MSI MEG Z490 UNIFY

MSI Adds PCIe 4.0 Support to Z490 Motherboards

March 2, 2021 by Stephen

[Taipei, Taiwan] All of the MSI Z490 motherboards will be supporting PCIe 4.0 with the coming Intel 11^th Gen Intel Processors. Through an update to the latest BIOS, MSI Z490 motherboards offer great bandwidth and performance for PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSDs and graphics cards.

To be PCIe 4.0 compatible, several components on the motherboards are necessary, including PCIe 4.0 ready clock generator, lane switch, redriver, PCIe slots, and M.2 connectors. Thanks to the complete PCIe 4.0 solutions, MSI Z490 motherboards provide the most stable design for PCIe 4.0 and unlock the full performance of PCIe 4.0 devices.

To enjoy the unlocked performance of PICe 4.0, please update the Z490 motherboards with the latest BIOSes optimized for PCIe 4.0.
MSI Z490 BIOSes optimized for PCIe 4.0 performance:

Find more details @ MSI

January 6, 2021 by Stephen

The MEG Z490 Unify, built around the LGA1200 socket and Intel’s Z490 chipset for its mainstream desktop CPUs, features an almost entirely black color scheme, with the only traces of contrasting color coming from capacitors and power phases on the board and the steel-reinforced PCI Express slots. If you’ve looked at motherboards over the last few years, it may come off a bit flat for your tastes.

MSI MEG Z490 Unify, Core i9-10900K & RTX 3080/3090 SUPRIM X

December 16, 2020 by Stephen

I was quite impressed with the entire MSI Z490 Unify + Intel Core i9-10900K setup, but most of all with the all-MSI system. In what started out with just the motherboard, turned into a full MSI system that I will continue to use for articles on 8K gaming battles against AMD’s just-released Zen 3-powered Ryzen 9 5900X processor.

MSI’s entire system ran nice and cool throughout my weeks of testing, with enough (but quiet) airflow keeping the very hot components (the Core i9-10900K isn’t a cool-running chip) and neither are the GeForce RTX 3090 and GeForce RTX 3080 graphics cards when they’re overclocked to the max.

MSI MEG Z490 UNIFY

October 6, 2020 by Stephen

The MSI MEG Z490 Unify could be described as the simpler and above all cheaper MSI MEG Z490 ACE . In a direct comparison, it is not only visual similarities that are noticeable, but also technical ones. The two boards use exactly the same layout and are equipped almost identically. Differences? Yes, of course there are.

MSI MEG Z490 UNIFY

September 10, 2020June 3, 2020 by Stephen

In this review, we look at the MSI Z490 UNIFY. The new series targeted in a high-end solution. Interesting to see that this is an RGB-less all-black design. Priced at 299 USD, it comes with AX WIFI and has that a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet jack and a 16-phase power design.

MSI MEG Z490 UNIFY

September 14, 2020June 1, 2020 by Stephen

Enter the MSI MEG Z490 Unify. A motherboard which sticks to the all black parts and PCB that are the basis for all modern motherboards, but entirely dispenses with the RGB onboard, limiting itself to just a couple of LED strip headers and these are in black, keeping that Spinal Tap aesthetic.

MSI MEG Z490 UNIFY

September 15, 2020May 22, 2020 by Stephen

As we begin this journey, today we turn to MSI for a detailed look at their MEG Z490 UNIFY. UNIFY is an option which many have been secretly crying out for, it epitomises a group which protest against the RGB movement. UNIFY boasts an all-black design which offers up a sleek and subtle approach.

MSI MEG Z490 UNIFY

September 14, 2020May 20, 2020 by Stephen

The new Z490 Unify line aims to take this philosophy to the next level with active cooling that pulls fresh air in through the rear I/O panel to help maintain optimal VRM temperatures, as well as top of the line 90 A power stages to help drive even the most power hungry of Intel’s new 10th-generation CPUs.