MSI Z390 MEG Ace Preview

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As we continue our trip around the hardware on the edges of the MEG, there are two front panel USB 3.1 connectors alongside the USB 3.0 front panel socket. Certainly if you prefer to connect your peripherals and devices at the pointy end of your case then you’re well catered for here. You can also get a good look at the shiny reinforced DIMM sockets.

  

Below the USB 3.0 front panel header are the six SATA ports, here in dual stack configuration rather than the “6 glued together” look. You can also see the famous Dragon logo on the chipset heat sink. The black surround is a matter of taste. It’s certainly different.

  

Besides the dragon we find all three of the PCI Express 3.0 slots are reinforced, and the bottom M.2 socket has a heat spreader as is becoming the norm, even if the top one is as naked as a German on the beach. You can also see a selection of front USB headers on the bottom edge, but let’s move to the OC Dial.

  

The OG MSI OC Genie was a button that just toggled an overclocked state and did so with such panache that it won our OC3D Innovation Award back in the day. Since then it has been revised and refined into a OC Dial that has multiple settings letting you push your CPU as hard as you dare, or as hard as the silicon lottery will allow. If you’ve ever wanted the performance benefits of overclocking without having to go through any of the tiresome stuff like learning how to do it, you’ll love the MSI solution.

  

Wherever you look on the MEG you find fan headers and USB connections. If anyone fancies utilising every header on the motherboard we’d love to see the cabling solution they come up with. The MSI RGB LED Strip headers are tucked beneath bottom PCI Express slot, letting you light up the world in any colour of your choosing. Or, at the very least, the inside of your case.

  

Lastly around the back we have all the connectors for everything from the simplicity of the Audio jacks to the USB headers in multiple types. If your overclocking efforts go wrong then you’ll appreciate the BIOS Flashback and CMOS Clear buttons on the rear. In fact the only thing we’ve seen a lot of that doesn’t exist here is a display output. But really, how many of us use integrated graphics? Exactly.

Whilst you await our full review let us know your thoughts about the MSI Z390 MEG Ace on the OC3D Forums.