MSI MPG Z690 CARBON EK X – Motherboard Review

MSI MPG Z690 CARBON EK X – TweakTown

May 26, 2022 by Stephen

With the Ace taking the enthusiast slot in MSI’s Z690 MAG lineup, variations of the Z690 Carbon and Z690 Edge fill out of the MPG portfolio. At the top end of this range of motherboards is the Carbon EK X, a board that is functionally identical to the Carbon Wi-Fi but with extra sauce added from EK Waterblocks.
For the hardware platform, we have all the typical, with Z690 chipset, Socket LGA1700, and four DDR5 memory slots. As per usual, this allows 128GB of memory to be installed using 32GB sticks, with speeds of 4800 supported at the base and 6600MHz at the top end.

MSI MPG Z690 CARBON EK X – HardwareCooking

March 28, 2022 by Stephen

Now let’s talk about monoblock . Supplied by EK Water Blocks, we are on a product that will allow in this case to cool the processor, the power stage and even the first M.2 SSD slot via a custom watercooling circuit. Be careful, this is not a product suitable for everyone, there is some work behind to be done to be able to use it. This is a monoblock designed especially for this motherboard (MSI MPG Z690 CARBON) and it is therefore not possible to use it on another reference.

MSI MPG Z690 CARBON EK X – PurePC

May 22, 2022February 28, 2022 by Stephen

MSI motherboards created in cooperation with EKWB have been regularly reviewed for several generations, observing the consistent evolution of products belonging to this niche segment. Today is the moment to check the MSI MPG Z690 Carbon EK X, the latest work of the aforementioned duo, dedicated to the LGA 1700 platform and 12th generation Core processors. Although AiO sets have become well established on the market, the greatest enthusiasts still prefer full-fledged liquid cooling systems and such users are the target group of the device described.

MSI MPG Z690 CARBON EK X – Overclocking

February 15, 2022 by Stephen

This Z690 Carbon EK X model is part of the “MPG” series for “MSI Performance Gaming ”. It is located between the “MEG” series, which represents the most upscale cards and the “MAG” series which puts forward a more attractive price. This is, as the name suggests, a series that should be perfect for gamers . We can therefore place this model in the mid-range of MSI. Now the partnership with EK on this model offers it undeniable added value.

MSI MPG Z690 CARBON EK X – Hardwareluxx

May 22, 2022February 4, 2022 by Stephen

In close cooperation with EKWB, MSI has now included the MPG Z690 CARBON EK X in its range in addition to the MAG Z690 TORPEDO EK X, which is particularly suitable if the interested party has planned custom water cooling. However, the addition of the water cooler also increases the price again: MSI gave us a price of 699 euros as an RRP, in retail this is at least 660 euros a little below that. With the MSI MPG Z590 CARBON EK X (Hardwareluxx test) , we already had a problem with the predecessor, so we’re excited to see what the new edition has to offer.

MSI MPG Z690 CARBON EK X – TechPowerUp

January 13, 2022 by Stephen

This collaboration with EKWB has taken the MPG Z690 Carbon WiFi feature-set and placed an EK-Quantum Matrix7 monoblock over the 18 VRM power stages. In addition to this, an M.2 socket is also directly cooled, thus allowing for near-ambient temperatures during large data transfers. This helps alleviate potential heat-related issues that can accompany these intense user workloads. Fear not, though, the remaining four M.2 sockets include full heatsink coverage. To round out the experience, the newest WiFi 6E technology and 2.5G LAN are present and accounted for.

MSI MPG Z690 CARBON EK X – Professional Review

January 12, 2022 by Stephen

On a technical level, practically nothing changes compared to the standard model, and we have an impressive 18 + 1 + 1 phase VRM and Core Boost and Game Boost functions to get the most out of the Alder Lake CPUs and DDR5 RAM. Connectivity is tailored to the needs of the most demanding users with 5 M.2 slots, Wi-Fi, USB Gen2x2 and a high-end sound card. Let’s see how it looks with our EK mount, let’s start!