MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Carbon WiFi Gaming Motherboard (ATX, 10th Gen Intel Core, LGA 1200 Socket, DDR4, SLI/CF, Dual M.2 Slots, USB 3.2 Gen 2, Wi-Fi 6, DP/HDMI, Mystic Light RGB)

Solid and Reliable
I have built gaming PCs before, I have had issues with MOBOs not working out of the box. So I read reviews on amazon and other sources before making my purchase. I am going for a fully blown gaming rig with a newer I9 intel processor. All commented works at first power on, no issues. Well I can say this was the same experience for me! You should plan carefully the MOBO you want and how you configure the other components. This MOBO allows for 2 M2 sticks, (heatsinks included with MOBO!) The only awareness I want to provide is loading 2 will knock out 3 of the 6 SATA connections. The manual clearly states this. The other is that you do not get a LED readout of POST, only little LED indicators. The product was shipped in original box so all can see, not shipped in a standard amazon box, So some small dings here. The MOBO is fully featured, includes MSI dragon software to config and OC. Also the standard MSI case sticker to show off your skills. Follow all install instructions, make sure all updates applied and you will be ready for action. Very happy, includes all the fan headers you need, special connections for corsair products and of course RGB lighting. Recommended if you are a beginner builder or have several under your belt. For me reliable and works right out of the box with no undo fuss. Recommended!

Fantastic looking, well built mid range Z490 motherboard…but MSI BIOS stinks
**UPDATE**Since posting this original review I have updated my build with an EK AIO 360 D-RGB as well as replacing my casefans with 3 EK Vardar Evo D-RGB case fams and it runs superbly, I highly recommend. On top of these EK fans being EXTREMELY low noise(I come from Noctua fans all around in my previous build and a Noctua NH-D15 on both my previous and this build remember) they move a LOT of air AND the RGB looks fantastic on them(up to 2200rpm, and very quiet, I literally cant hear anything from outside my case and while the glass side helps that, even when its removed the noise is minimal outside the pump). I mounted the AIO as a front mount intake(my case cant fit a 360 radiator anywhere else) with the fans being closest to the front of the case and pulling fresh air through them, then the radiator into my case, and with 2 top and 1 rear exhaust. I also have 1 Noctua NF-P12 redux 1700rpm PWM fan running as a bottom intake. I have attached photos and a video of the new AIO and fans. The Noctua NH-D15 chromax was a great cooler, but unfortunately it pressed up against the glass of my case where I couldnt tightly screw the window on, and if I did it was at the risk of bending my motherboard or damaging my CPU/socket. I also decided to move away from the NH-D15 because of its size, in a case like the Meshify C it makes it EXTREMELY difficult to do damn near anything with that cooler being so big, and the case being one of the smallest Mid Towers. I am extremely happy with the results.**Original Review**Ever since I started building my own computers when I was 12 years old I have been a lifelong ASUS motherboard consumer outside of purchasing 1 ABIT board early on when they were making solid product. Unfortunately, it seems as though the lead ASUS used to have in functionality, build quality and appearance seems to have faded with time and companies like MSI and Gigabyte(AORUS) have caught up. I am now 32, and this is the first non-ASUS motherboard I have owned in about 2 decades and surprisingly, I have very little negative to say about it. Overall, I am quite impressed with this board, it has fantastic build quality, and for someone who built their last rig in 2015(pre mainstream RGB) this board provides the option for a sleek, carbon/blacked out look similar to my ASUS Z97-AR while at the same time also offering hints of RGB for those that want it. The carbon theme on this board was executed PERFECTLY, even looking at motherboards in the next price bracket, ‘enthusiast’ level boards if you will, nothing looks better, and no quality gained from a board such as the Z490 Gaming Carbon. I am well aware this isnt an entry level board, but its also not high end, however the bang for buck you get with this board makes me believe it will easily be one of the most popular of the Z490 socket motherboards.This motherboard is paired with:i9-10850K32GB DDR4 3600MHz C16 Ballistix RGBCorsair RM850xEVGA GTX 960 SSC 2GB(gone soon)WD Black SN750 NVMe 500GBADATA XPG SX8200 Pro NVMe 500GBNoctua NH-D15 Chromax.Black(gone soon)Inside a Fractal Design Meshify C Tempered Glass case.The I/O sheild being built in is a GREAT move, and something ALL MOTHERBOARDS no matter the price should do. It makes for a far better installation as well as boost the feeling of overall quality. On top of that, MSI makes sure to include USB capabilities for most of the current USB standards outside of Thunderbolt3. USB 2.0, USB 3.2 Gen 2, and USB 3.2 2×2 Type-C all make an appearance on the rear I/O. Also included is a 2.5G Realtek network card, as well as Intels AX200 Wifi6 card built in with relocatable antennas. The VRMs are 12+2, 12 for the CPU and 2 for the memory, and are covered by heatsinks matching the theme of the board. The heatsinks have a heatpipe running between them, and many fins for additional cooling. The carbon fiber theme of the board is in abundance in this area of the board, and MSI does a good job to make it look like real carbon fiber. The VRMs are lit bu RGB lighting when the board is powered on. One thing I did find a bit out of place were the 2 M.2 heatsinks…they dont go much with the straight edge carbon fiber theme of the rest of the board in my opinion. However, being that I have a Western Digital Black NVMe SSD (SN750) with EK Heatsink I have found that it matches the theme of the board as if it were made specifically for it. I will attach photos. I am also currently running a Noctua NH-D15 Chromax.Black which goes great with the overall theme but makes things difficult to plug in around the board in a Fractal Meshify C case. I will be changing this to the EK AIO 360 soon. The motherboard has your typical 8+4 power for the CPU on the top left of the board, and has a bunch of fan headers(6 to be exact) for those like me who are utilizing air as their method of cooling. MSI also does a good job of including ARGB, RGB and Corsair RGB headers throughout the board, there are 2 of each. In the bottom right of the board you find the chipset and chipset cooler, which reads ‘Carbon’ and has the MSI dragon surrounded by Carbon Fiber and sharp diagonal heatsink-esque edges. This is lit by RGB lighting when the board is powered on. This and the VRMs are the only two places the motherboard has RGB lighting built intoIt, and for anyone going for the all black theme it can be turned off in Dragon Center. The top 2 PCIe x16 slots are well built and have metal shields while the third does not.I could go on and on about the quality, look and feel of this board, and at $270 it is a fantastic bang for your buck, you get A LOT of extras for the additional $100 you spend over an entry level Z490 board. However, before closing I do have to comment on MSI’s horrendus excuse for a BIOS. While I understand what MSI was trying to accomplish with a very graphical, mouse clickable BIOS, for users who have used a more classic style ‘Advanced’(NON EZMODE) BIOS for YEARS, this clickable graphical BIOS is a bloated pain in the ass, and far less customizable as it should be. In my opinion, the ADVANCED mode should be just that, FOR ADVANCED USERS, and shouldnt cater to users who dont typically know what theyre doing and need clickable icons as help. That kind of thing is fine and great for EZMODE, but should be removed all together from advanced. There are standard settings you can find using a little bit of logic on almost all other motherboard companies that are near impossible to find because of MSIs atrocious BIOS.PS: i am waiting for Nvidia to release their 30Series cards before upgrading from my GTX 960. I KNOW…ITS OLD.

Working flawless 2nd year now

Seems to work, the board has tons of rgb headers and fan headers. The aesthetics are nice as it’s got clean carbon fiber accents and minimal yet effective on board rgb with 2 m.2 slots and 2 pcie slots you are good for whatever you plan on doing and the included wifi 6 and magnetic antenna is nice if you don’t have access to a hardline connection and want to make sure you are as stable as possible when you go online.