MSI MPG/MAG Z490 Motherboard Lineup
The next motherboards in MSI's lineup are part of the MPG, MAG, and PRO series which are aimed at the mainstream and budget tier. These motherboards offer a mix of great features and designs for everyday user needs.
MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Carbon WiFi
MSI defines the MPG Z490 Gaming Carbon WiFi as a product inspired by supercars. The design does seem to reflect that as the board goes heavy on the carbon fiber look which is seen all over the various heatsinks and mesh plates over the heatsinks. The board features a 12+1+1 phase Duet Rail Power System which is powered by an 8+4 pin connector configuration. All MSI MPG and MAG series motherboards feature support for DDR4-4800 MHz memory with up to 128 GB of capacities. Storage includes 6 SATA III ports while expansion includes three PCIe 3.0 x16, two PCIe 3.0 x1, and triple M.2 slots. Both M.2 slots feature M.2 Shield Frozr heatsinks.
I/O on the board includes a 20G Lightning USB, 5 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (2 Type-A + 3 Type-C) ports, 8 USB 3.2 Gen 1, 6 USB 2.0 ports, 2.5G Realtek Ethernet LAN, WiFi 6 + BT 5.1 and Audio boost HD. While you don't get the extra features of the MEG lineup such as better cooling solutions, the board does come with a heat pipe that connects both VRM heatsinks. The I/O cover also looks great with RGB lights which are operated through the MSI Mystic Light software.
MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Edge WiFi
The MSI Z490 Gaming Edge WiFi is a more cost-optimized version of the Carbon, lacking the carbon fiber touch but still supports a nice black design with light grey markings. Both the mATX and ATX variants feature the same 12+1+1 phase power delivery as the Gaming Carbon WiFi with the same DDR4 support.
Expansion on the board includes 2 PCIe 3.0 x16, 2 PCIe 3.0 x1, and dual M.2 slots out of which one is cooled by the M.2 Shield Frozr heatsink. There are 6 SATA III ports for storage. I/O includes a single 20G Lightning USB port, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2, 7 USB 3.2 Gen 1, 6 USB 2.0 ports, a 2.5G Realtek Ethernet LAN chip, WiFi 6, and Audio Boost HD.
MSI MPG Z490M Gaming Edge WiFi
The mATX variant of the Gaming Edge WiFi comes with the same set of specifications except the I/O which includes 3 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (1 Type-A + 2 Type-C), 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1, 4 USB 2.0, and additionally, WiFi 6.
There are four SATA III ports and expansion includes two PCIe 3.0 x16, two PCIe 3.0 x1, and two M.2 ports of which one is covered with the M.2 Shield Frozr heatsink. Just like its bigger ATX brother, the Z490M Gaming Edge WiFi has RGB LEDs embedded under the PCH heatsink.
MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Plus
The Z490 Gaming Plus features the same 12+1+1 phase power delivery as the Gaming Edge with the same DDR4 support.
Expansion on the board includes 2 PCIe 3.0 x16, 3 PCIe 3.0 x1, and dual M.2 slots out of which one is cooled by the M.2 Shield Frozr heatsink. There are 6 SATA III ports for storage. I/O includes two USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-A + Type-C) ports, 7 USB 3.2 Gen 1, 6 USB 2.0 ports, a 2.5G Realtek Ethernet LAN chip, and Audio Boost HD.
MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk
The last motherboard of the MAG lineup is the MAG Z490 Tomahawk, a motherboard that is known to be highly competitive in previous generation motherboards. The Z490 Tomahawk is better than ever with a 12 Phase DRPS (55A) DrMOS power delivery which is powered by an 8+4 pin connector configuration and supports DDR4-4800 MHz memory. The motherboard comes with dual M.2 slots which are cooled by Shield Frozr heatsinks, dual PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, and dual PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. VRMs are cooled by an all-aluminum cover-based heatsink which makes direct contact with the VRMs using a highly conductive thermal pad to ensure proper heat transfer.
I/O on the motherboard include a single 20G Lightning USB port, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2, 7 USB 3.2 Gen 1, 6 USB 2.0 ports, 2.5G Realtek / 1G Intel Ethernet LAN ports, and Audio Boost technology. There are also 6 SATA III ports on the board for storage options. The board is very nicely designed and has an extended PCH heatsink which looks great with MSI's Mystic Light implementation.
MSI Z490A-PRO
And the last motherboard of the MSI Z490 lineup is the Z490-A PRO which is designed exclusively for the content creator market. The board also features a 12+1+1 phase VRM design which is powered by an 8+4 pin power connector configuration.
It features support for DDR4-4800 MHz memory, supports up to six SATA III storage devices, and has a range of expansion options such as two PCIe 3.0 x16, three PCIe 3.0 x1 and dual M.2 slots out of which one has the Shield Frozr heatsink. I/O includes 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-A + Type-C), 7 USB 3.2 Gen 1, 6 USB 2.0 ports along with a 2.5G networking port from Realtek, and Audio Boost technology.
MSI MPG/MAG/PRO Z490 Motherboard Series Specifications:
Overall, MSI has showcased a very powerful lineup with its Z490 products. We will keep updating the article as we get more information on pricing for each individual motherboard & provide you with details on when the motherboards go on retail shelves.
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About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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