MSI MEG Z690 Unify Review

Up Close – Tour Part One

The Unify is very black. We know that sound obvious but looking at it one would be forgiven for thinking parts of it were coated in the famous Vanta Black. It’s tough to photograph and we imagine once inside a case it will always vanish in to the background.

  

Just like the Carbon the Unify PCB has some heavily highlighted standoff areas so that even the most neophyte builder will be able to know where to install them. Unlike the Carbon there is also a backplate on the Unify to help spread the thermal loading evenly across the PCB.

  

We’ve had to put a lot of lighting around the Unify to show off the many highlights including a very tactile embossed MSI Dragon logo on the VRM heatsink/IO section.

  

With four M.2 slots on the lower half there is almost a full cover effect on the Unify. Great if you’re on of those people who dislike the chaos of a naked board and its capacitors strewn hither and thither.

  

Starting at the top left and, like all the Z690s we have previewed so far, the power for the CPU comes courtesy of two 8pin 12V inputs tucked away in the corner. You can also see the thick heatpipe that ties the northern power phases to those on the western side of the PCB.

  

Moving to the top right and you can see the commitment MSI have to ensuring you’ve got all the cooling you need for your new 12th Generation Intel processor. Four fan headers and a combined Pump/Fan header have you covered.

  

If you’ve got a Corsair RGB setup then you’ll be pleased at the inclusion of the JCorsair header that allows you to plug your Corsair products directly in to the MSI Unify. If you haven’t then the Z690 Unify still has regular RGB/ARGB headers for the Mystic Light.

  

Front panel USB Type-C connectors are vital with so many of our other devices running off Type-C cables. Plus it’s generally quicker than USB Type-A and that’s something with which we can always get on board.