AMD’s X870 series - comprising both X870 and X870E motherboards - launches into multiple price tiers this week and the MSI MPG X870E CARBON WIFI’s segment is perhaps the most difficult to articulate. It’s not a high-end overclocker, and it’s certainly not an affordable gaming design. Mainstream might cover it, were it not for the $500 price tag. Perhaps ‘feature-rich content creation’ is the most appropriate, even if it does have a gaming flavour to it.
The great strength of MSI’s design is its usability. You’re not worried about form factor, there are toolless installation & removal options for both M.2 drive and GPU, you can enjoy a plethora of I/O options, and lighting customisation as the cherry on top. The premium touches can be appreciated by PC building novices and enthusiasts alike, which is really the hallmark of a customer-focussed approach.
Typically, you might expect benchmark results to take a back-seat, but that doesn’t appear to be the case here. All the X870/E designs tested thus far (with reviews for two coming soon) are nip and tuck, with results generally separated by margins of error. So, for stock operation (which is the majority of use-cases within this segment) the CARBON WIFI performs adequately well.
We wouldn’t denigrate the overclocking capabilities of this SKU, but it’s clear that this wasn’t MSI’s focus. An 18-phase power delivery system is not exceptional for X870E, likely making it good for a modest processor/RAM overclock but not intended to take a CPU to the ragged edge. We’d be most happy for operation within standard PBO rules, particularly for the 16-core CPU models.
MSI’s EZ series of range-exclusive features are a mixed bag in general. The EZ PCIe Release for instance is simple but effective and we’re happy to see it included across the entirety of MSI’s 800-series. EZ Clip II is a nice toolless aid for the primary M.2 slot. The EZ Front panel header just makes life so much easier, particularly if your PC assembly space isn’t ideal. The EZ Conn header though, a proprietary unified pin-out for fan, RGB and USB? Let’s just say that it’s not really a selling point unless you’re also invested in MSI’s AIO cooling range.
Aesthetically, the motherboard is attractive though once again MSI could still learn that ‘less is more’ when it comes to showcase components. Toning down the branding and heatsink highlights while letting users gain more from personal lighting customisation would have been an interesting approach in this price band. We do however like the addition of a discrete LED on/off switch for those times when you’re getting into a long session at the keyboard and could do without the distraction.
We also welcome the return of two-digit LED debug displays to motherboards in this class and hope they extend down to more affordable segments and chipsets. No platform is safe from troubleshooting and so any help you can give to the consumer should be positively received.
Can we recommend the MPG X870E CARBON WIFI? Yes, with qualifications.
If the additional I/O options afforded by the dual-chipset ‘E’ X870s are a factor, i.e. you’ll reasonably expect to utilise the additional USB4, USB 3.2 and SATA ports as well as the supplementary PCIe x4 off-chipset slot, they absolutely should be considered.
That being said, 600-series motherboards remain competitive if the additional platform functionality isn’t a factor in your use case. In effect, if USB4 and WiFi 7 aren’t features you’ll tap into, and an otherwise comparable 600-series ‘board is significantly cheaper, it’s fair to opt for the older model.
Otherwise, the MPG X870E CARBON WIFI is a very competent option for content creators and gamers with pretty deep pockets.
There’s a lot to like about MSI’s MPG X870E CARBON WIFI. While we wince at the $500 price tag, it has to be a great starting point for productive content creators and gamers who can leverage the full range of features that AMD’s X870E chipset and MSI’s proprietary know-how can offer.
Pros
+ Exceptional feature list
+ ‘EZ’ adaptations actually make installation and long-term use easier
+ Great I/O capabilities
+ up-to two PCIe Gen 5 M.2 NVMe slots
+ dual-LAN and WiFi 7 networking support
Cons
- Steep price
- No x8 operation mode on the 2nd PCIe slot
+ Exceptional feature list
+ ‘EZ’ adaptations actually make installation and long-term use easier
+ Great I/O capabilities
+ up-to two PCIe Gen 5 M.2 NVMe slots
+ dual-LAN and WiFi 7 networking support
Cons
- Steep price
- No x8 operation mode on the 2nd PCIe slot
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