At the bottom end of the motherboard, things are busy. We get four PCI-E 4.0 x1 slots and three PCI-E 4.0 x16 slots (the first two slots operate in a x16/x0 or x8/x8 mode, with the third slot operating at x4).
Audio is on an isolated section of the motherboard, on the left, using the Realtek ALC1220 Codec.
Lifting the cover from the heatsink gives you access to the pair of M.2 slots on the motherboard. The uppermost M.2 slots supports NVMe drives up to 80mm in length and is connected directly to the CPU, whereas the lower M.2 slot supports both NVMe and SATA drives and can accommodate drives up to 110mm in length. The 45mm fan will sit idle most of the time, only kicking into action when the going gets tough with a lot of activity going through the FCH. A workload such as rapid access of PCI-E NVMe drive in the bottom slot would see this area warm up, we suspect.
On the right-edge of the board, MSI have angled all of their connectors, apart from the USB 3.2 Gen 2 front connector, by 90°. This is going against the norm and may cause issues for smaller cases, however, it could help cable management if considered from the start. Starting from the left, theres a pair of front USB 3.2 Gen 1 connectors, six SATA 3.0 connectors and the 24-pin power connector.
Last up, the rear IO. Theres plenty going on here, giving users a lot of scope for connectivity. Now before we get onto whats what on here, you might want to brush up on your USB knowledge, which weve explained here USB 3.2. Well forgive you if you thought USB 3.2 was a new standard, which in a kind of roundabout way, it is, but most of it isnt.
The backing plate for the rear IO is mounted directly to the motherboard, saving the awkward momemt that many of us have faced when you forget to install it into the case.
Audio is on an isolated section of the motherboard, on the left, using the Realtek ALC1220 Codec.
Lifting the cover from the heatsink gives you access to the pair of M.2 slots on the motherboard. The uppermost M.2 slots supports NVMe drives up to 80mm in length and is connected directly to the CPU, whereas the lower M.2 slot supports both NVMe and SATA drives and can accommodate drives up to 110mm in length. The 45mm fan will sit idle most of the time, only kicking into action when the going gets tough with a lot of activity going through the FCH. A workload such as rapid access of PCI-E NVMe drive in the bottom slot would see this area warm up, we suspect.
On the right-edge of the board, MSI have angled all of their connectors, apart from the USB 3.2 Gen 2 front connector, by 90°. This is going against the norm and may cause issues for smaller cases, however, it could help cable management if considered from the start. Starting from the left, theres a pair of front USB 3.2 Gen 1 connectors, six SATA 3.0 connectors and the 24-pin power connector.
Last up, the rear IO. Theres plenty going on here, giving users a lot of scope for connectivity. Now before we get onto whats what on here, you might want to brush up on your USB knowledge, which weve explained here USB 3.2. Well forgive you if you thought USB 3.2 was a new standard, which in a kind of roundabout way, it is, but most of it isnt.
The backing plate for the rear IO is mounted directly to the motherboard, saving the awkward momemt that many of us have faced when you forget to install it into the case.
