA has another trick up its sleeve.

MSI is ready for Intel's upcoming new generation of desktop CPUs, which will be released under the moniker Arrow Lake.

MSI has revealed its highly anticipated lineup of new Z890 motherboards that come with support for Intel's Arrow Lake desktop CPUs, which have seemingly already had some of their performance benchmarks leaked online. By the time this article has gone live, more performance benchmarks will likely be online as we are nearing the official launch of Intel's new chips. As for MSI's upcoming range of boards, MSI invited me for a behind-the-scenes tour of its motherboard manufacturing factory in Shenzhen, China, where it was making some of the boards detailed below.

MSI had its main four boards on display at its press event: the Pro Z890-A Wi-Fi, the MPG Z890 Edge Ti Wi-Fi, the MPG Z890 Carbon Wi-Fi, the MEG Z890 Ace, and the MAG Z890 Tomahawk Wi-Fi. Each of the boards offers unique aesthetics and functionality, but all come ready for Intel's Arrow Lake CPUs. Additionally, each of the boards will come with Thunderbolt 4 support that will enable fast data transfer speeds. Moreover, the improvements to connectivity and additional power to the board via an extra 8-pin connector enable charging up to 60W on some boards, which is especially helpful for users that have multiple devices such as laptops, smartphones, power banks and tablets.

Not all Wi-Fi is the same; most of us know this well. Regardless of the underlying internet speed and whether or not you're connected to fiber or Starlink up in the sky, device speed can vary dramatically. The new Wi-Fi 7 standard is a game changer for wireless speeds and how it handles multiple connections, but many early Wi-Fi 7 devices were kind of Wi-Fi 7 in name only.

With the arrival of next-gen Intel Core Ultra 200 Series CPUs and a new range of Z890 motherboards, the latest chipset not only adds high-speed USB4 and all manner of support for PCIe Gen 5 storage and other goodies but also sees a shift to Wi-Fi 7 - supported by the always impressive Intel KiLLER network technology.

As much flack as Intel has received in recent months for the issues surrounding its Raptor Lake CPUs, production and foundry delays, and other things - Intel's network technology, whether its Ethernet or Wi-Fi, has remained rock solid. And when it comes to Wi-Fi 7 in the new range of Z890 motherboards for Arrow Lake processors - you're looking at full Wi-Fi 7 speeds and bandwidth.

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.

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.

Recently, when pictures of new 2024 motherboards for new CPUs began to appear online, many noticed the addition of a new 8-pin PCIe power connection on the bottom of specific boards. Located on the opposite end of the main motherboard and CPU power plugin, this led to speculation about what it could be for.

Is it for the upcoming release of the GeForce RTX 5090 and GeForce RTX 5080? NVIDIA's next-gen flagship graphics cards are rumored (from multiple credible sources) to require 600W and 400W of power, respectively. Or, is it to compensate for the dramatic increase in CPU power consumption in recent years - precisely, on the Intel side of the fence?

The answer is yes, no, all of the above, and more. During a recent visit to MSI's factory in Shenzhen, China, where we saw MEG Z890 ACE, PRO Z890-A WIFI, MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI, and MPG Z890 CARBON WIFI, we asked one of the company's leading engineers and designers about the new connector to find out what it's used for.

This year, AMD and Intel have announced and released their next-gen desktop CPUs with the new Ryzen 9000 Series and Intel Core Ultra (Series 2). New processors mean new chipsets, in this case, Intel Z890 and AMD X870, and countless new motherboards hitting retail shelves as we close the year.

During a recent tour of MSI's impressive factory in Shenzhen, China, where we saw Intel Z890 motherboards being produced at a mind-boggling scale, we got to go hands-on with a few Intel Core Ultra 200 builds with MSI's new boards. New CPUs and new motherboards are always exciting, but when you throw in a brand-new, modern BIOS redesign - it all feels 'next-gen.'

MSI is calling its revamped, redesigned, and overhauled BIOS interface and UI the Click BIOS X system. We went hands-on with two systems: an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU and MEG Z890 ACE motherboard and an Intel Core Ultra 5 245K CPU and MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI motherboard.