MSI showcases their Z790 MAX and B650 Project Zero motherboards at Computex

MSI reveals a wide range of new motherboards and a USB4 100W Expansion Card at Computex

At Computex 2023, MSI has revealed a range of new motherboards, including new Intel Z790 MAX series designs, and a new B650 “Project Zero” design that features hidden cables for power and I/O options.

With their new Z790 MAX series designs, MSI are adding WIFI 7 support to their latest motherboard designs and are upgrading their wired networking with new 5Gb Ethernet LAN ports. This is great news for anyone with a large home network, especially those who own high-end routers and frequently move large files from system-to-system. This is also a feature that will come into its own when Gigabit+ internet connections become more commonly available.

While MSI has now revealed why they are creating Z790 MAX series motherboards, aside from offering their customers stronger networking options, there are rumours that Intel are planning to release enhanced “Raptor Lake Refresh” processors later this year, CPUs that would be a great pairing with MSI’s new Z790 MAX motherboard designs.

If you are waiting for a more advanced Intel Z790 motherboard, MSI got you covered. The Z790 MAX series motherboards will be featuring the brand new Wi-Fi 7 solution, the overall appearance design will have some upgrades to it, and several motherboards will be upgrading their network solution to 5GbE LAN.

(MSI MEG Z790 ACE MAX Motherboard – Image from Benchlife.info)

Moving into the experimental side of things, we have MSI’s B650M Project Zero motherboard design, which features all of its power connectors and I/O headers (for USB, fans, audio etc) on the rear of the motherboard. While this design requires a specialised PC case to work, it allows users to create a cleaner looking PC by keeping all messy cables behind the case’s motherboard tray. This also prevents PC cables from interfering with a PC case’s natural airflow pattern, potentially improving the airflow over some components.

At this time it is unknown if MSI plans to release any Project Zero motherboards in the form of consumer products, or if they have managed to get any PC case manufacturers to get behind the concept.

MSI brings a unique new motherboard, starting with the popular back-connect motherboard – B650M PROJECT ZERO. This particular motherboard puts the power interface, fans interface, and others to the back of the motherboard allowing for much simpler and more elegant cable management. The eye-catching silver design allows you to represent your style!

(MSI B650M Project Zero Motherboard – Image from Benchlife.info)

At Computex, MSI has showcased a USB4 add-on card that supports 100W fast charging for connected devices. This device also supports DisplayPort In, which allows users of this card to output DisplayPort connections though the card’s USB4 Type-C connections. Note that only one of this card’s USB Type-C connections supports 100W fast charging, with the other supporting 27W device charging. This USB4 card supports transfer rates of up to 40Gb/s.

And also on display is the new USB 4 100W Expansion Card, which allows the motherboard to support dual USB 4.0 40Gb/s Type-C Ports with ultra-high transfer rate and up to 100W fast charging!

PC builders should expect MSI’s Z790 MAX series motherboards to be released sometime over the next few months, and for the company’s new 100W USB4 expansion card to launch within a similar timeframe.

You can join the discussion on MSI’s Z790 MAX series motherboards on the OC3D Forums.