MSI has introduced the PRO Z890-S WiFi Project Zero motherboard. Its special feature is the power connectors moved to the back side. The new product was announced by the company’s Japanese office, where the board will go on sale on May 2 at a price of 42,980 yen (about $300).
Image source: MSI
The new product is based on the Intel Z890 chipset. The board is equipped with a 15-phase VRM power subsystem according to the 12+1+1+1 scheme. PRO Z890-S WiFi Project Zero is made in the usual ATX form factor. Its dimensions are 243.84 × 304.8 mm. It supports the installation of up to four DDR5-8800 RAM modules with a total capacity of up to 256 GB.
The new product received four SATA III ports, one PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 and two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2. Expansion slots are represented by one PCIe 5.0 x16 with an EZ PCIe Clip II mechanism to simplify the removal of massive video cards, one PCIe 3.0 x1 (full-size x16) and two PCIe 4.0 x4 (x16). The board supports Wi-Fi 7 with a speed of up to 5.8 Gbps and is equipped with a 2.5-gigabit network controller Realtek 8125D. The set of front connectors of the board includes Thunderbolt 4 with a speed of up to 40 Gbps. The Realtek ALC897 codec is responsible for the sound.
The key difference between the PRO Z890-S WiFi Project Zero and earlier PRO series boards is that all power ports, fan connectors, and internal USB connectors have been moved to the back of the board. This configuration allows you to hide most of the wires from the user’s eyes, making the PC assembly more aesthetically pleasing. However, before purchasing such boards, you should make sure that your PC case supports their installation. The right edge of the board is completely covered by a casing, since all connectors have been moved to the back side.
Although the PRO series boards are not positioned as overclocking solutions, the chipset of the new product provides such an opportunity. The BIOS firmware of the PRO Z890-S WiFi Project Zero board contains several overclocking profiles for the processor and RAM.
The expected price of the PRO Z890-S WiFi PZ in Europe is around €365.