MSI MAG Z690 Carbon WiFi Review

Up Close – Overview

As most modern motherboards have more than a single M.2 slot so more and more manufacturers are using the bottom half of their motherboard to show off both their aesthetic chops as well as their ability to design a functional heatspreader. The Carbon is no exception.

  

If you’re ever fearful of getting a motherboard standoff in the wrong place then there is no doubting where they should go if you pay attention to the back of the Z690 Carbon PCB. We haven’t got a transparent motherboard tray so we’re not entirely sure how useful these huge identifying circles will be, but they’re there if you want them.

  

As regular readers will know we will be covering all of this in some detail on the next page. Sometimes though it’s nice to step back and be able to see the whole picture, rather than everything at a macro level. The Carbon is certainly an attractive motherboard with the matte black finish accented by a smattering of carbon elements.

  
  

So far it seems that the new 12th Generation Alder Lake processors require a fair bit of juice as the power stages are quite serious on all the motherboards we’ve got on hand. The MSI Carbon is no exception running 18+1+1 @ 75A. Unsurprisingly therefore the VRM heatsink is an extremely beefy number with many layers for maximus surface area and thus heat dissipation.

  
  
  

Intel have always gone the opposite route to AMD with their sockets. Rather than give you one socket which lasts years, Intel change them at every opportunity. A bit frustrating if you like to, or have to, slowly upgrade your rig.